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Plant Buckthorn and How It Works

The buckthorn is ideal for a natural garden as its flowers provide food for many native animals. In this article we will show you how to plant the tree and what medicinal effects its berries have.

The buckthorn is a native plant that, as a valuable habitat for birds and insects, is of particular importance for the preservation of biodiversity. You will find it in the form of dense hedges and bushes, especially in alluvial forests, sparse forests and at the edges of forests. Butterflies, wild bees and many other insects feed on the flowers and leaves of the buckthorn. The buckthorn gets its German name from its thorns, which sit at the end of the short shoots and overlap with the branches in a cross shape. From September onwards, the deciduous tree bears pea-sized black drupes, which birds like to eat. The raw fruits are poisonous for humans, in dried form they are known in folk medicine as a strong natural laxative.

Planting buckthorn: This is how you do it right

As an ecologically valuable tree species, the buckthorn enhances every natural garden. With its dense branches, it offers birds and other animals a safe retreat in your garden. You can plant the robust shrub on its own or grow it together with honeysuckle, dog rose or dogwood to form a wild hedge. Before you plant buckthorn, you should consider the following tips:

Location: The buckthorn thrives best in a sunny spot in the garden. But you can also successfully plant the robust woody plant in semi-shade. Blazing sun and wind do not bother the buckthorn. In too shady locations, its leaves are slightly larger.
Soil: In the wild, buckthorn grows on stony, loamy and gravel soils. In the garden, it loves well-drained soil with a high lime content. Even slightly damp soil is no problem for him – only permanently wet roots can cause the shrub to die.
When to plant: You can get young buckthorn plants from well-stocked garden shops. There they are usually offered in plant containers or as bales. In theory, you can plant the buckthorn in pots all year round, as long as there is no frost on the ground. If you buy the tree as a root ball, it is best to put it in the ground in spring or autumn.

Plant buckthorn correctly:

First, dip the buckthorn root ball in a bucket of water. As soon as no more air bubbles rise, the young plant is sufficiently watered.
If you want to plant the buckthorn as a hedge, dig several planting holes about two meters apart. Make sure that the holes are at least as wide and deep as the root ball.
Place the young plants in the holes. With baled goods, make sure that no soil trickles down when you lift the plant. Untie the top of the bale cloth so that it doesn’t hinder the growth of the buckthorn and has a better chance of rotting later.
Mix the excavated soil with some compost and pour the mixture back into the hole.
Press down the top layer of soil and water the buckthorn generously at the end.
By the way: the buckthorn has very strong, deep roots with many runners. That’s why you can use it to fasten embankments and slopes.

Proper care for the buckthorn

In the right location and with the right care, the buckthorn can grow up to six meters high. Fortunately, like most wild trees, buckthorn is relatively undemanding and therefore fits well in a low-maintenance garden. With the following care tips, the wood grows particularly vigorously:

Watering: You rarely have to water the buckthorn, as it prefers to be only moderately moist. Therefore, always check first whether the top layer of soil has dried before you water the wood. Since buckthorn is sensitive to limescale, you should water it with stagnant tap water or rainwater from the barrel. In winter you should water the shrub even more sparingly and just make sure that the soil does not dry out completely.
Fertilizer: In theory, buckthorn does well without additional fertilizer if you mix some compost under the soil when planting.
Pruning: Buckthorn trees usually do not need a topiary. You can remove broken or dead branches at any time. Note, however, that the buckthorn copes with pruning measures less and less with increasing age and then no longer sprout so strongly.

Buckthorn: Native plant with a strong laxative effect

In the vernacular, buckthorn is also known as purging buckthorn because of the laxative effect of its fruits. Once dried, the fruits were used as a laxative and for blood purification. However, the medical journal PTAheute advises against using the berries in this way because their effects are difficult to regulate. Smaller amounts can cause painful side effects such as vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. This strong reaction is caused by anthraquinone glycosides contained in the fruit. These substances inhibit the absorption of water in the intestine and at the same time ensure that more water flows into the intestinal tract. In this way, the pressure in the intestine increases.

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Storing Lemons: How to Store Them Properly

If you want to store lemons, you have to consider a few things. With the right storage conditions, lemons stay fresh for several weeks – we’ll show you what’s important.

To store lemons properly, you should know their properties. Lemons are the fruit of the lemon tree and belong to the citrus fruits. They require an evenly warm and humid climate and are sensitive to drought and cold. Due to the cold winters, lemon trees do not thrive in Central Europe.

