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Freezing Brussels Sprouts: These Tips Will Keep Them Fresh

Leftover Brussels sprouts can be easily frozen: we will show you how to preserve the green winter vegetables for a long time and what you need to consider when freezing.

Brussels sprouts can be prepared in many ways – the winter vegetable is also very rich in vitamins and nutrients. If you have your own plant in the garden, you will quickly notice how productive it is: A single Brussels sprouts plant can produce up to 40 florets. If you can’t use up the entire harvest at once, it’s worth freezing Brussels sprouts – we’ll explain how to do that here.

Freezing Brussels sprouts: Clean and blanch

Before you freeze the Brussels sprouts, you should prepare them well:
First, the Brussels sprouts must be cleaned thoroughly. To do this, cut off the stalk and remove the withered and outer leaves.
Wash the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl of lukewarm water or rinse them under the faucet.
In the last preparatory step, you blanch the Brussels sprouts: Put them in a pot of boiling salted water for two minutes. Then scare him off with cold water.

Tip: This is how frozen Brussels sprouts don’t stick together

To prevent the florets from freezing together in the freezer, you should snap freeze them. This way you can always take as many florets out of the glass as you need later.

How it works:
Drain the Brussels sprouts or dry them with paper towels.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you don’t have a baking sheet at hand, you can also use a board or a large plate.
Arrange the florets on the tray so they don’t touch each other.
Now place the tray in the freezer or freezer for 1.5 to 2 hours. It is best to set your device to a particularly low temperature during this time.
When you take it out again, the Brussels sprouts are flash frozen. You can now freeze it as normal.

Freezing Brussels sprouts: Here’s how

How to freeze Brussels sprouts:
Store the Brussels sprouts in freezer-safe containers. If you haven’t flash frozen it, you should fill the Brussels sprouts in portion sizes – otherwise there will be some left over after defrosting.
Now place the filled containers in your freezer compartment.
The Brussels sprouts can now be kept for at least half a year. Later, thaw it directly in boiling water.

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Healthy Walnut: These Nutritional Values Make Them so Valuable

Walnuts are considered to be particularly healthy – as a snack and for baking. Walnuts are in season in autumn and contain many nutrients that are important for the body.

Walnut: Nutrients at a glance

Walnuts are a real power food: Nuts are already a valuable addition to the diet, walnuts in particular. Because the walnut has it all: Under the hard shell there is a crunchy kernel that is rich, tasty and very nutritious. The nutritional values ​​for 100g of walnuts are as follows:
Energy: 662 kcal
Fat: 62g
Carbohydrates: 11g
Protein: 14g
Sodium: 2mg
Potassium: 545mg
Calcium: 85mg
Magnesium: 130mg
phosphate 410mg
Iron: 2.5mg
Zinc: 2.7mg

The following vitamins are contained per 100g of walnuts:
Beta carotene: 50µg
Vitamin E: 6.0 mg
Vitamin B1: 0.34 mg
Vitamin B2: 0.12 mg
Vitamin B6: 0.87mg
Folic acid: 75µg
Vitamin C: 3mg
Walnuts contain many minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Potassium is important for the transmission of impulses in the muscles and the conduction of impulses in the heart, magnesium is involved in muscle building and increases performance. Iron is needed for vital oxygen transport in the body and the body needs zinc for the immune system and wound healing.

Vitamin E is also abundant: the vitamin is a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from free radicals.

Walnuts contain healthy fats

Admittedly, the walnut is not entirely without its calorie density. But that doesn’t mean you should shy away from walnuts as a snack. There are good reasons to eat walnuts frequently: the calories in walnuts come primarily from the fat they contain. The majority of these are monosaturated and polysaturated fatty acids. The walnut is actually the type of nut with the most omega-3 fatty acids. These are essential fatty acids that you absolutely must get from food. Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for many processes in the body, e.g. for…
the production of hormones,
the protein synthesis,
the cell metabolism,
the prevention / alleviation of inflammation,
the moisture and elasticity of skin and hair,
the formation of the body’s own defense cells,
protection against infectious diseases.
Walnuts are especially good for heart health. For example, the alpha-linolenic acid contained in walnuts (a representative of the omega-3 fatty acids) has a positive effect on cholesterol levels. Scientists have proven that 43g of walnuts a day lower the “bad” LDL cholesterol.

