Tax and Food Poisoning
Had a lovely day gardening, and a less lovely time working on my tax return. In the evening I made a delicious meal of turnips, potato, wild garlic, dandelion and sunroot (aka jerusalem artichoke) that we had harvested, or had left over from planting. The meal tasted great, and promptly gave Jacinta and myself food poisoning.

We're not exactly sure what in the food caused the classic gastrointestinal symptoms we experienced. The potatoes are the biggest suspect, as some had been in storage and may have accumulated significant levels of solanine. I'm not aware of the other ingredients (turnips, wild garlic, dandelion, and sunroot) containing any poisons in their raw or cooked states, however the sunroot had been in storage under potted soil over the winter, and may have accumulated microbial or fungal derived toxins.

In any case, symptoms were quick on their onset, and quick to recede, with no after-effects. During the time that I wasn't feeling very well I took the opportunity to write a short piece on solanine for wikipedia. It could do with some significant expanding, but it contains some interesting references to an overview of published solanine-related literature.