Sunday, December 3, 2017

Parsley

Parsley - Photo: Pixabay
When it comes to herbs, traditions have changed, varieties have increased, but through it all, Parsley has just stayed Parsley, flat or curly leaf, nothing major and no need for change. Use it as an herb or use it as a garnish, it does not matter people still love it. Often used fresh or dried, fresh is more popular and has very easy access when purchasing it or growing it. Storing it is simple, just wrap it is a damp paper towel and place it in a baggie and store it in the fridge. Parsley is used for all kinds of sauces and salads. Parsley can pretty much be added to anything and is used often to color pestos but it is very frequently used as a garnish. 

Throughout history, parsley has been used for cooking as well as for medicinal purposes but has also been used for a lot more. Early Greeks used Parsley to make crowns for the Olympian winners. Hebrew tradition uses Parsley as part of Passover as a symbol of spring and rebirth. Parsley tracks all the way back to Hippocrates who used it for medicinal purposes for cure-alls and as an antidote for poisons.

He also used it for ridding kidney and bladder stones. Many of these prior claims have been validated through modern science and it is true that Parsley is rich in vitamin A and C and is also shown to clear toxins from the body and reduces inflammation. Parsley has three times the amount of Vitamin C than oranges do!

Back in much earlier times, any ailments that were thought to be caused from a lack of Vitamin C was treated with Parsley such as for bad gums and loose teeth, for brightening what was considered dim eyes. The Greeks almost feared Parsley because it was associated with Archemorus, who too was an ancient Greek. Ancient tales tell that Archemorus was left as a baby on a parsley leaf by his nurse and was eaten by a serpent. For this reason, the Greeks were terrified of Parsley which sounds kind of silly now but it took a while for them to get over that. 



Parsley was also used to regulate menstrual cycles because parsley contains apiol which mimics estrogen, the female sex hormone. Parsley was also used to ward off Malaria and is told to have been very successful in doing so and it aided with water retention as well. Although these are old wives tales as some might call them when you consider them for just a minute they really do make a lot of sense.

Some of these old remedies still are used in part today such as the use of Parsley for kidney stones, as a diuretic, for rheumatoid arthritis, as a stimulant, for menstrual regulation, to settle the stomach, and as an appetite stimulant. You can purchase Parsley juice at herbal stores and it can be very healthy for you although it might not taste the greatest it can be mixed with other juices to enhance the flavor. Dried Parsley really has the least amount of nutritional value to it. 




Saturday, December 2, 2017

Where to Find Worms for Worm Farming

Worm Farm Compost - Photo: Flickr
Setting up a worm farm requires three things.  The first is an appropriate bin for containing the worms.  The second is plenty of compost materials to keep the worms properly fed.  The most important thing needed for a worm farm is, in fact, the worms. Learning where to find worms is the first step.

It is important to note that worms collected from the garden in the wild should not be used in a worm farm.  Various types of worms are available on the market specifically for worm farming.  These worms are sold for traits that make them more desirable for composting or as live bait.  

An established worm farm can require a large number of worms to be efficient enough to compost enough material for a small family.  Most small worm farms need to start out with at least 1000 worms.  

The first place to find worms for worm farming should be the local bait and tackle stores.  These places typically sell a variety of worms that can be used for both composting and live bait.  The Red Wiggler is known for being the best worm for composting and can usually be found in establishments such as these.  

The Internet provides a mass amount of options for purchasing just about any kind of worm to use in a worm farm.  Red Wigglers, Night Crawlers, Florida Wigglers, egg capsules and even exotic breeds of worms can all be found.  A simple search on any search engine will produce a number of opportunities and choices.  

Purchasing live animals online also means that shipping is something to take into consideration.  Care has to be taken when collecting and packaging the specimens.  Most worms ship well and with ease but shipping methods should be investigated.  Simply ask the supplier what the rate of live arrival is and find out what their shipping methods are.