Lemons from conventional cultivation are usually treated with preservatives and wax so that they can be kept for as long as possible. It is therefore better to use organic lemons. Chemical-synthetic pesticides and artificial fertilizers are prohibited in organic farming. Organic lemons are only superficially cleaned and the natural wax layer of the fruit is preserved. If you buy organic lemons, you can also use the lemon zest. You also support sustainable agriculture.

Unfortunately, lemons are not native to Germany. To avoid long transport routes, you can use European lemons. Organic lemons from northern Italy are in season between November and July. You can buy Spanish organic lemons all year round.

Storing lemons: You should pay attention to this

With these tips you can store lemons properly:

Lemons should be stored in a cool, dark place.
The best temperature to store lemons is between ten and fifteen degrees Celsius.
A cool, windowless pantry or the dark basement is best suited for this.
Avoid storing lemons in the fridge as the fridge temperature is too low.
To avoid mold, you should keep a distance between the individual lemons. Therefore, be sure to remove the shopping bag if you want to store lemons longer. This makes it harder for mold to spread.
Spread an old newspaper under the lemons. The newspaper absorbs excess moisture, which reduces mold growth.
Avoid storing lemons near apples or tomatoes. The escaping ethylene greatly accelerates the ripening process of the lemons.
By the way: Organic lemons go moldy faster because no chemical-synthetic pesticides are used during cultivation. When buying, make sure that the lemons do not have bruises.

There are also a few tips for cut lemons. If you only need half a lemon when cooking or baking, you can store the other half in the fridge for a day or two:

Place the lemons cut-side down on a small plate.
Place the plate with the lemon half on the top shelf or in the refrigerator door. This is where the highest temperatures prevail.
Consume the lemon within a day or two.

Reserve the lemon juice

Store fresh lemon juice in a sealed container in the fridge. Fresh lemon juice will keep for a day or two.

If you want to extend the shelf life of lemon juice, you can freeze it. Even if you only need lemon juice very rarely and in small amounts, freezing is a good solution. Use small jars to freeze lemon juice. Alternatively, you can freeze it in ice cube trays. This way you always have a small amount of lemon juice available.

Lemon ice cubes are a great way to quickly prepare a cool, refreshing drink, especially in summer. Frozen lemon juice has a shelf life of at least six months.

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The Espresso Maker – What is it And How Does it Work?

Are you looking for a cheap alternative that you can use to make strong coffee at home without a portafilter machine or fully automatic coffee machine? We have a handy answer: the espresso maker!

What is an espresso maker?

The espresso maker is a small pot that is traditionally made of aluminum but is now increasingly made of stainless steel. With it, you can easily prepare fresh coffee on the kitchen stove or a hob. The most famous model was developed in 1945 by the Italian Alfonso Bialetti. A device for making coffee from France, which was already on the market in 1819, is considered to be the forerunner.

How is an espresso maker constructed?

A typical espresso maker consists of three parts:
The upper part is the collection container for the finished coffee. With the help of the integrated riser pipe, the coffee flows upwards. Below the riser is the first filter.
Below that is a funnel insert with a sieve, into which the ground coffee is placed.
The lower part is a kettle with a valve, into which water is filled.

How does an espresso maker work?

About the process of making coffee in the espresso maker: When the water is heated on the hob, the boiling water escapes through the metal tube and hits the ground powder. The coffee then flows through a fine sieve and rises in the tube to the upper part of the cooker. Here it is caught in a kind of jug. Admittedly, it sounds a bit complicated in theory, but in practice it’s incredibly easy. Done it once and you can hardly make mistakes afterwards.

Step 1: Fill with water

Unscrew the espresso pot and remove the funnel. Fill the kettle with preheated water. This step is intended to prevent the coffee from taking on the taste of aluminum or metal. Depending on how much coffee you want to drink, you should also choose the appropriate pot size. For a good result, the pot should always correspond to the amount to be prepared. That said, it doesn’t make sense to cook only two in a six-cup cooker. It is important during preparation that the safety valve is not covered with water.

Step 2: Fill in the ground coffee

Reinsert the funnel and fill it completely with ground coffee. It shouldn’t be squeezed. You will get the best results if you freshly grind the beans. Make sure that the grinding degree is set between fine and medium so that the coffee does not taste burnt or bitter later.

