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If you want to cut a pumpkin, it is often difficult because of the hard skin. We’ll show you a simple trick that will make cutting the pumpkin much easier.

Pumpkin is a versatile vegetable that you can buy locally grown between August and December, when pumpkins are in season. You can eat the skin of many types of squash and don’t have to throw it away. However, it is a bit hard, making the squash difficult to cut. The skin only softens when it is cooked. For most recipes, however, you will need to cut the squash into small pieces or slices before cooking. For example:

Cut pumpkin into pieces for: pumpkin soup, pumpkin spread and pumpkin pasta
Slice the pumpkin for: Tarte flambée with pumpkin
We’ll show you a trick on how to cut the peel more easily.

Cutting the pumpkin: The cooking pot trick

If the pumpkin skin is very robust or the knife is no longer very sharp, it will be difficult to cut a pumpkin. But a simple trick helps to make it easier:

First wash the pumpkin thoroughly.
Then place the squash in a pot filled with water. The water should come up a little to halfway up the squash.
Let the water simmer for about five minutes.
After that, the squash will be much softer and easier to cut.

Dice the pumpkin

You can then cut the pumpkin into cubes or slices. Both are possible with this guide:

1. Halve the pumpkin. To do this, place the knife on the stalk of the pumpkin and divide the pumpkin once.
2. Now the pumpkin with the pulp is open. For most recipes you will now have to hollow out the pumpkin. This is easy to do with a spoon. In addition, you should usually remove the cores. You don’t have to throw them away, you can roast the pumpkin seeds. They’re a tasty snack.
3. To cut the pumpkin into cubes or slices, place the pumpkin half with the open side on a wooden board. Then cut the pumpkin into slices one to two centimeters thick. If you are right-handed, start at the end of the pumpkin that is to the right of the stalk.

Note: If you want to use the pumpkin in slices (for example, to cover a tarte flambée or a pizza), cut the slices only a few millimeters thick.

4. Now place several pumpkin slices on top of each other and cut off individual cubes.

Note: Be sure to separate the stalk from the pumpkin piece as well.

5. Now you can carry out steps 3 and 4 for the other half of the pumpkin and then process the pumpkin further.

Lifestyle

Washing Sensitive Clothing by Hand – This is How it Works

Almost every household has a washing machine, but delicate items of clothing are often unsuitable for this. What now? Do you go to the dry cleaners or do you prefer to wash by hand?

What temperature for handwashing?

Hand washing is not as complicated as you might think at first glance. And you don’t need a tumble dryer to get your favorite pieces back in shape. It doesn’t matter whether it’s your favorite jacket or an evening dress, the first thing you should do with all items of clothing is the label beforehand washing them. Because even if you don’t put your clothes in the machine, temperature specifications may have to be observed. These help you to ensure that your best piece does not shrink and that you do not bring your favorite classics out of shape by washing them incorrectly. You can easily determine the temperature with a bathtub thermometer.

The right detergent for sensitive clothing

It is best to use a washbowl or a corresponding basin, where you fill in enough water at the required temperature. Then add the detergent according to the recommended dosage. But be careful: you have to make sure that the detergent is suitable. A mild detergent is the best choice for many sensitive items of clothing. On the other hand, if the item is made of wool, you should use a wool detergent. If you need to remove stains first, you can treat them with cold water or a suitable stain remover. Please also note our tips for removing make-up stains with the effective gall soap.

Hand wash instructions

Once you have found the right temperature and detergent for your hand wash, you can begin. To do this, choose a bucket suitable for the laundry or wash larger items by hand in the bathtub. You should proceed as follows so that everything works perfectly:

Step 1: Soak

You now put the garment completely into the soapy water and move it back and forth a little. Be careful not to twirl, rub, or scrub, as this will distort the delicate fabric fibers. Now wait about 30 minutes and let your clothes soak. If stains are still visible afterward, add more warm water and extend the time. Here, too, make sure that you do not exceed the maximum temperature on the washing label.

Step 2: Rinse

The next step is to drain the soapy water or empty the tub. Now fill it with cold, fresh water and gently squeeze out the garment inside. Repeat this process until no more foam comes out of the fabric. The water must remain completely clear before the next step, as soap residue can cause discoloration.

