Hungary For WINE

Several bottles of Hungarian wine including Tokaji and Bulls Blood
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) 

Despite what many may think, the area known as Hungary holds more wine tradition than any other country in Europe. Most of this very tradition is just now surfacing in the light, with people finally starting to catch wind about everything Hungarian wine has to offer. Even though many wine drinkers aren’t familiar with Hungary - there are many who are.

Hungary is home to over 20 wine regions, fully of forests, vineyards, and orchards. With several different varieties of grapes to offer, the vineyards found in Hungary have flourished since the great Roman Times. The weather in Hungary is seasonal, to say the least, with cold winters and extremely hot summers. This weather allows the soil in the country to be diverse, which allows winemakers to create a variety of quality wines.

Despite the communist control in the past, there are several different wines found in Hungary. Although the vineyards here produce a lot of excellent wines, Tokay Aszu is by far the favorite here and the wine that locals always love raising their glass to. Tokay Aszu is a popular wine with meals or dessert, in Hungary and also happens to be one of the most popular dessert wines in the entire world.

Tokay Aszu was discovered in the mid 17th century in Hungary, quickly becoming a favorite for many European aristocrats. Even though it was great to the taste, many believed that certain types of wine had mystical healing powers. Although this was strictly a rumor, it actually helped the wine become more popular than ever. Over the years, Tokay Aszu was indeed the most popular wine in Hungary, spreading to other areas of the world as well.

Egri Bikaver, also referred to as Bulls Blood is another popular wine found in Hungary. This is another popular wine for locals and can be found throughout the world as well. Getting its name from its color, Bulls Blood is truly a feast for anyone who likes wine. The wine is dark red in color, yet sweet to the taste. The wine was first developed back in the 16th century and remains popular even to this day.

If you ever visit Hungary, there are many places you can visit to get some great wine. You should also make a point to visit Tokay, located in the northeast. You can take a train from Budapest and arrive here in a few hours. There are several different wine flavors and varieties here, sure to please just about anyone. The wineries found throughout the Tokay area are normally open for tours and tasters from May to the end of October. If you visit during these months, you can tour the underground cellars, sample the superb wine, and learn more than you ever thought possible about the manufacturing of Hungarian wines.

All in all, the wine found in Hungary is great to have in your collection or just have around the house for special occasions. You can get it by the bottle, the glass, or by the case. All types of Hungarian wine has been perfected over the years, making it something that you really can’t go wrong with. If you like to drink wine, as most of us do, you really can’t go wrong with any type of Hungarian wine. Hungarian wine gives wine lovers plenty to study, plenty to order, and plenty to drink. The wine is very tasty and refreshing - and it helps to keep the nation of Hungary thirsty for more.

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GARDENING in February - Preparing For Spring

Garden with some tulips and narcissus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many amateur gardeners see the winter as a time to take respite from their garden, away from the cold and wet weather that freezes our hands and damages our plants. After all, what is the point in spending our time and efforts in the garden if Jack Frost is going to take it all away in one harsh, cold night?

In actuality, gardening in winter is crucial if you want to keep your garden healthy throughout the year. Protecting plants from the frost, harvesting winter produce and pruning dormant trees are all essential jobs to make the transition to spring and summer all that easier.

As well as conducting essential maintenance, winter is the perfect time to take a look at your garden landscape and plan any changes for the upcoming year. Do you need to rotate your crops? Perhaps your land is looking a bit barren, maybe some more evergreens would benefit for the following year? What seeds should you be ordering in?

If you've been gardening for a few years, answering these questions come as second nature, making annual gardening almost instinctual. For those just starting to try their hands manipulating nature, here are some tips to help you prepare your garden for the following year.

Wysteria and fruit trees such as apples and pears should be pruned now while they're still dormant, as leaving them too late will lead to sap bleeding and can hinder growth.