Step 3: Heat the espresso maker

Screw the top of the jug back onto the bottom. Then place the espresso maker on your hob and heat it up. Note that the stove should only be heated at medium heat. As soon as the water starts to boil, the top of the pot fills with the finished coffee. Don’t be surprised if you hear a “gurgling” or “whistling” sound coming from the device. Then you know that the coffee is being brewed. The noise is due to the pressure inside the cooker. The espresso is initially quite dark, but becomes lighter as the process progresses. You should remove the espresso maker from the stovetop as soon as steam comes out of the spout in the lid. From here the residual pressure in the pot is sufficient to complete the extraction. At this point, however, you can also cool the pot with a damp cloth and thus end the extraction.

Select coffee beans and degree of grinding

In general, you can use any coffee bean in an espresso maker. Depending on how strong you want your coffee to be or how much you want it to resemble an espresso, you should also choose the beans. For a full-bodied aroma, we would recommend a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans. These are also used to prepare a classic espresso and add a powerful flavor to your drink. For this, the beans get an extra espresso roast.

Your coffee from the espresso maker will be particularly good if you freshly grind the beans beforehand. The degree of grinding should be finer than for filter coffee preparation, but not as fine as for the portafilter machine. If you’re not quite sure, just give it a try:

If the coffee then tastes too watery, the grind was too coarse. If your drink is rather bitter or tastes almost burnt, the degree of grinding was probably too fine. During preparation, the funnel should be completely filled with ground coffee.

Which hotplates can I use with an espresso maker?

Basically, you can use an espresso maker on all hotplates, it depends on the material and the stove. Don’t be surprised if an espresso maker from the company’s stock doesn’t work in your kitchen: espresso pots made of aluminum cannot get hot on induction hobs. This is similar to old pots, which also do not work on induction stoves. You should therefore pay attention to the material your device is made of.

Good to know: In an emergency, the espresso maker can also work without electricity. You could even enjoy a delicious cup of coffee while camping with the help of a gas cooker. The practical coffee machine “To Go” can accompany you everywhere.

How to clean the espresso maker

In order for the espresso maker to have a long service life, it should be cleaned after each use:

After making coffee, let the device cool down first.
Then unscrew it.
It is best to clean the espresso maker by hand. Wash each part individually with lukewarm water without adding detergent until all residue is removed. For example, you could use a sponge to help.
Then dry the individual parts and reassemble the espresso maker.
There should also be a general cleaning every few weeks. To do this, first repeat the normal cleaning steps. Next, prepare a bowl of lukewarm water to which you add either citric acid, vinegar, salt, baking soda, or baking soda. It is also important not to use detergent or artificial cleaning agents. Place all parts (except for the rubber seal) in the prepared water for 15 minutes. This is how stubborn deposits and limescale are dissolved. Then wash everything under neutral water and dry thoroughly again. Finally, the espresso maker can be reassembled.

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Make and Replace Baking Malt Yourself: Here’s How

Baking malt is a leavening agent that improves the texture and flavor of homemade bread. If you have a little time, you can easily make baking malt yourself – we’ll explain how it works.

Baked malt is made from sprouted grains that you dry in the oven, roast, and then finely grind. Baking malt fulfills two main tasks when baking bread: On the one hand, it refines the taste of the bread and also gives it a stronger colour. On the other hand, it can ensure that the dough rises better. This works especially well with wheat dough.

This is because the enzymes in the sprouted grains remain active when you dry them at low temperatures. Together with the yeast, they ensure that the bread rises particularly well. However, baking malt is not the only leavening agent – it only supports the function of the yeast. Recipes with baking malt therefore usually also contain yeast. You don’t have to change the amount of yeast if you also use baking malt.

Baking malt can be bought ready-made, but you can also easily make it yourself. All you need is grains, water and a few days of patience – because depending on the type of grain, it takes a while for the grains to germinate.

Important: Always use untreated organic grain if you make baking malt yourself. On the one hand, you support sustainable agriculture that works without synthetic pesticides. On the other hand, conventionally processed cereal grains are often not germinable because they are usually dried at high temperatures. Your enzymes can then no longer be activated.