Step 3: Express

After the cold water runs clear, empty the tub again and squeeze the liquid out of the fabric. Please make sure that you do not rub, twirl or even wring, as this will damage the fabric. Spread a dry towel on the floor and place your garment on it. Now you can carefully pull it back into shape. Now roll up the towel along with your clothing to draw even more moisture out of the fabric. And you’re done with the hand wash. In addition, read our guide to removing stubborn stains with lawn bleach.

Hand wash to dry properly

After you have largely removed the excess water with the towel, you can start drying the clothes. Layout a wide, dry towel on the drying rack or a table and spread out the washed clothes on it. Now you let it dry until there is no more liquid in the tissue. Make sure to turn every 2-4 hours so the garment dries evenly.

Cooking Tips

Sprouting Buckwheat: How it Works

Sprouting buckwheat is very easy and takes a maximum of two days. We explain step by step how you can grow your own buckwheat seedlings.

Even if the name suggests otherwise, buckwheat has nothing to do with conventional wheat. In fact, buckwheat belongs to a different plant family and is therefore also referred to as a pseudocereal.

Buckwheat is healthy, suitable for celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and versatile. You can also germinate the pyramid-shaped grains so you can even eat them raw. In our guide we will show you exactly how to do this.

Sprouting buckwheat: step-by-step instructions

To germinate buckwheat, you only need the following utensils:

a sprouting jar with a boiled lid
alternatively: make a sprout glass yourself or use a fine sieve
a handful of buckwheat, preferably organic and raw food quality
Sprouting buckwheat – instructions:

Rinse the buckwheat kernels thoroughly.Place the buckwheat in the sprouting jar. Be careful not to fill the jar more than a third full, as the buckwheat grains will increase in volume considerably as they germinate.
Fill the glass at least halfway with water so that the buckwheat is well covered. Let the kernels soak for about 2 hours.
After about two hours, drain the water and wash the buckwheat again. Don’t be surprised by the slimy consistency of the water. This is perfectly normal and will subside with each flush.
Now place the sprouting jar upside down so that the excess water can drip off. Leave the jar of buckwheat in a warm place away from direct sunlight.
From now on, rinse the buckwheat three times a day with clear water and then let the water drain thoroughly.
Depending on the ambient temperature, the buckwheat will start to germinate after 12 to 24 hours. After two days at the latest, the buckwheat grains should have sprouted half a centimeter to a whole centimetre. Then at the latest you should use the sprouted buckwheat. You should not wait longer, otherwise the grains could become musty.
By the way: If you don’t have a germination jar and use a normal sieve, the buckwheat grains may dry out faster. In this case, you’ll need to rinse them more often to keep them slightly damp. You can also cover the grains with a cup or bowl to keep them from losing moisture as quickly.

Using buckwheat sprouts: ideas for the kitchen

You can use the buckwheat sprouts in many ways. For example, try the following ideas and recipes:

Bake a buckwheat bread with whole or broken buckwheat sprouts. Of course, you can also add the sprouts to other breads and baked goods.
Add sprouted buckwheat to salads or sprinkle over soups.
Supplement muesli, porridge or yoghurt with buckwheat sprouts.
Use the sprouted buckwheat as an ingredient in the smoothie.
Blend the buckwheat with other ingredients like oil, garlic, and spices to make a pesto or spread.
Dry the buckwheat sprouts in a dehydrator or in the sun on hot summer days. The dried germs have a much longer shelf life.
Shelf life: You should use the sprouted buckwheat as soon as possible. The sprouts will keep for a maximum of three days in the refrigerator.

Cooking Tips

Decalate the Coffee Machine With Home Remedies – That’s How it Works!

The cup of coffee is part of the daily morning ritual for many people. But a coffee machine also needs care and should be descaled and cleaned regularly. Because without descaling there is no taste perfect coffee and damp coffee residues are also an ideal breeding ground for mold and other germs.

But how do I know that the coffee machine has to be descaled?

Many coffee machines now show this using a control light. But there are also other signs that the machine has to be descaled:
White deposits are formed
The coffee machine runs slower
The machine is exceptionally loud
The coffee doesn’t get really hot and does not taste good
How often you have to clean your machine depends on how often you use it, how strong the water hardness is and how quickly it calculates. On average, however, a coffee machine should be cleaned every 1-2 months.

