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Gettin' lucky.......


Zephyr

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I was watching a documentary yesterday where they said the Europeans arriving in the century or so after Columbus were amazed with the huge numbers of game, forests, fish, etc. and described millions of herring being caught, salted and shipped to Europe from one small location each year.

I also didn't realize that Columbus brought 8 pigs on his second voyage that escaped and, within the next 100 years the Americas were overrun with wild boars - the pigs reverting to their wild state - which destroyed the planted crops of many native villages who didn't know what to do about them.

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8 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

I also didn't realize that Columbus brought 8 pigs on his second voyage that escaped and, within the next 100 years the Americas were overrun with wild boars - the pigs reverting to their wild state - which destroyed the planted crops of many native villages who didn't know what to do about them.

Or was it De Soto? Didn't some voyagers carry pigs to drop off on various islands along the route so they (or others) could have them the next time they came through?

At Queen Isabella's insistence, Christopher Columbus took eight pigs on his voyage to Cuba (or perhaps the West Indies) in 1493. They were tough and could survive the voyage with minimal care, they supplied an emergency food source if needed, and those that escaped provided meat for hunting on return trips. But Hernando de Soto was the true "father of the American pork industry." He brought America's first 13 pigs to Tampa Bay, Fla., in 1539. As the herds grew, explorers used the pigs not only for eating as fresh meat but for salt pork and preserved pork. American Indians were reportedly so fond of the taste of pork that attacks to acquire it resulted in some of the worst assaults on the expedition. By the time de Soto died three years later, his original herd of 13 pigs had grown to 700 – a very conservative estimate. This number doesn't include the pigs eaten by his troops, those that escaped and became wild pigs (the ancestors of today's feral pigs), and those given to the American Indians to keep the peace. The pork industry in America had begun.

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1 minute ago, Razors Edge said:

Or was it De Soto? Didn't some voyagers carry pigs to drop off on various islands along the route so they (or others) could have them the next time they came through?

At Queen Isabella's insistence, Christopher Columbus took eight pigs on his voyage to Cuba (or perhaps the West Indies) in 1493. They were tough and could survive the voyage with minimal care, they supplied an emergency food source if needed, and those that escaped provided meat for hunting on return trips. But Hernando de Soto was the true "father of the American pork industry." He brought America's first 13 pigs to Tampa Bay, Fla., in 1539. As the herds grew, explorers used the pigs not only for eating as fresh meat but for salt pork and preserved pork. American Indians were reportedly so fond of the taste of pork that attacks to acquire it resulted in some of the worst assaults on the expedition. By the time de Soto died three years later, his original herd of 13 pigs had grown to 700 – a very conservative estimate. This number doesn't include the pigs eaten by his troops, those that escaped and became wild pigs (the ancestors of today's feral pigs), and those given to the American Indians to keep the peace. The pork industry in America had begun.

You're probably right.  The documentary just mentioned Columbus but it surely left out others who brought pigs. horses, cattle, etc. to the New World. DNA indicates that chickens first got to the Americas from Polynesia - I'd like to see a documentary about Polynesians in the Americas.

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2 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

You're probably right.  The documentary just mentioned Columbus but it surely left out others who brought pigs. horses, cattle, etc. to the New World. DNA indicates that chickens first got to the Americas from Polynesia - I'd like to see a documentary about Polynesians in the Americas.

Did Columbus even step foot on the mainland?  I don't think he did, but so much myth around it, that I am not sure.

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6 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Did Columbus even step foot on the mainland?  I don't think he did, but so much myth around it, that I am not sure.

It’s been a minute but didn’t he land on what is now The Dominican Republic?   Not sure about the other trips.

The yellow mustard that is abundant in SoCal is a remnant of the Spanish Missionaries who brought it with them to feed their horses.  The horses probably crapped out seeds and a couple of hundred years later it’s all over the place from Baja to NorCal. 

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Much of Florida was "discovered" by Ponce de Leon on a later voyage than Columbus.  There is a statue in his honor in downtown St. Augustine near the end of the Bridge of Lions.  A couple of buildings north of there is Harry's Seafood Bar and Grill, a great place for a relaxing and spicy lunch or dinner.

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22 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

They are hidden by all the herring smegley they are swimming around in

See, this is why I don't eat shellfish.  It's bad enough eating things that swim in their own toilets, but eventually that all falls to the bottom and guess who eats it?

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Just now, 12string said:

See, this is why I don't eat shellfish.  It's bad enough eating things that swim in their own toilets, but eventually that all falls to the bottom and guess who eats it?

Lobsters are the cockroaches of the sea..., but they are so yummy!

 

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56 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

FTR, this thread should have been all about Pico. What gives????  Where is Pico?

She is a total softie....., she is working hard here trying to stay on her feet.(Note how her feet are splayed and her tail is tucked.

This is her now......

20200407_141344.jpg

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