Make baking malt yourself: This is how it works

Ingredients:

200 gorganic cereal grains (e.g. wheat or spelt)
water

Directions:

Place the grains in a sieve. Place the sieve in a bowl and fill it with enough water to cover the grains by about an inch or two. Leave them like that for twelve hours.
Remove the strainer from the bowl and drain the water. Dry the bowl. Rinse the grains in the sieve well under fresh cold water and then put the sieve back into the dry bowl. Important: The bowl should get light during this step, but if possible not stand directly in a sunny place.
Let the grains sit, this time for about two to three days. Rinse again under cold water every 12 hours.
After some time, the grains will begin to germinate. You can tell by the fact that thin white shoots sprout at the ends, which gradually intertwine. Wait for them to grow long enough to branch and form a braid. Then you can move on to drying the kernels. How long the grains need to germinate varies depending on the type of grain. With spelled, for example, it usually takes longer than with wheat. Important: If the shoots turn green, the grains are no longer edible. It is therefore important to wait for the right moment.
Line a baking tray with baking paper (or an ecological baking paper substitute). Spread the grains out on the baking tray and let them dry in the oven at 70 degrees top/bottom heat for about an hour. It is best to clamp a wooden spoon in the oven door so that it remains open a crack and the moisture can escape better.
After the drying process, you can roast the grains. Increase the temperature to 170 degrees top/bottom heat and leave the grains in the oven for another 40 minutes. You can then do a taste test: if the grain already tastes slightly malty, it’s ready. Otherwise, roast the grains again for 10 minutes.
When the kernels are done, remove the tray from the oven and let them cool completely. Then check if the grains are really completely dried. They must no longer contain any moisture.
Once they have cooled, you can grind the grains. It is best to use a grain mill or coffee grinder for this. Alternatively, you can also put them in the blender.
Fill the ground baking malt into a clean screw-top jar and close it tightly.

Baking malt: tips for use

The baking malt will keep for several months in a screw-top jar. It is important that the glass is sterile. You can find tips for this here: Sterilizing glasses: The best methods with step-by-step instructions.

When baking bread, it is sufficient to use about 30 grams of baking malt per kilogram of flour, unless the recipe specifies otherwise. Simply mix the baking malt into the remaining ingredients before kneading them into a dough and follow the further instructions.

Tip: If you don’t have baking malt at hand, you can replace it with malt coffee if necessary. It is then sufficient to use about a fifth of the recommended amount of baking malt – for example six grams instead of 30 grams.

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Kidney Beans: That’s How Healthy They Are

Kidney beans are a healthy and popular type of bean that can be used in a variety of dishes. Here you can read about the nutrients contained in red beans.

Kidney beans are best known as an ingredient in stews such as Chili sin Carne. Characteristic and eponymous is the shape, reminiscent of a kidney. This type of bean tastes mild, is quite soft and feels slightly floury in the mouth.

The red bean originally comes from Peru and is now cultivated in Africa, America and Asia. Kidney beans can be found in cans or jars in most supermarkets. They are also available as an uncooked, dried version in well-stocked supermarkets, health food stores or bulk shops. However, dried kidney beans must first be soaked for several hours and then boiled before they can be eaten. They are poisonous raw!

We recommend buying organic kidney beans. This way you can be sure that they have been grown free of synthetic chemical pesticides. Organic seals such as those from Bioland, Naturland or Demeter show you which products are certified.

These ingredients make kidney beans so healthy

Thanks to their ingredients, kidney beans are healthy and particularly valuable for various diets and requirements: This applies to vegetarians and vegans, but also to sports enthusiasts and pregnant women. Kidney beans are not only rich in fiber, protein and carbohydrates, they also provide important minerals and vitamins. At the same time, they only have a low fat content.

The nutritional values ​​of dried and pre-cooked kidney beans are slightly different. Since you also have to cook the dried beans before using them, this difference is not significant (see Institute for Nutritional Information). However, the longer you cook the beans, the more nutrients they lose. Keep this in mind with stews, for example, which often need to be simmered for a longer time for a better taste. The average calorie content of cooked kidney beans is about 100 kilocalories per 100 grams.

According to Geo Magazine and Food Data Central, the following minerals and vitamins make kidney beans a healthy food:

Potassium: important for central processes in the body such as heart function, nerve stimuli or the acid-base balance
Magnesium: important for energy metabolism and muscle building
Iron: Central to the transport of oxygen in the blood and the immune system
Vitamin B1: important for energy metabolism
Vitamin B6: important for fat metabolism, the nervous system and the immune system
It also contains significant amounts of biotin (good for skin and hair), folic acid (important for pregnancy) and vitamin B3 (important for various metabolic processes in the body).

