The Pineapple’s Life Story

The pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family.

It is extremely rare that bromeliads produce edible fruit. The pineapple is the only available edible bromeliad today.

It is a multiple fruit. One pineapple is actually made up of dozens of individual flowerets that grow together to form the entire fruit. Each scale on a pineapple is evidence of a separate flower.

Pineapples stop ripening the minute they are picked.

No special way of storing them will help ripen them further.

Colour is relatively unimportant in determining ripeness.

Choose your pineapple by smell.If it smells fresh, tropical and sweet, it will be a good fruit.

The more scales on the pineapple, the sweeter and juicier the taste.

After you cut off the top, you can plant it.

It should grow much like a sweet potato will.

This delicious fruit is not only sweet and tropical; it also offers many benefits to our health. Pineapple is a remarkable fruit.

We find it enjoyable because of its lush, sweet and exotic flavor, but it may also be one of the most healthful foods available today.

If we take a more detailed look at it, we will find that pineapple is valuable for easing indigestion, arthritis or sinusitis.

The juice has an anthelmintic effect; it helps get rid of intestinal worms.

Sen me your thoughts on how the pineapple affects other conditions.

Fall Apple Rigatoni

riggatoni
Rachel Ray’s Rigatoni

Rigatoni With Apples and Bacon (A Great Fall Meal)

This is a modified Rachel Ray Recipe

  • 1 lb Rigatoni Pasta

  • 6-8 oz Bacon Thinly Sliced

  • 10 Sage Leaves

  • 1-2 Shallots Minced (or a tiny red onion)

  • 2 Granny Smith Apples

  • ½ Cup Grated Parmesan

  • Salt & Pepper

  • ¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley

  1. Cook Pasta until Al Dente
    – Drain, Reserving 1 Cup Cooking Water

  2. In same Pot, Cook Bacon until just crisp
    – Transfer to Paper Towels on a Plate

  3. Add Sage to hot bacon fat and cook until crisp, 3-4 minutes
    – Transfer Sage to a Plate/Bowl

  4. Add Shallots and Apples and Cook 5-7 Minutes

  5. Add Pasta, Cooking Water, Bacon, Parmesan, Salt and Pepper and Toss

  6. Top with Crumbled Sage and Parsley

(This was Rachel Rays Recipe for Rigatoni with Squash but I made many modifications. You can easily cut recipe in half).

How to can Tomatoes

Mason Jars of Canned Tomatoes
Mason Jars of Canned Tomatoes

If you’ve never tried to can toms it’s very easy as they are high acid and you can’t get botulism from them.

DO NOT use aluminum pot or utensils.

  • Sterilize your jars, lids, ladles & spoons in hot water.
  • In a big pot cook toms, peppers, onions, salt, pepper & Italian herbs
  • When cooked down to where the veggies are soft but not mushy
  • Put them into HOT, sterile canning jars, leave 1/4 inch of room @ the top of the jar (for breathing)
  • Cover tightly with clean, hot lids
  • Place them on a shelf away from any breeze, leave 1 inch between jars, cover with a light towel.
  • After they’ve sealed (listen for the tops to ‘click’ as they cool and seal) then put them in a closet or on the shelve and they’ll last for several yrs. Be sure they aren’t put where they will freeze.
  • You can do so many of these and you won’t need to take up freezer space.

Recipe by Owally

Blueberry Scones (Maine Receipt)

photo from La Petite Brioche
photo from La Petite Brioche

Blueberry Scones – this an old Maine Receipt that I modified

  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar (I use 1/8 cup lightly packed)
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 Cup of Butter (receipt says cold but I use it room temp)
  • 1 Cup Maine Blueberries (or other berries – frozen ok but coat with flour)
  • 3/4 Cup 1/2 and 1/2 Cream (I use lactose free whole milk)
  • 1 Egg
  • Natural Raw Sugar for the top

Cut Butter into Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder & Salt.

Beat Cream and Egg together then pour into dry ingredients.

