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Greetings everyone!
And a special welcome to all the new subscribers!
New subscribers,
get your eBook at the Freebie link below
There will be a
slight delay before I send out the next letter as we are leaving on a trip
to Vic Falls for two weeks. Hopefully I will have some nice photos to
share when we get back! Just think, sunset cruises on the Zambezi,
microlighting over the Falls and being a millionaire for two weeks!
Who makes the best
hamburgers in South Africa? For me, Steers burgers are by far the best!
The patties have a flame grilled taste, just perfect! And their range of
burgers is enormous! Lets hope someone from Steers sees this and
donates 1000 burgers to the hungry! Scroll down an check out some
burger recipes. Years ago, when I was still into comics, there was a
character named Wimpy that always used to eat hamburgers. I have always
wondered if that was the origin of the Wimpy name for the famous fast food
outlets? Anyone
know?
Wowww!
Last Saturday 4 people shared the £8 million pond UK
Lottery Jackpot. This Saturday the jackpot is a massive £15 million
(that's nearly R200 million!!!). It's quick and safe to get a ticket, just
register and buy online, I do it regularly. Just
click here! You can't afford NOT to have a ticket in the draw!
COMPETITION: How
well do you know your herbs? Go to
this page, in the top
left is a picture of a herb, click on the herb and give me it's name! The
first five correct entries received will each get a really nice recipe eBook. You can
also
email me with the answer .
They say Gauteng is
unique in that the birds awaken you with their coughing!
I also collect
photos of Coke signs from all over and my
Coke online photo album
is coming along nicely. If anyone from outside South Africa happens to see
a Coke sign on an interesting building, please take a pic and email it to
me. Please include the building as well to get the overall effect.
The Squirrel and
the Grasshopper…
REST OF THE WORLD VERSION:
The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building
and improving his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The
grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer
away.
Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed. The shivering grasshopper
has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
THE END
THE BRITISH VERSION:
The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building
his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks
he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter,
the squirrel is warm and well fed.
A social worker finds the shivering grasshopper, calls a press conference
and demands to know why the squirrel should be allowed to be warm and well
fed while others less fortunate, like the grasshopper, are cold and
starving. The BBC shows up to provide live coverage of the shivering
grasshopper; with cuts to a video of the squirrel in his comfortable warm
home with a table laden with food.
The British press informs people that they should be ashamed that in a
country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so
while others have plenty. The Labour Party, Greenpeace, Animal Rights and
The Grasshopper Council of GB demonstrate in front of the squirrel's
house.
The BBC, interrupting a cultural festival special from Notting Hill with
breaking news, broadcasts a multi cultural choir singing "We Shall
Overcome". Ken Livingstone rants in an interview with Trevor McDonald that
the squirrel has gotten rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for
an immediate tax hike on the squirrel to make him pay his "fair share" and
increases the charge for squirrels to enter inner London.
In response to pressure from the media, the Government drafts the Economic
Equity and Grasshopper Anti Discrimination Act, retroactive to the
beginning of the summer. The squirrel's taxes are reassessed. He is taken
to court and fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as builders for the
work he was doing on his home and an additional fine for contempt when he
told the court the grasshopper did not want to work.
The grasshopper is provided with a council house, financial aid to furnish
it and an account with a local taxi firm to ensure he can be socially
mobile. The squirrels’ food is seized and redistributed to the more needy
members of society, in this case the grasshopper.
Without enough money to buy more food, to pay the fine and his newly
imposed retroactive taxes, the squirrel has to downsize and start building
a new home. The local authority takes over his old home and utilises it as
a temporary home for asylum seeking cats who had hijacked a plane to get
to Britain as they had to share their country of origin with mice. On
arrival they tried to blow up the airport because of Britain’s apparent
love of dogs.
The cats had been arrested for the international offence of hijacking and
attempt bombing but were immediately released because the police fed them
pilchards instead of salmon whilst in custody. Initial moves to then
return them to their own country were abandoned because it was feared they
would face death by the mice. The cats devise and start a scam to obtain
money from peoples credit cards.
A Panorama special shows the grasshopper finishing up the last of the
squirrel's food, though spring is still months away, while the council
house he is in, crumbles around him because he hasn't bothered to maintain
the house. He is shown to be taking drugs. Inadequate government funding
is blamed for the grasshopper’s drug 'illness'.
