Author : Shaun Parker

Tea is reputedly the world’s most popular drink Us Brits love it I myself am a 12 cup a day kind of guy and I would probably drink more if I had the opportunity There is a great deal of hysteria about whether or not it is a healthy drink and many people claim that excessive drinking of tea will send you to an early grave

There has as a result been thousands of independent studies that investigate the properties in tea and the affect that they have on the human body Fortunately these scientific investigations give a good impression of tea and the results suggest that far from being damaging to the body that tea does instead provide a great deal of nutrition for the body It is extremely important that you know as much as you can about the foods and drinks that you consume every day and as a result I’d recommend that you get yourself a cup of tea, sit down and take a look at the health facts and nutrition data for tea Enjoy!

There is a vast range of literature that is presented about the health facts about tea These fact sheets can be found online and providing you choose a factsheet from a reputable resource will further you knowledge about the properties of tea This article has taken information from a range of these monographs and fortunately the prognosis for avid tea drinkers such as myself is good According to the research tea can be a valuable method of maintaining a healthy diet as part of a healthy lifestyle Much of the research is reassuring and suggests that you needn’t ever feel guilty about brewing up a cup of tea So what does the nutrition data say and what are the real health facts behind tea?

In the UK the nation drinks an enormous amount of tea Some reports suggest that almost Forty percent of the nation’s intake of fluid comes in the form of tea Tea with milk does contain calories but tea without milk is calorie free This means that using semi skimmed milk in your tea contributes to around 13 calories That being said tea with milk can contribute to 21 percent of your daily requirement of calcium This is based on the amount found in four cups of tea

There have been many criticisms levied at tea based on the amount of caffeine in tea Nevertheless tea contains considerably less caffeine per cup than coffee However the reality is that tea contains less than half the amount of caffeine per cup as is found in the equivalent size cup of coffee Per 190 ml cup of tea there is 50 mg of caffeine this is considerably less than the amount found in coffee

Aside from the negative connotations associated with caffeine tea also contains a number of valuable attributes Tea contains folic acid and zinc which is beneficial and when milk is added tea contains vitamin B6, Thiamine B1 and Riboflavin B2 This can be extremely beneficial to the human body

The tea also contains a number of minerals such as manganese which helps the bone growth It is also a source of fluoride and it is a good source of fluoride and helps people get their required daily intake Tea also contains a number of antioxidants that are found in the Camelia sinensis plant This is used in both green teas and in black teas

Shaun Parker is an expert on tea. He shares his expertise with you to help you learn more about tea.

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Author : Arnold Hernandez

The word “date” entered the English language about the same time as Marco Polo’s travels The Moors brought dates to Alicante in Spain from North Africa and the fruit continues to grow in Alicante The quality of the dates grown in Spain is not very good, but even so the dates have a significant impact on the economy of Alicante

The Spanish carried date palm seedlings and seed to American and attempted to develop a date colony in Cuba in 1513 The first attempt in Cuba failed as the Spanish were attacked by the hostile Indians The second attempt succeeded, but because of the rain the quality of the dates was very poor and eventually all the date palms were taken out

The Spanish then left a trail of date palms as they made their way through Mexico up to California The dates did well in some parts of Mexico, but they never took The Spanish Friars established missions in California and planted palms along their route in the late 1700′s but few of these date palms yielded fruit Eventually these seeds made their way to the interior of California Around 1850 the dates in the central part of California succeeded and the interest in date cultivation increased in the United States

Around 1912 date pioneers brought Algerian stock plants to California and planted them in Mecca in the Coachella Valley of California He then made a trip where he brought back about 3,000 date palms, but could not sell them in California so he planted them in Arizona Another company set up a farm in Mecca and brought back about 14,000 shoots from Iraq and Algeria and planted them in Mecca Almost all these plants were successful and today the date palm continues to thrive today in hot climate communities of the Coachella Valley including Mecca, Thermal, Coachella and Indio

