3 grains I would like to see added to the game for their beauty:
Poppy seeds:
(http://wolnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ProvencePoppyField2-1024.jpg)
Sunflower seeds:
(http://www.outdoorphotogear.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/1652__500x500_untitled-2.jpg)
Rapeseed:
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/29/article-2151404-09A90E16000005DC-79_964x641.jpg)
And if you harvest the poppies early, you get opium. Then the farmers all zone out and everyone starves to death. *giggles*
Quote from: slink on May 26, 2014, 06:45:01 AM
And if you harvest the poppies early, you get opium. Then the farmers all zone out and everyone starves to death. *giggles*
Well, they were Banished for a reason...
Add Counselor to the professions list and the hospital will actually have work to do more often too!
Quote from: slink on May 26, 2014, 06:45:01 AM
And if you harvest the poppies early, you get opium. Then the farmers all zone out and everyone starves to death. *giggles*
But ... they starve happy.
Here in the Frozen North we refer to "rapeseed" as canola. Much more dignified, don't you think? I think our farmers/govt. agencies were worried that "Rapeseed Oil" would be much harder to make a mass market commodity than "Canola Oil." Am I correct that in Europe it is not so much a food oil as here? The great thing about having rapeseed/canola is that the fields are just so downright beautiful. Last time we were in Germany it was the flowering season and the view from church towers in rural towns was breathtaking.
Quote from: rkelly17 on May 26, 2014, 07:45:13 AM
Am I correct that in Europe it is not so much a food oil as here?
I don't know about other countries, but here in the Netherlands it's hardly used, and even then maybe more in fuel (biodiesel) than in food oil.
Thanks,
@Kaldir. I saw so many fields of it in Germany that I assume they make use of it, probably as in the Netherlands for biodiesel. In Canada it has become a major food oil, probably because it is widely grown in Western Canada. It is almost unpatriotic to use something else.
Ah! Canola... I should have known.
Maybe a fuel source.
Quote from: rkelly17 on May 26, 2014, 08:29:30 AM
Thanks, @Kaldir. I saw so many fields of it in Germany that I assume they make use of it, probably as in the Netherlands for biodiesel. In Canada it has become a major food oil, probably because it is widely grown in Western Canada. It is almost unpatriotic to use something else.
I was going to say that being a small and densily populated country (9th most densily (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_density#Most_densely_populated_countries.2Fregions) populated according to Wikipedia) meant the Netherlands don't have much room for agriculture, but according to Wikipedia again we rank third (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands#Agriculture) worldwide in value of agricultural export. Well, what did I know...
Rapeseed oil has seen a sharp increase as a food oil here in Norway since the introduction of double-low strains.
I'd very much like to see fields of gold ingame (barley) as it has been the staple grain for people in more extreme climates (both northern and desert). Add hops and have the brewery produce reinheitsgebot ale- needing two sources but giving longer happiness effect, akin to steel versus iron tools.
I believe one of the issues many (people, as well as countries) take with canola/rapeseed oil is that it is pretty widely GMO. I do not think it is as bad as soy or corn in this respect but I believe it was pretty high up there. (By "bad" I mean almost all soy and corn are now GMO varieties, so it is variety I am more commenting on.)
I have no wish to start a debate on GMO vs non-GMO foods, I was just observing one reason it may not be widely-used as a food source in some countries, even if they grow it.
One of the reasons why the currently grown commercial rapeseed crop was renamed to canola, besides the obvious, was because rapeseed was known to contain a toxin. Canola oil is from a variety of rapeseed that was selected to contain almost none of that toxin.
Personally, I prefer olive and sesame seed oils. :)
We use primarily olive oil and coconut oil. Though occasionally when we need higher-temp oils we use canola.
We have some coconut oil also. I use it primarily for greasing bread pans and occasionally on my hands.
We us the coconut oil with baking rather a lot. The flavor is not strong enough to change flavors, but tends to complement most baked goods. Plus, we never have to worry about anyone in my son's class being allergic to it. He is allergic to soy and many people do not realize that vegetable oil is mostly soy, so he has to skip cupcakes and such rather often in school. So we try to make sure no kids have to skip a treat on his birthday!
I was watching a cooking show the other night and the chef used grapeseed oil on the grill, remarking that it had no flavour and didn't affect the flavour of the food being fried. I'd never hear that. In our parts grapeseed is available, but is a bit of a niche product.
