Where Have All the Bees Gone?
Clues to the Disappearance of a Vital Pollinator

by BC Farms & Food  -  Permalink
July 16, 2013
A honey bee flies to kale flowers. Where have all the bees gone?

A honey bee flies toward kale flowers.

The world’s bees are in trouble. In millions of hives around the world, worker bees are suddenly disappearing, causing the colony to die out prematurely. Since 2005, yearly losses in commercial honey beekeeping operations rose from 15 percent of the hives’ bees to as high as 50 percent. Anecdotal evidence from naturalists suggests wild insect pollinators are suffering a similar fate.
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from → Gardening, Sustainable Agriculture

Beets: A Natural Medicine?
Health News about Beetroots

by BC Farms & Food  -  Permalink
July 16, 2013

beetsThe humble beet (Beta vulgaris) is not the most glamorous of foods. Yet, this globe-shaped root vegetable has a storied past, and according to recent research, holds promise as a natural cardiovascular medicine.
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from → Food, Health

Pie Crust 101
Slideshow: The Easy Science Behind Pastry Baking

by BC Farms & Food  -  Permalink
July 16, 2013

To make pastry, mix flour, salt, butter and shortening to the consistency of cornmeal with pea-sized lumps. By using your fingers instead of a pastry cutter, you can feel exactly when the texture is the way you want it.
Don't overwork the mixture. Leave in the lumps. If you get it too fine, your pastry won't be flaky. The lumps of butter create pockets that let in air during baking.
To create a flaky pastry, add the cold water all at once and mix with your fingers until the wet and dry ingredients just come together and you can form a ball.
Flour your work surface generously and press the ball of pastry dough into a circle.
With a few strokes, roll out the pastry dough until it is larger than your pie pan. Keep enough flour under it and on top of it so that it doesn't stick to the board or the rolling pin.
Fold the dough in half, slide one hand under, pick it up and place it in the pan. Unfold and tuck the crust gently into the corners of the pan so that it doesn't stretch when you pour in the filling.
Trim off the excess pastry. If desired, you can bake the extra crust scraps, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, for a snack.
Turn the edge of the crust under and crimp it with your fingers to make a pleasing edge.
Add a filling of your choice and bake according to your pie recipe instructions. To bake an unfilled pie shell, preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC) and bake for 10–12 minutes.
 
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To make pastry, mix flour, salt, butter and shortening to the consistency of cornmeal with pea-sized lumps. By using your fingers instead of a pastry cutter, you can feel exactly when the texture is the way you want it.

read more…

from → Cooking, Practical Skills, Recipes

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