All this makes kidney beans healthy. Note, however, that beans, like many other legumes, can cause flatulence. For a healthy lifestyle, it is also important to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.

Kidney bean recipes

Kidney beans are a healthy basis for a number of varied recipes:

Vegan hamburger
Vegan Meatballs
vegan brownies
Mexican bean paste
Chili sin carne

Mix them into a green salad or prepare a bean salad similar to the kidney bean salad.
If you buy canned kidney beans from a can or jar, you can continue to use the rather thick liquid in which the beans are soaked. If you boil dried beans yourself, you can use the cooking water (not the soaking water!). Bean water is often used as aquafaba to make vegan egg whites or as an egg white substitute.

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Food

Chive Blossoms: How to Use Them

The purple chive flowers appear in the herb bed from March to September. Like chives themselves, you can use them as a spice and decoration in the kitchen. We’ll show you how to harvest and process the flowers.

Chive blossoms are not only pretty to look at, they also taste very good. Unlike the aromatic, spicy stalks of chives, the taste of the flowers is milder and slightly sweet. The combination of the chive blossoms with the stalks is therefore particularly tasty. In the following article you will find out how exactly you harvest the flowers and what versatile uses there are for them.

Harvesting chive blossoms correctly: Here’s how

Depending on the weather, you can harvest chive blossoms from March to September. Since the flowers contain a lot of nectar, chives are a particularly bee-friendly plant that also attracts all kinds of other insects. These crawl into the flower funnel in search of food. So that you can pick the chive blossoms without disturbing animal visitors, you should move the harvest to the early hours of the morning. Most insects do not go in search of food before the first rays of the sun. In addition, the chive blossoms in the morning contain a particularly large number of essential oils.

Proceed as follows when harvesting the chive blossoms:

Using a sharp knife, cut off the flower stalks right at the base.
Then shake the harvested chive flowers vigorously so that hidden insects fall out of the flowers.
Make sure that you collect buds that are as clean and intact as possible that you don’t have to wash again. Rinsing vigorously destroys the petals, causing the chive flowers to lose their aroma.
It is best to process the chive blossoms fresh so that they retain their taste.
By the way: As soon as chives bloom, the stalks slowly lose their strong aroma because the plant puts all its energy into the pink-purple chive blossoms. Nevertheless, you can continue to use the straws after flowering. Just note that you should not harvest woody stalks of chives.

Chive Blossoms: Healthy and delicious

Like most edible flowers, chive flowers contain many phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. Therefore, the freshly harvested flowers and buds are a healthy source of nutrients that you can safely use in salads, soups or other dishes. Chives and their flowers have long been considered medicinal plants in folk medicine, which are said to have antihypertensive effects, among other things.

Use Chive Blossoms: Aromatic Chive Blossom Butter

Chives can be used in many ways in the kitchen. You can sprinkle the flowers decoratively over salads, soups or your daily sandwich. If that’s not sophisticated enough for you, you can also pickle the chive blossoms in salt, oil or vinegar. If you’re a fan of herb butter, you can use the mild flowers along with the stalks to make a flavorful chive flower butter that’s perfect for barbecue season.

Ingredients:

250 g butter or vegan margarine
2 clove(s) garlic
20chive flowers
a few stalks of chives
Salt
pepper

Directions:

Put the butter or vegan margarine in a small saucepan and let it melt over low heat. Make sure, however, that it does not liquefy completely.
Peel the garlic and press it through a garlic press or finely chop it. Then mix it with the softened butter.
Check the chive flowers for stray insects and shake them out thoroughly. Then pluck off the individual petals.
Wash the chives and cut them into thin rings.
Add the flowers and chive rings to the butter and mix thoroughly.
Finally, season the butter with salt and pepper and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

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The Frappé – This is How The Iced Coffee Variation Succeeds

How about a frappé as a refreshing iced coffee variation? We will show you how you can easily prepare the frothy coffee specialty yourself. Thanks to numerous possible variations, there are hardly any limits to your taste.

What does Frappe mean?

The word derives from the French verb “frapper” which means “to shake” in German. Based on the French word “lait frappé” (milkshake), the “Café frappé”, i.e. “shaken coffee”, was created.