So there is a lot of goodness in walnuts: minerals, vitamins, and above all the many good fats make the walnut a healthy nut.

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Macronutrients: What They are and How to Get Them Right

Macronutrients from food provide us with energy. We will explain to you which substances are involved, how best to take them and how they work.

What are macronutrients?

The nutrients that humans can consume through food are divided into micro and macro nutrients. The body needs these nutrients to grow and stay healthy.

The macronutrients are the substances that the body absolutely needs for its energy supply. You should therefore make sure that you always consume enough macronutrients. The macronutrients include:
carbohydrates and fiber,
Fats (lipids) and
Proteins (proteins).
Sometimes alcohol is also counted among the macronutrients because the body can also use it to generate energy. However, this does not mean the alcohol that you consume through alcoholic beverages, but the alcohol that is part of some important fatty acids.

Carbohydrates – the body’s most important source of energy

Carbohydrates provide your body with the most energy. They also serve as scaffolding substances for the carbon skeletons needed for amino acids. According to the DGE (German Society for Nutrition e.V.), about half of the nutrient intake should consist of carbohydrates. With an average energy requirement of 2000 calories, this corresponds to around 250-360 grams of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are divided into three major groups:
Simple sugars such as glucose
Disaccharides such as lactose
Polysaccharides, such as starch and fiber
Simple sugars are absorbed directly by the body and the blood sugar level rises quickly. Multi-chain carbohydrates (multiple sugars), on the other hand, first have to be broken down again because the body can only use simple sugars directly. This is why polysaccharides in particular serve to provide the body with long-term energy.

The right dosage of carbohydrates

You should primarily consume polychain carbohydrates, i.e. multiple sugars, with your food. The World Health Organization recommends that no more than 10% of carbohydrate intake should be made up of simple sugars.

When too much simple sugar is ingested in the diet, the body cannot process it all at once and stores it in the liver and muscles. If the supply of glucose is too high, it is metabolized into fat.

However, if you eat too few carbohydrates through your diet, it can happen that your body converts protein to carbohydrates instead and then not enough protein is available for the body. You should therefore always ensure a balanced diet.

The best carbohydrate suppliers

Depending on the type of carbohydrates, you can use different foods:
Simple sugars: You can consume simple sugars in the form of fructose and glucose, for example through fruit. A simple sugar in milk sugar, galactose, is found primarily in milk and milk products. From an ecological point of view, you should make sure to shop locally and seasonally. You can also pay attention to organic quality, especially with fruit and milk.
Double sugar: You can find double sugar in common household sugar and all products containing it, as well as e.g. beet sugar in the form of sucrose. It also includes lactose from dairy products and maltose from beer.
Polysaccharides: One of the most important carbohydrates is polychain starch. Examples of starchy foods are cereals, potatoes, vegetables and legumes. These foods also contain a lot of important fiber. Dietary fiber is particularly important for digestion. Meat with a high muscle content also contains polysaccharides in the form of glycogen. When shopping, please make sure that you use sustainable and organic products whenever possible.
The following foods are recommended for the right carbohydrate supply:
fruit and vegetables
Grain
potatoes
legumes
Dairy products

Fats – the all-rounders

Fats serve as a source of energy for your body because they contain the most energy per gram (approx. 9 calories per gram). In addition, fats have a protective function for organs, support the absorption of fat-soluble substances such as vitamins and are a flavor carrier. In addition, fats store energy in the form of fat deposits and serve as a building material for the body’s cells.

According to the DGE, around 25-30% of the energy intake should come from fats. This corresponds to an intake of approx. 65 grams of fat per day with an energy intake of 2000 calories per day.

There are different types of fat that can also be absorbed and processed differently by the body.