The cats seek recompense in the British courts for their treatment since
arrival in UK. The grasshopper gets arrested for stabbing an old dog
during a burglary to get money for his drug habit. He is imprisoned but
released immediately because he has been in custody for a few weeks. He is
placed in the care of the probation service to monitor and supervise him.
Within a few weeks he has killed a guinea pig in a botched robbery.
A commission of enquiry, that will eventually cost £10,000,000 and state
the obvious, is set up. Additional money is put into funding a drug
rehabilitation scheme for grasshoppers and legal aid for lawyers
representing asylum seekers is increased. The asylum seeking cats are
praised by the government for enriching Britain's multicultural diversity
and dogs are criticised by the government for failing to befriend the
cats.
The grasshopper dies of a drug overdose. The usual sections of the press
blame it on the obvious failure of government to address the root causes
of despair arising from social inequity and his traumatic experience of
prison. They call for the resignation of a minister.
The cats are paid a million pounds each because their rights were
infringed when the government failed to inform them there were mice in the
United Kingdom.
The squirrel, the dogs and the victims of the hijacking, the bombing, the
burglaries and robberies have to pay an additional percentage on their
credit cards to cover losses, their taxes are increased to pay for law and
order and they are told that they will have to work beyond 65 because of a
shortfall in government funds.
Do you like cowboy
movies? Remember John Wayne? Well here is his favourite dish:
John Wayne's
Favourite Cheese Casserole Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound (.45kg) coarsely grated Jack cheese
1 pound (.45kg) coarsely grated cheddar cheese
2 (4-ounce - 50g) cans diced green chiles
4 eggs, separated
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tomatoes, sliced
INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 325° (160ºC). Combine cheeses and chiles and
spoon into a well-greased 11-by-9-inch or similar-size baking dish. Beat
egg whites until stiff peaks form. In another bowl combine egg yolks,
milk, flour, salt and pepper and mix until well blended. Fold beaten egg
whites into yolk mixture. Pour egg mixture over cheese in casserole. Using
a fork, swirl egg mixture through cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from
oven and decorate with sliced tomatoes. Bake 30 minutes longer or until a
knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand a few minutes to
set; serve. Serves 6-8
Me Mudder
When me prayers
were poorly said
Who tucked me in me widdle bed
And spanked me till me arse was red,
Me Mudder!
Who took me from me cozy cot
And put me on the ice cold pot
And made me pee when I could not,
Me Mudder!
And when the morning light would come
And in me crib me dribbled some
Who wiped me tiny widdle bum,
Me Mudder!
Who would me hair so neatly part
And hug me gently to her heart
Who sometimes squeezed me till me fart,
Me Mudder!
Who looked at me with eyebrows knit
And nearly have a king size fit
When in me Sunday pants me s***,
Me Mudder!
When at night her bed did squeak
Me raised me head to have a peek
Who yelled at me to go to sleep,
Me Fadder!
Going on vacation?
In the next few issues I will be giving some photography tips to help you
take better pictures.
Travel
Photography 101
Here are some
more travel photography tips
Divide to Conquer:
You can't go wrong with the Rule of Thirds, the classic photographer's tip
for creating interesting images. When you're setting up a shot, mentally
divide your LCD screen or viewfinder into nine squares. Place the primary
subject where two of those squares intersect. If all this talk of
imaginary lines makes your head spin, just remember not to plop your
primary focal point in the center of your photos. Set up the shot so the
prime point of interest is a bit to the left or right of the midpoint.
Lock Your Focus: When your digital camera is in automatic mode, it focuses
when you depress the shutter button (the button you press to take a photo)
halfway down. To get a properly focused photo, press the shutter down
halfway and wait a few seconds. Most cameras emit a cheery beep when an
image is focused, or a light will go on near the viewfinder or on the LCD
screen. Once the image is in focus, press the shutter completely down. If
you don't give the camera a few seconds to focus, your photos won't be as
sharp as they could be.
Circumvent Auto Focus: Your camera may not focus on what you consider the
correct focal point of a particular photo. So center the primary subject
smack in the middle of the frame, depress the shutter button halfway and
allow the camera to focus. Then, while still holding the shutter button
down, compose your photo properly and press the shutter button all the way
down. This procedure ensures your selected focal point is in proper focus.
From
Fodor's
I happened to find
this really nice Blog, please click on the link below and go browse
around.....