Step 1: Mix instant coffee and water

For the classic version, put a teaspoon of instant coffee and about a teaspoon of sugar in a tall glass or bowl. Now add enough cold water to just cover the mixture.

Step 2: Beat until fluffy

Now stir the mass until foamy until about half of the glass is full. Ideally, you should use a small milk frother. Alternatively, you can shake the mixture for about a minute or froth it up with a small whisk.

Step 3: Add ice cubes

Finally, add some cold water, a dash of milk/milk alternative and a few ice cubes until the glass is completely full – done.
Important: When buying instant coffee, make sure that it contains as little oil as possible. A good guideline is no more than 1.5% fat. As a rule, the manufacturers offer instant products specially developed for frappé. If the instant coffee contains little fat and therefore little oil, small bubbles are formed when stirring, which create a stable layer of foam.

What is the difference between frappé and iced coffee?

While iced coffee is usually cooled with vanilla ice cream, a classic frappé only contains ice cubes and a dash of water. The number of calories is therefore significantly lower. In the meantime, however, there are also numerous preparation variants in which the frappé is refined with milk ice cream.

Why is a frappé preferable to an iced coffee? You not only make the healthier choice, but also the more refreshing one: By adding water instead of milk or cream ice cream, the body gets more liquid. In the Mediterranean region, the frappé is often preferred to a cappuccino.

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Cooking Chinese Cabbage: How to Cut, Cook and Store It Properly

Chinese cabbage can be prepared in many ways – but how? Asian cabbage varieties are popular, but the preparation of Chinese cabbage is unknown to many. A little product information.

Preparing Chinese cabbage is also something for cabbage skeptics

Chinese cabbage is different from its native relatives – it is more subtle and easier to digest. If you are put off by digestive problems, the smell and taste of cabbage from the local varieties, then prepare Chinese cabbage instead.

Because it also has the vital substances typical of cabbage: Above all, it provides a lot of vitamin C, vitamins from the B group, folic acid, mustard oil glycosides and minerals such as potassium and iron. With around twelve calories per 100 grams and a water content of 94 percent, it is the ideal vegetable for losing weight.

Caution: Chinese cabbage has a high nitrate content. Adults can take it without hesitation. Babies and toddlers, on the other hand, should only consume small amounts occasionally – or they should avoid it altogether.

Before preparing: Buy good Chinese cabbage

When shopping, test to see if the cabbage is tightly closed and feels firm. The leaves should be crisp with no dark spots. Chinese cabbage from the supermarket often has small black spots. They are not harmful to health, but occur when storage is too warm. Damage to the outer layer of leaves isn’t a big deal, since you remove this layer anyway when you prepare the Chinese cabbage. The cabbage should not have mushy spots.

Now it’s time to prepare: Cut the Chinese cabbage

In contrast to the local types of headed cabbage, Chinese cabbage does not have a hard stalk and the leaf veins are so tender that you can use them. How to cut Chinese cabbage before cooking:

Remove the outer leaves. Also withered or damaged areas.
Then, at the bottom of the cabbage, cut a slice about an inch thick with a straight cut.
Now the leaves can be easily separated and you can cut them into the desired shape.
Wash the Chinese cabbage pieces in cold salted water.

Cooking Chinese cabbage is quick and easy

If you want to prepare a larger portion of Chinese cabbage, choose a wide pan or pot, because raw Chinese cabbage takes up a lot of space at first. Cooking time depends on how crispy you want it. Basically, the crunchier, the tastier. If you haven’t prepared Chinese cabbage often, try the al dente every now and then. These are the cooking times:

Roast and Cook: Five to seven minutes
Steam and simmer: Five to ten minutes
How to prepare Chinese cabbage:

as a raw food snack or salad
fried in a pan with oil
cooked in salted boiling water
as steamed vegetables in their own juice: first add the thick ribs and later the fine leaves to the pot.
steamed in a saucepan with a steamer insert or a suitable kitchen sieve with the lid closed. The cooking water should not come into contact with the Chinese cabbage.
fermented

Store Chinese cabbage properly

Chinese cabbage is tender, so you should get it as fresh as possible and use it immediately. Stored in the fridge, it keeps its crunchiness for up to four days. If you wrap it, you can still cook Chinese cabbage after a week.

Be sure to wrap the Chinese cabbage loosely, otherwise it will get bruises that can rot. It is better not to use cling film for this: a beeswax cloth is the plastic-free solution. Once added, you can use it over and over again.

