Starfruit & How to know when it is ripe.

Starfruit & How to know when it is ripe.
Starfruit – Carambola

I had starfruit a couple of times, but never purchased it, or knew anything about it.  We now have a starfruit tree that has been very prolific.  This led to the need to learn more about it.sf1

The fruit has distinctive ridges running down its sides (usually five but can sometimes vary); in cross-section, it resembles a star, hence its name. The entire fruit is edible and is usually eaten out of hand. They may also be used in cooking and can be made into relishes, preserves, and juice drinks.

Starfruit’s real name is Carambola and is a tree fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and is popular in tropical areas, including southern United States. The fruit has big ridges which give it the distinctive look, and when cut cross wise, the pieces are stars. These stars make it great as a garnish. The whole fruit is edible, including the skin, although I did trim just the edges on those that had darkened already.

Nutritionally, these fruit have high vitamin C, respectable fiber, and very low sugars, meaning diabetic friendly.

Starfruit is not just a dessert fruit. I have used it in curry and it is excellent. Just dice it up, and add it toward the end of cooking. It adds a very subtle sweetness that no one will guess what it is. I tried them in a smoothie, but have not found the right ‘formula’ for a great one.fullsizerender1

Like most edible items, there is a time range – just ripe enough to almost rotten.  This time frame of course, will vary greatly based on the type of food.  The real question is when is the ‘peak’ time?  How does the item look and smell and taste when it is at its very best?  Very best is also subjective.  Perhaps you prefer tart over sweet.  I decided the best way was to have a taste test with fruit of varied ripeness.  I made a video of it so you can see for yourself and learn what coloring may be the ‘peak’ ripeness for you.  Click here to see the video.

I found that when they are yellow with just a little green in the crevices was just about right.  My husband preferred it when it was all yellow – a more ripe flavor.  Texture / flavors vary from a tart green apple, to a Bartlett pear, to a papaya / orange mixed flavor.

Nutrition Facts:
Amount Per 1 medium (3-5/8″ long) (91 g)
Calories 28
Total Fat 0.3 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.2 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 2 mg 0%
Potassium 121 mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 6 g 2%
Dietary fiber 2.5 g 10%
Sugar 3.6 g
Protein 0.9 g 1%
Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 52%
Calcium 0% Iron 0%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 0%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 2%
% Daily Value*

 

Hacksaw Ridge

November 2, 2016 

The true story of Pfc. Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), who won the Congressional Medal of Honor despite refusing to bear arms during WWII on religious grounds.

Directed by Mel Gibson 

I don’t think There are any spoilers, but read at your own risk. 


Wow. From what I can tell, if you’re a veteran you’re going to be surprised at how realistic it is. If you’re not a veteran you should watch this movie just to see how incredible this war was for these guys.

As with anything traumatic, it shows the various levels of emotion that individuals face in circumstances such as these. It was not specifically about Christianity but really about a man of his convictions and what he had to do to accomplish what he did. 

I think Mel Gibson did an extraordinary job with filming & directing. Some of the shots are just truly incredible and the sound effects are amazing.  

How incredible the sound is for the fighting scenes. Ping ping 

The movie is incredibly graphic without being gratuitous and I think it’s probably an understatement of what he (and all of them) went through. When you think about some of the specific scenes, for example his treatment in Boot Camp, I’m sure it was even 1000 times worse than what they actually showed in the movie. 

I think it’s also a testament to the type of people willing to serve their country and frankly a testament to that generation of people who would go to such lengths to serve their country. He mentions 2 men from his town that took their own lives because they were disqualified from serving.  I’m not sure if our generation have such people. OK we do, but it’s certainly not what the media spends their time talking about. 

As far as Seventh Day Adventism, it is barely mentioned, but the key items are stated. 

Just a final statement. This movie is moving, patriotic, sad, and realistic.  It is not for the faint of heart, bring your resolve. 

#LiveLikeDoss #SDA #HacksawRidge

Jackfruit grows up – from favorite chewing gum to feeding the world

While a jackfruit tree is not rare in Florida, it was a surprise to find one at the FullSizeRender 2corner of our property!  I had learned about jackfruit some time ago, and so when I spied it hanging in the tree I was thrilled.

Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, reaching up to 80 pounds and 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. The exterior is greenish yellow when ripe. The inside has rows of bulbs with a large smooth seed in each. The seed is about 1″x.5″, much like a Brazil nut.  Botanical name Artocarpus heterophyllusis.

Jackfruit is thought to be so versatile, and to grow so easily, that it would be able to feed the world.  It seems possible, but as it only grows in certain climates, it seems the world will continue to be dependent on imports, or perhaps, new climate controlled agriculture will be developed.