Hardy evergreen hedges can be pruned now to encourage spring growth, whilst conservatory climbers can be pruned to prevent birds from nesting. Roses and any plants showing signs of damage from frost should also be cut back to encourage new healthy shoots.

Digging over the soil with manure, fertilizer or compost is a great way of preparing the ground for spring planters, and will also turn up any weeds and pests which can damage your new plants. Once the soil has been dug over, mulch lightly to keep in nutrients and moisture until the weather has warmed up for planting.

Once the ground reaches 6 degrees C, you can encourage spring seedlings by warming the ground with cloche and planting, although make sure you protect them from cold nights with frost fleece.

If your worried plants won't make it this early, start them indoors and gradually bring them outside for one day, then two days, and so on - this allows them to get used to the sun and rain whilst still growing strong from the warmer indoor weathers.

By Anna B C For more tips, make sure you check out the Hartley-Botanic blog as they provide monthly gardening guides that highlight what to do in the garden each month. For more advice go to http://www.hartley-botanic.co.uk Article Source: EzineArticles

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Organic Foods and the Environmental and Economic Impacts

Organic Food - Photo: Flickr

If you are interested in switching to organic foods, you may first do a little bit of research.  If so, you are likely looking to find more information on the benefits of eating organically.  When doing so, you will see that there are a number of health benefits to eating organically, but did you know that organic foods can also help to improve the environment and the economy?  They can and for more information on how so, please continue reading on.

It is no secret that many farmers use pesticides and other chemicals when growing many fruits and vegetables.  Although many of these pesticides are “technically,’ considered safe, many still have concerns.  After all, if the chemicals can be used to kills bugs and bacteria, what can they do to our bodies?  This is a huge concern for many individuals, especially those who are concerned with their health and exactly what it is they are putting in their bodies.  Also, does simply just rinsing a vegetable make the food any safer?  What about the impact on the environment?  These are all common questions that many have.

Speaking of the environment, did you know that many soils become contaminated when pesticides and other similar chemicals are used?  Contamination is more than possible.  In fact, did you know that many of the farmers who wish to switch to growing organic foods need to overhaul their fields or wait a specific period of time until their soils can be considered clean again?  This is true in many cases.  This just goes to show the impact that unnatural foods have on the environment.

Another one of the many ways that organic foods can help to improve the environment and the economy is with the survival of quality food manufacturers.  All organic food should be certified by the QAI (Quality Assurance International).  This certification process is not easy to pass, as there are a number of strict rules that must be followed and certain qualifications must be met.  Unfortunately, not everyone is able to meet these standards.  This means that only the quality and dependable organic food makers are likely to survive.  Although many do not look at it from this point of view, it can be good for the economy.

In keeping with the economy, many farmers are getting a second chance with organic foods.  Now, it is costly to run a farm.  In fact, that is why many farms are shutting down.  Although some farmers are choosing to give up their operations, others are choosing to make the switch to organic foods.  Although it does take a lot of hard work, determination, and a large investment to make the switch to organic, many farmers are finding big payoffs.  There are also many economists who believe that switching to growing organic foods is the only way that many farms, especially those that are small in size, will be able to survive.

As you can see, there are a number of ways that organic foods can impact the environment and the economy.  Fortunately, these ways are all positive in nature.  As a reminder, organic foods are also safe, healthy, and natural to eat.  What does this mean for you?  It means that there are a number of benefits to eating organically.  For that reason, if you are interested in making the switch to organic foods, you should go ahead and do so.

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TOMATOES: Apples Of Love

Photograph of tomatoes on a vegetable stall at Borough Market in London, UK
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Native to the Andean region of South American and under cultivation in Peru in the sixteenth century, tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum) have been grown for thousands of years.  The Spanish introduced them to the European cultures.  Europeans were not open to trying tomatoes until the end of the sixteenth century, as tomatoes, being part of the nightshade family, were considered poisonous.  Later, the French tried them and began to call them “pommes d’amour”, apples of love.  They felt that tomatoes carried aphrodisiac qualities. It wasn’t until the 1900s when the tomato gained popularity in North America.