Fats include:
animal and vegetable fats
Fats with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids

The different fatty acids

Saturated fats are mainly found in animal foods such as butter and cheese. Your body can produce saturated fatty acids itself, so they don’t have to be ingested in large amounts through food.
Monounsaturated fatty acids are mainly contained in vegetable oils. They can also be produced by your body itself and ensure that the blood lipid level is kept constant.
Polysaturated fatty acids or essential fatty acids cannot be produced by your body itself and must therefore be supplied through food. The omega-3 fatty acids and the omega-6 fatty acids play a particularly important role. The essential fats are largely responsible for the function of your organism. They are found in oils, nuts and leafy vegetables, as well as in meat, butter or egg yolks.
Trans fats are a by-product of fat hardening and are found in margarine, shortenings and products containing them, such as chips, convenience foods or cookies. According to the German Society for Fat Science e.V., an excessive intake of such trans fatty acids increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

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Dried Apricots: Nutrients, Benefits and How to Best Taste Them

Dried apricots are rich in important nutrients and are real all-rounders. Here you can find out why dried fruit is so healthy and what you should look out for when buying it.

Dried apricots as a source of nutrients

Apricots are healthy fruits anyway. However, after they have been dried, the nutrient content is up to five times higher. Because when the water is removed, the mineral concentration in the fruit also increases.

Dried apricots contain large amounts of important vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin A (retinol) is good for your bones, eyes, skin and mucous membranes. The dried fruits contain so much of it that just three pieces of them can cover a large part of your daily requirement. They also contain a lot of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A (hence also called provitamin A). It is not only responsible for the bright orange color of apricots, but is also converted into vitamin A in the body.
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) promotes concentration and the body’s own oxygen supply. It stimulates the metabolism and thus ensures that you feel fit. Dried apricots also contain many other B vitamins (vitamins B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6).
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is of great importance for our immune system. It also strengthens the connective tissue and ensures that iron is better absorbed in the intestine.
Potassium regulates blood pressure and cell growth. It also promotes muscle growth, which is why the mineral is very important for athletes. Hardly any food contains as much potassium as dried apricots.
Iron is important for the immune system, energy metabolism and oxygen transport. Women in particular often suffer from iron deficiency.

Where do the dried fruits come from?

The fruits probably originally come from Armenia, which is also indicated by the Latin name Prunus armeniaca. The apricots we eat are mainly grown in Turkey, Uzbekistan, Iran and Italy. Depending on the region, they are in season between May and September. The dried apricots are sold all year round and over 90% of them come from the Malatya region of Turkey. There the apricots are harvested, pitted and dried under the sun.

When buying, you should make sure that your apricots are organic. Then they were not sulphurized. You can tell by the color, because unsulphured apricots are brownish and no longer bright orange. Although the addition of sulfur preserves the beautiful color of the fruit, it destroys vitamins and can be harmful to health. The addition of sulfur is particularly dangerous for asthmatics, as it can trigger asthma attacks.

Enjoy dried apricots in many ways

The dried fruits can refine many dishes. For example, you can mix them in your muesli or use them in muesli bars. But they also taste good in a colorful salad with fresh vegetables and nuts.

In oriental cuisine, dried apricots are used not only for sweet but also for savory dishes, such as in a delicious couscous salad. Of course, the dried fruits are also suitable as a snack between meals and are therefore an alternative to unhealthy sweets. The snack is often popular with athletes in particular because it provides energy and fills you up. Like other dried fruits, dried apricots are also considered a suitable food during a detox regimen.

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Pome Fruit: Special Features and Which Varieties Belong to Them

You may not be familiar with the term pome fruit, but you’ve probably eaten it before: some of the most popular types of fruit are among them. You can read here what these are and what characterizes pome fruit.

Pome fruit: You can recognize it by this feature

Pome fruit belongs to the pome fruit family, which in turn is subordinate to the rose family. The fruit is characterized by a special feature, namely its core inside. This usually consists of five chambers in which the cores or seeds are located.

The fruits of pome fruit are referred to as apple fruit, but be careful: the term apple fruit has nothing to do with the apple itself. The fruits of other types of pome fruit are also called apple fruit.

Don’t confuse pome fruit with stone fruit. This does not contain a core with individual seeds in it, but only a larger, hard core. Pome fruit also has a rather elastic, parchment-like core. Examples of stone fruits are peaches, cherries, nectarines and plums.

