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Eat The Kernels: You Should Not Throw Away These Fruit Seeds

You can easily eat the pits from many fruits, even some varieties that you might not expect to eat. We’ll show you which seeds you can eat – and how healthy they can even be.

For most people, throwing away the pits of watermelons or apples is quite normal. You can also eat them and not only minimize leftovers, but also benefit from the valuable ingredients.

Eat the kernels too: Concern about the hydrocyanic acid

Again and again we are warned against eating the seeds of certain fruits. The so-called amygdalin is particularly important. Amygdalin becomes toxic hydrocyanic acid in the body and is found primarily in the seeds of the following types of fruit:
Apple
apricot
avocado
pear
date
cherry
mango
nectarine
peach
plum
In fact, hydrocyanic acid can lead to poisoning and even death. Nevertheless, you don’t have to worry about it if you want to eat fruit stones more often in the future. In most cases, in order to poison yourself, you would have to ingest extremely large amounts of seeds: for example, it would take over 200 apple seeds to become poisoned. You can find more information on the amygdalin content of these types of fruit in a study by the University of Leeds.

We usually don’t eat the large pits of cherries, nectarines or plums anyway. But even here you would have to eat several of them at once – and grind them first because you would simply excrete them without chewing.

Grape seeds – rich in antioxidants

Many customers prefer seedless grapes. The kernels of all things contain valuable nutrients.

From a health point of view, the flavonoids contained are particularly interesting. These are among the secondary plant substances and have an antioxidant effect in the body: They protect our cells by binding free radicals, can reduce inflammation and strengthen the immune system.

Many scientific studies deal with the medical potential of grape seed extract, such as a Turkish study from 2018. Of course, the ingredients in the bare seeds are much less concentrated than in the extract. Nevertheless, it is worth not throwing away the grape seeds, but to chew them up and eat them.

Eat apple seeds – not poisonous, but healthy

As mentioned, apple seeds contain a certain amount of amygdalin. But you don’t have to worry about prussic acid poisoning.

You can confidently eat the entire core, which also contains valuable nutrients. The kernels contain additional fiber and some phytochemicals.

By the way: As with most kernels, apple seeds are simply excreted if you swallow them whole. If you want to benefit from the nutrients, you have to chew the seeds thoroughly.

Pears: eat the cores too

The situation with pears is very similar to that of apples: There is also a small amount of amygdalin in the seeds, but you don’t need to worry about that.

Instead, you can easily eat the already small seeds. There are also antioxidants in the form of secondary plant substances.

Watermelon: eat the seeds

Watermelon seeds are rich in magnesium, iron, folic acid and unsaturated fatty acids. They also contain vitamin A, vitamin C and proteins. Therefore, these seeds are too good to throw away.

You can simply eat the watermelon seeds raw. It is important here again that you chew them up properly. This is the only way your body can access the valuable ingredients. In addition, unchewed watermelon seeds are said to be difficult to digest.

Alternatively, you can also prepare a delicious snack from the kernels by first drying them and then roasting them in a pan or in the oven with a little oil and salt – not only a delicious snack for in between, but also as an ingredient for soups or baked goods use.

Citrus seeds are edible

Whether lemon, orange or grapefruit: You can also eat the seeds of citrus fruits. They also contain secondary plant substances and fiber.

Lemon seeds are said to contain traces of salicylic acid. This is the main active ingredient in aspirin. It is doubtful to what extent you can benefit from the pain-relieving effect of a few lemon seeds.

Eat the avocado stone or not?

Avocados are hyped as a superfood. The creamy fruit contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. The core, on the other hand, usually ends up in the garbage or on the compost. That’s doubly a pity: On the one hand, it also contains plenty of nutrients from which we can benefit in terms of health. On the other hand, avocados have such a bad ecological balance due to transport routes, cultivation conditions and water requirements that we should at least use the whole fruit.