Scientific research shows the health benefits of this tasty fruit.  In recent years, researchers discovered that tomatoes were natural sources of the element lycopene.  This antioxidant has been shown in tests to dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and many cancers, including prostate and colon cancers.  Tomatoes are an excellent source of phytochemicals, nutrients, fiber, and contain practically no fat or sodium.  They are significant sources of vitamins A, B, and C and a source of iron and potassium.  In fact, one medium-sized tomato provides 20 percent of the daily-recommended value of vitamin A and 40 percent of the daily-recommended value of vitamin C.

How To Grow

Tomatoes are very easy to grow from seed.  In all, there are more than 100 types of tomatoes to choose from.  Though most people believe ripe tomatoes are red, they actually come in many colors, including green, yellow, purple -- even striped. Unless you grow your own, you will not have the opportunity to experience the many varieties.  If you don’t have the time, buy tomato plants from garden centers. Look for different varieties as they are becoming more readily available from growers.  

Six to eight weeks before transplanting, start tomato seeds by filling a seedling flat with a good quality seedling mixture.  Use excellent quality potting soil from the garden center to make sure the soil is sterilized and has a high percentage of sphagnum peat moss and perlite.  Don’t use garden soil, as it tends to become hard and inhibits proper rooting of seedlings, and it may contain insects, disease, weed seeds, or chemical residue.

Sow seeds no deeper than the thickness of the seed: sprinkle the seeds onto the soil-filled flat and press them down gently.  Cover the seeds with a thin layer of fine, horticultural-grade vermiculite to prevent drying.  Water just enough to moisten the soil with a fine mist spray such as the sprayer on the kitchen sink or a mister bottle.  Keep the seeds evenly moist to ensure the mixture never dries out as both germinating seeds and seedlings are very intolerant of dry soil and will die if they are dry for even a short time.  Cover the flat or pot with plastic wrap or a clear plastic bag.  Remove the plastic as soon as seedlings emerge.

Tag each container with the date planted and the tomato variety.  To promote rapid germination, place the flat on a heated table, top of the refrigerator, or a heat register.  Once they germinate and seedlings begin to appear, move them from the heat source into a location with lots of light.  They need very high light levels to grow properly: a south-facing window without blinds or curtains is ideal.  Use grow lights to enhance growth.  Hang the lights 6 inches (15 cm) from plants and leave lights on for 14 hours a day.

Transplant the seedlings into larger, individual containers once the first ‘true’ leaves appear.  After transplanting, fertilize once a week with a plant-starter fertilizer such as 10-52-10 at ¼ strength.  As an organic gardener, I do not use commercial fertilizer, only fish fertilizer on my transplants.  They are strong, healthy plants and are fed weekly until moved outdoors.  Harden-off and plant them very deeply where the stems will develop roots helping the plant become established.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders and need ample quantities of compost or decomposed manure.  Mulch and water in dry weather to maintain soil moisture and stave off wilt disease and blossom-end rot.  Blossom-end rot is caused by water stress or calcium deficiency.  Watering regularly and evenly is the key to preventing blossom-end rot.  Never water tomatoes from the top.  Water tomatoes from below and water deeply.

In the garden, tomatoes are compatible with chives, onion, parsley, marigold, nasturtium, and carrot.  Tomatoes and all members of the Brassica family repel each other and should be kept apart.  Plant garlic between tomato plants to protect them from red spider mites.  Tomatoes will protect roses against black spot.  To make a spray for roses, place tomato leaves in your vegetable juicer, add 4 or 5 pints of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.  Strain and spray on roses when it is not convenient to plant tomatoes as companions.  Label and keep any unused spray in the refrigerator.