Decalate the coffee machine with professional cleaning agents:

A large number of different descalcers are offered in stores. Almost every coffee machine manufacturer also offers suitable descaling agents for their machine. But there are also some brand -independent products.

Basically, you cannot do anything wrong with these descaling agents – simply put the descaler into the machine according to the manufacturer’s specifications and start descaling. After that, the coffee machine is perfectly descaled and ready for further use.

Decalate the coffee machine with home remedies – this is how it works:

However, professional cleaning products from the trade have a big disadvantage: they are quite expensive. But there are also cheaper ways to decalify and clean the coffee machine – for example, some home remedies are perfect for this. This makes the coffee machine cleaning not only cheaper, but also more environmentally friendly.

The classic: coffee machine decalcify with vinegar essence

A very widespread method is to clean the coffee machine with vinegar essence. But how exactly does it work? We show you step by step what you have to do to clean your coffee machine with vinegar essence:
First of all, it is important that the vinegar essence with water is diluted in a ratio of 1: 4. Because undiluted and highly concentrated, it can harm rubber seals and other sensitive parts in the machine.
Once you have diluted the vinegar essence, put it in the water tank of the coffee machine, let it work briefly and start the descaling process according to the specifications of the respective manufacturer.
It is important that you let water run through the machine for 2-3 times after descaling so that the next coffee does not taste like vinegar.
The descaling is ready and the coffee machine is ready to go again.

For particularly environmentally conscious descaling: descaling with citric acid

You don’t have any vinegar essence at home right now? No problem – you can easily clean your coffee machine with a simple lemon. This has the advantage that citric acid is particularly environmentally friendly. And you only have to take the following steps:
Clean the surfaces of the coffee machine:
Halve a lemon and remove the seeds
Squeeze some lemon juice over a sponge. With the sponge you can then wipe over lime deposits, leave the whole thing on for about 30 minutes and then wipe it moist.
Discalate the coffee machine:
To clean the inside of the coffee machine, you have to press the lemon completely.
Then it is important to give the lemon juice through a sieve so that no pulp gets into the machine.
Now you can dilute the juice of a whole lemon with about one liter of water and then put the mixture into the water tank.
Now you can start descaling again according to the manufacturer.
Once the descaling has ended, think about rinsing the coffee machine with water 2-3 times.
You already have a perfectly descaled coffee machine and the coffee tastes great again.

Special caution is required here: descaling coffee machine with amidosulfonic acid

If the coffee machine is once particularly dirty, there is also the possibility to decalcify the coffee machine with amidosulfonic acid. Available, for example in the hardware store.

But here you have to be particularly careful! This acid has a caustic effect. Therefore, you should wear mouth protection and safety glasses with the application.

This is how it works: Mix ten grams of amidosulfonic acid with one liter of water and then start descaling as usual.

It is particularly important here that the machine is washed through water several times after cleaning.

Baking powder – descale the miracle cure for the coffee machine

There are many home remedies that are suitable for descaling. Baking powder is also ideal for cleaning. Simply dissolve baking powder in one liter of water and then let this solution run through the coffee machine. The machine is clean again and the coffee tastes flawless again. The descaling is so easy with baking powder.

The descaling with home remedies is therefore not only significantly cheaper than decalcifying with buyable solutions, but also more environmentally friendly.

How can I protect my coffee machine against lime?

Unfortunately, the formation of lime cannot be completely avoided. You can take some preventive measures, but these will not completely prevent lime formation. One way to restrict the formation of lime to do without tap water. Instead, use still water from bottles (i.e. water without carbon dioxide), this is far from the water from the tap. It may be enough if you descalate the coffee machine every 6 – 12 months.

Food

Lime Honey: What Makes It Special and How It Works

Unlike most types of honey, linden honey is not blossom honey. It is also special in terms of taste. Here you can find out what other properties make linden honey stand out.

Linden honey is not to be confused with linden blossom honey: although both types of honey come from the linden tree, they differ significantly in taste. The special thing about linden honey is its menthol-like note, which is not penetrating but clearly noticeable. This isn’t everyone’s preference, so if you’ve never tried linden honey, you might want to taste it before you buy it.

What makes linden honey special?

The linden tree is one of the most important forage plants for bees because it provides large quantities of nectar and pollen. Especially in northern Germany, lime trees characterize the landscape. Both linden honey and linden blossom honey therefore often come from the northern regions of the country.

