Breaking
FoodNerdy Recipes Management System
Tag

edible?

Browsing
Food

The Edible Coffee Mug

Avoiding waste plays an important role, especially with coffee-to-go. What could be more obvious than making the cup edible and thus actively contributing to environmental protection while enjoying coffee.

Protect the environment with an edible coffee mug

The coffee-to-go is still booming, after all there is nothing better than enjoying a delicious coffee on the go. Unfortunately, the trend is the cause of a major garbage problem. In Germany alone, 320,000 disposable coffee cups end up in the trash every hour. An immense burden on the environment, after all, most cups are made of environmentally harmful plastic and therefore not degradable. In addition to reusable cups, an innovative idea is causing a sensation on the coffee market: the edible coffee cup. What could be more obvious than serving the coffee-to-go in an edible container?

The edible coffee mug – an innovative idea

The idea of ​​the edible coffee mug is not new. For the first time, the fast food chain “Kentucky Fried Chicken” and the New York café “Bakery” have had the edible cup made on a large scale. No wonder that the trend is now gradually reaching Germany. The cups of both manufacturers are similar in their structure and design. They consist of a biscuit backed with edible paper and baked in a cup shape with a heat-resistant chocolate coating. Like a classic coffee-to-go mug, the edible coffee mug has no handle.
In order for the coffee to be a real pleasure, it is important that the cup does not melt from the coffee or from touching it with your fingers. The perfect edible coffee mug lasts at least 40 minutes and is designed not to spill. It is usually surrounded by a paper label, so that hygienic standards are also observed.
Even tea or hot chocolate can be enjoyed from it. After enjoying the coffee, a small snack awaits you.

Double pleasure?

The question arises as to whether the taste of the edible coffee mug also keeps what it promises. Does what belongs together really come together here: hot coffee and delicious biscuits? In any case, it looks visually appealing. Depending on the variant, chocolate chips are built into the cup. The cup is now also available made from cereal waffles. This mug is made in Bulgaria and claims to be made from 100% organic wheat. The biscuit variant comes in different flavors and smells. To evoke positive memories for the consumer, such as the last vacation or a warm summer day, the cups are flavored in freshly cut grass, wildflower or coconut sunscreen flavors.
Anyone who actually just wants to drink a coffee and wants to do without the edible packaging, don’t worry. Of course, you don’t have to eat the cup. It can also simply be thrown away. Unlike the plastic cup, it decomposed into compost within a few weeks. This means that there is no plastic waste and the environment is not additionally polluted.

The edible coffee mug – a trend with a future?

The edible coffee mug is not yet a standard. Instead, many providers rely on the reusable reusable cup. It remains to be seen whether the edible coffee mug will prevail. The idea is good and has the potential to revolutionize coffee-to-go, regardless of whether you eat the cup afterwards or simply throw it away.

Keep Reading
By
Cooking Tips

Grow Edible Mushrooms With Coffee Grounds

There are numerous myths and legends surrounding coffee grounds. Who would have thought that you could easily grow mushrooms at home using coffee grounds.

Coffee grounds for mushroom cultivation

Many coffee drinkers pay no attention to it, while others do not see it as a waste product, but as a versatile household remedy: coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are the rest of the coffee powder that remains in the filter after brewing. In fact, the by-product of enjoying a coffee is far too valuable to just throw away in the trash. Whether as an effective cleaning agent in the household, a gentle peeling for body care or a natural fertilizer in the garden, coffee grounds can be used in many different ways. He finds particular attention in mushroom cultivation. But how exactly do you use the coffee grounds to grow mushrooms and why are they suitable for this in the first place?

Why is coffee grounds suitable for mushroom cultivation?

Discarded coffee grounds are an excellent breeding ground for edible mushrooms. Filter coffee that has been brewed for a long time is particularly suitable, because there are hardly any substances left that inhibit fungal growth. These bitter substances are flushed out during long brewing. In contrast, the coffee grounds from the espresso machine are not suitable for mushroom cultivation. It still contains too many antifungal components and tends to prevent growth. The coffee grounds from filter coffee, on the other hand, are rich in nitrogen and therefore an excellent fertilizer, not only for mushrooms.