Following with
thanks from Brian at
Kitsch'n'Zinc (an article from earlier this year)
Today it
feels good to be an African
Today we celebrate Freedom Day in South Africa. The 27 th April 1994
heralded the start of a decade of freedom both politically and socially –
a new government, a new flag, a new constitution, a new national anthem, a
new spirit, a new rainbow nation. These quantum leaps in our political and
social psyches were mirrored by a new interest in our culinary future – a
new pride, a new hope for brand South Africa and when Desmond Tutu coined
the phrase “ the Rainbow Nation ”, a new label for our diverse cooking
styles, “Rainbow Cuisine.”
This emerging cuisine really is no different to those in other parts of
the world, it is merely taking stock of all the good things around you in
terms of produce, suppliers, ideas, skills, customer expectations and
moulding them into an identifiable style of cooking. The change in social
structure in the country found an identity in the rainbow analogy as did
the new cuisine. It is now variously referred to as Modern South African,
Cape Fusion, New African or Rainbow Cuisine. It is possibly the first time
in history that a new constitution has spawned a new cuisine.
As a young democracy we’ve got our problems, crime, unemployment, the gap
between rich and poor, HIV Aids, to highlight a few and as a young
culinary identity we face the challenges of lack of quality product in
certain categories, overexhuberence in culinary preparations in tourist
trap restaurants, lack of proper training facilities and programmes and a
very small local sophisticated market but I have no doubt that both
politically and gastronomically we will come right.
The following recipe combines the sweet elements which the Boers or
Afrikaners enjoyed with their meat in a traditional Malay samoosa or
savoury pastry accompanied by a chili and coriander dressing prepared
European style.
Bobotie Samoosas with Green chili and Coriander
250 g minced beef
50 g chopped onions
30 ml sunflower oil
20 g crushed garlic
20 g crushed ginger
20 g curry powder
5 g turmeric
2 slices of white bread, crusts off, soaked in milk
30 g raisins
30 g chutney
30 g apricot jam
30 g chopped dried apricots
30 g toasted sliced almonds
100 g phyllo pastry
Prepare bobotie by sweating onions in the sunflower oil before adding
garlic, ginger, curry powder and turmeric.
Cook gently for 2 minutes to release flavour of the spices.
Add minced beef and brown.
Cook beef until done, adding a little water if necessary.
Reduce beef to a dry consistency before adding all the other ingredients
except the pastry.
Cool the beef mix.
Cut the phyllo in wide strips, place spoonfuls of the bobotie mix on top
and fold into the typical triangular samoosa shape.
Leave to rest whilst preparing the dressing.
Green chili and Coriander Dressing
10 g chopped green chili
10 g chopped coriander/cilantro
10 g chopped garlic
1 egg yolk
10 ml rice wine vinegar
150 ml sunflower oil
seasoning
Blend chili, garlic and coriander with egg yolk and vinegar.
Add oil in trickle whilst whisking to form emulsion like mayonnaise.
Adjust consistency to your taste by adding a little water if too thick.
Adjust seasoning.
Deep fry the samoosas just before service and serve with dressing as a
dipping sauce.
The
Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month when all a man has
to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his own hands! This is a
handy guide that should be as common as a driver's license in the wallet
of every husband, boyfriend, or significant other!
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DANGEROUS:
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SAFER:
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SAFEST:
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ULTRA SAFE:
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What's for dinner?
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Can I help you with dinner?
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Where would you like to go for dinner?
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Here, have some chocolate.
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Are you wearing that?
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Wow, you sure look good in brown!
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WOW! Look at you!
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Here, have some chocolate
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What are you so worked up about?
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Could we be overreacting?
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Here's my paycheck.
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Here, have some chocolate.
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Should you be eating that?
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You know, there are a lot of apples left.
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Can I get you a glass of wine with that?
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Here, have some chocolate.
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What did you DO all day?
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I hope you didn't over-do it today.
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I've always loved you in that robe!
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Here, have some more chocolate.
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Never buy another recipe book
again.
I have put together my South African Traditional Recipes in English
and Afrikaans plus another 36 recipe eBooks on one CD.
Click here to take a look and also get your free Low Fat recipe
eBook
Hello Peter,
Just to let you know that I received my recipe CD today in the mail and
I'm over the moon about it.