While some praise the stone as a miracle cure because of the healthy nutrients, there are also dissenting voices: Because the avocado stone also contains the bitter substance persine, which can be deadly in larger quantities. Again, the dose makes the poison: eating an entire avocado seed at once would not be a good idea. A small piece could in turn have positive effects, such as preventing cardiovascular diseases or stimulating the metabolism.

The best way to eat the kernel is to grate it finely with a kitchen grater and mix the pieces into your muesli, salad or smoothie. You can also use them to make tea.

Eat papaya seeds – against parasites in the intestine

The papaya is another tropical fruit that, at best, can be imported from southern Europe. The many black seeds in the middle of the fruit are usually thrown away in this country. In tropical countries, on the other hand, it is common to eat them to prevent or fight parasites in the intestine.

This effect is due to the enzyme papain, of which the seeds contain plenty. This specifically attacks parasite eggs by converting their proteins. This was scientifically proven in a pilot study.

In addition, papaya seeds are particularly rich in antioxidants, which – as already mentioned – are beneficial to our health in many ways.

In terms of taste, the seeds are more reminiscent of black pepper than of a sweet fruit with their sharpness. It may take a little getting used to at first, but in combination with the pulp they produce an interesting taste. But take it slow and don’t eat all the seeds at once – that could overwhelm your taste buds and your digestion. A few seeds will do for starters.

You can also dry and grind the seeds and use them as a pepper substitute.

Some also swear by swallowing the papaya seeds whole. Due to the fiber layer that encases the slippery kernels, they should slide through the intestines and clean them like swollen psyllium husks. However, there are no studies on this so far.

Since papaya has traveled such a long distance, the general rule is: Eat it seldom, and then eat it organically.

Eat the seeds too: Everyone does it with these fruits and vegetables

There are numerous types of fruit whose seeds we all eat – simply because they are so small that they can hardly be sorted out. These include, among other things:
Berries, for example raspberries, blueberries, strawberries
figs
kiwis
The same applies to some types of vegetables, such as:
cucumbers
eggplants
tomatoes
zucchini
But it is also perfectly normal and healthy to eat the kernels of nuts and so-called stone fruits. Because here the core is what we understand and consume as a nut:
hazelnut
walnut
macadamia nut
chestnuts
Hemp seed (also called hemp nut)
almonds
brazil nut
pecan
pistachios
cashew nuts
Passion fruit and pomegranates are another special case: the edible part consists almost exclusively of seeds. Only the shell is not edible here.

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Food

Preserve Diversity: You Should Know These 7 Old Types of Vegetables

How many types of tomatoes are there in your supermarket? And how many purple carrots? The variety of our vegetables had to give way to industrialized agriculture a long time ago. Only what yields as much yield as possible is bred. Old vegetable varieties, on the other hand, are being forgotten. Or do you know Bamberger Hörnchen, Mairübe or Purple Dragon?

With the original diversity of fruit and vegetable varieties, varieties that are particularly well adapted to certain locations, that are pest-resistant, robust and of course particularly tasty are simply lost – irretrievably. At least if no one “saves” the seeds of the old vegetable varieties.

The yellow beets

Beetroot has made a successful comeback in recent years – and is even revered as a superfood. But who knows their relative, the yellow beet? As the name suggests, the bulbs are bright yellow, have a pleasantly fruity flavor and are slightly milder and sweeter than most beets. By the way, there are also white and white-beetroot. The colorful tubers are prepared just like the well-known beetroot, all of which are available regionally from September to April. Recommendation: prepare yellow and beetroot separately, otherwise the red color of the yellow root will steal the show…

Old potato variety: the Bamberger Hörnchen

It is quite possible that you have previously known exactly two types of potatoes: firm and mealy. There are a multitude of different varieties – from thick to thin, small to large, round to curved, in yellow, red, black and blue, with such beautiful names as Ackersegen, Rosa Tannenspitzen or Black Ungarin.