By the way: From a botanical point of view, the apple fruit is a so-called accumulative follicle: fruit forms are referred to as expanse that contain a core including individual cores (or seeds) – in this case “collective follicle” because the core of the apple fruit is formed from at least two carpels.

Pome fruit: These varieties are one of them

Some of the most eaten types of fruit are pome. This one is especially popular because it is long lasting and easy to store. These types of fruit are pome fruit:
Apples (you can also eat apple seeds)
Pears, including European pear and Nashi pear
Quinces: Edible quince and Japanese ornamental quince
Serviceberries: edible only when cooked or overripe
rosehips
medlars
service tree
Black mountain ash, also called black chokeberry: is mainly processed into liqueurs, jellies and jams

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Storing Radishes: These Tips Will Keep Them Crunchy For Longer

Storing radishes properly is not that difficult. In this article you can read how you can keep the healthy and tasty snack crunchy for longer with a few simple tricks.

Storing radishes: general information

Radishes are among the first vegetables to be harvested throughout the year. The delicious vegetable got its name from Latin. “Radix” appropriately means root. It has been part of European cuisine since the 16th century, originating in France. In the decades and hundreds that followed, it was eaten more and more in other countries as well. Whether in salads, quark dips or simply raw – radishes are always a good choice. If you store radishes in the refrigerator, they will stay fresh for up to three days.

You can find out if the radishes are still fresh in the store. They shouldn’t be too soft. Also look at the leaves. The fresher the leaves are, the fresher the radish itself is. Wilted leaves indicate that the radishes have passed their prime.

Storing radishes: storage tips

If you store radishes properly, they stay fresh and crunchy longer:
Cut off leaves and roots with a knife. This prevents the stored water from going into the leaves. This leaves more in the radish itself.
Take a can and put the radishes in it. Alternatively, you can wrap the radishes in damp towels.
Store them in the crisper in the fridge. They stay there for up to three days. A cool basement is an alternative.
Of course you can also freeze radishes. But then they lose their taste, at least partially.
If the radishes have softened, place them in a water bath for a few minutes. This makes them a little crunchier again.

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Red Onions: What Makes Them Special

Red onions are not just a feast for the eyes. Their sweetish, slightly pungent taste distinguishes them from normal onions. They also contain many healthy ingredients.

Red onions – why are they red?

Many know the red skin of the onions not only from the kitchen but also from microscopy in biology classes. The red color ensures that individual components of the cell are easier to recognize. But what makes the onion red?

Red onions get their beautiful color from the anthocyanins they contain. These substances can be found in many so-called superfoods.

These substances not only turn the onion red, but also protect your cells from damage. Anthocyanins are antioxidants. Antioxidants bind free radicals, i.e. harmful oxygen compounds that can promote cancer, among other things. 100 grams of fresh red onions contain up to 250 milligrams of anthocyanins, just like black currants.

Red onions not only contain more anthocyanins than their lighter relatives: their taste is usually described as sweeter. So they taste comparatively mild.

Red onions – season, storage and origin

Onions are harvested from summer to early fall. Since they can be stored very well, they are in season all year round. Check out the Utopia Seasonal Calendar for more information.

When onions sprout and form green shoots, they are still edible. According to the Bavarian consumer advice center, this applies to both the onion itself and the shoots. However, the bulbs themselves lose their firmness as the shoot grows. Therefore, consume germinating onions as soon as possible.

According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, red onions have a shorter shelf life than light-colored onions. It is best to store them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.

Prepare and enjoy the red onions

Use the healthy red onions to flavor your dishes or to conjure up special delicacies:
Onion chutney or onion jam give red onions a nice flavor. The diverse dips go well with cheese or savory pastries.
The red onions also provide a pleasant, mild spiciness raw in the dressing or in the herb quark.
You can also caramelize red onions. They look particularly beautiful and provide a splash of color on the plate.

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Red Potatoes: This Distinguishes Them From Other Potato Varieties

Red potatoes bring variety to your plate both visually and in terms of taste. In addition, the dye it contains is said to be beneficial for your health. We will give you all the information and tips on how to prepare it.