Jackfruit can feed the world?

Unripe jackfruit has a meat-like taste, and it has been used in curry dishes for hundreds of years.   It has also become very popular with vegetarians as young jackfruit takes on the flavor of added sauces or spices, and has a distinctive meat-like texture similar to shredded poultry.
Either way, I make out having one in the yard.

The two I picked each filled a Home Depot 5 gallon bucket and weighed about 15-20 pounds.

 

Click here to watch the video.

Prep and collecting the fruit

IMG_2357

  1. Select a knife long enough to reach across the center to make cutting easier.
  2. The milky sap in the jackfruit is latex. It will stick to anything, except oil. Coat your knife well to start. I used olive oil, but any food grade oil will work. When done, use oil and paper towels to easily clean up.
  3. Use disposable items to cover your surface.
    I wore disposable gloves for ease of clean up.  Its much easier to pull off a glove to answer the phone, than washing them before the caller hangs up. I use gloves for anything where my hands are really in the mix, like mixing up meatloaf, or prepping chicken breasts.
  4. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise.
  5. IMG_0392 copyCut out the solid white core.
  6. The flesh should be thick and kind of fibrous. The fruit is a bulb or pod that releases when pulled. There will be lots of strands that surround this pod, but they are the waste. If this were a young unripe jackfruit, we would just cut all of it in chunks and cook it up.
  7. The seeds pop out very easily. The seeds have a thin coating around them.  Sometimes it stays on the seed, sometimes  it stays with the fruit.  Just remove it when prepping the fruit.
  8. The fruit can be eaten raw.IMG_2362
  9. There is a surprising amount of leftover product, which I am told is great to give to goats or pigs, neither of which I have, so in the trash it goes.
  10. Rinse and recheck all the fruit, clearing any seed linings too.
  11. Put it all in a freezer safe container and into the freezer.

We made a smoothie with the frozen fruit and strawberries. The fruit is sweet, but not overly, and you will have best success including vanilla yogurt or the like.

  • Ripe:  yellowish skin with spikes that have softened, and a shape that yields under gentle pressure.  Ripe fruit has distinct sweet smell.
  • Young:  green skin with tight tough (but not sharp) spikes.
    Peel, then chopped into sections and cook.
  • Seeds:  The seeds from ripe fruits are edible and supposedly have sweet taste. They may be boiled, baked, or roasted. I did keep all the seeds, but waited too long to roast them, and frankly, am afraid to eat them now. Next time I will roast them right away!

 

Wrigley's Juicy Fruit GumJackfruit is where Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum gets it’s flavor.

Juicy Fruit and all affiliated designs are trademarks of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company or its affiliates.

Coconut Flour Cheese Crackers


 IMG_0364So easy and so very tasty!

1/2 cup     coconut flour
1                egg
2 tbsp        butter
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Pre-heat over to 400 degrees
Mix all ingredients together – use a food processor if possible.
Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet
Place the dough on parchment paper, add another layer of parchment paper on top, and then roll out the dough very thin.  Carefully remove the top parchment paper.
Bake for 9-10 minutes
Score / precut the crackers using a knife or a pizza cutter into about 2 inch squares.
If desired, sprinkle a little salt over crackers.
Return to oven for about 5 minutes.  Watch them as the edges can get

Makes approximately 50-60 crackers
Eat soon after baking, while they are crispy.   They tend to absorb moisture, so toast again to regain crispiness.

Counts for the whole batch total.
1236   Calories
43.8g  Fat
38.5g  Total Carbohydrate
13g  Sugars
20g Fiber
60.6g Protein

Shaken, Not stirred!

One of our favorite seasoning products is Johnny’s Garlic Spread.  I used it in my post about Grocery Shopping day.  Here is a recipe for yummy potatoes using Johnny’s that my husband often makes for us.  Highly recommend!IMG_8981.JPG

For regular or sweet potatoes, leave the skin on and wash & dry them.
sP1Cut in to small cubes or slices so they will crisp and cook quicker.
sP4After you cut them up put them in a container with a lid, or anything you can use to shake them up.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of Olive oil and shake to moisten all pieces.  Use more or less oil as needed.

Add 1 table spoon of garlic spread and shake again.
Pour them out on to an oiled baking sheet
Bake for 30 minutes at 425.

Enjoy!

Vacuum cleaners – part 2

As you may recall from Vacuum cleaners – Part 1, my favorite vacuum cleaner had died. Clearly, I could not survive without one, so I did purchase a ‘temporary’ replacement. I chose a very inexpensive Bissell.  I chose it because it is a Bissell, it was inexpensive, does not use a bag, has washable filters, and does have a detachable hose. It is an upright, which after using for a while, further sets my opinion for the need of a canister style, but more on that later. I realize I only spent about $50 on sale at Walmart, but I do have one major complaint with the unit; they designed the underside in such a way that I see some of the dirt thrown out the back.