This is how mushroom cultivation works

For mushroom cultivation of edible mushrooms you do not need much. Only some mushroom spawn, a flower pot and coffee grounds as a substrate are required to grow mushrooms at home. Incidentally, the coffee grounds should not be older than 2-3 days, otherwise unwanted mold can form. First, the coffee waste is mixed with mushroom mycelium, which now serves as a substrate for the production of the mushrooms. This is placed in the flower pot and slightly moved. Finally, another layer of coffee grounds is added. If there is not enough coffee grounds, the pot can be filled up in layers over several days. Incidentally, it is even easier with a transparent plastic bag, which is then lightly knotted so that the air circulation is given. Thanks to the transparent plastic, the development of the mushroom culture is clearly visible.

Incidentally, the coffee grounds should not be older than 2-3 days, otherwise unwanted mold can form.

Best conditions for mushroom cultivation

Mushrooms like it dark and damp and need adequate air circulation. The environment should be clean, otherwise undesirable types of fungi will quickly settle. After about 14-28 days, the substrate is intergrown with the mushroom mycelium. The coffee grounds in the bag have turned white. Now the plastic bag can be opened to water the mushrooms. After a few days, the first fruiting bodies will sprout. As soon as these are large enough, the mushrooms can be harvested. Incidentally, as long as nutrients are available, more fungi will grow when watered.

Keep Reading
By
Cooking Tips

Are Chestnuts Edible? – the Difference Between Horse Chestnut and Chestnut

Some chestnuts are edible, others are poisonous to humans. Here we show the differences between horse chestnuts, sweet chestnuts and chestnuts.

Horse chestnuts, sweet chestnuts, chestnuts – which ones are edible?

When the brown leaves fall from the trees in autumn, the chestnuts also fall to the ground. In Germany, there are almost exclusively two different types of chestnuts found in nature: the horse chestnut and the sweet chestnut.

Most people know the fruit of the sweet chestnut as chestnuts or chestnuts. They are considered a delicacy and are in great demand in autumn. At many events and in big cities there are chestnut stands where you can get fresh hot chestnuts. The chestnut variety is edible, whereas horse chestnuts are poisonous.

Horse chestnuts are not edible: this is how you distinguish them from chestnuts

Horse chestnuts are much more common than sweet chestnuts with edible chestnuts. You can easily tell the two types apart:

The leaves of the horse chestnut consist of five smaller individual leaves that look similar to beech leaves.
The leaves of the sweet chestnut, on the other hand, do not have five leaves, but hang individually on the branches. They also have small, sharp spines on the edge.
Edible chestnuts (marrons) look different: They taper to one side and have a brush-like puff at the top.
The shape of the chestnuts is rather flat and pointed, the shape of the horse chestnuts is more round.
The husk of the horse chestnut has hard, short spines. There are many longer spines on the chestnut shell.
Horse chestnuts flower from April to May and lose leaves and fruit in September and October. Eating horse chestnuts is poisonous to humans, but children like to make small chestnut figures out of them. It’s not dangerous as long as the children don’t swallow the chestnuts. More about this here: Handicrafts with chestnuts: Instructions for chestnut men and Co. You can also make detergent from horse chestnuts or a horse chestnut ointment.

Tip: For many animals, chestnuts are not only harmless, they are actually a real treat. Wild boar and deer like the chestnuts very much. At foresters or in a game reserve there are often collection containers to which you can bring the collected chestnuts for the animals.

Edible chestnuts: Eat them raw, cooked or baked?

The sweet chestnut flowers in June and July, a little later than the horse chestnut. The chestnuts also fall a little later from the tree – it won’t be until the end of September at the earliest. When the chestnuts are ripe, the prickly skin bursts open and wilts. Shortly thereafter, they fall to the ground. Up to three edible chestnuts can sit in a chestnut shell. You can eat them raw, boiled and also baked:

In the case of raw chestnuts, you must first remove the peel.
If you cook or bake chestnuts, you must first slit them crosswise. Then the heat can penetrate the chestnuts and cook them. The chestnuts are only peeled after cooking/baking.