There are not only the classic yellow potatoes: in addition to purple potatoes, red potatoes are particularly popular.

Red potatoes are by no means new. Most of them are old varieties that have almost been forgotten. In conventional agriculture, the cultivation of rare varieties is hardly worthwhile. Modern potato cultivation focuses exclusively on high-yielding varieties that can be stored well.

Red potatoes: varieties and growing tips

Like the yellow potatoes, their red relatives also come from South America, but you can also plant red potatoes yourself in this country. They also grow here in Germany and the cultivation hardly differs from conventional potatoes.

However, the yellow potatoes are much more robust than the red varieties. Good care is important for a rich harvest: Enrich the soil well with compost and provide the plants with sufficient water, especially during flowering.

There are some red potato varieties that are also suitable for your garden. Basically, you can distinguish between two categories:
Potatoes with red skin and light flesh
Laura: It is a very popular red variety because it stores well. The variety is predominantly waxy and retains its consistency. The peel is very fine, so you don’t need to peel it.
Linzer Rose: This variety is particularly common in Austria and is characterized by its creamy flesh. It can also be stored well and germinates late.
Desiree: The Desiree red potato produces large lush tubers that cook floury.

Red potatoes – particularly healthy thanks to their colour

The potatoes get their color from the plant pigment anthocyanin, which is one of the flavonoids. In 2017, the Food and Nutrition Research team did a comprehensive study of the phytochemical and its health benefits. The dye works, among other things:
antioxidant
anti-cancerous
antimicrobial
preventive against cardiovascular diseases
against obesity
This makes the colorful tubers even healthier than their yellow relatives. Otherwise, they hardly differ from conventional potatoes in terms of their nutritional values. The tubers are high in carbohydrates, but due to their high water content, they are low in calories compared to other carbohydrate sources. Some red varieties contain slightly more starch than their yellow counterparts.

Prepare red potatoes

Red potatoes add variety and color to your plate. In terms of taste, they are often described as nutty and spicier than yellow potatoes. Here, too, the taste varies depending on the variety. As with yellow potatoes, a distinction is made in the preparation according to the consistency:
Waxy potatoes are particularly suitable for:
fried potatoes
potato salad
homemade fries
You use floury potatoes for:
baked potatoes
Mashed potatoes
potato casserole
The anthocyanin contained remains even after cooking, but the color fades slightly because the dye is water-soluble. The following tips will help you to preserve the color:
Boil the potatoes whole with the skin on. You only need a little water for this. The peel protects not only the color but also the nutrients.
Alternatively, you can steam cook red potatoes. With this gentle preparation, nutrients and color are particularly well preserved.
The potatoes also keep their color well in the oven.

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Are Rowanberries Really Poisonous? This is How You Can Use Them

The assumption that rowan berries are poisonous persists. We explain the actual connections and how you can use rowan berries.

Rowanberries are not poisonous

According to the Nature Conservation Union, the bright red rowan berries along the way are not poisonous – but you should only eat the tart wild fruits cooked. This is because the bitter parasorbic acid becomes easily digestible sorbic acid.

A special form of the rowan berry from Eastern Europe is the Moravian, also known as the sweet mountain ash. The bitter-free cultivar has such a high sugar content that you can eat it straight from the tree. Its berries are up to 1.3 centimeters thick. Moravian also grows here and is actually one of the most popular rowan berries.

The very sour and bitter-tasting fruits of the local mountain ash are rich in vitamin C (80-100 milligrams per 100 grams of berries). According to the Federal Center for Nutrition (BZFE), rowan berries also contain provitamin A, which is important for the visual process after it has been converted into vitamin A in the body. It also contains essential oils and fiber such as the gelling agent pectin.

A puree of rowanberries (see instructions below) is said to help against loss of appetite and indigestion. In folk medicine, rowan berries are also known to help with colds, gout and rheumatism.

For a long time, rowan berries had another medical benefit: a certain type of sugar, sorbose, used to be used as a sugar substitute for diabetics. Today it is produced industrially as sorbitol.

