Heres some interesting info And here Here down in the chemical defense section "Cyanogenic glycosides are a particularly toxic class of nitrogenous compounds that break down to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN), a lethal chemical that halts cellular respiration in aerobic organisms. Plants that produce cyanogenic glycosides also produce enzymes that convert these compounds into hydrogen cyanide, including glycosidases and hydroxynitrile lyases, but they are stored in separate compartments or tissues within the plant; when herbivores feed on these tissues, the enzymes and substrates mix and produce lethal hydrogen cyanide. Glucosinolates, also known as mustard oil glycosides, are sulfur-containing compounds synthesized by members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) and produce cyanide gas when broken down by enzymes called thioglucosidases."-Freeman, B.C. and G.A. Beattie. 2008. An Overview of Plant Defenses against Pathogens and Herbivores. The Plant Health Instructor. DOI: 10.1094/PHI-I-2008-0226-01 but heres a breakdown some grass does produce cyanide GAS but not common species and it wouldnt be in significant quantities to alter human, animal, or plant function unless we are talking vulnerable states e.g. impaired immune function animals or like seedlings or weak species of plants. but i dont believe grass will kill a citrus it may help aid its death if there are other factors going on like nutrient defficiency pests lack of water, poor photosynthesis blah blah blah. The main reason we pull out the grass is because its a prolific feeder and outcompetes the citrus. but what some have stated is somewhat true grass does emit volatile compounds as defenses at times but not in significant quantities to kill a citrus. id be interested in starting seedlings from seeds among grass seeds and see if there is a difference to a control group of seedling citrus not among grass seeds. Now i can finally go to sleep ;)

Liquor DOES go bad. Not that it will make you sick, (except maybe Bailey's, which will curdle), but the flavor goes off. Coincidentally, I had a bottle of Chambord that was pretty old. I was going to use it in something and thankfully poured a little shot first. The color was off and it didn't taste right. Not rotten, just not the way it's supposed to taste. And you NEVER could have convinced me this was possible, but I also had a bad bottle of Vodka. I opened it, made a martini, and ECHHH! It tasted like lighter fluid! (Which I have never drank, but imagine that's what it would taste like.) I thought maybe it was because it was a different brand than usual, but it was just too disgusting. I emailed them, they emailed back and asked for my number, then called me and asked for some numbers off the bottle. They told me there was a 3 year shelf life and it had expired 6 months prior. Who'da thunk it? Again, it probably would not have made me physically ill, but the taste was awful.

I make shredded carrot salad with either raisins or currants, can add pineapple and celery, dress with oj and tiny bit of mayo or some evoo, top at the table with walnuts or sunflower seeds. But probably would not go over with picky eaters. My dad is a picky eater and the thought of a raisin in a dish sends him into fits, lol! Funny that he will eat raisins plain from a bowl or box or in gorp, but if you put it in a salad or bread or cookie or something, oh the horror!

lowspark, Just to answer your question as to why people ask you to bring fruit salad. I'm guessing... fruit can be very expensive, a nice fruit salad can cost significantly more than most other brunch items. You can buy like 3 dozens eggs for the price of a small container of blue berries. And fruit genrally can't be bought or made too far in advance. Do they have room to store the fruit? Plus, if the host is working on a lot of other things, it can be a kinda of big last minute time consuming task, that they may ask someone else to do. They can make banana bread days in advance, and even the quiche the night before, but the fruit salad needs to be made that day. That's probably why they give the task to someone else.