The main difference between the two types of honey is their composition. As the name suggests, the bees extract lime blossom honey from the blossoms of the tree. Linden honey, on the other hand, is not blossom honey, which makes it something special: instead, honeydew is used as the basis for its extraction. These are the sugary excrements of insects that feed on the linden leaves. Linden honey therefore falls into the category of honeydew honey, as does forest honey, for example.

In terms of taste, linden honey is heavier and stronger. In addition to the already mentioned menthol note, it can also have fruity, citrus-like aromas. Both types differ not only in taste: Linden honey is also a special type of honey in other respects. Its dark yellow color, which can go into orange or amber, is characteristic. Lime blossom honey, on the other hand, is rather light yellow to whitish and often has a slight green tinge. The consistency of both types can vary from liquid to creamy to firm.

Is linden honey healthy?

Linden honey and linden blossom honey are said to have both a diaphoretic and antipyretic effect. That is why both types are used as home remedies for colds and flu-like infections, for example. In addition, the two types of honey are said to have a calming and sleep-inducing effect.

These properties have not been specifically proven for linden honey. However, there is better evidence that honey generally has health-promoting effects. Recent studies suggest, among other things, that honey

can have an anti-inflammatory effect
has probiotic and antibacterial properties,
contains antioxidant agents that protect the body from free radicals,
can inhibit the development of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Due to its high sugar content, you should consume linden honey just like other types of honey in moderation – this is how you best benefit from its positive properties. You can find out more about honey as a sugar substitute here: Maple syrup, honey, agave syrup & Co.: the truth about sugar substitutes.

The best way to use lime honey as a home remedy is to stir it into a cup of hot lime blossom tea. The health effects of linden blossoms have been better researched: They also have a sweat-inducing effect, relieve the urge to cough and promote expectoration. Linden blossom tea is also recommended as a sleep aid. In addition, it harmonises well with the lime honey in terms of taste.

Linden honey: Best from regional beekeeping

You can also get linden honey in the supermarket – but it is better to buy it from regional beekeepers. This not only has the advantage of shorter and therefore climate-friendly transport routes: by supporting regional beekeepers and their bee colonies, you also help to preserve biodiversity. You can recognize high-quality honey from Germany by the protected designation “Real German Honey”.

It is also worth making sure that the linden honey you choose is organic. Organic honey is produced under the most environmentally friendly and natural conditions possible.

Food

Frothing Almond Milk: This is How It Works

Unlike soy milk, for example, almond milk does not froth well. But with a few tricks or special barista versions, it still works. We will explain to you what is important when it comes to almond milk foam.

Almond milk is particularly popular among allergy sufferers because it is free of lactose, soy protein, milk protein and gluten. However, due to the cultivation of almonds, almond milk is not the most environmentally friendly milk alternative. Because of the taste, many still use almond milk. The problem: it usually doesn’t foam well because it lacks enough fat and protein.

There are now special barista versions of almond milk on the market that are suitable for frothing. We present selected products to you. We will also explain how you can make your own almond milk and how you can use a few ingredients to make it a barista edition.

Froth almond milk – you can do it with special products

In general, normal almond milk is not well suited for “latte-style” coffee: either it cannot be frothed at all or it forms unpleasant flakes in the coffee.

In the meantime, however, the trade has followed suit and offers some barista versions of almond milk that are especially suitable for frothing. However, most of these products contain additives and are not available in organic quality:

For example, there is Joya’s barista almond milk, which contains maltodextrin, the stabilizer gellan and lecithins as well as dipotassium phosphate as an acid regulator.
Alpro also has a barista almond milk in its range, but it also contains other additives: In addition to sugar, fructose, acidity regulators and the stabilizers gellan and guar gum, it also contains flavors.
EcoMil’s barista almond milk is available in organic quality and with higher-quality ingredients: it contains cane sugar, tapioca starch, sunflower oil, pea protein, natural vanilla flavoring and the stabilizer gellan gum.
The fact that Barista almond milk products require so many additives shows that “normal” almond milk is otherwise difficult to froth. With a good milk frother, you can also achieve good results with the spelled-almond drink from Natumi or the almond drink from Alnatura. Both products contain no unnecessary additives and are available in organic quality.

