A colorful plate year round

Our family is in the habit of going to a local farmers' market during the summer and fall to get farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. I admit that I have to work a bit harder during the off - season, when seasonal produce is less plentiful, to make sure that my plate is just as colorful. For overall health, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is essential year-round. A good starting place in your quest for color is the freezer case. Frozen melon cubes, berries, peach slices and even pineapple chunks are available year-round. Frozen spinach is one of my favorites for convenience-it is washed, cut and ready to be tossed into a soup or pasta dish. From a nutritional standpoint, it has just as much vitamin A and fiber as fresh-cooked spinach. Next, stop in the canned fruit and vegetable aisle. "Our studies show that the nutrition value of canned fruits and vegetables is comparable to fresh and frozen varieties," notes Barbara Klein, Ph. D., professor of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana. Dr. Klein points out that the canning process does not affect the amount of fiber in fruits and vegetables. Canned pumpkin, apricots, carrots and other orange fruits and vegetables are a rich source of vitamin A. "In fact, vitamin A levels in canned pumpkin are much higher than in fresh cooked because canned pumpkin is less watery and more concentrated," says Dr. Klein. Finally, visit the cereal aisle. New technology for freeze-drying fruit enables cereal makers to add berries and other types of fruit to their products. A bowl of Total® with Strawberries is a great way to brighten up breakfast. Top with sliced banana, slivers of dried apricots or a medley of dried berries. Dried fruit is a concentrated form of fresh and retains healthy nutrients like fiber and potassium. Here are a few simple ways to add color to your plate: • Toss sliced radicchio, red onion and yellow peppers into a green salad. • Sautй frozen spinach together with minced onion; top with pine nuts, golden raisins and a dash of balsamic vinegar. • Simmer slices of yellow and red apples and pears with a dash of apple cider and maple syrup until soft. Top with crushed Whole Grain Total® for added flavor and crunch. • Add frozen mixed vegetables to your favorite soup.

Curry a journey

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 neighbours. 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 learnt to roll 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 hose pipe 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 vary 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 flavourings. There were choices of plain or spicy poppadoms, different breads and vegetable curries and dahls as well, no sambals though! On the down side, these curries were often rather greasy and we always thought of them as being terribly fattening - naughty but oh so nice! The saviour, if conscience got the better of us was Tandoori-cooked meats. These were marinated in yoghurt 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 flavours 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.

Potted whiskey

It would be appropriate for a people-based profile of whisky to begin by naming the first whisky maker. Sadly, no-one knows who he was. In fact, no-one knows who the first distiller was. It is clear that from AD 4 onwards, alchemists in China, India, Arabia, Egypt and Greece were using distillation to make turpentine, medicines, makeup (al-kohl, our alcohol) and perfumes, but there is no evidence that they adapted brewing techniques to make whisky. How the Irish and Scots got in on the act is equally mysterious. The Celts may have known about distillation, but apart from a couple of enigmatic references in the 6th century AD there's no proof. What is agreed is that distillation arrived in Scotland with the monks of the Celtic Church, suggesting that distillation was already taking place in Ireland - perhaps Irish monks had encountered the art in Sicily or Andalucia, or through their ancient trading links with the Phoenicians. By the time Friar John Cor bought his famous eight bolls of malt in 1495 - the first record of whisky making in Scotland - distillation was widely practised across Europe. It is hardly surprising that the first distillers were monks: the water of life, aquavitae (uisge beatha in Scots Gaelic) was a medicine made in monastic laboratories, and markedly different to today's whisky. Flavoured with heather, honey, roots, herbs and spices - partly to hide off-flavours, partly because it was a medicine - this medieval mix was closer to a crude whisky liqueur. Until the beginning of the 19th century the top Irish brands were flavoured in this way. It was only when whisky began to be made in great houses and crofts alike that it became recognisable as the drink we know today. Distillers have always used the main crop of their region as the base for their spirits, and in Scotland and Ireland that meant barley. Making whisky was a means of using up surplus grain: in winter, cattle could be fed on the grains left after mashing and crofters could use their whisky as part-payment of rent. Made in batches in small pot stills, the process used for malt whisky today, whisky soon became an integral part of rural life. When crofter-distillers from Scotland arc Ireland were driven off their land from 1 ~4; onwards, whisky spread to America and Canada. Though rye whiskey had been made as early as 1640, it was this sudden wave of immigrants that established whiskey as North America's spirit. They, too, used the local grains - rye, corn and wheat - and by 1783 commercial production had kicked or: in Kentucky. By 1825, the whisky industry in Scotland and Ireland was controlled by men of capin. Gone were the days of the crofter-distiller making enough to fuel the craic and the ceilidh and pay the rent. New legislation ushered in a building programme of new malt distilleries across the Highlands and in Ireland. At the start of the 19th century Irish whiskey had the highest international reputation, with the heavily-peated Scottish malts considered an acquired taste. Then in 1827, Robert Stein invented a continuous still (see pages 86-87), which not only mace distilling less labour-intensive but produced lighter, grain-based whisky which could be mass produced. Adapted in 1831 by Aenea-Coffey, the continuous still changed whisky production forever. Distillers in the Scottish Lowlands seized the new invention and by the 1850s grocer and wine merchants such as John Walker. George Ballantine, James Chivas, John Dewar and Matthew Gloag began blending malt with the light grain, and the public sa: up and took notice. The Irish resisted, for a time. Distillers including John Jameson and John Power, who were already enjoying international prestige with their pot-still whiskies, refused to use the continuous method, dismissing it as an adulteration o: 'real' whisky. The North Americans had no such qualms and Coffey's patent still was soon adopted in America and Canada. This interest, along with James Crow's research into quality control in Kentucky, improved consistency. The Canadians were so enamoured of the Coffey still that, in 1875, they passed legislation decreeing that Canadian whisky could only be made from grain distilled in a continuous still, and aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels. The quality-oriented, modern industry was taking shape. Even at this stage there was no indication that whisky would become the world's best-selling spirit. Brandy was still more popular, but the vine parasite phylloxera vastrix put paid to that when, from the 1870s onwards, it wiped out Europe's vineyards - and the brandy industry with them. It is entirely possible that American whiskey would have become the world's dominant player, were it not for the growth of the Temperance Movement in the US which led to Prohibition in 1919. At that time, Irish whiskey was selling more in America than Scotch, but while Scotch and Canadian whisky managed to retain a quality image, Irish whiskies lost their biggest market overnight and were being (badly) copied by bootleggers. Their reputation plummeted. At the same time, Irish independence led to the ban of Irish products in Britain and the Empire. With no markets left, the Irish industry imploded and blended Scotch took over. This was the situation until the late 1970s when, through industry complacency, or the inevitability of changing fashion, young drinkers turned away from brown spirits or the global whisky industry fell into deep depression. Blended Scotch has struggled hard to regain consumer confidence in its old markets, though it has enjoyed success in southern Europe and Asia. But in America, northern Europe and Britain, malts have kept the whisky dream alive. This recent fascination with premium whisky has also boosted the American whiskey industry and sparked a new optimism in Ireland and Canada. There are now more quality whiskies on offer than ever before, and a renewed interest in how they are made and the people who make them.