The first dates grown in the Coachella Valley are the Deglet Noor and the Medjool Date the King of Dates The Medjool date is not grown in the large quantities that the Deglet Noor is grown, because it is much more labor intensive and because it is a soft date The Medjool Date is more of a dessert date, because of its sweetness and is not consumed every day in the Middle East and North Africa

At one time the Medjool Date was reserved for royalty and their friends and family The Medjool Date made its way to the United States through the agriculture department after a disease was destroying all the date palm orchards Shoots were brought back to the United States in an effort to save the Medjool Date from extinction

The techniques for growing dates are similarly in many places and provide for multi crop farming In Oman the date palm shades other trees such as citrus or nuts and then the citrus provides shade for sweet potatoes, squash and lentils The date palm is know as the tree of life and is probably the same tree of life mentioned in the Bible The date palm is probably known as the tree of life, because nothing is wasted and for many years was the basis of life in the Middle East The date palm produces the fruit to eat and from the fruit, seeds and the tree itself other products are derived The leaves and the trunk are used for construction of homes and to fuel fires The date palm is used to make hats, ropes, mats, tools, cattle feed, and even landfill

In many places dates are still picked by hand in some places machines are used to shake the trees and cause the date to fall In most places dates are sold locally, but in the United States dates are sold throughout the country

Dates are very nutritious and have supported life in the Middle East Generally grains are credited with giving rise to civilization, but it is almost certain that Western Civilization would not have evolved if it had not been for the date which was a very important food source and to the economies of ancient civilizations including Babylonia

Dates are not very well known in the United States, but many athletes that discover the date discover the benefits of eating dates Not only are dates sweet and tasty by contain very high concentrations of carbohydrates, potassium, and magnesium The content of the date strongly suggests that they may be good to prevent cancer and this is supported by the low cancer rates of populations where the date is eaten regularly and the low cancer rates

Order Medjool Dates here
Medjool Dates California Grown

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Author : Gregg Hall

I know it may not seem like nuts are healthy if the only person you ever saw eating them was that chubby guy at the end of the bar at Happy Hour, but trust me nuts are good for you Some are better than others though so let’s take a look

According to leading nutritionists today, you can eat almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and even Brazil Nuts without increasing your risk of a heart attack from clogging your arteries The truth is that eating nuts will actually make you healthier and unless you just eat them by the bowlful they will not make you overweight According to studies at Penn State, it seems the more nuts you eat the lower the risk of heart disease

The difference is the type of fats that are in nuts Polyunsaturates and monounsaturates which are found in nuts are good for you plus nuts are high in protein, vitamins, phytonutrients, and fiber Eating nuts as a regular part of your diet will help to lower bad cholesterol and blood fats while keeping good cholesterol high and cutting the risk of heart attacks

In the average nuts one ounce has 4 to 8 grams of protein with 14 grams of fat, the majority of which is unsaturated This is about the same amount of protein is about 8 grams Nuts are also digested very slowly which helps keep you from being hungry and helps control blood sugar

A tablespoon of peanut butter or an ounce of nuts five days a week reduced the risk of developing adult-onset diabetes by 20 to 30 percent in a 2002 study by Dr Frank Hu of Harvard A recent Australian study suggested walnuts can lower diabetes risk Another Harvard study showed that men who ate nuts five times a week were significantly less prone to gallstones And, several studies have shown that people who eat nuts tend to be slimmer, not fatter, and that eating nuts helps people stick to their diets and lose more weight, according to a letter from Hu to the Food and Drug Administration

The FDA has even allowed the companies packaging nuts place heart healthy labels on peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts Nuts like cashews, macadamias, Brazil nuts, and some others are not given the same treatment due to what the FDA considers too much saturated fat