The local garden centers have proven very helpful as a supply of worms.  Typically they sell other supplies for worm farming as well.  Depending on the geographical location, most garden centers have a full line of the various types of worms available for purchase.  The staff is available to answer questions about worm farming for new beginners.  If a specific type of worm is found to be unavailable at a garden center, an order can often be placed for particular varieties.

A very commonly overlooked option for locating worms is other worm farmers.  Worm farmers often have a surplus of worms and are more than willing to part with them.  Some are willing to offer them up in exchange for taking them off their own hands while others will sell them for a low fee.  

Local worm farmers can often be found in the yellow pages under "worm" or "worm farms".  This provides a great source as worm farmers are often more than willing to give tips and hints for a successful farm.  

Worm farming can be fun and rewarding.  Knowing where to find good quality worms is essential in maintaining a successful farm.  Once a worm farm is established, it may one day prove to be yet another outlet for those who are new to the worm farming world.   



Friday, December 1, 2017

Curry - A Journey

Curry - Photo: Pixabay
Due to a childhood in the Middle East, I was practically brought up on curry.  My first memories of it are eating curried goat in the fire station of Dubai airport in about 1962.  My dad was the airport manager and the Chief Fire Officer and his family were our good friends and neighbors.  The firemen cooked for our two families - fiery hot curry for the adults and a much milder version for us kids.  Some of the men were of Arabic origins and some of Indian so I think the resulting meal was something of a mixture.

I remember we were offered chairs and cutlery but we preferred to sit on the floor and in the traditional manner, ate only with our right hands.   This posed something of a problem for my mother as she was left-handed - she avoided making inexcusable gaffes by sitting on her left hand until the meal was over.

We learned to roll the rice into balls and with the aid of chapattis (wheat flour flatbreads), scooped up the curry and popped it into our mouths without making too much mess.  I don’t think I ate curry again in that way until many years later when I visited Goa and, at a spice plantation, was once again faced with banana leaf plates and fingers only.  Bizarrely, in a nearby clearing, was a pink porcelain, pedestal hand basin with a hosepipe attached to the tap, fully supplied with soap and hand towels.

During those days of being expatriates in foreign lands, the British developed a liking for curry lunch on a Sunday.  Doubtless, this originated in India in the days of the Raj but still found its way to the Middle East and Africa.    A group of friends would gather either at one of their houses or the local club.  There would be beers or gins and tonics first (cola or fizzy orange for the kids).  There wouldn’t be a choice of curries, as I recall, it was always chicken and no matter where we ate it and it always tasted the same.  The accompaniments didn’t very much either but we didn’t mind.  There would be poppadoms, mango chutney and a variety of sambals - chopped fruits and salad stuff which might include any or all of banana, pineapple, apple, tomato, cucumber, onion, desiccated coconut, peanuts and raisins or sultanas.  With luck, there would be chapattis too.



My next curry experiences were back in England.  How different it all was.  Indian restaurants furnished in red velvet with flocked wallpaper in gold.  All sorts of different curries - not only the main ingredient but the mix of spices and flavorings.  There were choices of plain or spicy poppadoms, different pieces of bread and vegetable curries and dahls as well, no sambals though!   On the downside, these curries were often rather greasy and we always thought of them as being terribly fattening - naughty but oh so nice!  The savior, if conscience got the better of us was Tandoori-cooked meats.  These were marinated in yogurt and spice paste and cooked in a Tandoor (an earthenware charcoal oven), so were in effect grilled and much healthier.

Change again then when I finally visited India in 1988 and discovered that meat curries were the exception rather than the rule.  Many Indians are vegetarians so paneer (similar to cottage cheese) is popular as are the many dishes made with pulses and vegetables.  There was no trace of the greasiness found in restaurants in the UK and the flavors were quite different too.

This voyage of discovery culminated in a determination to learn how to reproduce Indian food in my own home but more of that in another article.



Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Maintaining Your Rose Garden

Rose - Photo: Photo: Maxpixel
Gardening is an art. And of all the flowers that bloom in the whole wide world, the rose is the most celebrated. The rose is a beautiful flower and naturally, you have to maintain it properly. There are a few steps for planting a rose and they are as follows:

The best time for planting rose beds is in the spring. You can plant them in early spring or mid-spring according to your convenience. But one thing you should remember that if you plant it in mid-spring then you have to be careful that all the frost has dissolved.