I have to vacuum behind the vacuum!

Am I being too harsh? I don’t think so, after all, it is a Bissell and this isn’t new technology!  Still, it does pick up dirt, etc, but ultimately cannot be my primary vacuum cleaner.

As for my comment about the need for a canister style vacuum, it is primarily a hose problem.  To use the hose one must:

Upright

  1. unplug the hose
  2. add the hard wand to end of hose
  3. extend the hard wand
  4. add whichever tool needed (crevasse, brush, etc)
  5. vacuum the spot, then
  6. take off the tool
  7. collapse the hard wand
  8. take off the hard wand
  9. plug the hose back into the vacuum.

Whew! Thats a lot of steps.

 Canister

  1. unplug hose/wand unit from head
  2. add tool
  3. vacuum spot
  4. take tool off
  5. plug back into head.

While vacuuming may be a lot of work, the noise of the vacuum drowns out other sounds and the mind puts the body on autopilot so it can wander and think freely, undisturbed (generally, everyone in the house leaves me alone while vacuuming, even leaving the area to escape the noise).  Vacuuming is one of the few chores that has daydreaming as a fringe benefit (others include weeding and mowing).  In fact, vacuuming is almost a zen activity.   I don’t know about you, but I start at the farthest point in the room and work backwards, so when done, I can see the beauty of a perfectly vacuumed room, knowing sadly, it won’t be that way shortly.  Its kind of like those zen gardens, where sand is groomed into interesting designs.

Whether it is zen or not, chores are a lot easier when one finds the pleasure in the act or the result. Look for the beauty in any activity you do, and life will be a lot more pleasant!

Vacuum Cleaners #@$%

Over the years I have dealt with a lot of fairly lousy vacuums. I say lousy, because they each had their flaws. My favorite vacuum of all was a Sears Kenmore canister vacuum. I don’t recall which model, but purchased around 1997.  It died at about 13 years old. It truly had performed all I asked of it and deserves the rest it now has.  However, in retrospect I really wish I had taken it to a shop to see if it could have been saved, as current choices are so poor and pricey.

In an attempt to console me, my husband suggested one of the new Dyson vacuums. I had only seen the uprights and told him, no thank you, I didn’t want an upright or to spend $500! So has begun my search for a new vacuum cleaner. How hard could it be? It turns out that my vacuum had several features that I really like.

1. Canister style
2. No bag
3. No crush hose
4. Metal wand
5. Less than 13” wide head
6. Low profile head
7. Foot release to separate wand and cleaning head
8. Long power cord
9. Self reeling power cord
10. Finger tip on/off to brushes on cleaning head
11. Long hose between canister and wand
12. Side cleaning
13. Full or constricted indicator

1. Canister style – This is very important to me. Using a hose/wand unit with a low profile head allows vacuuming under things that I don’t want to move every time, such as the beds. I usually move all the chairs and small tables to vacuum, but with a good reaching unit, basically every spot under a bed can be reached easily.

2. No bag – I hate running out of bags. Bags also encourage over filling the bag, which I am sure puts undue pressure on the motor and bags are a waste of paper, thus not eco friendly. I have noticed a lot of vacuums are claiming significant improvements in the quantity of particles the units are filtering out, but those claims require the use of a hepa quality disposable bag. My first opinion is that it is a sales trap. At approximately $4 a bag, there is an ongoing income stream for the manufacturer / bag makers.  I will take this opportunity to say with modern technology, surely there is a way to make a dirt collector chamber air tight. It would be a lot more cost effective to install a whole house inline air purification / cleaner as these units are effective at cleaning the air of the whole house in about an hour, including mold, bacteria, and viruses (use the UV treatment to better manage these).

3. No crush hose – Absolutely needed. I can’t tell you the number of times I stepped on the hose or accidently twisted it. It would be a shame if it couldn’t bounce back.

4. Metal wand – Two reasons; one, it is just more durable and two, a little weight seems to help with control.

5. Less than 13” wide head – When there is no time to move all the furniture, it is really nice when the head fits between the legs of dinner chairs or small tables. 13 inches is just a little close for many items.

By the way, if your not the one vacuuming, you better get out of the way and take your stuff with you!

6. Low profile head – Important for items mentioned above, such as under beds and chairs, but a low profile head will also fit under hutches and sofas.