I'm going to spread the word to others to order copies too. It's most
certainly worth every cent..........
Thanks again,
LC
Ever tried
Rooibos tea? Here are some interesting Rooibos facts.
Interesting
facts about Rooibos
Rooibos is a herbal tea. Correctly called tisanes, herbal teas are made
from flowering plants without woody stems. Herbal infusions can include
flowers, herbs, fruit and spices. These infusions are caffeine-free unlike
all other types of tea.
Herbal teas do not contain tea leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant and
therefore cannot be technically classified as a tea. This does not mean
that herbal teas do not have health benefits, they have many, but these
perhaps differ from those of real tea.
Made from the red bush trees on the slopes of the Cedarberg mountains and
found no where else in the world, Rooibos is 100% organic and it's
medicinal value is seemingly endless. It really is nature's medicine and
one of South Africa's best exports.
From:
www.health24.com
Dried fruit in
brandy
SYRUP
500 ml rooibos tea
200 ml brandy
2 pieces stick cinnamon
2 whole cloves
65 ml sugar
mixed dried fruit such as peaches, apple rings, apricots, prunes
Method:
Boil the syrup ingredients together in a saucepan and cool. Arrange the
fruit in sterilised jars and pour over the syrup. Seal.
Glenacres Superspar newsletter recipe.
BAKED FRUITS with HONEY and SPICES
55g Margarine
150ml Orange Juice
4 Tbsp Clear Honey
1 tsp Mixed Spice
2 Bananas, Thickly Sliced
3 Peaches, Halved, Stoned and Sliced
12 Apricots, Stoned
Low Fat Yoghurt to Serve
1. Put the margarine into a pan and add the orange juice, honey and spice
2. Bring just to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5
minutes
3. Add the fruit to the hot syrup and cook gently, for about 5 minutes,
until soft
4. Serve warm or chilled with low fat yoghurt
Glenacres
Superspar sends out a really nice newsletter full of super recipes. To
subscribe,
click here and send the blank email.
Thank you, Sue, for
the following:
Uses for
Peroxide (Safer and Healthier than Bleach)
This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana (a doctor's wife), and I
wanted to share it with you. She was over recently for coffee and smelled
the bleach I was using to clean my toilet and countertops. This is what
she told me...
I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little ole bottle
of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. What does
bleach cost? My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years,
and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide. Have you ever smelled
bleach in a doctor's office? NO! Why? Because it smells bad and it is not
healthy! Ask the nurses who work in the doctor's offices, and ask them if
they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better!
Did you also know that bleach was invented in the late 40s? It's chlorine,
folks! And it was used to kill our troops. Peroxide was invented during
WWI in the 20s. It was used to save and help cleanse the needs of our
troops and hospitals. Please think about this.
1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and
hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I
bathe.) No more canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without
expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.
2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of
germs.
3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and
leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or
spray it on the counters with a spray bottle when you are wiping up.
4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board,pour peroxide on it to kill
salmonella and other bacteria.
5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of
peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.
6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes
several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with
any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.
7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep
it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like
bleach or most other disinfectants will.
8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture
whenever you have a cold or a plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to
kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes and then blow your nose into a
tissue.
9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right
away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten
minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.
10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the
50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You
will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages
but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or
dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually, so it's not a drastic change.
11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus,
or other skin infections.
12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of
whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour
it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and
rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.
13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why
I love it so much for this.
I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be
without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to
save tons of money in such a simple, healthy manner!
Another Wacky Sarmie
Go take a look at
my
Wacky Sarmies page, there are some great sarmie ideas!
Rentia from Millington,
NJ
2 slices toast
apricot jam
chopped onion
fried egg
Spread jam on toast, sauté the onions and fry the egg on top of the
onions. Place egg on one slice toast, season with salt, cover with the
other slice...YUMMY!
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A Blast
From the Past |
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1932 - Murderess daisy de Melcker is executed, the second white
woman to be hanged in SA, Sol Plaatje and C J Langenhoven die, Johnny
Weismuller stars in the first Tarzan talkie,
Source:
Sunday Times. |
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Bush Buzz
Nature is wonderful. I envy
the jobs of the game rangers and their wealth of bush knowledge. I
have often wondered where one can read up on all the interesting
facts. I would like to make this a regular feature of this newsletter,
if you are able to contribute or would like to comment on the
contribution below, please
email me. |
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The Eland |
Largest and most
heavily built of the antelopes. Shoulder height: 2 meters. Weight: up
to 900kg. Both sexes have horns about 50 cmlong and slightly
spiralled. They have a hump on the shoulders and a prominent dewlap.