In our local schools there is a strict ban on all peanut products and in the school our granddaughter goes to a ban on citrus because a teacher is allergic to the oil in citrus peel. Being allergic to soy must be a pain, since it seems such a common ingredient now. Almost as ubiquitous as corn products.
I always have a problem envisioning any large quantity of grape-seed oil being produced. Okay, I suppose the seeds from the grapes that go into making the wine that I drink have to be used somehow, but it seems like such a small volume for cooking purposes. And, what is the point if it has no flavor? I love the strong flavor and aroma of sesame seed oil. I have never understood people who decry the "strong flavor" of olive oil. Yes, olive oil has a mild flavor, but it's not like that makes food cooked with it inedible. It's just a part of the flavor.
I'm surprised at the idea of grapeseed oil, too. I always thought grapes stored their energy for seed germination in the form of sugars, not oils. That's not to say that I don't think there's any oil in a grapeseed, but they're awfully small, and like slink said, it's hard to imagine it's worth extracting. A bottle of oil must be expensive.
Well, if the seeds from grapes used in wine are indeed used for this oil, it might actually be a cheap bottle, if they otherwise just throw out the seeds.
Good point. So far as I know, the big difference between red and white wines has to do with whether or not the skins are included in what's fermented. I think the seeds are filtered out in both cases. Still, though, that would be a lot of seeds. Economics escapes me.
Moving back toward the OP's topic, how about sunflowers? If we're going for aesthetics, fields of these are certainly nice looking. What role would they serve in the game? ... Not my problem. ;D
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_wine) the annual wine production in France is 7 to 8 billion bottles. According to this page (http://winingways.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/how-many-grapes-does-it-take-to-make-a-glass-of-wine/) it takes about 300-400 grapes for one bottle of wine. So France uses about 2100 to 3200 billion grapes. With multiple seeds per grape, that is a nice amount of grapeseeds to create your oil. And that is just France.
--
And I agree with Sunflowers for aesthetics. Or, to stay in French region, how about Lavender? I don't see a real purpose except for beauty, but I love those purple fields.
(http://www.smartfilaments.com/image/Lavendel001.jpg)
@rkelly17 It is difficult finding products without soy in them. And almost impossible to avoid it completely. Soy is in almost everything! Luckily he is less sensitive to soy lecithin (protein) then he used to be so it is not as big an issue as it once was. He also is allergic to annatto, a natural food coloring, which is more annoying because people are less aware of it. We do avoid peanuts as they are related to soy and we have no wish to cause him a peanut allergy by introducing it to him before his body can handle it. In addition he is intolerant to dairy so cooking for him can be a challenge, especially given his texture issues! I blame myself though. When I was pregnant I swore I would not be a 'short-order cook' for him (my older son was very picky when he was older), so I brought it all on myself. ;D
@slink Olive oil can have a strong flavor in certain baked goods for me, especially. So I like oils that do not change the flavor profile much in certain dishes/products. My husband says I am too sensitive to tastes and smells though.
I don't think I've ever seen grapeseed oil in the store. I'm curious now, I'll have to see if any of our local ones carry it. Any niche products are hugely expensive up here though so it would probably not be practical to use.
Sunflower fields would be pretty and useful!
Some people eat bread dipped in fragrant olive oil. At least I only bake mine with it. :D
I was baffled when someone posted elsewhere that they like to keep the kitchen separate from the dining area, to prevent "cooking odors" from interfering with their enjoyment of their food. I figure that if I'm serving it to eat, the odor of it cooking should not be distasteful. It's possible that they were using a euphemism for the odor from an open garbage can. Or maybe they burnt everything at least a little bit, and only served the unburnt portions? ;D
@slink, you'd love the building where our younger daughter lives in Toronto. About half the people in the building are from South Asia. After walking up to her apartment on the second floor I'm starving for curry.
QuoteSome people eat bread dipped in fragrant olive oil.
We did that when I was young.
Sometimes we toasted the bread and rubbed garlic in it (yeah, I know!) then poured virgin olive oil on it.
It was (maybe still is) very common in Mediterranean countries, where the production of olive oil is very high.
There are parts of Spain where the olive fields stretch as the eye can see.
It would probably make a good crop for Banished, actually.
Quote from: Boris_amj on May 28, 2014, 12:36:24 AM
QuoteSome people eat bread dipped in fragrant olive oil.
We did that when I was young.
Sometimes we toasted the bread and rubbed garlic in it (yeah, I know!) then poured virgin olive oil on it.
It was (maybe still is) very common in Mediterranean countries, where the production of olive oil is very high.