Fruits that grow in different seasons in the us

Besides being a country that inhabits a diverse civilization; the United States of America also carries out diverse cultivation and processing of a wide variety of fruits. Fruits that are unique to America have gradually permeated the global fruit market thereby validating the advanced agricultural biodiversity that has developed across the US. A wide variety of fruits are cultivated in different parts of America; during different seasons. Cranberry Cranberry is a significant commercial crop of America; with Wisconsin as its leading producer. The second largest producer is Massachusetts and it also forms a major crop of Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Maine and Washington. They are predominantly grown and found in the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The plant is a low shrub with slender stems; with small evergreen leaves. The berry (fruit) is larger in size than the plant leaves and develops a deep red color in its fully ripe phase. The fruit is a tad acidic sweet and possesses many antioxidant qualities. It is popularly known as the "superfruit" of America due to its rich nutrient content. While cranberries are sold in their fresh forms to consumers; mostly cranberries are processed into sauces, juices as well as dried cranberries (sweetened). In fact, Cranberry sauce forms a significant culinary item during the American Thanksgiving as well as various European festivals. Cranberries are usually harvested during the months of September and October. The fruit is also favored due to its health benefits. American Mayapple This fruit is also termed as the Devil's apple, Hogapple, Indian apple, Wild lemon or the American Mandrake. While the flower of this crop appears in May; the fruit only appears during summertime and the Mayapple plant is perennial. It is usually found in the woodlands in Canada as well as East of Oklahoma. The plant stems are approx 30-40 cm tall and the rhizome of this plant is supposed to have various medicinal properties. It is important to note here that the Mayapple plant, except for the fruit; is toxic in nature and if consumed can kill a human within 24 hours. The fruit, in some cases may cause diarrhoea. The plant is therefore rated as "unsafe" by the FDA. American Persimmon The American Persimmon tree is native to the Eastern region of the United States and the fruits typically appear when tree is about 6 years old. The American Persimmon fruit is orange to black in color and is round or oval in shape. The fruit size may vary between 2 – 6 centimeters. They are commonly referred to as “simmons” and forms an essential part of American desserts or cuisines. Its commercial varieties include Early Golden, John Rick, Woolbright, and Miller and the Ennis. The fruit is juicy and sweet in its ripened phase. The fruit ripens during late autumn and is a rich source of Vitamin C. Blueberry The Blueberry plant is native only to the North American region and its leaves are either evergreen or deciduous and bell shaped. The berry fruit develops a dark purple color when fully ripened with a sweet and acidic taste. The fruiting takes place between the months of May and October, with July being the peak fruiting season. For this reason, July is referred to as the "National Blueberry Month" in the US and Canada. The Blueberry fruit has been categorized as a "superfruit" as it is rich in nutrient content and also happens to be a rich source of antioxidants and has various health benefits. It is also used in the manufacture of various consumer products. Beach Plum The Beach Plum (plum specie) is native to the Atlantic coast of North American region, from New Brunswick south to Maryland. This shrub grows naturally in its sand dune habitat. The blooming takes place during mid May and June and ripening of fruit takes place in August and early September. A well-drained soil and sun is preferred by this plant and it well tolerates the salt. In its sand dune habitat; the plant gets partially buried in the sand. The plant is commercially cultivated primarily for its fruit, which is used to make jams. The Plum Island in Massachusetts gets its name from the Beach Plum Fruit. Pawpaw The Pawpaw plant is native to the Eastern region of North America. Locally; the fruit has assumed various common names such as the Prairie Banana, Indiana Banana, Kentucky Banana, Ozark Banana and Michigan Banana. The Pawpaw fruit is among the largest fruits of North America. The fruit is approx 5 to 16 cm long and resembles a large berry with numerous seeds. Upon ripening it develops a yellow or brown color. It happens to be a rich source of protein and Southeast Ohio happens to be the largest grower and harvester of the Pawpaw fruit.