HA Newsletter Vol 6 No 01

CRANBERRIES:  A friend brought it to my attention that cranberries are high in fiber. Cranberries seem to have many health benefits. Check out the health and research information offered by the Cranberry Institute [see web address       below].

What is a cranberry?
"Cranberry (noun), pronounced cran.ber.ry. 1 : the red acid berry produced by some plants (as Vaccinium oxycoccos and V. macrocarpon ) of the heath family; also : a plant producing these; 2 : any of various plants with a fruit that           resembles a cranberry"

From Encarta `96 encyclopedia:
"Cranberry, a common name for several species of low vines of a genus of the heath family, and for their small, sour, seedy fruit.   The plants, which belong to the same genus as the blueberry, have drooping, pink flowers and small, thick, evergreen leaves. The small, or European, cranberry grows wild in marshlands of temperate and colder regions of Europe and North America. The large, or American, cranberry is cultivated in the northeastern Untied States in sand-covered bogs that can be flooded or drained at will.   Flooding protects the vines from frosts and freezing weather and destroys insect pests.   Most of the cranberry crop produced in the United States each year is canned as sauce or jelly or bottled as juice.  The cowberry, or mountain cranberry, is common in both Europe and North America.   It is gathered and           sold in considerable quantity but is rarely cultivated.   The highland cranberry, with its clusters of white flowers followed by red berries, is a shrub of the honeysuckle family.   Its fruit is sometimes used as a substitute for cranberries.

Scientific classification: Cranberries belong to the genus Vaccinium of the family Ericaceae. The small, or European, cranberry is classified as Vaccinium oxycoccos; the large, or American, cranberry as Vaccinium macrocarpon; and the cowberry, or mountain cranberry, as Vaccinium vitis-idaea. The highbush cranberry belongs to the family Caprifoliaceae and is classified as Viburnum opulus.
"Cranberry," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (c) Funk & Wagnalls Corporation.
All rights reserved.

RECIPES: The next two recipes are from my sister, Lucia.

CRANBERRY NUT BREAD
          Yield 1 loaf

          2 C flour, sifted
          1 C sugar
          1/2 tsp. salt
          1/2 tsp baking powder
          1/2 tsp baking soda
          1 medium orange
          2 tbsp margerine, melted
          boiling water
          1egg, beaten
          1 C pecans, chopped
          1 C raw cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Wash orange well and process in a blender (including rind) until it is liquefied. In a measuring cup combine liquefied orange and margarine and add water to bring mixture up to 1 cup. In a small bowl combine the orange mixture to the beaten egg and mix well. Slowly add the orange mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the pecans and cranberries. Bake in a greased loaf pan for 1 hour or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
(Too, late for the holidays, but great for other special occasions!)

CRANBERRY AND RAISIN STUFFING

          14 C torn or cubed white bread
          1 16 oz can whole cranberry sauce
          4 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
          1/2 C raisins
          1/4 C sugar
          1 tsp. salt
          1 tsp. lemon juice
          1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. On a cookie sheet toast bread for about 15 minutes or until slightly dry, turning occasionally. Place bread in a mixing bowl and toss with melted butter a little at a time. Add all remaining           ingredients and toss well. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry. Fresh whole cranberry sauce can be substituted for canned. [This recipe can be baked in a pan, but if used to stuff a vegetable, which one do you think would work best?]

CRANBERRY WEB SITES:
The web address below has cranberry recipes and other information:
http://www.cranberries.org/consumers/cframeset.html

This web site has health and research information:
http://www.cranberryinstitute.org/

This web address has information about cranberries as a crop in New Jersey, but it has a lot of general information about cranberries, too:
http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/docs/njcranberries.html

LAVENDER: My sister and niece gave me a bottle of lavender essential oil, which I use as a fragrance. Lavender has what might be called a woody floral scent, but with the essential oil I noticed something else. There was the fragrance of mint. I looked it up and lavender is a member of the mint family. It also has a place in the kitchen. The information below will tell you more.

Labiatae/Lamiaceae [family name]
It is planned for all plant family names to end in aceae. This is being worked on so a some plant family names might not end with aceae now. "Plant divisions", as Jessica Houdret [see reference below] calls them, include family, genus, species and other divisions such as a "hybrid", which is "a cross between two species, or genera, indicated by a cross, such as Lavendula x intermedia." According to Ms. Houdret, "The Romans are said to have scented their bathwater with lavender (the Latin name is from lavare, to wash) and its inimitable fragrance has ensured its lasting popularity. But its medicinal and insecticide properties were recognized early and have largely been vindicated since." The fresh or dried flower is the part used and "medicinal infusions of the flowers may be applied as a compress to ease headaches, and are sometimes taken internally (made weak) for anxiety and nervous exhaustion. As an embrocation an external stimulant and antiseptic, Essential oil (diluted in a carrier oil) is applied to sunburn, burns and scalds, and used as a massage oil for tension headaches, migraine and muscular aches and pains. Inhaling the fragrance of flowers or oil can be very calming, anti-depressive and may help relieve insomnia. The oil is applied to prevent and relieve insect bites and discourages head lice when applied to the comb."

"practical herb garden" [no caps] by Jessica Houdret, pgs. 170-171, (c)
Anness Publishing Limited 1999, 2003; the edition I have was published by
Hermes House; Amazon.com, $2.82 new or used.

Note: Usually I just list the books, but if you are interested in herbs and a good reference book listing them, Jessica Houdret's book is a major good buy at $2.82. It is a well laid out coffee table type book [large but not too heavy or thick] with wonderful photographs and easy to read and understand information. .

LAVENDER AS A SEASONING:
Penzey's version of Herbes de Provence has lavender in it.
www.penzeys.com

LAVENDER WEB SITES:
Cooking with lavender [information with photos]:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Lavender.htm

Information about lavender with photos:
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0014946.html

Information about the mint family n general:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/landscaping_herbs/115061

READ THE LABEL:
I'm embarrassed to have to admit this, but recently I was munching barbecue baked potato chips when I read the ingredients list for the first time. The sugars I was expecting. The chicken fat was a surprise. I'm not saying how good or bad this is. What happened is only a reminder to read labels.

TINY POTATOES:
Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes are about the size of a bird's egg or bigger but smaller than a chicken's egg. The ones I bought were packaged by Melissa's. See the web address below and the recipe comes from the package.

LIGHTLY SEASONED POTATO SKEWERS

6 Melissa's Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes, scrubbed and halved
3 medium tomatoes, cubed
12 Melissa's pearl onions, peeled
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

In a pot, bring three cups of water to boil. Add potatoes and cook 15 minutes. Arrange cooked potatoes, tomatoes and onions alternately on skewers. Preheat broiler or grill. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Brush on vegetables. Broil or grill kabobs for 12 minutes, turning occasionally or until edges are golden brown. Makes 4 skewers.

www.melissas.com

Hi Arbor Cookbook:

"Take This Veggie And Stuff It" has recipes for stuffing 21 vegetables from artichokes to zucchini, and if you don't know how to stuff an artichoke, the book explains. There are 87 recipes, some of which have seafood but most are vegetarian. Substitutions, measurements and equivalents are listed. Herbs and seasonings are defined and there is a glossary of cooking terms in addition to a list of how much of a fresh spice is needed versus the same spice in a dry form.

"Take This Veggie And Stuff It" costs $12.50 per copy plus $2.50
for shipping and handling, and it can be ordered from Hi Arbor, Inc.; P. O.
Box 265; Oceanville, NJ 08231. Or from the web address below.

http://www.hiarbor.org/

The End