The Bamberger Hörnchen (also Bamberger Hörnle, Barmberger Hörnla) is an almost forgotten local variety and as such a “passenger” in the Ark of Taste. The tubers are thin, about a finger long and slightly curved. They have light yellow flesh, a firm consistency and a fine, slightly nutty taste. Because cultivation under conventional conditions is uneconomical, the “Bamberger Hörnchen” is only occasionally cultivated – but the tubers can be found at some weekly markets. If you discover them, you should definitely taste them and thus contribute to their preservation

Old vegetable variety: the May turnip

May turnips (also: navette) are – the name gives it away – mainly available in May and well into June. But: You can also buy the white turnips in autumn. For a long time, turnips were supplanted by potatoes, and it’s only been a few years since they’ve been found more frequently at weekly markets and in greengrocers’ shops. The taste of the beets is reminiscent of radishes or radishes, but they are milder. You can eat everything from the leaves to the tuber – for example raw in a salad, boiled in salt water until soft or fried and glazed.

The purple carrot: Purple Dragon

Surprise: Not all carrots are just orange. There are several old and rare varieties in white, yellow and purple – such as this one with the beautiful name Purple Dragon: purple on the outside, bright orange on the inside. “It has a fine, sweet-aromatic taste and is fast-growing, so very late sowings are still possible,” writes the Arche Noah association. You can find the purple carrots at weekly markets or at greengrocers.

Also an old vegetable: the parsnip

Although the parsnip has recently resurfaced from near oblivion, it is still a long way from being represented in all supermarkets. Parsnips were an important food for a long time – only with the discovery of potatoes did they go out of fashion. However, the root vegetables can be found at many weekly markets and in organic shops. The root is a typical winter vegetable and is available regionally from October to March. It tastes a bit like carrot, but milder, sweeter, and a little bit nutty. Parsnips can be prepared like carrots and potatoes: boiled, baked in a casserole or as “fries” in the oven (very tasty!), fried, made into a puree or soup.

Rare tomato varieties: Black Cherry, Goldita and Little Red Riding Hood

It is estimated that there are several thousand different tomato varieties. Not all of them are red and round: Tomatoes range from small as berries to as big as grapefruit – in red, yellow, orange, green, purple, black, patterned and striped, round, oval, smooth and ribbed… At weekly markets , in vegetable and organic shops you can increasingly find different tomato varieties, including old ones.

Rare Vegetable: Wild Rocket

… doesn’t sound quite as elegant as arugula, but it’s basically the same thing. The only difference is that wild rocket has a much more intense taste and is a little tart than salad rocket (that’s what we usually buy as rocket). Wild rocket tastes delicious in a salad, but also in mixed vegetables, with pasta or on pizza. You can easily grow wild rocket yourself – even in the window box. It is perennial and with a bit of luck you can even harvest twice a season.

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Cooking Tips

Harvest and Dry Sage Correctly – You Should Pay Attention to This

If you harvest and dry sage properly, it can be stored for a long time. So you can use it at any time of the year to refine and season dishes. Even harvested and dried sage is also suitable as a tea for a sore throat.

6 tips for the right sage harvest

The real sage is a popular herb for refining dishes. But sage can also provide relief as a variety of home remedies, for example for sore throats or gastrointestinal complaints.

It is important to harvest the sage correctly in order to have sufficient supplies for the cold season, when the sage no longer sprout.

You should pay attention to these tips for a productive harvest:
Harvest time is from May to August. Normally, the sage begins to bloom at the beginning of summer. In its heyday, however, its aroma content is very weak, which would make it uninteresting as a herb.
If you grind consistently and evenly, you’ll reduce woodiness and blooming. The young shoot tips in particular are rich in essential oils and aromatic ingredients.
Never cut into the woody part of the shoots, otherwise the shoot will not sprout again.
Do not wash the harvested sage, just wipe it off to avoid unnecessarily slowing down the drying process and losing valuable ingredients.
To avoid loss of aroma, you should dry or freeze the sage immediately after harvesting.
You should harvest the last time around the end of August so that the shoots can fully mature before the first frost and are therefore protected. To protect the hardy shrub from frost, you can put leaves, fir green or straw around the root area. Attention: Not all sage species are hardy.

drying sage

Dry or Freeze Sage – Which is Better? The answer: both are possible! The essential oils are preserved both dried and frozen.