A warm climate is necessary for this activity. Choose a spot carefully because roses require proper sunlight (at least 6 hrs.) to bloom nicely. Roses also like soil which is drained properly, however, water is also necessary for blooming roses. If you don't water deeply enough then the roots will become shallow.

To encourage big and beautiful blooms fertilizers are also necessary. You have to fertilize the plant once every six weeks. To avoid any type of fungal diseases and infections, spray a mix of dish soap and baking soda.

Lastly, exercise extreme precaution. Roses cannot adjust to extreme temperatures. If you are a gardener from a warm climate, then plant your roses where they will receive the morning sunlight.

In cold countries, roses must get exposure to the high noon sun. To reiterate, an important thing you should keep in mind is that roses do not like extremes of heat and cold.


Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Bubba Knew Shrimp

Bubba Gump shrimps - Photo:Flickr
Yes, it is a ‘Forrest Gump’ reference and it should be expected any time shrimp is mentioned for the next twenty years. “Bubba Gump” shrimp is how Forrest made his millions in the Hollywood movie. But, the movie will always be remembered for the amazing number of ways a person can make shrimp. As Bubba would say, “There’s barbecue shrimp, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp soup, fried shrimp…..the list is almost endless. And while there are certainly a large number of ways to cook shrimp, there is actually a fair amount of confusion as to what exactly a shrimp really is. Maybe Bubba wasn’t actually cooking shrimp?

In England and a number of other places, what would be called shrimp in the United States is actually referred to as prawn. If you were to look at a prawn and a shrimp side by side, it would be virtually impossible to distinguish which was which. Technically speaking, however, a prawn truly is not a shrimp.

To the naked eye, the two may appear identical but they are biologically different. On the abdomen of a shrimp or prawn are flaps. Without going into too much detail and causing everyone to go running for a Biology book, let’s just say that the there is a very subtle difference between the first abdomen flap on a shrimp and a prawn. But essentially, these are the same creature.

As far as the Americans are concerned, a shrimp is any crustacean that is part of the Natantia family of crustaceans. It doesn’t matter how big the shrimp is or where it is found—so long as it is a Nantantia crustacean—it’s a shrimp! However, there is a rather peculiar phenomenon among American shrimp that does have to do with size.

Were Bubba to have grown up on the West Coast of the United States, he most certainly would not have seen much potential in the shrimp—for eating, let alone making any money! This is because the typical size of a shrimp found off the West Coast is about ½ inch in length. For some reason, the Pacific Ocean just is not a great place for jumbo shrimp to grow. But elsewhere, it is nothing for shrimp to be 12 inches in length or more.

Shrimp, like any species, comes in a wide assortment of variety. There are rock, brine, royal red, white, brown, and even pink shrimp to choose from. Each offers a unique flavor and consistency but all are absolutely delicious when prepared properly. And, Bubba was correct—you can make shrimp just about any way your imagination will let you! So whether you want to call it prawn or just plain old shrimp—the truth is that it tastes great no matter how you make it!



Monday, November 27, 2017

Worms for Vermicomposting

Worm - Photo: Pixabay 
Now that you have decided vermicomposting is for you, you need to get some worms (a lot of them).  

For a standard size composting bin you will need two pounds of worms for every one pound of raw material you add.  The earthworms you will need (known as red wrigglers) do not go very deep underground so your pile or bin should be between 8-10 inches deep.

You may be tempted to go to your backyard and start digging up some worms, but you really should invest in the proper kind.  The worms in your backyard are not the recommended breed for composting.  You will need to buy worms that bear the name of red wriggler (also known as redworms) or brandling worms.

Redworms or brandling worms can be purchased from a bait shop, some local gardening centers or by mail order.  An average worm can eat its own weight in the material in 24 hours; keep this in mind when you are determining the size of your compost bin and the number of worms you will need.