The most important tip: Only cold almond milk can be frothed at all. Almond milk is best straight from the fridge.

Make barista almond milk yourself: recipe ideas

If you want to froth regular almond milk, a few other ingredients can help. As a basic ingredient, you can either use store-bought organic almond milk or make your own almond milk.

To add more proteins and fats to the almond milk and give it more stability, you can try the following ingredients:

About 50 grams of soaked cashew nuts or a heaping tablespoon of cashew butter in one liter of almond milk give the vegan milk alternative more protein and fat. Then, blend the milk in a high-speed blender and strain it through a nut milk bag. Then the almond milk can be foamed a little better.
Alternatively, you can also add vegetable cooking oil. But it takes quite a lot for that – about 90 milliliters of oil to 1 liter of almond milk. Rapeseed oil or sunflower oil are suitable.
To increase the protein content, you can add a tablespoon of protein powder to the almond milk – preferably in addition to the vegetable oil. Pea protein or hemp protein, for example, are recommended.
Additionally, you can add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of guar gum, locust bean gum, or gellan gum to almond milk as a stabilizer. This makes the almond milk creamier and easier to froth.
Tapioca starch, locust bean gum or psyllium husk powder are suitable natural thickeners.
You can also add lecithin to prevent the frothed almond milk from flaking in the coffee. This emulsifier prevents the individual ingredients from separating from each other. In addition to soy lecithin, you can also use sunflower lecithin.
It is also important that the almond milk is as cool as possible before frothing and that you use a good milk frother (e.g. from Memolife**). With the appropriate ingredients such as cashew butter, oil, protein powder and stabilizer, the almond milk should also be frothed with an ordinary mini milk frother.

Alternatively, you can also switch to another plant-based milk as a milk substitute: soy milk and spelled milk are particularly easy to froth. Oat milk is also available in selected barista editions that use few additives.

Cooking Tips

Open and Core the Pomegranate – This is How It Works Without Mess

Opening a pomegranate doesn’t seem that easy. We’ll show you how to open and core a pomegranate without the mess – and thus benefit from the vitamins and minerals it contains.

Perhaps you have left numerous stains on your clothes or on the wall when opening a pomegranate. The bulging pomegranate seeds explode when you try to loosen them from the shell; stubborn red stains on clothing, furniture and walls are therefore not uncommon.

We’ll show you two methods on how to open and core the pomegranate – without any mess.

Open and core the pomegranate: the tapping method

For this you need:

a sharp knife
a spoon
a bowl
cutting board
With this method, you place the pomegranate on a cutting board and carefully cut it in half with a sharp knife.
Take one half and hold it cut-side down over the bowl.
Use the round side of the spoon to tap the shell vigorously (!) until all the seeds have come loose. This way the kernels won’t get crushed and will keep their shape.

Open pomegranate underwater

For this you need:

a sharp knife
a cutting board
a bowl of cold water
Halve the pomegranate with the knife.
Hold one half in the water.
There you carefully remove the cores with your fingers. Should a core explode due to the pressure when removing it, the water prevents the hard-to-remove juice from sticking to the wall and clothing.

Pomegranate: ruby red vitamin bomb

Once you have opened the pomegranate, its ruby-like pits are not only beautiful to look at, they are also very healthy. This is due to the ingredients, which – as with pineapple or cranberries – not only have an anti-inflammatory effect, but also have an antioxidant effect. You can enjoy the seeds, which are 85 percent water, raw or process them into juice.

Cooking Tips

Roasting Coffee – This is How it Works

The classic brown coffee bean that we are familiar with has come a long way before it finally ends up in our coffee.

How is the typical brown coffee bean made? In our article we tell you everything about the individual roasting stages and how the process works.

One of the most important steps on their journey is the so-called roasting. But how exactly can we roast coffee and what happens in the process? The roasting – also called “refining” – ensures that the coffee bean receives a flavor profile. A consistency is thus created that can unfold during later grinding. In the following we will go into the roasting process in more detail and describe how to roast coffee optimally.