Sage really dry
In the air:
Dry the sage at 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 27 degrees Celsius) in a well-ventilated area. That takes about ten days.
You can simply spread individual sheets on newspaper.
If you have harvested stalks, tie them together with string and hang them upside down.
In the oven:
It is also possible to dry the sage in the oven at 40 degrees Celsius within about six hours.
Turn the leaves regularly and leave the oven door ajar (say, with a wooden spoon between them). However, this method is not very energy-efficient and therefore not recommended.

Freeze sage properly

To freeze sage, you can put the sage leaves uncrushed in a screw-top jar or freezer container.

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Food

Persipan: Difference to Marzipan and What You Should Know

Persipan is a common marzipan substitute based on apricot or peach stones. If you like buying ready-made dominoes or studs during the Christmas season, you’ve probably come across Persipan.

Marzipan is found in many popular sweets – the sweet ingredient with the subtle bitter note is often used, especially at Christmas time.

Use of Persipan and how to recognize it

Persipan tastes a little stronger than marzipan and can be used in the same way. The marzipan substitute is mainly used in industrial pastries. You will often find it in stollen and dominoes as well as other Christmas cookies.

According to the guiding principle for fine baked goods, manufacturers must label the use of Persipan. For example, the addition “with Persipan” can appear on the product.

But you can always look at the list of ingredients for marzipan baked goods: the higher up the list of ingredients almonds are, the higher the quality of the marzipan used is likely to be. Some manufacturers not only replace marzipan with persipan, but also add pulses to save even more money.

Persipan: Health and Sustainability

You may have heard that apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which can produce toxic hydrocyanic acid in the body. However, you can consume Persipan without hesitation – the amygdalin is removed from the apricot kernels during the production of Persipan. However, just like marzipan, you should use persipan sparingly, as the mixture is very high in sugar.

Almonds are healthy, but not very sustainable: they often come from far away and growing them uses a lot of water. No sustainability data can be found for Persipan. However, since apricot and peach stones are basically waste products, persipan is probably more sustainable than marzipan.

Of course, this also depends on where the kernels come from – you probably won’t find this out with Persipan in industrial products. In any case, it is better if you prepare your own Christmas cookies using high-quality ingredients.

Persipan is a common marzipan substitute based on apricot or peach stones. If you like buying ready-made dominoes or studs during the Christmas season, you’ve probably come across Persipan.

Marzipan is found in many popular sweets – the sweet ingredient with the subtle bitter note is often used, especially at Christmas time.

Use of Persipan and how to recognize it

Persipan tastes a little stronger than marzipan and can be used in the same way. The marzipan substitute is mainly used in industrial pastries. You will often find it in stollen and dominoes as well as other Christmas cookies.

According to the guiding principle for fine baked goods, manufacturers must label the use of Persipan. For example, the addition “with Persipan” can appear on the product.

But you can always look at the list of ingredients for marzipan baked goods: the higher up the list of ingredients almonds are, the higher the quality of the marzipan used is likely to be. Some manufacturers not only replace marzipan with persipan, but also add pulses to save even more money.

Persipan: Health and Sustainability

You may have heard that apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which can produce toxic hydrocyanic acid in the body. However, you can consume Persipan without hesitation – the amygdalin is removed from the apricot kernels during the production of Persipan. However, just like marzipan, you should use persipan sparingly, as the mixture is very high in sugar.

Almonds are healthy, but not very sustainable: they often come from far away and growing them uses a lot of water. No sustainability data can be found for Persipan. However, since apricot and peach stones are basically waste products, persipan is probably more sustainable than marzipan.