The productive head of cabbage can be kept in the freezer for up to four months: Clean the Chinese cabbage, cut into small pieces and blanch briefly in boiling, lightly salted water. The professional would then quench the Chinese cabbage in ice water.

Our tip: If you freeze the Chinese cabbage in portions, it will be easier to prepare the amount intended for your recipe.

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French Press Instructions: This is How The Preparation Works

A cheap alternative to conventional coffee preparation is the French Press. We will explain how the French press works and what the pot has to do with France, Denmark and Italy.

What is a french press?

With a French press, also known as a press pot or coffee press, you can easily prepare coffee with hot water and ground coffee. The hot drink is prepared directly in the pot, which can also be used as a serving vessel. This method is called the full immersion method. In contrast to the pour-over method, in which water is poured over the coffee powder, with the full immersion method the ground coffee is directly in the water.

Where does the stamp pot come from?

As the name suggests, the device was invented in France around 1850. However, the pot was not patented until 1929 by the Italian Attilio Calimani. The shape we know today was only introduced to the market in the 1970s by the Danish manufacturer Bodum.

How is a French Press constructed?

Every French press is basically the same. Only the design varies from model to model. In most cases, a French press is made of glass, but there are also variants made of stainless steel or directly as a thermos flask. French presses are commercially available in different sizes from 0.35 to 1.5 liters filling volume. It consists of a holder in which a mostly glass, removable jug sits. A press stamp is integrated in the lid, on which a metal sieve is located. When preparing the coffee, the plunger is pressed down and the coffee grounds are separated from the finished coffee through the sieve.

How does the preparation of coffee in a French press work?

With the French Press, the coffee is ready to serve within minutes. All you need is hot water and ground coffee.

Ingredients required for 1 liter of coffee from the French Press:

Coffee beans for 60 grams of coffee powder
1 L of water with a temperature of about 96 degrees

Step 1: grind the coffee beans

The degree of grinding should not be too fine for preparation in a French press. Choose a medium to coarse grind. As a guide: The degree of grinding should be similar to that for filter coffee. If you don’t have a coffee grinder, you can also buy ready-made coffee powder. However, be sure to pay attention to the degree of grinding when buying.

Step 2: Boil the water

Before the water comes into contact with the ground coffee, the temperature should be around 86 to 96 degrees. Too high a temperature would result in a bitter taste.

Step 3: Fill in the coffee powder

Check the capacity of your French Press and how much coffee you want to prepare. As a guideline: If you have a pot with a capacity of one liter, put 60 grams of coffee powder in the French press. Then pour the appropriately tempered water completely into the pot. Make sure all the powder is wetted and don’t stir the mixture.

Step 4: Break open the crust

After four minutes, break up the crust that has formed on the liquid with a spoon. This process interrupts the extraction and most of the coffee powder sinks to the bottom.

Step 5: Continue Infusing (Optional)

Then wait five to eight minutes again. During this time, the fines (fine coffee particles) and the coarse particles of the coffee grounds sink to the bottom. This will make the cup a little clearer. However, this is only a recommendation and not a must. The coffee itself is ready to serve after four minutes of extraction (step 4). The longer you let the coffee steep, the stronger it gets. Of course, you can also influence the intensity of the coffee by choosing the coffee beans.

Step 6: Press down the stamp

Place the lid on the jug using the stamp press. Press down slowly and steadily using only the weight of your arm. This prevents the coffee powder from being stirred up again and nothing sloshing out.

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Cooking Tips

Pumpkin Spice Latte: This is How The Recipe Works

Cozy afternoons can be perfectly enjoyed with a Pumpkin Spice Latte. We explain why pumpkin coffee is so popular, where it comes from and how you can easily make it yourself.

What is a Pumpkin Spice Latte?

A Pumpkin Spice Latte is a coffee variation that is essentially made with espresso or strong coffee, pumpkin puree, spices and milk froth. Depending on the season, mainly autumnal spices such as cinnamon or cloves are used.

The drink was made famous by the American coffee chain Starbucks, which offers the drink in its branches every year around Halloween. The first Pumpkin Spice Latte went over the counter in January 2003. At that time, the company tried to extend the Christmas season with the drink by launching a hot drink with Christmas spices.