The edible chestnuts are very high in calories, but also healthy: They contain a lot of high-quality protein and significantly less fat than nuts. Potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, as well as vitamin E, vitamin C, almost all B vitamins and beta-carotene are also found in large quantities in the chestnuts.

You can find the sweet chestnut in many parks and deciduous forests. If you look around carefully during walks, you can spot them.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Collect Edible Mushrooms: You Have to Pay Attention to That

Do you want to collect mushrooms, but don’t have any experience yet? No problem! Here you can find out everything you need to know for your first trip to the mushrooms.

Collect mushrooms – when and where?

Autumn time is fungus time – strictly speaking, that’s not true. In theory, you can pick mushrooms all year round. However, most of them are ready for harvest, especially in late summer and autumn. The humid and warm climate is ideal for many mushrooms.

But where do edible mushrooms grow? This is not so easy to answer:

The morel likes to grow in damp alluvial forests,
the meadow mushroom in meadows.
On the other hand, you can often find the Edelreizker under pine trees.
As you can see from the examples, you sometimes have to go to different places to collect different mushrooms. The condition of the soil plays an important role: some mushrooms grow particularly well on sandy soil, while others require acidic forest soil. Overall, you have a good chance of encountering edible mushrooms in the forest. Which one you ultimately find depends heavily on local conditions and the time of year.

Equipment and what to look out for

When collecting mushrooms, there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, mushroom picking is taboo in nature reserves. In all other forests, you are usually allowed to collect mushrooms for your own use, but do some research beforehand to be on the safe side. As with any other stay in the forest, you should behave considerately.

To collect mushrooms you need the following equipment:

a basket,
a knife
and a good mushroom identification book.
The collected mushrooms lie nice and airy in a basket. Plastic bags are not good at all. In it, mushrooms spoil very quickly.

Collect and identify mushrooms: This is how you do it

Here’s how you go about picking mushrooms:

If you have found a mushroom, you should first identify it. You can use the guide book to help you with this. Over time, however, you will be able to identify some mushrooms without a book.
If it’s an edible mushroom, you can use the knife to cut it off just above the ground, or gently twist it out of the ground.
Then you should cover the resulting hole with some soil and leaves.
When in doubt, leave a mushroom that you cannot identify with certainty. Some toadstools can be mistaken for edible mushrooms! Don’t just rely on illustrations in your mushroom book. Depending on the environment, individual mushrooms of a species can look very different.

Important characteristics for identifying fungi are, for example:

Shape and color of cap and stem
Distinction between lamellae and tubes on the underside of the mushroom
Staining of the lamellae and tubes
The site
The season
Color and smell of the pulp
Striking coloring when cut or when pressed
Especially at the beginning it will be difficult for you to identify the different species with certainty. It is best to let experienced collectors accompany you when you go mushroom picking. Mushroom tours are a great help. They are often offered by adult education centers in the fall. NABU also offers such excursions in many regions. Other good people to talk to about identifying mushrooms are mushroom consultants. You can find them in many mushroom regions.

Important: If you feel unwell after consuming your mushrooms, you should seek immediate medical attention or go to a hospital. As I said, certain fungi can sometimes be deadly to humans. Symptoms such as drowsiness, sweating or diarrhea can indicate mushroom poisoning.

The most popular edible mushrooms

There are countless types of mushrooms. Some are deadly poisonous, others are simply indigestible or inedible, for example because they are extremely bitter. A lot of mushrooms are edible, but they don’t taste very good. And then there are the really good edible mushrooms.

In Germany, for example, you can collect these well-known mushrooms:

porcini mushrooms
chestnuts
Morels
chanterelles
Other popular edible mushrooms are muscari, young ink caps, meadow mushrooms or birch mushrooms.

Keep Reading
By