Of course, this also depends on where the kernels come from – you probably won’t find this out with Persipan in industrial products. In any case, it is better if you prepare your own Christmas cookies using high-quality ingredients.

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Food

Quorn: Everything You Should Know About The Meat Substitute

Quorn has long been known as a meat substitute in the UK. We’ll show you what’s behind the product and how to use it in the kitchen.

What is Quorn?

Quorn is designed to be as meat-like in consistency as possible. Without additives, it has a relatively neutral taste – with the help of spices and herbs, it is given a spicy, hot or fresh taste, depending on the end product.

The basis of the meat substitute are fermented mushroom threads, so-called mycelium, a special type of sac fungus. For the fermentation, the mushroom is mixed with oxygen and nitrogen as well as a glucose solution and heated. This creates protein. This fungal protein is also known under the name mycoprotein.

Not all Quorn products are vegan. In some Quorn products, egg white is added to the vegetable protein until the mass can be shaped. According to the ingredient list information, the eggs come from free-range chickens. Vegan products contain potato or pea protein instead. Depending on which product is to be created at the end, the protein mixture is also enriched with wheat flour, spices, vitamins, minerals and fats.

Quorn meat substitutes are:

Burger Patties
various nuggets and fillets
Vegetable cold cuts (e.g. ham and sausage substitutes)
shredded
fried sausage
Steaks and schnitzel (e.g. the lemon and pepper schnitzel)
hack

How healthy is Quorn?

Quorn is considered a healthier alternative to meat. It contains no cholesterol, is high in protein and low in fat. The fatty acids it contains are mostly unsaturated fatty acids. These are important for brain function and have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system.

In addition, Quorn products contain more fiber than animal products. These are important for a healthy digestive system because they stimulate the work of the gastrointestinal tract and serve as “food” for our intestinal flora.

The nutritional values ​​of the meat substitute vary depending on which product you use. For example, the vegan Quorn fillets have the following nutritional values ​​per 100 grams:

104 calories
1.4 grams fat (of which 0.3 grams saturated fat)
4.3 grams of carbohydrates
16 grams of protein
5.3 grams of fiber

The vegetarian Quorn steak with pepper offers the following nutritional values ​​per 100 grams:

163 kilocalories
8.6 grams of fat (including 2.4 grams of saturated fat)
5.3 grams of carbohydrates
12.2 grams of protein
8.1 grams of fiber
A disadvantage of Quorn products is that they contain quite a lot of additives. Flavors are added to many products. Some foods also contain colourings, stabilizers or sugar. Also note that many products are not suitable for people with gluten allergies because they contain wheat flour or pure wheat gluten. Some products also contain milk protein and are therefore not lactose-free.

Quorn: That’s how you use it

Depending on the product, you can process Quorn in different ways. You can use steaks and sausages for a barbecue, for example. You can use the vegetarian mince to cook a meatless spaghetti bolognese or a chilli sin carne.

For example, you can serve nuggets and fillets in the classic way with homemade fries, salad and ketchup. Boiled potatoes and Kaiser vegetables make healthier side dishes. When preparing Quorn products, it is best to follow the instructions on the packaging. Usually you can decide whether you want to prepare them in the pan, on the grill or in the oven.

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Food

Cashews: What You Should Know About Cashews

As healthy and tasty as cashew nuts are, there are good reasons why you should take a close look when buying the healthy nuts. You can find out everything you need to know here.

Cashews: No nuts, but kernels

From a botanical point of view, cashew nuts are not nuts: they are the kernels of the cashew tree fruit. This tree, up to 15 meters high, forms pear-shaped, thickened fruit stalks, which are referred to as cashew apples, but are only pseudofruit. Because unlike all other fruits, they do not carry their seeds inside. Instead, the actual fruits of the tree, the kidney-shaped cashew nuts, grow at the lower end of these fruit stalks. Botanically, they belong to stone fruit. The cashew nut, which is about two to three centimeters in size, is then located in the wooden shell of the stone fruit.

