The Strawberry
There are more than 20 named species and many hybrids of strawberries. The most common strawberry is the Garden Strawberry. The Garden Strawberry (Fragaria x Ananassa) originated in Europe in the early 18th century.
Fragaria comes from “fragans” meaning odorous referring to the perfumed flesh of the fruit. Madam Tallien a great figure in the French Revolution, used to take baths full of strawberries to keep her skin radiant. Many people in the 18th century thought that their long lives were due to eating of strawberries while in Argentina they were considered poisonous until the late 18th century.
Strawberries come in different sizes, shape, color, flavor, degree in fertility, seasoning of ripening, they also vary in foliage and some vary materially in the relative development of their sexual organs. In most cases the flowers appear hermaphroditic in structure, but function as either male or female. One cup of Strawberries is about 45 calories and an excellent source of vitamin C and Flavonoids (antioxidant activity).
Cultivation
Cultivation follows one or two models, annual plasticulture or a perennial systems or matted rows or mounds. Also a small amount of strawberries are produced in greenhouses during their off season.
Plasticulture is used by commercial production in this method raised beds are formed each year and then covered with plastic, which prevents the growth of weeds and erosion. Under the plastic is an irrigation tube. Then holes are punched in the plastic and then the strawberries are planted in the holes. The runners are then removed from the plants as they appear to encourage the plants to put most of their energy into fruit development. As the end of the season, the plastic is removed and the plants are plowed into the ground. Strawberry plants older than 2 years old will begin to decline in productivity and fruit quality, this system of replacing plants each year allows for improved yield and more dense plants. This is not a good practice for everyone because it is costly to form and cover all of the mounds again and purchase all new plants.
The other method is to maintain the plants year after year. The runners are kept on the plants so they can root to adjoin the plants together. The do best in strong loam (soil composed of sand, silt and clay) and it should be kept very moist. The ground should be trenched 50-100 cm deep and supplied with a lot of manure a good portion should lay just below the roots, 25-30-cm from the surface. The plants should be planted 50-60 cm apart. The plantation should be renewed every second or third year or less frequent if the runners are cut off, and the old leaves are cut off after gathering the fruit. A top layer of loam should be added to the spring when they are being to grow, but they should not be disturbed either at the root layer or at the top layer during the summer time. The fruit should not be picked until it is very ripe and dry usually it is in June or early summer.
Pollination
Most cultivars are somewhat self fertile, but bees have been shown to help with the pollination. Most commercial growers will put bee hives around their fields to increase the pollination.
Forcing
Once the strawberries are firmly rooted they are removed and transferred into well drained pots or strong enriched loam. They should be set in an open airy place, if there is going to be frost they should be covered with dry litter. The two main points of forcing strawberries you need to use stocky plants, leaves of which have grown sturdy from being exposed to light and grow them slowly until the fruit has set. The plants should be removed from the house as soon as the crop is gathered. The forced plants properly hardened make first-rate outdoor plantations, and if put out early in summer, in good ground, will often produce a useful autumnal crop.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
All About Pasta
Pasta
Pasta is typically made from flour water and or eggs; it is kneaded and made into various shapes. Pasta can either be found fresh or dried. If it is dry pasta it is made with Semolina instead of flour and are rolled between copper rollers and cooked al dente (with a slight bite). Pasta can also be made from other grains such as buckwheat flour which Pizzoccheri is made from and milled potatoes which gnocchi are made from.
When pasta is made it is forced through holes in a plate known as a die or by lamination where the dough is kneaded, folded, rolled to a certain thickness, then cut by slitters. Fresh pasta cooks quicker then dry, but spoils a lot quicker due to the high water contain. Dried pasta has a shelf life of about 3 years. Pasta can also be found either refrigerated or frozen, which has a shelf life of 7 weeks.
History of Pasta
Some people think that the spread of Pasta into Europe started with the Arabs. This theory is based on the belief that nomadic people needed to prove themselves with a supply of preserved foods. It is based on the assumption that the nomads either lived near cereal farmers or they were millers themselves either by milling by little hand mills or with a larger mills. The Greeks and Romans were known as farmers or wheat and refined consumers of this product. It is said that leavened bread over all other cereal based dishes remained solely in the conception of the Western societies. By this reasoning it is said that gruels and mushes represented the first stage of cereal based diets. The origin of pasta is a subject of many myths. Some scholars don’t believe the legend of Marco Polo’s importation of pasta from China. Before his return in 1296 the Mediterranean basin was for trade in obra de pasta as pasta products were at the time known in Cagliari, Sardinia. That indicates that pasta was a part of certain Mediterranean people. Other believes that a peasant woman Libista was the inventor of the ravioli. Similarly lasagna has been created by Meluzza Comasca who was given a celebrity’s funeral after her death.
The words macharoni and vermicelli are attested in Italy as early as the thirteen and fourteenth century, it took culinary text until the fifteenth century to confirm the existence of these two shapes. By the fourteenth century, the Italian people developed forks for eating pasta, indicated the popular consumption of pasta.