With the rate at which the worms consume the food waste, the timeline of getting from raw organic material to mature compost is relatively short.  The same principle applies as for regular composting – you need a good mix of green food and brown food (this can be in the form of shredded newspaper).  The finished compost is known as worm castings, worm humus, worm manure, and worm compost.

If you are using a hot or active composting method and it is in the maturing stage, you can add redworms or brandling worms to speed up this last step.  You will most likely see quite a few more helpful critters in your compost as it matures too – centipedes and millipedes to name a couple.



Sunday, November 26, 2017

Andalucian Cuisine – A Guide

Pescaito frito - Photo: Wikimedia
Undoubtedly one of Spain’s most culinary rich regions, Andalusia is an area famed for its cuisine and its culture of food. Much like the rest of Spain, food is an important part of social life; here the meal is about a lot more than simply eating. Andalusia is also the home of one of Spain’s favorite exports; tapas. Restaurants can now be found in most major cities around the world, but to taste the original you should head to Seville. Also, the region is the world’s largest producer of olive oil with some of the finest in the world being produced in Andalusia’s olive groves. As you would expect, olive oil is the basis for lots of the region’s cooking and accompanies many of the dishes.

The diversity throughout different areas of the region is huge, a myriad of different influences have shaped the regions gastronomy over the past centuries as well as its geographical diversity. The Moorish legacy still remains strong and can be seen especially in the sweets and desserts of the region, many of which are flavored with aniseed, cinnamon, almonds, and honey. 

Blessed with a superb climate the region has a year-round growing season meaning that fruit and vegetables can be picked locally, even in winter. Locally grown asparagus and avocados are regarded as some of the best in the world and there’s never a shortage of fresh produce to add weight to regional menus. Probably the most famous dish in Andalusia is “Gazpacho”; a chilled soup made from tomatoes and other vegetables and one that has been copied the world over. In the stifling heat of an Andalusian summer, “Gazpacho” is a very refreshing lunch dish or starter and shouldn’t be missed by those visiting the area. 

Coastal areas of Andalusia tend still to be dominated by seafood with many options for sampling the bounty of the Mediterranean. “Pesca’ito frito”, a regional favorite, is a variety of fish fried together in olive oil and is perfect to display the broad range of fish on offer. Beach-side restaurants, locally known as “Chirengitas”, are excellent ways to sample local seafood with more emphasis being put on freshly cooked produce than comfort, pomp, and service. These informal eateries serve up a massive variety of dishes from baby squid in garlic to fresh barbequed sardines (usually cooked on a bamboo spit) and really constitute fantastic value for money. For those looking for finer dining then cities like Malaga and Seville boast no shortage of gourmet restaurants, and many have excellent reputations throughout Spain.



Inland regions tend to lean more towards poultry, game and, the regions favorite meat, pork. Indeed the pig is a highly lauded animal in Andalusia whether cooked fresh to make dishes such as meatballs in almond sauce and pork loins in orange and sherry, or whether cured to make sausages and “Jamon Serrano”. Indeed the region is home to a special breed of pig known as the “Iberico” or, more colloquially, the “pata negra” (literally “black foot”, denoting the pig's black hooves). This small, brown pig is used to make some of the finest cured hams in the world – the town of Jabugo is reputed to produce the very best - the flavour of the ham is down to the strict diet of acorns which is administered to the pig, and this particular part of the Huelva region has the perfect micro-climate for sustaining oak trees. Andalusia, as mentioned above, also utilizes the pig for making sausages, a foodstuff intrinsically linked with Spain’s cuisine. The “cana de lomo” is a smoked sausage made with tripe and the “morçon” is made with trimmings of pig shin and both serve as excellent examples of the many regional variations that are produced.

However it’s not all pork; deer and wild boar can be found in Cordoba and the Guadalquivir region around Seville provides the area with excellent duck, often cooked with Seville onions and widely eaten throughout the city. It is this diversity in one of Spain’s largest provinces that make it such a rich culinary region and a real must for food lovers.

Author: Mike McDougall