The cashew tree belongs to the sumac family and originally comes from Brazil. In the meantime, however, it is also at home in India, Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique. There the cashew apples are traditionally processed into juice, jam or schnapps for the domestic market, while the cashew nuts in particular are prepared for export all over the world.

Small kernels with a lot of power: cashews are so healthy

Cashew nuts are not only popular because of their mild, nutty, slightly buttery aroma and their pleasantly soft yet crunchy consistency. They are also rich in vital substances and nutrients:

Cashew nuts contain a lot of high-quality vegetable protein. There are 18 grams of protein in 100 grams of seeds. Cashew nuts are a very good source of protein, especially for people who do not eat animal proteins.
They contain many unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and can help regulate high cholesterol levels. Compared to other nuts, however, cashew nuts are relatively low in fat and therefore have fewer calories.
Cashews are very good sources of magnesium and phosphorus. Magnesium and phosphorus are important minerals for our muscles, nerves, heart, teeth and bones.
They contain a lot of tryptophan. This is an amino acid from which the body produces the messenger substance serotonin, which is also known colloquially as the happiness hormone. Among other things, it has antidepressant, mood-enhancing, relaxing and sleep-inducing effects.
Cashew nuts have many B vitamins. A lack of B vitamins can result in tiredness, exhaustion and difficulty concentrating.

From the tree to the ready-to-eat cashew nut: a complex process

Cashew nuts are more expensive than many other types of nuts and kernels. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that only one core is formed per cashew apple. On the other hand, harvesting and processing are very complex:

Harvest: When the cashew apples are ripe, they fall to the ground by themselves. However, many cashew farmers do not wait for the ripening time because the fruit that falls from the tree can spoil very quickly. Instead, the cashew apples are picked unripe from the tree. This means that the cashew nuts are also unripe on the market, which affects the quality.
Drying: After harvesting, the cashew nuts are removed from the cashew apples and then dried first. Traditionally, they are laid out in the sun for a few days, but now the majority are mechanically dried at high temperatures.
Roasting: When the cashew nuts are dried, their shell must be cracked open and removed as they contain a toxic oil. The nuts are roasted, which affects the quality depending on the process. Sometimes they are gently dissolved under steam, but mostly exposed to temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius in roasting kettles, which reduces the quality. Cashew nuts in raw food quality are very rare because the processing is much more complex and special.

More than a snack: You can make this with cashews

In view of the problematic background and the poor ecological balance, you should buy cashew nuts as rarely as possible, but then buy them fairly traded and in organic quality. Then cashews are not only a pleasure as a snack between meals, as a topping for salads and as an ingredient in curries:

Vegan cream or milk: To do this, the seeds must first be soaked in water for at least an hour and then mixed or pureed. Depending on how thick you want the result to be, you add more water for a milk alternative and less water for a cream. Of course, the latter cannot be opened, but it is still ideal for garnishing cakes and desserts. You can use the milk to bake, cook or prepare your muesli.
Raw cakes: You can mix or puree a cream from soaked cashew nuts (without the soaking water) and season with lime and liquid sweetness. The cream can be spread on a cake base consisting of a mixture of ground nuts, seeds or seeds and chopped dried fruit. In the tart tin, this cake needs to be frozen in the freezer and thawed before eating. This is how a semi-frozen cashew cake is made.
Vegan cashew cheese or yoghurt: In the supermarket you can now find vegan cheese and yoghurt alternatives that do not contain soy and are based on cashews. This is of course a welcome development for those who do not eat milk or soy. Tip: To reduce waste, you can also make vegan cashew cheese yourself.

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Food

Iron-Rich Foods: 5 Foods You Should Know Aabout

We present five foods containing iron, because: If you want to prevent iron deficiency, you do not necessarily have to resort to chemical preparations.

Iron deficiency can occur, especially during pregnancy and with a vegan or vegetarian diet. However, there are a few foods that are particularly high in iron that can make taking supplements unnecessary.

