Pistachio

History On Pistachio

• The pistachio tree is native to western Asia and Asia Minor,from Syria to the Caucasus and Afghanistan.

• Archaeological evidence in Turkey indicate the nuts were being used for food as early as 7,000 B.C.

• The tree was first introduced into the United States in 1854 by Charles Mason, who distributed seed for experimental plantings in California, Texas and some southern states.

• Commercial production of pistachio nuts began in the late 1970's and rapidly expanded to a major operation in the San Joaquin Valley.

• Other major pistachio producing areas are Iran and Turkey and to a lesser extent, Syria, India, Greece, Pakistan and elsewhere.

• Pistachios thrive in areas which have winters cool enough to break bud dormancy and hot, long summers.

• They are drought resistant and very tolerant of high summer temperatures, but cannot tolerate excessive dampness and high humidity.

• The pistachio is a broad, bushy, deciduous tree which grows slowly to a height and spread of 25 to 30 feet, with one or several trunks.

• Under favorable conditions pistachio trees live and produce for centuries.

• The reddish, wrinkled fruits are borne in heavy clusters somewhat like grapes.

• Normally the shells split longitudinally along their sutures when mature.

• The color of the kernel varies from yellowish through shades of green, which extends throughout the kernel.

• Pistachio nuts are rich in oil, with an average content of about 55%.

• The trees begin bearing in 5 to 8 years, but full bearing is not attained until the 15th or 20th year.

• Pistachios tend toward biennial bearing, producing heavy crop one year followed by little or none the next.

• Pistachios should be planted in full sun.

• Pistachios will tolerate considerable drought but do best with deep, infrequent waterings.

• February 26th is recognized by pistachio lovers as World Pistachio Day; a day to honor the historical nut.

Benefits Of Pistachio

• Pistachios contain more than 10 different antioxidants each of which may offer unique health benefits to stave off chronic diseases.

• An appetite suppressing compound called oleoylethanolamide was recently discovered in monounsaturated FAT (of all places!). Fifty-five percent of the fat in pistachios is monounsaturated fat.

• Pistachios are a "hearty" snack offering more cholesterol fighting phytosterols than any other nut.

• A serving of pistachios has more potassium than half of a large banana.

• The green color in pistachios comes from a compound called lutein which helps to prevent the most common form of blindness in older adults.

• A serving of pistachios has 3 grams of fiber.

• An old folk remedy, pistachios were once thought to cure ailments such as toothaches and sclerosis of the liver.

• Pistachios are a source of gamma-tocopherol.

• A pistachio-rich diet may help reduce the risk of other cancers.

• Will help protect you from heart attacks.

• Strengthen your immune system.

• It provides a significant amount of the bioactive carotenoid, lutein that is also found in dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli (good for your eyes)

• A study showed that pistachios may stabilize blood sugar levels and can be a good snack item for diabetics.

• Adding a daily snack of 2 oz. of pistachios gives a person 50 percent more healthy carotenoids.

• The minerals and vitamins in pistachios can help boost metabolism, build bones up, strengthen tissues, aid the nerves and cardiovascular system, improve vision, and purify the blood stream.

• pistachio can help reduce acute stress reactions and improve overall behavioral health.

Resources:

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pistachio.html

www.yurosekfarms.com/

http://www.pistachiohealth.com/

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Health-Benefits-of-Pistachios&id=1001168

http://www.livestrong.com/article/18452-health-benefits-pistachios/

Maple Syrup

History on Maple Syrup

• Native Americans were the first to discover 'sinzibuckwud', the Algonquin (a Native American tribe) word for maple syrup, meaning literally 'drawn from wood'.

The Native Americans were the first to recognize the sap as a source of energy and nutrition.

• The Algonquin called maple sugar sinsibuckwud. The Ojibway said sheesheegummavvis, meaning "sap flows fast." The Cree called the maple tree sisibaskwattick. The Anishinabe of Minnesota called it aninaatig ahfiwaagamizigan (maple syrup).

• It was drunk as a sweet drink or used in cooking.