7. Foot release – So easy to use a foot release to take off the head and quickly get to the corners or edges or even the ceiling. Pop the wand back in the head and continue vacuuming with barely a missed beat.

8. Long power cord – I really hate it when I have to change plugs to reach that last spot in a room. Long cords also mean less bending to plug/unplug the vacuum, and overall, less accidental unplugs or side pulling of the plug at the socket. I am sure every one has bent a prong or two.

9. Self reeling power cord – Well, because you can. Its a lot safer, tidier, and convenient, for me anyway.

10. Finger tip on/off brush roller control – Convenient switch for emergency switching, like when you get too close to the fringe of a rug!

11. Long hose – Must have to ensure free range of the wand end and for reaching up high without lifting or worse, suspending canister unit by hose connection.

12. Side cleaning – While I do not believe any cleaning head unit can really reach to the edges, a decent side cleaner reduces the area to vacuum with either the crevasse tool or just the open end of wand.

13. Full or constricted indicator – This is a nice feature. Once in the ‘whirl’ of vacuuming, it is easy to not notice a full dust bin, but it is easier to notice that a light came on.

There is a lot more to be said about vacuuming, but as my publisher (me) says, no one is going to read this if it doesn’t get out there. So I will end today with this; I do not believe anyone really likes the act of vacuuming, but if its going to get done, then it should be done right.

If there are any vacuum manufacturers who really want to test out the quality of their vacuums, send them my way. I promise to really put them to the test!

New product – FairLife milk

Although I would prefer to have no commercials, I do watch them while fast forwarding. (Hint for advertisers: use text or images in same position so when viewing at 2-4x speed, it still makes sense.)  

The other night a commercial caught my eye and we backed it up and watched it at normal speed.  It was for FairLife milk. 
I was immediately interested to try it and so went to their website to find out more. 
They have implemented an innovative way to improve milk.  According to their site “The water, minerals, lactose, protein and fat in milk have five different sizes, so we use five different filters to separate them. Then we recombine them to create our unique ultra-filtered milks loaded with natural nutrition.” 

I’m excited about the milk because the sugars are half of regular milk.  The side benefits are the extra protein, calcium, and being lactose free. 

  
I’m a fan of everything they claim on their site. They even grow their own feed for their cows, and turn manure into CNG to power 42 tractor trailers! It’s nice to know innovation exists in farming and dairies.  
I’m excited about the milk because the sugars are half of regular milk.  The side benefits are the extra protein, calcium, and being lactose free.

Went to store and found it!  Target has it at $3.99 for 52 ounces (1.5 liter).  Publix is $4.19.  We bought 2% and chocolate. It tastes great, with just a tinge of powdered milk flavor. The chocolate is great. Best news is that  the sugars and calories for the chocolate milk are the same as regular milk.  Repeat: The sugars and calories for the chocolate milk are the same as regular milk.  The picture I included here shows the nutritional facts for 2% regular milk, FairLife chocolate, FairLife 2%, and Unsweetened Almond milk. 

Unsweetened Almond milk, by far, has the lowest values at 30 calories per serving and 0 net carbs, but only 1 protein.  The FairLife has 13g.  

As you can see by the picture, I use a mix of products.  My use of alternative products increases as the price drops, so I’m hoping it isn’t long till we only buy FairLife.

Check them out!  Enjoy. 

Almond Meal Cookies

Everyone likes chocolate chip cookies. Not everyone wants to use regular white flour and some need to be gluten free. Hodgson Mills aldond flourTruvia brown sugar blendHersheys sugar free chocolate chip

This recipe uses Hodgson Mill Almond flour/meal, Truvia brown sugar blend, and Hershey’s sugar free chocolate chips.   

Everyone loved these cookies! They were gone in mere minutes.

This is not a low calorie food, nor especially low carb, but is pretty low sugar at 2.6 grams per cookie. 

Ingredients 

   2 cups almond flour
  1/4 cup brown sugar 
   2 tbsp softened butter
   2 tsp vanilla extract
  1/2 tsp baking powder
  1/4 tsp salt
   1 large egg
  1/2 cups chocolate chips 

Directions 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Parchment paper is highly recommended because these cookies can be fragile and need an easy release.
  3. Mix all ingredients together except the chocolate chips.
  4. Add the chocolate chips. 
  5. Scoop about 1 teaspoon of dough onto prepared cookie sheet.  
  6. Flatten and shape cookies to about 2″ diameter.   
  7. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown. Allow cookies to cool before removing.

Yields 12 cookies

 

 Nutritional information per cookie (based on products used)
155 Calories
  11 Fat
  12 Carbs
    1 Fiber
 2.6 Sugar
 3.8 Protein