If you suffer from histamine intolerance, see the last paragraph for some iron-rich foods that are low in histamine.

Foods with a particularly high iron content: legumes

For a long time, legumes were wrongly considered unattractive “poor man’s food”, because they are not only vegan protein suppliers, but also contain a lot of iron.

Whether beans, peas or lentils: there is an immense number of legumes that can be used to conjure up a variety of delicious dishes – for example soups, salads, side dishes or even vegan spreads.

However, since they can also inhibit iron absorption, it is important to take them in an acidic environment or together with vitamin C – for example in combination with vinegar or lemon juice.

Iron-rich breakfast with oatmeal

You can already do something good for your body at breakfast with muesli or breakfast porridge, because oatmeal is also one of the iron-rich foods (according to the US Department of Agriculture: 4.25 milligrams per 100 grams). You can increase the iron content even more if you supplement your muesli with sugar beet syrup or nuts.

Please be careful here too: coffee or black tea inhibit iron absorption. The calcium in milk also makes it difficult for your body to absorb the iron. A glass of orange juice, on the other hand, promotes iron absorption because of the vitamin C it contains. For your iron-rich muesli, this means that you could eat it with orange juice or oat milk.

Nuts and Oilseeds: Foods high in iron

Pumpkin seeds, sesame, pistachios, flaxseed and sunflower seeds are a suitable addition to salads and mueslis – or even on their own as a snack in between. They have the highest iron content of the foods presented here.

Green vegetables – iron-rich food and rich in vitamins

Spinach, broccoli, lamb’s lettuce or arugula provide slightly less iron than the other foods presented. However, they can be absorbed particularly well by the body thanks to the vitamin C contained in the vegetables themselves. In addition, you can eat vegetables in larger quantities without any problems. And finally, it contains many other vitamins and ingredients (e.g. fiber) that are good for your health.

Sugar beet syrup – a sweet source of iron

The dark, viscous sugar beet syrup – also known as molasses – is ideal for baking, as a vegan alternative to honey in muesli or on bread rolls. Just one or two teaspoons have a great effect. Of course you should not overdo it, because too much sugar is not healthy. But as a tasty supplement, this iron-rich food comes highly recommended.

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Food

Recognizing, Picking and Using Miracle Leeks: You Should Know That

Miracle garlic is a relative of wild garlic. He convinces with his strong taste and a healing effect. Here you can find out what you need to look out for and how you can use magic leeks in cold dishes.

Recognizing miracle onions correctly

Miracle garlic, also known as Berlin wild garlic, is a relative of wild garlic. The plant originally comes from the Caucasus region and has spread across Central Europe over the centuries. You can recognize the herb above all by its intense smell, which is strongly reminiscent of onions or garlic.

Visually, the plant is characterized by green, narrow leaves – similar to grass – and white flowers. The leaves have no stalk and grow straight out of the bulb. Overall, the magic onion can grow up to 30 centimeters high. You can tell the herb from wild garlic by its narrow leaves, while real wild garlic has broad leaves.

Caution: Do not confuse the magic leek with the poisonous lily of the valley. In the latter, the leaves grow from a stem. In addition, the strong leek smell is missing.

Finding, gathering and processing Miracle Onions

Miracle leeks bloom from April to May and you can find the plant mainly in river meadows, forests and parks. You can gather the herb in forests. On the other hand, you should leave it near sprayed fields and where there are many dogs and cats.

By the way: You should not cultivate miracle onions in the garden, as the herb can spread quickly and uncontrollably. So it is an invasive neophyte.

Miracle leeks are ideal for cold dishes. The entire plant is edible, i.e. the leaves as well as the flower buds and bulb. You should not heat the plant, otherwise its aroma will be lost. If you can’t use the magic leeks fresh, you can simply freeze them.

Wunderlauch tastes similar to chives or wild garlic, but has a much milder aroma. It is therefore ideal for pesto, herb butter or cream cheese and quark preparations.