There are parts of Spain where the olive fields stretch as the eye can see.
It would probably make a good crop for Banished, actually.
Did I mention that I love garlic, too? I know I posted a photo of my head-height-tall spice cabinet. ;D
Here's a photo of my fermented garlic, fermenting and fermented.
Quote from: Kaldir on May 27, 2014, 01:31:45 PM
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_wine) the annual wine production in France is 7 to 8 billion bottles. According to this page (http://winingways.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/how-many-grapes-does-it-take-to-make-a-glass-of-wine/) it takes about 300-400 grapes for one bottle of wine. So France uses about 2100 to 3200 billion grapes. With multiple seeds per grape, that is a nice amount of grapeseeds to create your oil. And that is just France.
--
And I agree with Sunflowers for aesthetics. Or, to stay in French region, how about Lavender? I don't see a real purpose except for beauty, but I love those purple fields.
...
That field of lavender is beautiful. I'd like to see some purple in the game.
Here is a link to an article about grapeseed oil, with some information about quantity of seeds available
http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5043e/x5043e08.htm
And another, with only yields from seed given in the abstract.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15740076
Quote from: slink on May 28, 2014, 05:55:50 AM
That field of lavender is beautiful. I'd like to see some purple in the game.
That would be very cool for looks. I'm partial reds and blues, and purples are the best of both worlds. I often plant apple and plum orchards just for the appearance of the fruit on the trees, and my favorite crop, by far, is the peppers. I really like the way a pepper field looks when it matures.
what about rice ?
@RedKetchup, rice is nice, but isn't the climate in Banished too cold? And the geography wrong? The rice growing I'm familiar with is around Sacramento, California, where it doesn't snow and the land is flat river delta. I know that in Asian there are stepped rice paddies in hilly areas, but the climate is warmer and there is lots of water to flood the paddies. In China they grow rice in the South and wheat in the North, I think.
I think the additions should fit in with the general climate of Banished, which means that things like lavender are probably not for this version, lovely as they are. However, there are some very pretty cold climate crops we could add.
Definitely barley and hops, even if they were ugly, they should be in the game!
Flax, beautiful and used to make linen; weaver could be a new profession, woven clothing a new trade item.
Field poppies, definitely beautiful, yes add them.
Kale, collards, both big chunky appealing shapes that would look great in the game.
Buckwheat, very beautiful and tasty.
And if we are mixing hemispheres, why not add quinoa and amaranth? Suitable for cold climates, very attractive and nutritious, full proteins so could add health as much as livestock.
Speaking of Kale...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcI7jgkwdCM
LOL
Ha, that was hilarious;) He's the guy who does that hot pocket routine, I loved that. No wonder he hates kale! I eat greens of all kinds, grow them too, I think they taste pretty faboo, but it does matter how you prepare them. I guess some people have eaten them boiled and soggy, like terrible school cafeteria spinach. Braising them with onions, tons of garlic, peppers, bacon, vinegar and honey, mmmmm that is mighty tasty.
Lavender might work in the mild or fair Banished climates. Here in Southern Ontario for many years there was a major tobacco growing section, though they did have to start the plants in greenhouses and set them out after frost. The last 20 years the province and feds have been trying to get farmers to switch to other crops, but some is still grown. I think the issue for something like lavender in Banished would be the end use. At present there isn't much space for a non-food crop. Maybe medicinal herbs to replace the herbalist? Maybe you could collect the animal manure and compost it to grow mushrooms? Of course that wouldn't have the same aesthetic appeal as lavender.
I have enjoyed, and am still enjoying, this thread, but I think
@rkelly17 cut to the chase. It's the end use of the crop/resource that could influence whether something is ultimately included in the game, whether by Luke or by a modder. I like the idea of lot of the things mentioned in this thread for practical and/or aesthetic purposes, but I think it's unlikely that someone will spend his/her time adding something to the game if it duplicates the end use of something already included.
That doesn't mean that wishful thinking isn't fun, though. :)
Good point about the end use of lavender, unless it was used by the herbalist to make essential oils or something. Add a soap maker? Useful product locally and for trade.
I actually think a good place to start with mods is components that slot right into existing structures. Adding crops or animals seems easiest and an opportunity for a lot of fun. Its just about knowing the formats of the existing ones, how to find/create models and textures (and animations?) for the different seasons, then putting them into the .fbx format so they fit into the game. At least from what I'm gathering trying to catch up on some reading about what people hope for or expect. Adding bees and beekeepers, or soapmakers, or weavers, seems more complicated. Perhaps that is what modders want to spend time on, but for those of us not skilled enough to create actual changes/complexity to game play, creating a new crop would be challenging enough.