In the kitchen, tomatoes can be used for salads, soups, juices, sauces, stews, baked dishes, sandwiches, stuffed, grilled, broiled, pasta dishes, and salsa.  They combine well with meat, fish, poultry, pasta, rice, as well as other vegetables. Store tomatoes at room temperature.  To ripen green tomatoes, place in a brown paper bag with an apple at room temperature for several days.  If fresh tomatoes aren’t available, use canned tomatoes or canned tomato juice, which are fine substitutes.

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Why is BASIC COOKING Sometimes Better Than Complicated?

A cook sauteed onions and peppers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cooking is an essential skill for everyone to have whether you’re male, female, old or young. Obviously, if you don’t have minimal cooking skills you would end up eating out all the time or having to hire someone to do the cooking for you. As essential as cooking is of course not everyone has a knack for it and not everyone enjoys doing it. There are some that like more complicated meals because it’s a change to their everyday meals, while others enjoy something quick and simple. Below are a few reasons why keeping it simple might be better than going all out in the kitchen. 

Ingredients Are Typically in Your Pantry

Basic cooking typically does not require a lot of ingredients, and if it does they are basic staples that most people have available. When cooking gourmet meals or more complex recipes in most instances you will have to go to a grocery store or two in order to find everything that you need.

It Saves You Time

Basic cooking is generally not going to be a long drawn out process. It is really cut and dry and to the point. You get your ingredients, you prep, and you cook. Complicated recipes can sometimes be a long process. Sometimes you have to let things sit for hours, marinate overnight, and everything in between in order for it to taste good. If you don’t have room in your schedule, complex recipes can be a real pain as opposed to a basic cooking recipe which would be done in an instant without all the hassle.

Essential Tool for Any Age

Not everyone needs to know how to make soufflé in order to survive, BUT if you don’t know the basics of cooking you’re doomed to take out which can become really unhealthy over time. Basic cooking is an essential tool for people of all ages and genders.

Less Stress 

Trying to make sure that a gourmet meal comes out just right can be a lot of stress. There are certain techniques you must learn, different tools you will need, and the entire process can be draining, to say the least. However, when you cook something really basic you’re not as stressed on how it will come out or if you have enough skill to master it to perfection.

Basic cooking is just all around better for the average Joe of cooking, for the master chefs it might be a bit boring though. You can typically find recipes easy, the ingredients are simple, the prep time is less, and more importantly, you won’t be stressed out about it. Basic cooking is a staple that everyone should know for minimal survival which is why in this case it is much better than complicated cooking. The good news, however, is that once you’ve gotten your basics down packed you can always add a flare of your own to the recipe to make it a bit more complicated than before.

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Are There Things I Can Do Before PLANTING Season to Prep the Garden Area?

This is a picture of hands sifting through potting soil in a garden bed.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia) 

If you’re a new gardener the very sight of warm spring weather makes you think about planting. The onset of warmer temperatures is nature’s way of saying that the winter frost has passed and the gardening season is well on its way. While your seeds will need to be prepped in different ways, there are some basics you can do such as prepping the soil so that you’re ready once planting season begins.

 Let’s Get Physical

It is important to point out that there is going to be quite a bit of physical work involved, however, it is very self-explanatory and can be done with ease. The process is a simple step by step and does not all have to be done at once. So for those who have a larger garden area, prepping your soil in parts is okay so that you don’t stress yourself out physically.

Start Date

Don’t let the warm weather full you. Simply because the temperatures have changed does not mean it is the best time to begin working on your soil. Prematurely digging into wet soil can damage the structure and cause long term damage to your crops. A great way to test the moisture levels in your soil is to take a handful of it and drop it to the ground while holding it approximately at waist height. If the soil does not break apart that means that it is not ready to work with.

Making Room

If your soil is dry enough to work with than you can begin garden bed preparations by getting rid of all the surface vegetations. This means removing any unwanted weeds or dead crops from the ground.