The roasting process and its subtleties

The roasting of coffee beans creates a multitude of aromas and gives the coffee its unique taste. A single bean alone contains between 300,000 and 400,000 thousand cells. If heat is now applied to this, a chemical reaction occurs. The amino acids and sugar acids contained in the coffee bean are completely reassembled during roasting. Up to 1,000 aromas can be created from one cell. The roasting process makes coffee one of the most aromatic drinks of all. And this is how the roasting works in detail:

A classic and also extremely gentle roasting process is carried out with the so-called drum roaster. Up to 30 kilograms of coffee can be roasted at once. For this purpose, the coffee beans are placed in a drum that has been mounted on a corresponding roasting machine. The roasting drum then rotates for up to 20 minutes. The internal temperature is raised to around 200 degrees Celsius. The green raw beans are roasted piece by piece and get their classic brown color. After the roasting process, they must be quickly cooled down again so that there is no further change in consistency. Since the beans lose some of the oil and water in the roasting machine, they weigh up to 20 percent less in the roasted additive than before. However, roasting coffee is not nearly as easy as it sounds. The taste, variety of aromas and appearance of the roasted bean can vary greatly. This is where the subtleties of drum roasting come into play.

After just a few minutes, the slightly yellow color of the beans changes to light brown. This creates a smell as if you were preparing fresh popcorn. Since the beans still have a lot of water and fat in this state, they appear slightly wrinkled.

Probably the most important event in the roasting process is the “first crack”. The coffee beans increase in volume during the roasting process due to the gases produced and the water evaporating, which cannot escape. Until, after about nine minutes, the pressure is so great that the cell walls of the bean burst and the water vapor can escape. The color of the bean has evolved from its previously pale green color to a yellow/brownish color by this point. Once the “first crack” has taken place, the roaster must be extremely vigilant from now on. Now the coffee beans begin to unfold their aromas and form their typical, tasty character. Chlorogenic acids are broken down piecemeal, the cell structure decomposes, and sugars caramelize inside. The longer the coffee is roasted, the more acids are broken down. At the same time, more and more roasted aromas unfold. A coffee that has been roasted for a long time has a much stronger and more bitter taste. Those who prefer it more individual can rely on short roasting times and thus enhance the coffee’s own taste.

The individual roasting stages

As already mentioned, the roasting time plays a decisive role in the final coffee taste. The degree of roasting varies depending on the heat input and the duration of the roasting. In the following we will show you the individual roasting stages for the coffee beans:

Cinnamon Roast: Probably the lightest of all roasts. A light tan ensures strong acidity and a minimal aroma profile. This state arises directly after the “First Crack”.
City Roast Plus: The medium-brown bean has reached its perfect roast point about two minutes after the “first crack”. There are light roasted substances to taste, but very acidic.
Full City: The bean is a bit dark brown. For this, almost four minutes must elapse after the “first crack” has started. The coffee bean smells spicy and hot and tastes of bitter and roasted substances. The acid takes a back seat.
Continental (French roasting): Shortly before the second crack, the bean is already dark brown. An oily consistency emerges and the taste is dominated by strong roasted aromas.
Dark French (Heavy): After the first half of the second crack, the caramelized sugar is broken down. The bean keeps getting lighter. The taste focuses entirely on roasted and bitter aromas.
Spanish Roast: At the end of the second crack and beyond, the bean is blackish-brown. It shines and has hardly any ingredients left. The taste is slightly burnt and can only be perceived through some bitter substances and roasted aromas.
Roasting coffee can be a real craft. Master roasters train on new variations every day and thus learn more and more about the variety of aromas in coffee and how this can be best brought to light.

Food

Cooking Spinach: This is How It Works

Spinach is a vitamin bomb and a source of protein at the same time. We will show you how to cook spinach properly and what you should pay attention to.

Spinach contains many important vitamins and minerals, including folic acid and vitamin A. You can use it in salads, smoothies or vegetarian dishes, for example. Many use ready-made spinach from the freezer, but you can also easily cook fresh spinach yourself.

The basic rule for fresh spinach is that it should only be stored at room temperature for as short a time as possible. This is because spinach contains nitrate, which turns into nitrite at room temperature – nitrite is toxic in high concentrations. So if you bought spinach, put it in the fridge. You should also keep leftovers in a cool place. Then you can warm up spinach without hesitation.

