Currently in Boston — August 31st, 2022
The weather, currently.
As we conclude August and get ready for September the humidity is going to be whisked out to sea by a cold front. This front will get closer to the area tonight and there might be a shower around sunrise Wednesday. Temperatures overnight will stay in the 70s and reach the 80s tomorrow. If there are any showers or storms they should be over by mid-morning and look for clearing during Wednesday afternoon. The high humidity will lower and set us up for a beautiful and sunny Thursday with highs around 80°F. The dry end comfortably warm weather continues into the weekend.
What you need to know, currently.
If you’ve never eaten a breadfruit, now is the perfect time!
According to reporting by Smithsonian magazine, the fruit could play a role in addressing global hunger as well as food security adaptation amid global warming and climate change.
Breadfruit is very versatile, as it can be dried and ground into flour –– its trees provide abundant shade for humans and wildlife alike, and it’s been used to treat various skin ailments. The perennial custard-y fruit is also very rich in nutrients and requires less labor, water and fertilizer than annual crops.
“I really think it has a lot of potential to help people, especially in the tropics, where 80 percent of the world’s hungry live,” Diane Ragone, founder of the Breadfruit Institute, told Smithsonian magazine in 2009. “It’s low-labor and low-input; much easier to grow than things like rice and corn. And because it’s a tree, the environmental benefits are huge compared to a field crop.”
Past research has found that yields of staple crops like corn, wheat and rice may decline due to climate change, particularly in areas close to the equator. The breadfruit, on the other hand, is more resilient to rising temperatures. In conjunction with other food security adaptations and solutions, this tropical fruit could make a real difference.
—Aarohi Sheth