Another great thing about nuts is that they are easy to add them into your diet You can put them on salads, in stir-fry, or just eat them raw They are great for parties and football game get togethers You just have to eat them in moderation if you are watching calories since one ounce of almonds for example, can have 180 calories You only need one ounce a day, five days a week to get the health benefits so the idea is to replace another food with the nuts

So, what are you waiting for go buy a variety of nuts and get a great platter to put them on for your next party

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Get a great selection of snack nuts at http://www.favoritesnacknuts.com

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Author : Tim Sousa

What would grilling or barbecue be without barbecue sauce? Either slowly cooking into the meat in a barbecue, or forming a thick tasty glaze on grilled food, outdoor cooking just would not be the same without a good barbecue sauce

Barbecue sauces vary from region to region, and from chef to chef If you go to North Carolina, you d find a thin, vinegar based sauce, soaking into the thin shreds of pulled pork In Kansas City, they like their sauce thick and sweet If you go to Texas, you ll find a thinner sauce than you d find in Kansas City, and less sweet

Barbecue sauces are usually categorized according to their base Sauces can be based on ketchup, tomato sauce, mustard, vinegar, even mayonnaise Depending on the base, and the preference of the cook, they can be thick or thin, sweet, sour, spicy, mild, or any combination

A basic sauce consists of several elements, each adding another layer of flavor and complexity to the sauce First of all is the base, as stated above, that can be tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, or mayonnaise Or if you want to experiment, you can try something different The next element is the sweetener Usually, this is brown sugar or molasses, but you can also use fruit juice, or any other sweet flavor The sweetener helps to take the edge of of the next flavor sour Lemon juice and lime juice can be added for a sour tang, or vinegar will do the trick Aromatics, herbs, and spices add another layer of flavor to the barbecue sauce Onion and garlic are common aromatics

You can buy sauces at the store You ll probably find at least a dozen brands and flavors at your local grocery store But nothing beats a good homemade barbecue sauce If you want to create your own barbecue sauce, it isn t hard Just choose your base, and the rest of the flavors that you want, and start experimenting A good barbecue sauce will have a balanced blend of flavors to it, sweet, sour, smoky, spicy Just add a little bit of each ingredient at a time until you get the blend that you want You can always add more, but you can t take away, so just add a little bit at a time Feel free to experiment with your sauce, people have added coffee, cola, cherries, and other ingredients that you wouldn t think to find in a barbecue sauce If you want, you can buy a sauce at the store, and then doctor the sauce with your own additions, to suit your own tastes

A quick note on storage You can store the barbecue sauce in a sealed container in your refrigerator for a few days If you want to keep the sauce longer than that, you ll need to learn some canning techniques, to sterilize the food and containers, and properly process the sauce

How you use the barbecue sauce depends a lot on the sauce itself Most barbecue sauces can be used at the table as a dipping sauce for food But different types of sauces are used differently in cooking Thin sauces can be used as a marinade for the meat before grilling, and can also be applied during the cooking proces Thicker sauces, especially those with a lot of sugar should not be applied to the food until the last few minutes of cooking time, or they could burn If you are doing a true barbecue, however, cooking the meat slowly for a long time, you can get away with putting some of the sauce on the meat at the beginning of the cooking time, as the lower temperature would be less likely to burn the sauce

A good outdoor cookout just isn t the same without a good, flavorful barbecue sauce Get in the kitchen, and whip up a batch, and brush it on your steaks or chicken for an element of flavor that just screams barbecue

Visit http://www.patiogrilling.com for more tips and resources on barbecue and grilling.

