How RED WINE is made.

A lot of us will have a glass of a Red Wine every now and then.  We will sip and enjoy, and at the end of the day, toss the empty bottle into the trash, and repeat the process on another day.

But, how many of us know how a Red Wine is made?

Well, for those of you that are curious, here is a simplified explanation of the process.

Generally speaking, all red wines are made following the following steps:

1-The grapes are picked and then brought quickly to the winery for processing to retain the freshness of the grapes. 

 2-The stems are removed and the grapes are crushed to release the juices from the skins.

3-Then, the pulp, skins, seeds and juice is stored in a vat for a few days while the natural fermentation process begins

4-After a few days the wine is separated from the solids using a press and this wine is placed into another vat to finish its natural fermentation.

5-At this point the wine is "drawn off it's lees" (sedimentation) and placed into oak barrels for aging. This aging can take anywhere from a few months to several years depending on the quality of the wine.

6-At this point, for some wines, the wines are then filtered or "fined" to improve its clarity. Egg whites, gelatin, or sometimes other natural substances are used for this.

7-The wine is then bottled, and the better wines are allowed to rest for several weeks before shipment.

Ideally, Red Wines are best served at cool room temperatures (60F to 65F). 

But, remember, when it comes to wines and your personal tastes, if you want your wine colder, then have it that way. 

The proper temperature, for a wine, is the temperature that YOU, the consumer, prefers.

TURMERIC - Food Facts - Use in these dishes

We had dinner the other night with my Brother and Sister-in-Law. During that time, when we were discussing growing our own herbs, out of the Blue, she asked if we used Turmeric when we cooked. 

At first, I had to stop and think, and ended up responding with: "Yeah ....But not often!"

She laughed and the conversation moved on, so I went to my book, Food Facts, and reviewed what I had written there, as I really hadn't used it often or even recently.

There, I saw that I had obviously researched this herb before, and here is an excerpt from my book, Virginia, of which, by the way, you have a copy (sic)!

Turmeric is a root of the ginger family that has a mild, earthy and slightly bitter flavor. It is used, with mustard, as a flavoring for meats salads and dressings.

It is also used as a flavoring and coloring in some prepared mustards, and is a main ingredient in many Curry recipes.

Some of the foods it goes well in are;

Casseroles-....................use in Curried, Macaroni. Noodle and Rice dishes, and sometimes is used in place of Saffron.

Fish-...............................use in creamed seafood dishes such as Lobster, Salmon and Shrimp.

Meats and Poultry-......use 1/4 –tsp per preparation of; Broiled Chicken, and curried Beef and Lamb.

Preserves & Pickles-....use in Chow Chow, Chutney and Relishes.

Sauces & Gravies-........add to Bordelaise, Creole and Barbecue Sauces

Salads & Dressings-....use1/2-tsp per cup in Mayonnaise, French Dressings, or ¼ tsp just for color

Soups-...........................use a dash in creamed soups and chowders

Vegetables-...................use a dash on creamed potatoes

CARROTS - TIPS - Selection & Storage

Carrots are a popular food, and the following tips should help you select, care for and store them properly for a long tasty life.

 Selection: When selecting Carrots, look for smooth roots, as they will be easy to wash and will not require peeling. Look for uniform color, with no interior zoning.

When selecting baby carrots, be sure that you are selecting a mature hybrid variety, and not just a small immature regular carrot, as they will not be as sweet and flavorful.

If your carrots have aged, cut them lengthwise and remove the woody core for use in a tastier meal.

Storage: When storing Carrots, detach the tops if they are still on the carrots

Do not store carrots near Apples. Apples give off ethylene gas, which will turn the carrots bitter.

This Post is an excerpt from the Book FOOD FACTS by Don Bobbitt on Amazon.

Onion - Other Uses

Onions, as every one knows, are used in many recipes. But they also have other purported health uses, some of which I have listed here;
Please note that there are some varieties of Onions, such as Scallions which have much higher levels of potency and thus higher levels of healing capabilities. Here are some of their other  healthful uses;

• Anti-Cancer- Onions are high in Anti-Oxidants, and Flavonoids, and provide the benefits subscribed to them in reducing the chances of developing cancers.
• Bronchitis- Mix 1-tsp of honey with 1-tsp onion juice, for a liquid used to treat Bronchitis, Influenza and colds, and improve your overall health.
• Cholesterol- Eating Onions helps lower your bad Cholesterol and helps reduce heart disease.
• Decongestant- Onion is a natural decongestant as it helps with sinus drainage.
• Indigestion- Onion helps resolve indigestion.
• Intestinal Disorders- Eating Onions increases the contraction and expansion of the intestines, thus helping remove old stool and gas.
• Jaundice- Eating onion in the morning and at bedtime, helps in the treatment of Jaundice.
• Sore Throat- Eating an Onion helps cure a sore throat.
• Tooth Decay- Eating raw onion helps reduce tooth decay.
• Wart Remover- Rub a Wart with a raw onion dipped in salt. Repeat several time and the Wart will disappear.

Freezing Eggs - A Frugal Tip

Eggs!   

Sometimes you just need a few for the occasional breakfast or salad garnish.
And at times, especially when baking on holidays you can use up to several dozen eggs over just a few days.
One way to save some money is to purchase eggs that you may need in a few weeks or months even, while they are on sale at a low price and then freeze them until needed.

Yes, I said freeze your eggs. They can be stored in this way for 1-3 months without any damage to them, and then just take them our from the freezer and thaw them overnight and you have nice fresh eggs ready to use.

Raw whole eggs, raw egg whites and hard-boiled eggs can be frozen; but not eggs in the shell.   

One quick way to freeze egg whites is to place them in an ice tray and then freeze.  After freezing, remove the cubes and transfer them to a freezer container. 

You can prevent raw eggs and yolks from becoming thick when freezing, by adding either 1-1/2 teaspoons of sugar or 1/8 teaspoon of salt for each 4 eggs frozen. 

But be sure to label the freezer container with what you added for future reference. 

Thaw frozen eggs overnight in the refrigerator when possible; otherwise, you can thaw them under cold running water.

I place the sealed bag in a large bowl of room temperature water and let then sit on the counter. It only takes a couple of hours to thaw this way.

• This selection is from the Book by Don Bobbitt called; FOOD FACTS.