Fixing the Soil

Once you have your garden bed all cleared out it is time to add any amendments to the soil that you may need. Some prefer to add in a few inches of compost as well as fertilizers to enhance the quality of the soil. If you can, you should also check the PH balance of your soil to see if you need to add either limestone to acidic soil or pipe sawdust for soils that are alkaline. This can be done by scattering either limestone or pipe sawdust around the soil and then incorporating it in. When soil is in good shape you only have to dig a few inches utilizing a fork, however, for compacted soil it may take more time to dig so that you can get the ingredients mixed into the soil.

After you have completed adding the amendments to the soil to improve its overall structure and quality you are now ready for the final step. You will need to break apart all of the large solid clumps of soil you might find laying around. This can be done with a fork easily. Then after breaking up the clumps, you should shape the bed using a rake. After your garden bed has been shaped properly you are ready to begin sowing or planting once your garden season officially arrives.

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How do I make IRISH STEW?

Irish stew (Photo credit: Wikipedia) 

According to britishfood.about.com, “Ireland's national dish is Irish stew. A traditional Irish stew was always made with mutton, but more often nowadays, is made with lamb. Controversy reigns over whether vegetables other than potatoes should be added; adding onions, leeks and carrots not only adds extra flavour but also nutrition to the stew. The choice is yours.

Irish Stew has traditionally eaten on St Patrick's Day as well as Samhain but seriously, it is far too good and is eaten all the time, after all, it is Ireland's National Dish.

Here are the ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 lb/500g mutton or lamb cutlets (bone removed) cut into 2"/5cm chunks

• 2lb/ 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

• 1 cup/115g onion, roughly chopped

• 1 cup/ 100g leeks, cleaned and finely sliced

• 1 cup/170g carrots, roughly chopped

• 1½ pints / 750 ml dark beef stock

• 2 or 3 cabbage leaves, thinly sliced (optional)

• Salt and Pepper

According to metro.co.uk, “Great Irish stew is about superb ingredients (all that rain gives us brilliant pasture for meat and vegetables), simplicity and long proper cooking. Memories of the Irish stew of my childhood fuel my fervour today. Recalling the nostalgic flavours of the sweet carrots and onions, the tender potatoes and the lovely lamb, all lingering in a gorgeous simple broth.”

“You are using beef. No! Drop it and walk away. Irish stew is all about the lamb.”

“You are using diced lamb. Again, no. Lamb chops are what you want to use. You need those lovely bones to give your stew extra flavour. Alternatively, a good flavoursome cut that tastes better with long cooking, like a neck, will do well too.”

“Brown the lamb chops over medium heat in the dripping or some oil, and put to the side.

Saute the carrots and onions in the fat leftover from frying the meat. Return the lamb to the pot with the thyme and cover with water or lamb stock before leaving to boil for an hour or so.

Add the potatoes and continue to boil until soft.

Season to taste and serve with the parsley on top.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1.5kg lamb chops (like Gigot chops)

• 1kg carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks

• 1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into good size chunks

• 4 onions, peeled and cut into quarters

• a sprig of thyme for cooking

• chopped fresh parsley to garnish

• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to season

• dripping (rendered from the excess fat on the chops or from your butcher), or some light oil for frying.

According to bbcgoodfood.com, “Make the stock. Put the lamb bones in a large heavy-based saucepan with the carrot, onion, celery, herbs, peppercorns and 1 tsp salt. Pour in 3 litres/5 1/4 pints water. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.”

Then, “Strain the stock through a fine sieve to remove bones and vegetables, then return to the pan. Boil until reduced to about 1.3 litres/21/4 pints. (You can make the stock the day before – keep it in a covered container in the fridge, or freeze it for up to 3 months.)”

And finally, “Make the stew. Cut the lamb into large chunks. Peel the potatoes (keeping both types separate) and cut into pieces of similar size to the meat. Put the two different types in separate bowls of water to keep them white. Peel the carrots and cut into slightly smaller pieces. Slice the onions into thick rings.”

How do You make IRISH STEW? 

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