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Nuts and Vegetables. Does that sound like a crazy idea for a cosmic baseball game? Our friends in the Cultivar League (much like our compadres playing in the Clone League) always provide some interesting cosmic baseball moments. Today's game was no different. How exciting was the seventh inning homerun by Beaumont, a popular Macadamia cultivar? Or the outstanding pitching by Waimanalo, winner of the game's MCP award? Unfortunately the Cucumbers haven't got much to celebrate, which has been their story all season long. They are frequently the last place team in whatever league they find themselves. Maybe it is because being "cool as a cucumber" short circuits the competitive heat required to win games. Nutritionally the cucumber is primarily water, low caloric and a source of potassium, Vitamin E and Vitamin C. The cucumber has been cultivated for more than three thousand years. But humans have probably consumed wild cucumbers for at least 11,000 years. Chinese mythology speaks of one of the immortals attaching a cucumber to his staff; from the staff rose clouds of vapor that freed the soul. Other Indo-Chinese myths indicate that after eating a cucumber the tadpole-like creatures Yatawin and Yatai became romantic and created a new race of people. The Israelites considered the cucumber a symbol of renewal. The Romans emperor Tiberius is said to have eaten a cucumber each day. Catherine of Aragon insisted cucumbers be served with her Spanish salads. Columbus brought the cucumber to the New World. This highly adaptable vegetable is nevertheless a relatively poor cosmic baseball player. The history of the cultivation of Macadamia nuts is much more recent than the cucumber. The white man first discovered the Macadamia tree in Australia in 1843. Although part of a very old family of trees (the proteaceae) the natural distribution of Macadamia trees is not widespread, confined for the most part to the southern Queensland and northern New South Wales areas of Australia. Of the ten species of Macadamia trees, only two bear edible fruit (m. integrifolia and m. tryptophylla.) The aborigines called the Macadamia kindal, kindal. It is unlikely that the man whose name is now associated with the fruit ever tasted a Macadamia nut. On August 5, 1857 the Australian botanist Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller delivered a lecture to his colleagues at the Philosophic Institute of Victoria on his discovery of some new flora and fauna in the Melbourne area. Among his discoveries was a tree he named Genus Macadamia in honor of John Macadam, the Institute's "talented and deserving" Secretary. The migration of the Macadamia nut out of its natural habitat began in the late 1860s when early Australian colonists began planting the trees. Ian McConachie in his essay "The Macadamia Story" writes, "The impetus to this rapid spread was botanical interest but more importantly, the delicacy of flavor and texture of the nut. Few, if any, of the other newfound foods could have made such a favorable impression at first tasting." The Macadamia nut can consist of up to 80% oil and up to 8% sugar which explains its popularity. The Macadamia can also, as the following report suggests, play a decent game of cosmic baseball.
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| Cucumber Cultivars |
| PLAYER | POSITION | INFORMATION | |
| 1 | Revenue | Rightfield | (E0211) - Breeder: L. Gautney. Vendor: Ferry-Morse Seed Co. Characteristics predominantly gynoecious hybrid slicer, for market and home garden, better color and fruit length than Cypress, 66-68 day maturity, high yield, uniform dark green fruit. Similar: Cypress, Raider, Sprint. 1982. |
| 2 | Slicerite | Firstbase | (8C-X11) - Breeder and vendor: Ferry-Morse Seed Co. Characteristics F1 hybrid, productive slicer, fairly straight dark green fruit, moderate stippling, very slight striping at blossom end, good length. Adaptation Cherokee 7. 1975. |
| 3 | Boston Pickling | Secondbase | Boston Pickle, Early Green Prolific, Extra Early Green Prolific, Extra Early Prolific, Extra Green Prolific Pickling, Extra Long Green Prolific Green Prolific Pickling, Improved Extra Early Green Prolific, Short Green Pickling, Short Pickling, Short Prolific, Short Prolific Pickle, Short Prolific Pickling). Breeder and vendor Wood and Sons. Characteristics: fruit straight, dark green, tip stripes, 6-7 x 2.25-2.5" fruit, black spined, pickler, monoecious, inbred. 1880. |
| 4 | Armada | Catcher | (PS 20580) - Breeder and vendor Petoseed. Characteristics pickler, 53-54 day maturity, gynoecious, L/D 3.15, dark green, high yielding processor, white spined, vine vigorous, excellent brining. Resistance: scab, anthracnose, angular leaf spot, downy mildew, powdery mildew. 1985. |
| 5 | Streamliner | Leftfield | Breeder and vendor: W. Atlee Burpee Co. Characteristics: F1 hybrid, gynoecious, compact vines, 9.5-10" fruit length, slender fruit, medium green color. Resistance: cucumber mosaic virus, mildew. Adaptation: wide. 1981. |