I'm amazed they can grow lavender so far north, although if you get hot continental summers, that might be why. Its just that you would definitely have to overwinter them inside, which seems rather insane. I know of no cultivar that could take such cold winter temps. And I have no experience with an annual approach to lavender, if there are any types that would actually produce much in only season.
Greenhouses in Banished seems a bit high tech, although compost heated greenhouses would fit in; you could grow citrus that way too. Mmmm.
Since I'm a huge pickle maker and eater, I think mustard and cucumbers should be added, plus they would look cool. Mustard is beautiful in the field, cucumbers are another big chunky plant.
Poppies and hemp should be made into mods, the drug paranoia of current cultures notwithstanding. They are useful for the herbalist and tailor and for trade, plus poppies are pretty spectacular. I'd sure use them. I mean in the game hehe;)
hehe yeah cucumbers ^^ there is a ton of vegs ... turnips , watermelons ... cant remember them all^^
edit : carrots ? bets ? ^^
rice needs a lot of water to grow which is why it is grown in flooded paddies. rye would be a good grain to add as it was actually more common for the poor to have rye bread than wheat bread. sunflower seeds can be baked and eaten. and definitely beets should be added, they were another common food of the poor
Quote from: tomplum68 on July 07, 2014, 05:37:52 AM
. . . rye would be a good grain to add . . . .
Rye. Hmmm. If we had both corn and rye, someone could mod a distillery and we could make both Kentucky and Canadian whiskey. Then all we would need is barley for Scotch aficionados and the whole booze-making end of the game would fall into place quite nicely. Oh, and hops, too, to improve the ale made.
Modders, are you ready to accept an assignment when the kit comes out?
boys...but olive oil? why not? ;D
Quote from: rkelly17 on July 07, 2014, 07:27:02 AM
Quote from: tomplum68 on July 07, 2014, 05:37:52 AM
. . . rye would be a good grain to add . . . .
Rye. Hmmm. If we had both corn and rye, someone could mod a distillery and we could make both Kentucky and Canadian whiskey. Then all we would need is barley for Scotch aficionados and the whole booze-making end of the game would fall into place quite nicely. Oh, and hops, too, to improve the ale made.
Modders, are you ready to accept an assignment when the kit comes out?
The scotch makers will need to wait 2 to 4 years for the bourbon makers to sell their used barrels to them to use for the scotch. :)
Quote from: solarscreen on July 24, 2014, 07:22:11 PM
The scotch makers will need to wait 2 to 4 years for the bourbon makers to sell their used barrels to them to use for the scotch. :)
Waterloo is the place where the Seagram family started their distilling empire--the family sold out years ago and the original distillery was closed and the equipment moved to Panama about 15-20 years back. But when it was active locals would buy recently used barrels and fill them with cheap vodka, let the whiskey soak from the wood into the vodka and drink the results. I never took to the practice myself, but I had friends who always had a barrel or two on the go.
My favorite Scotch, which is no longer made, was aged in port barrels.
Quote from: rkelly17 on July 07, 2014, 07:27:02 AMIf we had both corn and rye, someone could mod a distillery
Yep... though my assignment would rather be an Agave plantation... plus the matching distilleries, of course ;D
Quote from: Paeng on July 26, 2014, 04:42:23 AM
Quote from: rkelly17 on July 07, 2014, 07:27:02 AMIf we had both corn and rye, someone could mod a distillery
Yep... though my assignment would rather be an Agave plantation... plus the matching distilleries, of course ;D
A fine idea, though first you'd need to mod the whole terrain as desert--but you're up for that, right?
Quote from: rkelly17 on July 26, 2014, 08:27:52 AMA fine idea, though first you'd need to mod the whole terrain as desert--but you're up for that, right?
Yeah... though it'll fit quite well with current terrains, maybe a few new textures will do ;)
(http://imagizer.imageshack.com/img536/9595/ykRZKA.jpg)
Beautiful country (I spent part of my growing up in the desert)! Not much of a logging industry, though. Might have to include adobe clay so that people could build. That would lead to a brickmaker and some other fun workshops. Need irrigation for field crops and orchards, but most of the "rivers" are dry except during flash floods, so wells would need actually to produce water. Traders with mule trains would work.