Non-toxic: rowanberry jam

Rowanberries ripen in October. According to conservationist Sönke Hofmann, the best time to harvest is after the first frost, as the fruits develop their sweet and tart aroma afterwards. You can boil the red rowanberries with apples and lots of sugar to make them edible.

However, if you wait too long, you can be unlucky that the animals have already eaten most of the berries.

You can make the following delicacies from rowanberries, as confirmed by the Federal Center for Nutrition:
You can use the berries to make jam or jelly for your breakfast.
you can make a sweet rowanberry syrup or juice yourself.
If you want to make a special drop, a liqueur or brandy made from rowanberries would be an innovative idea.
A chutney made from rowanberries, for example, goes well with a soft cheese. You can use onions, tomatoes, raisins and peppers in it.
Rowanberries also taste good in pastries and cakes.
For rowanberry puree, you should soak the fruit in water with a dash of vinegar overnight. You can then pass them through a sieve and mix them with mild-tasting fruits such as apples, quinces or pears. Cinnamon and cardamom are suitable spices.
You can also add the dried berries to fruit or herbal teas.

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Blue Potatoes: These Varieties Are One of Them

Blue potatoes are not new from the lab, they are old varieties. You can read here what makes blue potatoes so special and what varieties there are.

The dark skin and the bluish-purple flesh may seem strange at first, but blue potatoes are old varieties. There are also purple and red potatoes.

After potatoes made their way to Europe from South America in the 16th century, blue varieties were widespread. Only when more resistant and higher-yielding varieties were bred in the 19th century did the yellow varieties replace the blue potatoes.

When you buy blue potatoes, you help preserve diversity on our fields and plates. There are a number of associations and organic farmers who have made it their task to preserve old types of vegetables. There you can buy old varieties, such as blue potatoes, and seeds.

Here you can find out what makes blue potatoes so special and what varieties there are.

This is what makes blue potatoes special

According to the world, blue potatoes lower blood pressure. They owe this to the secondary plant substance anthocyanin. Not only is it responsible for the blue color, but it also has various health benefits.

In 2017, the specialist journal Food and Nutrition Research extensively examined anthocyanin for its health effects. She was able to demonstrate the following properties of the vegetable dye in isolated form:
antioxidant
anti-cancerous
antimicrobial
prevents cardiovascular diseases
has a balancing effect on cholesterol and blood sugar levels
In cultivation, the blue tubers hardly differ from conventional potatoes. However, they are often less robust and productive. They also need more care. As a result, farmers rarely grow blue potatoes on a large scale.

Blue potato varieties

There are several varieties of blue potatoes that you can plant in your garden. They differ in their color and shape as well as in their use and taste.

Blue potato varieties include:
Blue Anneliese: The variety has a smooth skin and dark blue to purple flesh. It is predominantly waxy and is suitable for potato salad and baked potatoes. Its taste is characterized by its creamy consistency and a nutty aroma.
Blue Star: Above all, the pulp makes this variety so special. It is marbled dark blue and white. It is mainly waxy and suitable for potato salad and fried potatoes.
Blue Swede: The flesh of the variety is dark blue and purple marbled. The waxy variety is particularly suitable for boiled potatoes, tastes like chestnuts and has a sweet note.
Blauer St. Galler: The potatoes are oval and have a dark skin with violet flesh, only after cooking do they appear bluish. Due to their creamy consistency, they are well suited for puree or potato soup.
Salad Blue: This variety has a blue-purple flesh surrounded by a thin white outer layer. It keeps its color even after cooking. The waxy variety with the slightly nutty note is suitable for potato salad, fried potatoes or potato casserole.

Tips for preparing blue potatoes

Basically, you can prepare blue potatoes in the same way as regular potatoes. According to a study, the content of the vegetable pigment anthocyanin changes depending on the temperature and pH value. In addition, the substance is water-soluble, which is why the color often fades somewhat after cooking.

The following tips will help you preserve the color:
Cook the blue potatoes with a little water. Cook them whole to keep the color in the potato.
Use non-water cooking methods. You can prepare blue potatoes in the oven or as roast potatoes without pre-cooking.
Steam cooking is also a suitable method for preparing the colorful tubers. With this gentle method, the dye and nutrients are well preserved.

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