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Author : Sarah Martin

The University of California began to take a serious interest in viticulture In the fall of 1880 the legislature appropriated $3,000 for research in enology at Berkeley, including the construction of a brick cellar on the campus

An early report to the president of the university by Dean Hilgard, Professor of Agriculture, is filled with timely advice to vintners even now, more than fifty years after its writing:

I have heretofore suggested that this peculiarity (high alcohol and less acid) might, in a measure, be modified by not allowing the grape to become as dead ripe as is usually done This would tend to increase the acid at the expense of the sugar, which is in excess at best, thus producing the excessive headiness for which California wines are thus far noted The vintners object to this course on the ground of the European precedent, according to which every additional day of sun is accounted so much gain to the quality of the wine But what is true in the cloudy climate of Europe is not, therefore, necessarily true in sunny California

Continuous research in both field and laboratory was conducted and annual reports were issued by the university, which was constantly enlarging its scope of activity Phylloxera, the plant louse that had killed the French vineyards in the fifties and sixties, attacked California vineyards in the eighties Native American root stock had been shipped to France because it was phylloxera resistant; the more delicate vitis vinifera European species there were grafted onto our hardy native vines And now we had to do the same thing here, with the vitis vinifera species Haraszthy and others had imported and planted

This was the time when California s wealth was beginning to assert itself in the vineyards, when Stanford and others of his prestige took personal concern in the future of this particular agricultural endeavor In 1880 a special agency was created in the State government, a Board of Viticulture Commissioners The Commission undertook experimental work with vines to determine adaptability of climate and soil to various species It established a special Department of Enology and Viticulture in the College of Agriculture at Davis, where research and teaching continues to the present day

It is possible to see how each event is linked to the next only in viewing the parade of history from a distance The fine wines that are made in California today, though in a measure dating back to Cortez, in truth come from the personal efforts of Col Haraszthy He is justly known as the father of California viticulture and if he had a symbolical son , that son is Dr Maynard Amerine

Ever since his student days at the university s experimental station Dr Amerine has rushed from one end of the State to the other, at harvest time, collecting all the principal species of wine grapes From wine made of them he and the other members of the staff finally arrived at the results Col Haraszthy knew could be achieved so long ago Dr Amerine s report first appeared in 1943, with further findings detailed in a university publication in 1944

The vine cuttings that Col Haraszthy secured in Europe for experimental, supervised planting in various sections of the State had come from vineyards where they had been propagated for thousands of years Each of those famous wine communities had learned which varieties produced, in their soil and climate, the best wine They specialized in that particular species Bordeaux is known to everyone as the home of fine Claret and the finest Clarets are invariably made with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes The celebrated Cote d Or of Burgundy, which boasts of Romanee Conti, Richebourg, Clos Vougeot, and Chambertin, is planted with the black and velvety Pinot Noir species The experimentation that brought these vines to these locales antedates any recording of agriculture in those lands

It may take us, Col Haraszthy had said, a hundred years to find out where these vines should be planted in California

To that task the University Of California Department Of Viticulture has been pledged for many years A vine must be at least five years old before it bears a proper crop Some species do not mature or show their full quality until they are eight or ten years old A minimum of three years must elapse before a wine can be judged for its qualities as a beverage Seasons vary Some red wines, such as Tempranillo, require at least three years in wood and two in glass to round out their full virtues Thus a minimum of from eight to fifteen years is required to test the value of one planting

Now the right vines and the right places have been matched But like anything new or revolutionary, general acceptance must wait Change is not accomplished merely through the knowledge of the benefits that may be derived Change in vineyard planting involves sacrifice of income from bearing vines Not every vintner is impressed with the idea of quality or of an ultimate destiny for California as an incomparable wineland What was good enough for my father keeps many a vineyard in the mediocre category of wine production

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in all things wine, from the history of California wines, new and interesting varietals, to what makes the perfect Tempranillo. For an excellent selection of fine wines, please visit http://www.wineaccess.com.

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Author : Victor Epand

I want to cook soups and freeze them in canning jars and have ordered a product online that will vacuum seal these jars for me I have never canned but I found online that there are canning jars that I can freeze in I know that I must leave space in the jar for expansion Do I wait until the soup is cooled off before putting it into the jars? Must I purchase these jars online only? Would the canning jars that they sell at Ace, etc not be advisable for freezing?