Since the drink was very well received by customers, but the pumpkin season generally begins in autumn, the decision was subsequently made to sell the pumpkin coffee in the branches as early as September. Since then, the Pumpkin Spice Latte has developed into a real cult drink that is so popular that Starbucks was already offering the drink in selected branches in mid-August.

This is how the Pumpkin Spice Latte works

If you are looking for a pumpkin and coffee recipe to take home, you’ve come to the right place. The recipe is quite simple, but requires some preparation if you want to make all the ingredients yourself.

List of ingredients for about 0.4 l Pumpkin Spice Latte:

1-2 tbsp fine pumpkin puree
1 tsp Pumpkin Spice spice mix
2 tbsp agave syrup
Milk/milk alternative for milk froth
espresso
Options:
Coffee syrup for refining or sweetening, such as vanilla or caramel

Step 1: Prepare the pumpkin puree

In the USA you can get the ready-made pumpkin puree in almost every supermarket. In Germany you can occasionally find the puree at the weekly market or in some delicatessens. You can also easily prepare pumpkin puree yourself in just three steps:
cut pumpkin
Cut a Hokkaido pumpkin into four equal parts and remove the seeds.
Cook Pumpkin
Put the pieces, including the peel, in boiling water and leave them there for around 15 to 20 minutes.
puree
Using a hand blender, mash the soft pumpkin pieces into a puree.
Storage Tip: You’ll probably need a lot less puree than you get from a whole squash. But that doesn’t matter. If you pack the puree airtight, it will keep in the fridge for about a week for further processing. Of course, you can also plan ahead and store the finished puree in the freezer.

Step 2: Preparation of the spice mixture

The listed ingredients for our pumpkin recipe can be found in almost every supermarket or easily ordered online. You can also make the spice mixture yourself and create your own individual taste. Depending on your preference, you can change the proportion accordingly. To make it, simply mix the following ground ingredients together:
3 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp nutmeg
1.5 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves

Step 3: Prepare Pumpkin Spice Latte

Now the ingredients for the pumpkin coffee can finally be mixed together:
Pour pumpkin puree into a glass
Prepare a large glass and fill it with 1-2 tablespoons of fine pumpkin puree. To get it particularly fine, you can scrape it through a sieve into the glass again.
mix ingredients
Take a small bowl and mix 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture with the 2 tablespoons of agave syrup. Then spread the mixture over the pumpkin puree.
Add milk froth
In the next step you need milk foam. You can open it yourself or get it quickly and easily from a fully automatic coffee machine. Then add the milk froth to the glass.
Add espresso
Now it is important to make a particularly strong espresso. This is only possible with the help of a fully automatic machine or portafilter. A strong coffee can be made with an espresso maker, for example. Now pour the espresso into the glass very slowly so that the individual layers do not mix with each other. This creates a great visual effect when serving.
Stir
The Pumpkin Spice Latte is ready and ready to be enjoyed. Just before drinking, you should stir the drink well with a long-handled spoon so that all the ingredients mix together and the typical pumpkin taste can unfold.
Optional: Add syrup and cream
If you would like to refine your pumpkin coffee, you can optionally add cream to the PSL as a topping or add coffee syrup instead of agave syrup.

Vegan Pumpkin Coffee

For the vegan variant of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, you can also easily become a milk alternative. Soy milk or oat milk are best suited for frothing. Rice, coconut, almond or spelled milk are less suitable. After all, the milk froth is an essential part of the pumpkin latte. But in the end it’s a matter of taste.

Pumpkin Spice Latte without coffee – the version for children

For people who don’t want to drink coffee, malt coffee is an alternative preparation option. It’s actually not real coffee, since it’s made from grain, but the taste is similar and the pumpkin malt coffee is also very tasty. So that it doesn’t get too sweet, you can also do without the agave syrup and use honey instead.

How many calories does a Pumpkin Spice Latte have?

You may have guessed it: Starbucks finished PSL is anything but a diet drink. A 12 ounce Tall cup contains approximately 300 calories. The calories of the Pumpkin Spice Latte are divided into about 10 g of fat and 40 g of sugar, which corresponds to about 10 sugar cubes. This increases the daily energy requirement. If you prepare the coffee with pumpkin puree at home, you can of course control the addition of sugar and fat. This delicious and homemade alternative is not quite as impressive. A glass (250 ml) with fine puree and 1.5% milk has approx. 135 Kcal.

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