Blanch, boil or puree spinach

How to cook fresh spinach:

First, you should remove stems that are too large or woody. You can then wash the spinach in a bowl of cold water. You should be thorough here: there is usually a lot of sand from the field in the spinach. Once you have washed the spinach, you can drain it.
Caution: Do not leave the spinach in water for too long when washing, otherwise it will lose too many vitamins.
Then you can briefly boil the spinach in a large pot with salted water. The easiest way is to add the spinach to the pot in batches and cook for a minute at a time.
Keep an eye on the spinach to make sure it doesn’t get too soft. The leaves should still be a little firm to the bite.
To blanch, put the spinach in ice water for a few minutes. This step is optional.
So you can already eat your spinach. You can also add spices like pepper and salt to make it taste better. More about this here: Seasoning spinach: This is how it tastes best.

If you want to puree the spinach, you should let it cook a little longer so that it can be processed more easily. After about five minutes you can shake it off, let it drain and, depending on your taste, refine it with a little (vegetable) cream before crushing it with the hand blender.

Food

How Rice Cultivation Works

Rice cultivation is increasingly being criticized due to its eco-balance. The high water consumption and the released methane are problematic for the climate. Here you can find out how rice cultivation works and what you should pay attention to when buying.

Southeast Asia: The most important rice-growing region in the world

Rice is a staple food for over 3.5 billion people and, according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), it is one of the three most important cereals in the world along with corn and wheat. Rice cultivation thus has far-reaching effects on our climate.

According to the FAO, around 90 percent of the world’s rice harvest comes from South Asia and Southeast Asia, with China and India as the largest rice producers. According to statistics from the OCE (Observatory of Economic Complexity), India and Thailand are the main rice exporters, providing a large part of the world’s traded rice volumes.

Rice is also grown in the USA, Latin America, Africa and Europe. The main European rice producers are Spain, Italy and France. The following types of rice can be found there:

Spain: Bomba rice (for paella)
Italy: Arborio rice, jasmine rice and Venus rice (Piedmont as the main growing region of Italy)
France: Red rice from the Camargue

How does rice cultivation work?

There are various methods of rice cultivation, but the most common is wet rice cultivation. Irrigation is done differently depending on the location. Sometimes the farmers rely on natural flooding, sometimes fields are artificially supplied with water via sophisticated irrigation systems. Around 75 percent of the world’s rice harvest is based on artificial irrigation, as Ferrero and Tinarelli state in the introduction to their book “Pesticide Risk Assessment in Rice Paddies”. The water serves as a natural protection against weeds and pests for the plants.

There is also dry rice cultivation, which is much more laborious and less productive. Weeds and pests are not kept out naturally, which is why more fertilizers and pesticides are needed. An advantage of this cultivation method, however, is that less water is required and less methane is emitted. Due to the meager yields, this cultivation method is still less used.

Wet rice cultivation: How does it work exactly?

Growing rice is very time-consuming and is often still done by hand in Asia.

The rice seeds are sown in the dry field, which is then ploughed.
Later, the seedlings are transplanted into the paddy field by hand or with the help of jigs.
Now the fields have to be constantly under water before they are drained around three weeks before harvest. Depending on site conditions, this occurs through natural flooding or artificial irrigation systems.
In total, the rice plant grows for five to six months before it is harvested.
harvest and processing

Rice can be harvested one to three times a year, depending on the rice variety, site conditions and cultivation method. After harvesting, the rice is threshed and dried. The husks are then removed in a rice mill, leaving the actual grain of rice and the husk – the so-called silver skin. This product is sold as brown rice, whole grain or brown rice. Usually, however, there is a further step in which the silver skin and seedling are removed. What remains is the classic white rice, which has a longer shelf life but is less nutritious.

What are the consequences of rice cultivation for the environment?

Water consumption

According to Öko-fair, 2,000 to 5,000 liters of water are required for one kilogram of rice in wet rice cultivation. If the fields are artificially irrigated, this can lead to a falling groundwater level. This often poses major water supply problems for the cultivation regions, which are often water-scarce anyway. The energy required for the artificial irrigation systems is also high.

Methane emissions

According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), wet rice cultivation is responsible for around ten percent of man-made methane emissions worldwide. Methane is the second most important man-made greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and is 21 times more potent than CO2, according to the Max Planck Society.

