Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/10/19/cotton-and-jelly-sandwich.html
…
2 Likes
9 Likes
Obligatory:
21 Likes
Was this really something that needed to be done?
7 Likes
Beat me to the Milo Minderbinder reference. Good work!
8 Likes
Given the growing demand for cotton and the fact it draws water away from producing food… maybe yes?
4 Likes
Can i pass? I’m going to pass
8 Likes
This was done so people in states where weed is illegal can have the same cottonmouth feeling as people in free states.
5 Likes
Cottonseed is high in protein, and there is a lot of cotton in the world. It’s grown in over 80 countries, many with high rates of malnutrition.
You could meet the basic protein requirements of hundreds of millions of people with the seeds. All the chicken eggs produced in the world right now (1.4 trillion) couldn’t meet the protein in what’s being produced in cottonseed.
15 Likes
if it’s gluten free it will be a huge hit
2 Likes
But…is…it…better at being peanuts, wheat, and other plants at producing those foods? Or is this just our way of coping with the sunk costs of monocropping rather than actually diversifying crops?
5 Likes
What, no cotton candy jokes?
5 Likes
EDIT Damn you, ninja!
3 Likes
Cue the anti-GMO crowd…
2 Likes
It sounds like a good way to get more useful material from a crop that humans are already growing. We use the boll for fabrics, and the seed oil for cooking oils. If we can also use the remaining seed as a food source, that cuts down on the amount of waste materials.
8 Likes
Came here for that!
1 Like
‘The lost hiker managed to survive by eating his T-shirt.’
So, I was wondering how it could be that presently we eat cottonseed oil, yet the seeds are toxic—because isn’t the oil extracted from the seed? Apparently the toxin is eliminated in the processing of the oil.
Gossypol is a toxic, yellow, polyphenolic compound produced by cotton and other members of the order Malvaceae, such as okra.[5] This naturally occurring coloured compound is found in tiny glands in the seed, leaf, stem, tap root bark, and root of the cotton plant. The adaptive function of the compound facilitates natural insect resistance. The three key steps of refining, bleaching, and deodorization in producing finished oil act to eliminate the gossypol level.
2 Likes
Just FTR, the US-made peanut butter I can buy around the corner already contains oil from cotton kernels.
And well, yes, I agree with what was said above: it is maybe a step improving the use of resources. But no, it isn’t something I would prefer to, say, diversified and ecologically adapted farming.
I’ve seen cotton production in West Africa, which is fucking unsustainable ecologically. I’ve also seen the local market for cotton and cotton products collapse under import pressure from China, Indonesia and the EU (the latter mainly importing uses clothings). Edible seeds won’t change that. The market is already dominated by genetically modified cotton, as far as I know. Local farmers have to buy their seeds already - leading to strong problems, since if one drop cycle fails, they are not only in danger of loosing their business, but to starve. They used to be self-sufficient, but they needed to intensify farming and farm larger areas for a break-even, so subsistence farming is dwindling away.
This is a fucking game va banque, in more than one way. The next larger Sahel drought cycle will happen, and if it’s in any way like '73 or '83… I can’t finish this sentence. Fuck.
Bottom line: generic engineering is the technical approach to a systematic environmental, economical and societal problem. While it might seem a good idea, it doesn’t provide a long-term perspective. Fuck that.
6 Likes
Just FTR: ever wondered about castor oil? Holy shit, that cake is poisonous…
3 Likes