Ingredients and healing effects

Miracle leek has many positive effects: It is rich in allicin, essential oils, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial flavonoids and vitamin C. The herb thus has an appetite-stimulating, blood pressure-lowering, cholesterol-lowering and immune-boosting effect.

The herb is also often used to treat digestive problems. Whether raw or processed – the miracle leek has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract. The sulfur compound allicin, which is also contained in garlic, kills intestinal fungi, among other things. So far there have been no scientific studies on the medical effects of miracle leeks, but the herb probably does no harm.

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Cooking Tips

Freezing Porcini Mushrooms: You Should Pay Attention to This

If you freeze porcini mushrooms, you can make them last much longer. We explain how it works and what you should consider before buying or collecting the mushrooms.

Freezing porcini mushrooms: You should pay attention to this

If you want to freeze porcini mushrooms, they should be fresh. When you buy porcini mushrooms, an organic seal guarantees you organic cultivation that is free of chemical-synthetic pesticides. With your purchase you can also support regional suppliers, such as the farm or organic market in your area.

If you are looking for porcini mushrooms in the forest, you should note that mushroom picking is strictly forbidden in nature reserves. In other forests you are usually allowed to collect for your own use, but find out about it beforehand.

Freezing porcini mushrooms: this is how you do it

If you want to freeze porcini mushrooms, the mushrooms should be in an unprocessed state if possible. This way you can keep them for up to 12 more months by freezing them. We explain in three steps how to freeze raw porcini mushrooms:

Clean mushrooms: First, carefully clean the porcini mushrooms with a cloth or brush. Don’t wash the mushrooms with water at this point, because that way they will go mushy very quickly.
Cut the mushrooms into small pieces: Use a paring knife to remove the stem ends of the porcini mushrooms. Now cut the mushrooms into small pieces. Halve, quarter or slice the mushrooms.
Freezing: Put the porcini mushrooms in an empty screw-top jar and freeze the mushrooms at around minus eighteen degrees.

To use the porcini mushrooms for various mushroom dishes, you can heat the porcini mushrooms while they are frozen. If you let them thaw for a long time, they lose their firm consistency.

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Food

You Should Know These Types of Tea: From Jasmine to Peppermint

Many types of tea can relieve colds or strengthen the immune system. Here you can find out how to prepare the most popular types of tea and how they work.

Tea is considered healthy, warms on cold days and tastes great as iced tea even in summer. No wonder he’s popular all over the world. Over time, countless types of tea have emerged: tea was served either as a traditional drink or as medicine. Ginger, rosehip and many other plants have a beneficial effect.

But most tea comes from the tea plant: Depending on how the tea leaves are processed, we get green, white or black tea.

Many types of tea – many problems

Tea is the ideal drink for a healthy diet: if you don’t sweeten it with sugar or honey, it contains almost no calories. Many parents give their babies unsweetened tea as it is healthier than (fructose) juices.

However, you should find out exactly where your tea comes from. Fair trade tea is rarely available in many supermarkets.

Fair: On many tea plantations, the workers are exploited and receive wages below the subsistence level. Abuse and discrimination are commonplace.
Pesticides: On large tea plantations, synthetic chemical agents are sprayed to kill pests and maximize yields. The soil, the water and the health of the workers suffer from the chemicals. In the end, pesticides are always found in the finished tea.
Toxic Herbs: Many herbal teas are contaminated with weeds. The plants are often accidentally picked at the harvest. Often these are poisonous herbs that are potentially carcinogenic.

Teas with a clear conscience

Jasmine Tea: Good for the immune system
Green tea: A particularly healthy type of tea
Lime blossom tea: Good for colds
Ginger tea: Type of tea against nausea and colds
White tea: Traditional fine tea from gentle production
White tea: Traditional premium tea from gentle productionCaraway tea: Tea against flatulence
Rosehip tea strengthens the immune system
Black tea is popular and has an invigorating effect
Chamomile Tea: For drinking and inhaling
Peppermint tea: remedy for stomach problems

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