What I learned today...

Did you know there are many different varieties of garlic? I didn't. Until I read about a guy named Pete Rasmussen (Sandhill Farms: Eden, Utah) that grows and sells over 30 different types to customers like Whole Foods.
I also learned (at gourmetgarlicgardens.com) that many of our current varieties were not available here in the US until a little over twenty years ago. Many were grown in a military protected area of the Soviet Union and we were not allowed in to purchase them, that is until the Soviet Union was disintegrating in 1989. Once the ban was lifted, purchasers "went from village to village along old silk Road buying garlic from local markets and naming the cultivars after the town or village where they were purchased."
Want to learn more about garlic or just want to enjoy fabulous foods drenched in it? Check out the Annual Northwest Garlic Festival in Long Beach, WA June 19-20, 2010.

Necessity really is the mother of invention. Ever wish you had the perfect something to hold your camera so you could be in the picture? Don't want to spend a lot on a bulky tripod? Here's the solution...Dynomighty's Bottle Cap Tripod. Simply screw the tripod adapter onto your water or soda bottle (who doesn't usually have one of these around?) and attach your camera. Viola! Instant camera holder! It even pivots 15 degrees in any direction. What a cool idea! People's ingenuity and creativity never cease to amaze me!

A sad note...Heidi Grace is closing her adorable little shop, Clever, in Ruston, WA. But for a wonderful reason; she is pregnant with her third child. Congrats to her and her family!
If you hadn't had a chance to check her latest creations at her shop, you can still get in on the 50% off clearance sale (select Thursdays and Fridays in February) as well as continue shopping online. Best of luck and continued success to Heidi...I know she will do more great things! Her scrapbook line is currently being produced by Colorbok.

Funniest thing I read today:

"If Al Gore invented the internet, I invented spell check."
~ Dan Quayle

*Of course, I cannot verify Dan Quayle really made this quote, but I felt the chuckle was worth sharing either way.

enjoy the things you learn in each day,
-d.