| 6 | Yorkstate | Centerfield | Pickling. Breeder: Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Parentage: Chinese Long, Early Russian. Characteristics: about two days later but otherwise hard to distinguish from National. Resistance: cucumber mosaic virus. Similar: National Pickling. Farm. Res 16(4)13. 1950. |
| 7 | Alice | Shorstop | (Dessert No. 4) - Breeder and vendor: Dessert Seed Co. Parentage Gy 3 x MSU 7. Characteristics: high yielding, light colored fruit, pickler. Resistance: scab, cucumber mosaic virus. Similar: Wisconsin SMR 18. Adaptation: northern areas. 1968. |
| 8 | Polaris | Thirdbase | Breeder: Clemson College, Charleston, South Carolina. Parentage: PI. 197087 x South Carolina breeding lines with several backcrosses. Characteristics: early, dark green slicer. Resistance: downy mildew, powdery mildew, anthracnose. Similar: Ashley. Clemson College, 23 May 1961. |
| 9 | Universal | Pitcher | Breeder: Otis Twilley. Vendor: Abbott & Cobb. Characteristics: monoecious hybrid slicer, smooth, uniform dark green fruit free of stippling. Resistance: cucumber mosaic virus, scab, downy mildew, powdery mildew, angular leaf spot, anthracnose. Similar: Poinsett. 1982 |
| Macadamia Nut Cultivars |
| PLAYER | POSITION | INFORMATION | |
| 1 | Elimbah | Shorstop | Originated in Australia. Imported into California by E. Westree. Thin shells. Kernel averages 45-50% of nut. Nuts tend to drop year-round. |
| 2 | Cate | Centerfield | M. tetraphylla. Originated on the property of William R. Cate, Malibu, Calif. Nuts medium to large. Shell average thickness. Kernels 40% of nut, cream colored, crisp in texture, flavor good to very good. Ripens in late October and November continuing over a period of 6 to 8 weeks. Tree precocious, moderately hardy, shows no alternate bearing tendencies. The most widely adapted cultivar for commercial use in California. |
| 3 | Beaumont | Secondbase | (Dr. Beaumont) Hybrid. Originated in Australia. Discovered by Dr. J. H. Beaumont. Introduced in 1965 by the California Macadamia Society. Round, medium to large nut, 65 to 80 per pound. Shell medium-thick, kernel 40% of nut, with a high percentage of grade A kernels. Some nuts may split on the tree and be ruined. Texture and flavor very good. Tree upright, ornamental. New leaves reddish, flowers bright pink, borne on long racemes. Nuts drop over a long period. Recommended for home gardens. |
| 4 | Vista | Rightfield | Hybrid. Originated in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. by Cliff Tanner. Small to medium-sized nut, 3/4 to 7/8 inch in diameter. Kernel averages 46% of weight of nut, flavor excellent, oil content 75%. Shell very thin, can be cracked in an ordinary hand cracker. Tree medium-sized, pyramidal, begins to bear after 3 years. Self-harvesting. Flowers pink. Recommended for both home garden and commercial plantings. |
| 5 | Keauhou | Leftfield | M. integrifolia. Originated in Kona, Hawaii by W.B. Storey. Medium to large nut, averaging about 54 nuts per pound. Shell very slightly pebbled, medium-thick. Kernel 37 to 40% of nut, quality tends to vary in different locations. Harvest season relatively short, with most of the crop maturing within about 3 months. Tree vigorous, yields well, extremely resistant to anthracnose. |
| 6 | Dorado | Firstbase | M. integrifolia. Originated in Hawaii. Introduced by Rancho Nuez Nursery. Medium-sized, uniform nuts, 7/8 to 1 inch in diameter. Kernel averages 35% of nut, oil content 75%. Tree medium-tall, upright, attractive. Begins to bear after 5 years, self-harvesting, cold resistant. Very productive, often yielding 65 or more pounds of nuts per year. |
| 7 | Burdick | Catcher | M. tetraphylla. Originated in Encinitas, Calif. Large nut, averaging 40 per pound. Shell thin, about 1/16 inch thick, well-filled. Kernel averages about 34% of total nut weight, quality good. Matures in October. Tree bears annually. Not widely planted these days. Has been superseded by better cultivars. Also used as a rootstock. |
| 8 | Keaau | Thirdbase | M. integrifolia. Originated in Lawai Valley, Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii. Medium-sized nut, averaging about 80 nuts per pound; Shell smooth, medium brown, thin. Kernel 42-46% of nut, color light cream, quality good. Season August to November. Tree moderately vigorous, upright, very productive. |
| 9 | Waimanalo | Pitcher | M. integrifolia. Originated at the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Waimanalo, Hawaii. Large nuts, occasionally with twin halves. Shell relatively thick. Kernel 38-1/2% of nut, flavor good, oil content 75%. Tree medium-sized, pyramidal, productive, begins to bear after 5 years. Produces nuts in large clusters. Resistant to frost and disease. Grows well in cooler climates, particularly near the ocean. Also yields good crops inland. |
Game DataHomeruns Beaumont, Burdick (2), Keaau, Waimanalo Triples None Doubles Yorkstate (2), Alice; Keanhou Stolen Bases None Caught Stealing None Double Plays Cucumbers-1; Macadamia Nuts-2 Errors Cucumbers- Universal (bad throw); Macadamia Nuts- Elimbah (bad throw) Left-on-Base Cucumbers-7; Macadamia Nuts-3 Game Most Cosmic Player
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