• When the first European settlers arrived, the Indians traded maple sugar with them and eventually taught the settlers the secrets of the maple sugaring process.

It is possible that maple-cured bacon began with this process.

• The first white settlers and fur traders introduced wooden buckets to the process, as well as iron and copper kettles.

• It was, reportedly, a French missionary who was the first settler to make maple syrup in 1690.

• Other Europeans added their own technologies to the process. They bored holes in the maple trunks and inserted wooden or metal spouts.

• Was a major source of high quality pure sugar.

• Maple Sugar production was especially important due to the fact that other types of sugar were hard to find and expensive.

• Early maple syrup was made by boiling 40 gallons of sap over an open fire until you had one gallon of syrup.

• Virtually all syrup makers in the past were self sufficient dairy farmers who made syrup and sugar during the off season of the farm for their own use and for extra income.
  

• Any sugar maple with a trunk diameter of 12 inches or more can be "tapped" for making syrup. It takes thirty years for a maple tree to grow to that size.

• Maple syrup is only produced in North America, since Europe does not have the proper weather conditions conducive to producing meaningful amounts of sap.
  

Benefits of Maple Syrup

• Maple syrup, as an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc, which can be sweet for your health.

• Maple Syrup Contains Manganese.

• Acting as an antioxidant, has other functions that can decrease the progression of atherosclerosis.

• Benefits Your Immune Systems

• It helps lessen inflammation, thus supporting healing.

• Maple syrup may help to support reproductive health and provides special benefits for men.

• Maple syrup is not a commonly allergenic food and is not known to contain measurable amounts of goitrogens, oxalates, or purines.

• Using maple syrup which contains fewer calories and a higher concentration of minerals than honey.

• One tiny ounce of maple syrup can supply us with up to 22% of our daily amount of this mineral.

• The zinc content of maple syrup acts as an antioxidant to help prevent damage caused by cholesterol and other fats.

• Helps prevent damage to the heart.

• Defense against cancer-causing free radicals.
  
• can lead to reduced growth, a scaly rash called dermatitis.

• Other nutrients found in maple syrup, albeit in small amounts, are calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, folic acid, and amino acids.

Resourses:

http://www.canadianmaplesyrup.com/maplehistory.html

http://www.maplegrove.com/maple-syrup-story.asp

http://www.maplemuseum.com/indians-and-early-maple-sugaring-process

http://vermontpuremaplesyrup.com/vt/?tabid=97

http://www.puremapleproducts.com/health_benefits_maple_syrup.html

http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/health_benefits_of_maple_syrup

Pumpkins

History Information

• A pumpkin is really a squash. It is a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.

• Pumpkins are grown all over the world on six of the seven continents, with Antarctica being the sole exception. They are even grown in Alaska.

• Pumpkins are believed to have originated in Central America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico, dating back over 7000 years to 5500 B.C.

• Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed.

• Early settlers made pumpkin pie by filling a hollowed out shell with milk, honey and spices, then baking it.

• Halloween evolved, in part, from the Celtic tradition of All Hallow's Eve.

• Pumpkin carving evolved from the traditions of this annual event.

• Not only is it associated with the meal itself, but the pumpkin has adorned and decorated homes and communities in honor of this event for hundreds of years.

• Pumpkin leaves were also used in salads.

• Pumpkins are rich in Vitamin A and potassium. They are also high in fiber.

• Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

• Pumpkin flowers are edible.

• Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas.

Benefits

• They were once recommended as a cure for freckles.

• They were used as a remedy for snake bites.

• The seeds help avoid prostate cancer in men.

• Pumpkin keeps your whole body healthy by building your immunity.

• Eating pumpkins help to keep the skin and eyes healthy.

• Plus there is a lot of dietary fiber in Pumpkin.

• A number of facial and anti-wrinkle cremes include pumpkins.

• Pumpkins have zero cholesterol, zero...

• Pumpkins contain beta carotene which helps to reduce certain types of cancer and lowers the risk of heart disease.

• Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.

• Pumpkin also has another carotenoid, beta-cryptoxanthin, which may decrease the risk of lung cancer in smokers.

• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or enlarged prostate prevention, eating a handful (about 1 ounce) of shelled pumpkin seeds three times a week is recommended.

• Anti-Inflammatory Benefits in Arthritis.

• Pumpkins contains lots of anti-oxidant vitamins A and C, as well as zinc and alpha-hydroxy-acids which helps to reduce the signs of aging.

• Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, which is good for building the immune system.

• They also contain fatty acids that kill parasites.

• Preventing the formation of cataract in eyes.

• Keeps the heart beat healthy and also reduces chances of hypertension.

• Improves bone density.

• Recommended to people suffering from gastroenteric diseases.

• Helps in curing the ulcer scars faster.

• Have been used since ancient days to treat various parasite infections and kidney problems.

Resources:

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/facts.htm#about

http://ezinearticles.com/?Pumpkin-Nutritional-Benefits&id=3249161

http://www.hsgpurchasing.com/Articles/pumpkin.htm

http://home.howstuffworks.com/pumpkins3.htm

http://hubpages.com/hub/Health-Benefits-of-Pumpkin

http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/foodalert.htm

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pumpkin-nutrition.html

Lemons

Lemon Tree Facts

• Lemons grow well along rain-free coastal areas--Sicily, for instance, supplies over 90% of all the lemons eaten in Italy. Southern France and Spain are lemon-growing areas, along with Israel, Greece and India.
• The exact origin of the lemon has remained a mystery, though it is widely presumed that lemons first grew in India northern Burma, and China.

• The lemon is a small evergreen tree (Citrus limon) originally native to Asia, and is also the name of the tree's oval yellow fruit.

• The lemon was first recorded in literature in a tenth century Arabic treatise on farming, and was also used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic Gardens.

• The first real lemon cultivation in Europe began in Genoa in the middle of the fifteenth century. It was later introduced to the Americas in 1493 when Chistopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to Hispaniola along his voyages. Spanish conquest throughout the New World helped spread lemon seeds. It was mainly used as ornament and medicine. In 1700s and late 1800s, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and Claifornia when lemons began to be used in cooking and flavoring.

Random Benefits From Lemons

• Vitamin P in lemon strengthens the blood vessels and prevents internal hemorrhage. It is, therefore, extremely useful in high blood pressure, in which cerebro-vascular accidents commonly occur.


• Lemon has been used for many years in gout and rheumatism. Lemon-juice is a diuretic. It, therefore, gives relief in kidney and bladder disorders.


• It has been used in destroying intestinal worms.


• It prevents vomiting and helps to cure hepatitis and other innumerable diseases.


• Lemon has been proved to be a blessing for mountaineers. In the cases of insufficient oxygen and difficulty in breathing lemon comes to their rescue. Edmund Hillary, the first man to put his foot on the top of Mt. Everest, has admitted that his victory over Mt. Everest was greatly due to lemon.


• It checks the excessive flow of bile and cleanses the mouth. It dislodges phlegm (cough) and expels wind from the digestive tract.


• It helps in digestion and removes constipation.


• It acts as an anti-aging remedy and can remove wrinkles and blackheads.


• If fresh lemon juice is applied on the areas of toothache, it can assist in getting rid of the pain.


• Lemon is an excellent fruit that aids in fighting problems related to throat infections, sore throat and tonsillitis as it has an antibacterial property.


• If a person takes lemon juice mixed with lukewarm water and honey, it can reduce the body weight as well.


• It controls high blood pressure, dizziness, nausea as well as provides relaxation to mind and body.


• It also reduces mental stress and depression.

A Friendly Reminder

• One should not take concentrated lemon-juice. It should be diluted with water before taking it. Pure lemon­juice contains acid which is injurious to the enamel of teeth.

Information Resource:

http://www.hungrymonster.com/FoodFacts/Food_Facts.cfm?Phrase_vch=Lemons&fid=5590

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon

http://www.earthincommon.com/nutrition_01-article.html

http://www.lifemojo.com/lifestyle/top-10-health-benefits-of-lemon-water-1422542

http://www.naturalhealthezine.com/health-benefits-of-lemon-water/