Accompaniments
The common pasta sauces of Northern Italy are Pesto (basil, olive oil, garlic and grated cheese) and ragu alla Bolognese (a meat sauce). In Central Italy it is a simple tomato sauce and amatrician and carbonara. In Southern Italy it is a spicy tomato, garlic and olive oil based sauces it is often paired with fresh vegetables or seafood. In the United States the most popular dished are Fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti with tomato sauce with or without meatballs or just plain butter and cheese.
Pasta Varieties
There are many different shapes and sizes, it comes in simple string shapes called spaghetti and vermicelli. Long ribbon shaped called fettuccine and linguine. Short tube pasta like elbow and penne, long sheet like lasagna and stuffed with fillings like ravioli, manicotti and tortellini.
Pasta is typically made from flour water and or eggs; it is kneaded and made into various shapes. Pasta can either be found fresh or dried. If it is dry pasta it is made with Semolina instead of flour and are rolled between copper rollers and cooked al dente (with a slight bite). Pasta can also be made from other grains such as buckwheat flour which Pizzoccheri is made from and milled potatoes which gnocchi are made from.
When pasta is made it is forced through holes in a plate known as a die or by lamination where the dough is kneaded, folded, rolled to a certain thickness, then cut by slitters. Fresh pasta cooks quicker then dry, but spoils a lot quicker due to the high water contain. Dried pasta has a shelf life of about 3 years. Pasta can also be found either refrigerated or frozen, which has a shelf life of 7 weeks.
History of Pasta
Some people think that the spread of Pasta into Europe started with the Arabs. This theory is based on the belief that nomadic people needed to prove themselves with a supply of preserved foods. It is based on the assumption that the nomads either lived near cereal farmers or they were millers themselves either by milling by little hand mills or with a larger mills. The Greeks and Romans were known as farmers or wheat and refined consumers of this product. It is said that leavened bread over all other cereal based dishes remained solely in the conception of the Western societies. By this reasoning it is said that gruels and mushes represented the first stage of cereal based diets. The origin of pasta is a subject of many myths. Some scholars don’t believe the legend of Marco Polo’s importation of pasta from China. Before his return in 1296 the Mediterranean basin was for trade in obra de pasta as pasta products were at the time known in Cagliari, Sardinia. That indicates that pasta was a part of certain Mediterranean people. Other believes that a peasant woman Libista was the inventor of the ravioli. Similarly lasagna has been created by Meluzza Comasca who was given a celebrity’s funeral after her death.
The words macharoni and vermicelli are attested in Italy as early as the thirteen and fourteenth century, it took culinary text until the fifteenth century to confirm the existence of these two shapes. By the fourteenth century, the Italian people developed forks for eating pasta, indicated the popular consumption of pasta.
Accompaniments
The common pasta sauces of Northern Italy are Pesto (basil, olive oil, garlic and grated cheese) and ragu alla Bolognese (a meat sauce). In Central Italy it is a simple tomato sauce and amatrician and carbonara. In Southern Italy it is a spicy tomato, garlic and olive oil based sauces it is often paired with fresh vegetables or seafood. In the United States the most popular dished are Fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti with tomato sauce with or without meatballs or just plain butter and cheese.
Pasta Varieties
There are many different shapes and sizes, it comes in simple string shapes called spaghetti and vermicelli. Long ribbon shaped called fettuccine and linguine. Short tube pasta like elbow and penne, long sheet like lasagna and stuffed with fillings like ravioli, manicotti and tortellini.
Friday, May 4, 2007
All About Pizza
An Overview of Pizza
Pizza is usually a round piece of bread covered in tomato sauce and cheese and other optional toppings. It originated as a part of Neapolitan cuisine, and now is extremely popular all over the world. The crust is usually plain but sometimes it is seasoned with butter, garlic or herbs even stuffed with cheese.
The world’s first true pizzeria was Antica Pizzeria Port Alba opened in Naples in 1830 and still serves pizza from the same pizzeria today. Marinara is the oldest type of pizza which has tomato, oregano, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and basil for toppings. It was named Marinara because it was the food that fisherman ate when they returned home from their fishing trips in the Bay of Naples.
The Margherita pizza introduced cheese to pizza. Raffaele Esposito baked three different pizza’s in 1889 for his visit to King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. The Queen’s favorite pizza had the toppings of basil leaves, mozzarella and tomatoes which are the same colors that make up the Italian flag. In her honor they named the pizza the Margherita pizza.
The first official pizzeria in the United States is said to be in Little Italy, Manhattan New York, founded by Gennero Lombardi. He opened a grocery store in 1897 which later became the first pizzeria which was established in 1905 with a New York’s issuance of mercantile license. An employee of his began making pizza to sell at the store. The price for an entire was pizza was five cents, but many people could not afford to buy entire pizza, but they could say how much they could afford that is how sliced became available.
Pizza Types
The United States has developed a large number of regional forms of pizza many resembling the Italian original.
There are many different kinds of crust thin as in hand-tossed or thick as in a pizza pan or a very thick as in Chicago style pizza.
-Chicago style pizza contains a crust that is formed in a deep dish pan and the toppings are reversed they start with the cheese then the filling then the sauce.