All standard canning jars (Ball and Kerr) can safely be placed in the freezer Jars take up a lot of freezer space and are somewhat dangerous because they can and do break easily Cleaning glass out of a freezer would be about the last thing on my list of things to do

A better method for freezing soup (and many other foods) is to quick-freeze it in user-friendly amounts first I use 1-cup plastic containers for soup so that I can use 1 for one serving (nice for lunch for one), or I can pull out more if I need more servings After they are frozen I pop them out of the plastic containers and stack them and seal them with my FoodSaver in a bag They fit better in the freezer You can do the same thing in inexpensive 1-quart plastic freezer containers if you need larger amounts than 1-serving sizes

You should probably check the manufacturers instructions about vacuum-sealing soup before it’s frozen, or after; and whether that can/should be done in a jar Call the toll-free number for more information I always use regular canning jars to put my freezer jam in Into the freezer,and I have never had one break on me

The package says not to reuse the seals Do you reuse them or throw them out after each use? You shouldn’t reuse the lids when they are used for home canning They can be used over and over for vacuum sealing I’ve kept my dry-goods like beans, seeds, grains, pasta, etc in wide-mouthed canning jars of all sizes and have used the lids over and over Eventually the sealing compound can get old and brittle and not hold a seal, in which case it gets tossed and replaced I also soften the sealing compound on the lids in warm water before using them the first time on a vacuum-sealed jar

Have you ever used the plastic lids? Do you know if they can be vacuum sealed as well as reused as needed? I only wish the plastic lids could be vacuum sealed – that would indeed be wonderful!!! I use those plastic lids all the time, but just for non-vacuum sealed items

I freeze all extra homemade soup in regular canning jars, but I make sure to only fill them 2/3 full so the contents don’t expand and break the glass If you’re careful, you shouldn’t have a problem Make sure that if you’re placing hot food into the jars, to submerge the jars in hot water first so that they won’t break while filling I allow my soups to cool or refrigerate over night before putting in the freezer

Victor Epand is an expert author for http://www.VacuumFoodSealer.info/. Here you can find the best selection of FoodSaver Vacuum Food Sealers and accessories on the market. Preserve and store foods at home using this proven vacuum packing method. Search through our selection of vacuum food sealers here: http://www.vacuumfoodsealer.info/category/appliances.html.

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Author : Ana Maria

The Italian risotto became known as another Italian typical dish, even if rice isn’t original from Italy as pasta

Rice is a cereal as corn or wheat, but less fat and is eaten by half world population The Italian rice is appreciated for its high quality and today is widely exported as a gourmet product

The Italian rice is classified in 4 groups, the COMMON rice (riso comune) has small and round grains and its cooking time is between 12 and 13 minutes Ideal for broth or vegetables soups

The HALF THIN (semifino) type has round medium length grains It takes a bit longer to cook (13 to 15 minutes) and are most used for antipasti, unique dishes, cold and warm

The THIN (fino) type are tapered grains that need about 14 to 16 minutes to cook Finally the SUPERTHIN (superfino) kind has big and long shaped grains, with a cooking time between 16 and 18 minutes and are specially indicated for risotto The so known Arborio, Carnaroli or Boldo are part of this category and are the favorite ones of the big chefs

The parboiled rice is often underestimated It is done using an antique procedure used by Egyptians They used to marinate it with hot water and dry it under the sun to better conserve it This method was re discovered by Americans after the II World war because it gives guarantees under the nutritional and long conservation side

Today, with the new technologies, the rice is treated with steam at high temperatures and quickly dried on an air mattress This natural practice jellies the starch, making it resistant and keeping many of the precious substances present on the surface pass to the inside of the grain

So, the parboiled grain is richer of nutrients, more resistant, conserves better and easier to prepare as it takes only 10/12 minutes to cook and do not overcook