Colour is tawny; dorsal line, tail tuft and tip of dewlap are all
black. They have a few thin, vertical white stripes on the body and a
tuft of dark hair on the forehead. Their hooves are rounded.
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Found in eastern, central and southern Africa. Prefer plains or
moderately rolling country with brush and scattered trees.
Young leaves of trees and shrubs; also, succulent fruits. Males and
female favour different foods: females are selective feeders of
flowers and herbs in open grassland, while male browse bushes near
cover.
Browse in morning and evening. Lie in shelter during heat of day. Very
shy and difficult to approach. Gregarious, occurring in groups up to
100. Bulls often solitary, but not territorial. Travel long distances
during migration. Impregnate forehead tuft with moist or urine-soaked
soil and brush this paste on tree trunks, bushes, or walls as a
marking. Use horns for fighting and to break branches off trees.
Display broadside, keeping head up and away and presenting shoulder
region. Males are sexually mature at 4 years of age, females at 3
years. Apparently there is no fixed breeding season but the majority
of births are at the beginning of the rainy season. Gestation period
is 250-270 days; one
calf is usual.
Calves form nursery groups; often have closer bonds with other calves
than with their mothers. Males decide ranking by their sparring within
the nursery group. Females will cooperatively fight predators. Life
span is 15-20 years.
Can go for long periods without drinking, getting sufficient moisture
from food.
Adult males produce a clicking noise when walking, possibly
originating in the tendons of the front legs. The click is much louder
than the clacking of the hooves and can be heard over a mile away in
still conditions. The sound may serve to warn younger males there is a
large dominant male around.
They have been reduced in numbers because: they are easily captured
and killed; they yield large amounts of tender meat; their thick hide
is excellent; and they suffer from rinderpest. Although the common
eland is not endangered.
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The Herb
Section - BAY LEAF |
Bay Leaf is also known as Sweet Laurel, Wreath Laurel, Bay Laurel,
and Yeuh-kuei. The bay tree is indigenous to Asia Minor, from
where it spread to the Mediterranean. The Greek word for laurel is
"dhafni", named for the myth of the nymph Daphne, who was turned
into a laurel tree by Gaea. Bay, or laurel, was famed in ancient
Greece and Rome. Emperors, heroes, doctors and poets wore wreaths
of laurel leaves. Triumphant athletes of ancient Greece were
awarded laurel garlands for their exploits. Doctors wore crowns of
Bay Leaf due to the Greek’s belief that it was a cure for
everything from indigestion to nightmares. Bay leaves are still
widely used throughout the world. It may be best known as a
garnish or used similarly in soups, sauces, and stews, and is an
appropriate seasoning for fish, meat and poultry. Bay Leaf is
often used as a pickling spice.
Grown successfully in Mediterranean climates, the Bay is a hardy
evergreen shrub that grows wild or cultivated. In warm areas it
can grow as high as 60 feet. Bay Leaf can be harvested at any
time. Bay Leaf has been used as an herbal remedy for headaches. It
contains compounds called parthenolides, which have proven useful
in the treatment of migraines. Bay Leaf has also been shown to
help the body process insulin more efficiently, which leads to
lower blood sugar levels. Bay Leaf has also been used to reduce
the effects of stomach ulcers. Bay Leaf contains eugenol, which
has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Bay leaf is
also an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Bay Leaf has also been
used to treat rheumatism, amenorrhea, and colic.
Olive Oil
with Lemon and Bay Leaf
Makes for great dipping oil.
1 large fresh lemon
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
Scrub the lemon to remove surface impurities; rinse and dry well.
Pour olive oil in a small heavy saucepan.
Using a zester, add lemon zest directly to olive oil.
Add bay leaf and peppercorns.
Heat oil over medium low heat to (120C)for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Transfer oil to hot, sterilized bottle and seal.
Can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 months.
More links to herbs on my
Herb Page
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Thanks to everyone who has mailed us fridge magnets depicting your
State, City or Country. If you collect fridge magnets, I will gladly
swop with you!
Please
email me
and we can make arrangements. Thanx a lot! |
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