-New York style pizza it is usually sold in thin oversized flexible slices. It is a hand tossed pizza with tomato sauce and cheese.
-California style pizza is called the gourmet pizza because of its non traditional toppings, chicken with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, and carrots.
-Hawaiian style pizza has ham and pineapples for a topping
-Grilled pizza this kind of pizza was invented in Providence Rhode Island, it is a thin crust that is cooked on a grill the toppings are place on the baked side after it has been flipped.
-Greek Pizza has a thick chewing crust and is baked in a pan. With olive oil is the common part of the toppings including feta cheese, olives and oregano.
Pizza Styles
Neapolitan Pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour and Neapolitan yeast of brewer’s yeast, salt, water. Then the dough is kneaded by hand or by a mixer then the dough needs to rise. This type of dough is formed by hand not by rolling with a rolling pin. Then it is placed in a 485 degree stone oven with oak wood fire for 60-90 seconds. When cooked it should be soft and fragrant. The Neapolitan pizza has gained the status of “guaranteed traditional specialty” in Italy. There are three official variants:
-Pizza Marinara which consist of tomato, garlic oregano and oil
-Pizza Margherita: tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and oil
-Pizza Margherita Extra: tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil and oil.
Lazio (Rome) this pizza is cooked in a long rectangular baking pan, this dough is similar of an English muffin and cooked in an electric oven. When purchased it is both cut by scissors or a knife and priced by weight.
Pizza Romana (in Naples) has tomato, mozzarella anchovies, oregano and oil.
Sicilian style pizza has the toppings baked right into the crust. An authentic recipe does not use cheese or anchovies. In the United States has different varieties of this pizza it is made with a thick rectangular crust topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
Pizza is usually a round piece of bread covered in tomato sauce and cheese and other optional toppings. It originated as a part of Neapolitan cuisine, and now is extremely popular all over the world. The crust is usually plain but sometimes it is seasoned with butter, garlic or herbs even stuffed with cheese.
The world’s first true pizzeria was Antica Pizzeria Port Alba opened in Naples in 1830 and still serves pizza from the same pizzeria today. Marinara is the oldest type of pizza which has tomato, oregano, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and basil for toppings. It was named Marinara because it was the food that fisherman ate when they returned home from their fishing trips in the Bay of Naples.
The Margherita pizza introduced cheese to pizza. Raffaele Esposito baked three different pizza’s in 1889 for his visit to King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. The Queen’s favorite pizza had the toppings of basil leaves, mozzarella and tomatoes which are the same colors that make up the Italian flag. In her honor they named the pizza the Margherita pizza.
The first official pizzeria in the United States is said to be in Little Italy, Manhattan New York, founded by Gennero Lombardi. He opened a grocery store in 1897 which later became the first pizzeria which was established in 1905 with a New York’s issuance of mercantile license. An employee of his began making pizza to sell at the store. The price for an entire was pizza was five cents, but many people could not afford to buy entire pizza, but they could say how much they could afford that is how sliced became available.
Pizza Types
The United States has developed a large number of regional forms of pizza many resembling the Italian original.
There are many different kinds of crust thin as in hand-tossed or thick as in a pizza pan or a very thick as in Chicago style pizza.
-Chicago style pizza contains a crust that is formed in a deep dish pan and the toppings are reversed they start with the cheese then the filling then the sauce.
-New York style pizza it is usually sold in thin oversized flexible slices. It is a hand tossed pizza with tomato sauce and cheese.
-California style pizza is called the gourmet pizza because of its non traditional toppings, chicken with peanut sauce, bean sprouts, and carrots.
-Hawaiian style pizza has ham and pineapples for a topping
-Grilled pizza this kind of pizza was invented in Providence Rhode Island, it is a thin crust that is cooked on a grill the toppings are place on the baked side after it has been flipped.
-Greek Pizza has a thick chewing crust and is baked in a pan. With olive oil is the common part of the toppings including feta cheese, olives and oregano.
Pizza Styles
Neapolitan Pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour and Neapolitan yeast of brewer’s yeast, salt, water. Then the dough is kneaded by hand or by a mixer then the dough needs to rise. This type of dough is formed by hand not by rolling with a rolling pin. Then it is placed in a 485 degree stone oven with oak wood fire for 60-90 seconds. When cooked it should be soft and fragrant. The Neapolitan pizza has gained the status of “guaranteed traditional specialty” in Italy. There are three official variants:
-Pizza Marinara which consist of tomato, garlic oregano and oil
-Pizza Margherita: tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and oil
-Pizza Margherita Extra: tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil and oil.
Lazio (Rome) this pizza is cooked in a long rectangular baking pan, this dough is similar of an English muffin and cooked in an electric oven. When purchased it is both cut by scissors or a knife and priced by weight.
Pizza Romana (in Naples) has tomato, mozzarella anchovies, oregano and oil.
Sicilian style pizza has the toppings baked right into the crust. An authentic recipe does not use cheese or anchovies. In the United States has different varieties of this pizza it is made with a thick rectangular crust topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
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