One of the most known Italian risotto recipe is the Saffron one, also called in Italy as Milan risotto, as it is typical from Milan area It is a tasty and delicate dish that has its strong point in saffron powder

How to cook a Saffron risotto:

You’ll need (4 people):

– 400gr of rice (reading above to make your choice of rice)

– 2 spoons of extra virgin olive oil

– Half onion (not chopped)

– Approx 1 liter of broth

– 3 or 4 spoons of grated good quality parmesan

– 2 spoons of good quality butter

– 1 bag of saffron

– salt

How to do it:

Put the oil inside the pan, turn on the gas and add the onion Let it color a little and then add the rice Mix it and let it fry for a moment Then add some broth (about 2 cups), mix it and lower the gas Keep adding broth as it dries, always mixing well at each time Salt it, paying attention to the kind of broth you’re using If you use cubes, add a little salt because cubes are very salty

(an easy tip: usually you will need the double quantity of broth comparing to rice quantity If you measure a cup of rice, you will then need 2 cups of broth)

After 10 minutes, taste it to see if it’s done When it’s quite done, add the 2 spoons of butter, the grated parmesan cheese and the saffron Turn off the gas, mix it all very well and close the pan for a couple of minutes

Then you just have to open it, put your risotto on your serving plate and, enjoy!

Born in Rio and living in Italy since 1982, completed the studies of Economics and is taking a Master in Enogastronomy and Food Traditions. More about Italian food through her eyes in http://www.all-about-italian-food.com

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Author : Rickie Smith

Have you ever considered spicing up your next barbecue with an outdoor kitchen Believe it or not, this will make you the envy of all your neighbors There is no limit on what your outdoor cooking setup can be Do you just want a small space or a full blown kitchen, with sink, refrigerator, and cabinets?

An outdoor kitchen can be built to exactly what you need to create your culinary dishes The first thing you will want to do is pick the spot you want your outdoor kitchen to be located Here are some questions to ask yourself: Do I want it to be included as a part of my patio or deck? Do I need a separate space? Should I have a roof over it? Does it need to be enclosed? These are just a few things to think about as you pick your spot For instance, if you want a roof be sure the location you have picked does not have any power lines hanging over it

Once you have selected the spot for your outdoor kitchen you will want to decide the size of it Then just mark off the spot to make sure it will fit there and if there is anything that you might want to do different Now is the time to identify if there is anything that needs to be changed You certainly don’t want to discover this after construction is already completed

Have you thought about the options you want in your outdoor kitchen? Some of the more widely accepted choices are a refrigerator, sink, and special outdoor cabinets There are some outdoor kitchens that consist only of a built in grill with extra counter for preparation space Then there are those that are more like a full blown kitchen like those you find in a typical house Make yours simple or spectacular just like you want it

When you select appliances for your outdoor kitchen always remember that it is not necessary to purchase everything at once You may want to choose your grill based on your preference For example, do you love a smoky taste? If so, you should buy a charcoal grill You can find them in many varieties and styles and you are sure to find one that suits your unique requirements How about the convenience and speed of a gas grill? There are even models of grills that can be used as both gas and charcoal

You will also need to choose other options based on the design that you have selected for your outdoor cooking What about a refrigerator, do you need one? If so, the type you buy will greatly depend on the space you have allotted You can buy refrigerators in sizes from about two foot tall to a full size model The same thing applies to sinks You can purchase models from just big enough to rinse a few dishes out to full size ones just like in a regular household kitchen When shopping for cabinets you will either need those that are made from special material to withstand the weather or regular home that are finished and weatherproofed These types of cabinets will be a lifesaver to the outdoor chef Another big advantage is that hey allow you to store your special barbecue utensils and spices, along with receptacles for food

Make your outdoor kitchen as unique as you are!

For more information about about barbecue or cooking visit my comprehensive websites at ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cooking’ and ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Barbecue’ or you can check out my ebook at ‘The Cooking Bible’.

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