Fold in Berries. Sprinkle tops with natural raw sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Reuse stretch cords

stretch-cords(hint sent in by a fan of the site)

I’ve discovered that the stretch-cord which is used as wrapping around Xmas presents is useful to use as elastic. One is on my tablet to hold it in place. One is around a pair of silk Long Johns. I will look for some on sale to use on lots of other stuff. The elastic I put around stuff like form mattress etc. always break, but I think these Xmas stretch ties will last a long time.

Cleaning Fruit

cleaning-fruitWe all have the frustrating experience day after day on how quick the fruits perish after purchased and taken home! For this reason, you and your family will treasure this simple but important piece of information.

Vinegar is so great for many things, from fungus infections in the ears, tusch, feet, etc. It’s great to clean windows , mirrors countertops, bug bites and bee stings. Not to mention that it will give food a ‘salty’ flavor so you can use less sodium. Also good to use as a finial hair rinse to remove any excess shampoo……….

Who would know that it has so many uses?

This will also wash away our fears and doubts about the pesticides and chemical covers on the various fruits.

~ Idea from BuzzFeed ~

BAKED SWAI FISH by LIVESTRONG

BAKED SWAI

Ingredients:

14 oz. swai fillets

Casserole dish

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Swai is a type of catfish that thrives in the rivers of Asia. When baked, swai has a light, flaky consistency and a slightly sweet, mild flavor. It’s also called Basa or Pangasius, and it is sometimes cultivated on fish farms in the United States. Swai that is cultivated on these American farms is considered a “best choice,” as the farming practices are more ecologically responsible than some Asian catfish farms, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2: Place the fish fillets in a lightly greased casserole dish. Set the dish aside.

Step 3: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the dry white wine, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper.

Step 4: Simmer the butter mixture for about 2 minutes, stirring often, then spoon the mixture generously over the swai fillets.

Step 5: Sprinkle the fillets with paprika.

Step 6: Bake the swai fillets for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are flaky.

Tip: Sprinkle the swai with fresh cilantro before serving.

Recipe from Livestrong

How to store cleaning supplies (and crafts)

image009

I love this idea for cleaning products.  I have used this idea before in my office to store gift wrap items: bows, pretty ties, labels, tape, colored markers, spray paint and other crafting supplies. It makes it easy to see your stuff and keeps them neat, tidy and dust free.

If I had another door in our garage then I would use one of these shoe racks to hold my gardening seeds, tools, nutrients and tools.

Cinnamon and Honey Facts

Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot. What it will do is what some call ‘turning to sugar’. In reality, honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will “crystallize”. When this happens loosen the lid, boil some water and sit the honey container in the hot water, but turn off the heat and let it liquefy naturally. It is then as good as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. This will kill the enzymes in the honey.

Facts on Honey and Cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a ‘Ram Ban’ (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today’s science says that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients.

Researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply it on bread instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also, those who have already had an attack, when they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as one ages the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and the veins.

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily (morning and night) one cup of hot water with two tablespoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. When taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week (out of the 200 people so treated) practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain — and within a month, most all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis now started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water given to a cholesterol patient was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, when taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and, clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from its root.

GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that when Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles (where DNA is contained) to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food is eaten relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals

INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ‘Ingredient’ which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Use four teaspoons of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of boiling water to make a tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans increase and even a 100 year old will start performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

RASPY OR SORE THROAT: When throat has a tickle or is raspy, take one tablespoon of honey and sip until gone. Repeat every three hours until throat is without symptoms.

PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it off the next morning with warm water. When done daily for two weeks, it removes all pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS: Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin Infections.

WEIGHT LOSS: Daily in the morning one half hour before > breakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder three times a day for one month.

FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, even when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, when taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M., the vitality of the body increases within a week.

BAD BREATH: People of South America, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water first thing in the morning so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

(Disclaimer: this text came from a random Email sent to me – not my opinion and I’m not suggesting it is a cure for anything)

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