The reason for the high emission values are the flooded fields: microorganisms decompose organic substances here in the absence of oxygen, resulting in the formation of methane. How much methane is produced depends on how long the fields are under water. If they are drained regularly, less methane is produced – a simple step that would already make rice production significantly more sustainable. However, for many small farmers in Asia, this additional effort can hardly be implemented. In addition, leftover husks are often burned in the fields after harvesting, which releases CO2.

An overview by the WWF makes the extent of methane emissions in rice cultivation clear. It shows the respective amounts of greenhouse gases that occur during the production of different foods. With 6.2 kilograms of CO2 equivalents per kilogram, rice is significantly higher than potatoes (0.62 kilograms), fresh milk products (1.76 kilograms) or even poultry meat (4.22 kilograms).

Sustainable rice: You should pay attention to this when buying

Fair trade rice: Rice is mainly grown in less developed regions of the world. A Fairtrade certification shows you that the producers receive fair wages and work under good conditions. Many Fairtrade-certified rice suppliers enter into their own small cooperations with individual rice farmers in order to be able to offer ecologically and socially sustainable rice. In this way, cultivation conditions can be clearly traced and made transparent for consumers. You can usually find information about such cooperations on the provider’s website or directly on the product. In general, the more specific the information about origin and growing conditions, the better. It is worth taking a closer look at the products before you buy them.
Organic Rice: When you buy certified organic rice, you not only protect yourself and the environment from synthetic pesticides: Organic farming also protects rice farmers from constant exposure to harmful pesticides at work.

Rice from Europe: In the meantime, you can also find rice from European cultivation in the supermarket or health food store. So you can avoid long transport routes. In addition, the environmental guidelines in Europe are generally higher than in Asia and many European rice farmers value more sustainable rice cultivation.
Rice from dry cultivation: Although not the global solution, dry rice – especially from European cultivation – is often the more environmentally friendly alternative, as the Austrian daily newspaper Kurier shows using the example of the domestic rice producer “ÖsterReis”. Dry rice cultivation releases significantly less methane and uses less water. For example, the Swiss risotto rice branded “Terreni alla Maggia” or the Austrian rice from “SO-Fröhlich” come from the dry cultivation method. In dry cultivation, however, farmers increasingly have to contend with weeds and pests, which is why this method is much more labor-intensive – especially in organic cultivation. In order for rice from dry cultivation to actually be a sustainable alternative, you should only obtain it from organic cultivation. This is because more pesticides are often used in dry cultivation. While organic dry rice is a sustainable option, it is not a real solution on a global scale. Because the harvests in dry cultivation are too small and it can by no means cover the worldwide rice demand.
It doesn’t always have to be rice: there are many regional alternatives to rice that have a much better ecological footprint. For example, German potatoes or local cereals are the more sustainable side dishes. Spelled rice, for example, is a good alternative to rice. According to the WWF, the cultivation of lentils and legumes also emits fewer harmful GHG emissions, although they cannot compete with potatoes or cereals in this respect.

First steps towards sustainable rice cultivation

A step in the right direction is the International Platform for Sustainable Rice (SRP), which has developed a standard for sustainable rice. The project supports Thai rice farmers in making rice cultivation more ecological and campaigns for better local working conditions. Research institutes, large companies such as OLAM and international organizations such as GIZ or the United Nations Environment Program are involved.

According to GIZ, up to 50 percent fewer greenhouse gases are released as a result of the project measures, water consumption falls by a fifth and the farmers get by with fewer pesticides. At the same time, small farmers can increase their profits. The rice is certified accordingly and commercially available. For example, the Uncle Ben’s brand says it sources its rice exclusively from farmers supported by the SRP.

The Thai-German project Thai Rice NAMA also aims to make rice cultivation more sustainable and there is worldwide research on “anti-methane strategies”.

Little climate awareness when it comes to rice

Converting rice cultivation to uniform ecological standards is not that easy. Because there are too many individual small farmers from different countries where different environmental regulations apply. There is also often a lack of ecological awareness in the less developed countries of Asia, and for many small farmers, rice cultivation primarily means securing their survival. So they have no capacity to think about climate issues.

Projects for sustainable rice cultivation, such as those implemented by the SRP, are therefore all the more important. But the topic of sustainability is not only little present on the part of the producers. As consumers, we are also little aware of the poor ecological balance of rice – in contrast to products such as palm oil, avocados or meat, to which we are much more sensitive. It shouldn’t be any different with rice.