Florida Palmetto Weevil

     The other day Monsieur and I were surprised to find a big red beetle in the middle of our hallway.  Since we often leave the back door to the garden open, this did not greatly surprise me.  A quick search on google confirmed that this was the dreaded Florida Red Weevil that we had recently heard so much about.  Monsieur put him out and grabbed this pic of the beast before he flew off. 

Rhynchophorus cruentatus Fabricius,  Photo by Mary M Payne

He (or she) turned out to be the largest weevil in North America and is called the palmetto weevil, Rhynchophorus cruentatus Fabricius. The palmetto weevil is native to Florida and until recently was the only species of palm weevil in the continental United States. Once, the palmetto weevil was considered a minor pest, attacking only severely wounded and dying trees. Now however, it is  known to be a pest of stressed nursery and transplanted palms as well as apparently healthy Canary Island date (Phoenix canariensis Hortorum ex Chabaud), Bismarck (Bismarckia nobilis Hildebrandt & H. Wendl.) and Latan (Latania spp.) palms.

 I understand that the adults of this species display various color variations. They can also be quite variable in overall size.  

This female beetle is now bad news also for the Mediterranean area ( PACA) from Marseille to Nice whose owners of palms noticed too late that their trees were under attack from imported insects.   The pest arrived to our area in 2006 and it was found that this parasite lays its eggs in the heart of the tree and the larvae feast on the tree until it is dead.  Here the weevil is called "le charancon rouge" and millions of households have been warned by letter from the city.  In theVar alone, 8,200 trees have been treated or removed.  It is being called a "massacre" by those involved. 

The best way to treat an ailing tree is by injecting an insecticide made by the giant multinational Swiss company, Syngenta.  The problem is that because Syngeta holds a monopoly on the product so they have insisted that their own personnel treat the affected trees affectively pushing the price form 30 euros per treatment up to 250 euros a tree.  This price is preventing many households from taking action and there is now a petition on line to protest the high price of the treatment:    collectif méditerranéen pour la sauvegarde des palmiers,  
Over 7000 signatures have been collected. 

 According to our own tree cutter and palm tree expert, Daniel Donadey,  artisan "elagueur" ( tel. 04 93 72 81 13) there have been 2000 trees who have died in Nice and surrounds.   He has already taken down at least 3 in my neighborhood and other tree cutters have removed another three.   I also  see from my terrace two palms that have been treated and are starting to regrow.  Huzzah.


Here is a photo of a tree on my street that has been killed by the red weevil larvae and not yet been removed. 

Palm tree killed by "Florida Red Weevil" in Nice , France   Photo by Mary M Payne

It is a sad state of affairs for the affected trees but believe it or not there are still quite a few other variations of palms here that appear quite healthy and so the signature tree of The Cote d'azur seems intact for the moment. 

 Still I'm no longer a fan of the huge red insect.  But as Monsieur says, "he's just trying to make a living".

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato "Fries".  Photo by Mary M Payne

 I haven't posted a recipe for a long time but you can bet that I am often finding and experimenting with new dishes.  There is nothing worse than a food rut. 

  And if one is not going to eat industrial food then one had better love being in the kitchen.... concocting and tweaking new ideas that will satisfy the emotional needs as well as the body's needs.  

You also have to admit that there is nothing like home cooking for that little extra enthusiasm and care infused into it.  A machine really can't do that.  Thank goodness robots aren't there yet.  

So today I made sweet potato "frites" which are really not fried at all, but baked.   I found the recipe in Food Matters: The Recipe Book by James Colquhoun and Larentine ten Bosch. 

These sweet potatoes will make a nice side dish or snack.  I added the ¼ t of turmeric and ½ t. of ground cumin found in the recipe as my experiment as these are seldom used flavors for me. 

Basically, the recipe asks that one peels and cuts the sweet potatoes into large "fries". Then with a large bowl or paper bag, you coat them in olive or coconut oil along with the spices (except the salt). 

Next we spread the pieces on a baking tray so that they don't touch and put them in the oven for 20-35 minutes at # 5, 180 degrees C. or 350 F.   First we sprinkle with sea salt. 

 I am not sure you can ever get the crispiness of a potato that's been scalded in hot fat when you bake it.   I had to turn up the heat for the last 10 minutes or so since they weren't getting crispy.  I may have to use higher heat to begin with to see if I can achieve more of a crispy outside before the inside bakes entirely.   But the flavor is good. 

The sweet potato has a lower glycemic index than a regular potato meaning your blood sugar won't spike. Other perks for using sweet potatoes are that they are  full of beta-carotene and vitamin C.   Turmeric contains bioactive compounds with powerful medicinal properties and cumin is high in anti-oxidents.   

 But none of this will do me any good if the people I feed don't like the taste. 

  The fun for me is to see if I can get Monsieur, the connoisseur, to enjoy my dishes.  If he likes the dish, I am pretty sure I've got a winner.  

 So far, he is praising the "fries". 

 Today we will have them with a tasty green salad, some venison filet and a glass of fine French regional wine, "bien sûr .