----- Original Message ----- From: "Patricia Dunbar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "recipe list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 7:40 PM Subject: C n D: A Little Science in the Kitchen To Help the Grocery Bill
>A Little Science in the Kitchen To Help the Grocery Bill > Mary Hunt > > By now, you may have picked up on the fact that I, your humble columnist, > am on a quest to stop being so wasteful. > > I've started in the kitchen, employing every tip and trick out there for > making food -- especially fresh produce -- last long enough to be used up. > I'm > tired of my garbage disposer being the best-fed member of the family. > > A recent tip from a reader, who said the best way to ripen a banana is to > stick it into a paper bag with an apple, reminded me of a gas called > ethylene. > I know, that is an odd association, but you're about to understand why > this is so important. > > Most fruits and vegetables generate ethylene while they ripen. This gas is > a very active plant hormone. I've learned the hard way that when I am not > organized, > good old ethylene can ruin the vegetables, turn the bananas black, and > jack up my food bill in a big hurry. > > Leafy vegetables -- even very small amounts -- are very sensitive to > ethylene. Lettuce, for example, begins to decay when exposed to ethylene, > even in > the refrigerator. Items particularly sensitive to ethylene, such as > broccoli and bananas, will spoil quickly if they are stored in the same > area as avocados, > melons and apples, which are ethylene producers. > > That means we need to keep our vegetables away from the fruits to make our > fresh foods last longer. This may explain why your refrigerator has two > crisper > drawers. > > These foods create ethylene: apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, > blueberries, cantaloupes, citrus fruits (except grapefruits), cranberries, > figs, guavas, > grapes, green onions, honeydews, ripe kiwi fruit, mangoes, mushrooms, > nectarines, okra, papayas, passion fruits, peaches, pears, persimmons, > pineapples, > plantains, plums, prunes, quinces, tomatoes and watermelons. > > These foods become damaged by ethylene: asparagus, broccoli, Brussels > sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, cucumbers, cut flowers, > eggplants, > endives, escaroles, florist greens, green beans, kale, kiwi fruit, leafy > greens, lettuce, parsley, peas, potatoes, potted plants, romaine lettuce, > spinach, > squash, sweet potatoes, watercress and yams. > > Of course, you can use ethylene to your favor. Try this: Place an unripe > avocado in a plastic or paper bag by itself, and it will ripen much more > quickly > because the ethylene is trapped inside and becomes concentrated. > > Ditto for bananas. Because they produce ethylene, they can be manipulated > to ripen themselves more quickly inside a bag than if they're left out in > the > open air. And remember to add an apple to the bag when you're in a big > hurry because apples are big-time ethylene producers! > > > One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory. > Rita Mae Brown > > > Listen or download previous Cooking in the Dark Shows at: > > http://www.cookinginthedark.libsyn.com > Got a pod catcher? Here is the address to paste into your pod catcher for > Cooking in the Dark: > http://www.cookinginthedark.libsyn.com/rss > Cooking in the Dark is sponsored by Blind Mice Mart! > http://www.blindmicemart.com > The Cooking in the Dark Show is streamed weekly on the internet. > > Visit the Cooking in the Dark page at Blind > Mice Mart for times and links. > Every purchase at Blind Mice Mart funds the Mouse Hole Scholarship Program > providing scholarships for Blind students! > http://www.BlindMiceMart.com > Use the coupon code "acbradio" when you check-out at Blind Mice Mart and a > portion of your purchase will be donated to ACB Radio and you will save a > little change too! > Visit the Cooking and Baking Department at Blind Mice Mart and get some of > the same products Dale uses on the show! > Recipes posted on this list serve are the property of Blind Mice Mart and > Cooking in the Dark. Reproduction without permission is not permitted. > Cooking in the Dark and Blind Mice Mart are copyrighted trademarks of > Blind > Mice Inc. > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.6/1360 - Release > Date: 4/4/2008 6:02 PM > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
