Wizard Recipes

The lemon is a small, oval, bright-yellow citrus fruit that bulges at the blossom end. The flesh is tart and acidic and is not usually eaten out of hand. Lemons are available year-round, but production is slightly higher in the spring and summer.

Varieties

Lemons can be acid or sweet, but only acidic lemons are grown commercially. The two most common varieties of commercially grown lemons are the large Eureka, which has a pitted skin and few seeds, and the Lisbon, which is smaller and has a smooth skin and no seeds. Sweet lemon trees are used almost exclusively by home gardeners as ornamental plants.

Origin & botanical facts

Lemons originated in southeast Asia, between south China and India. They may have been grown in the Mediterranean region as early as the 1st or 2nd century, because they appear in Roman artwork of the period.

From there, they were brought to the rest of Europe about the time of the Crusades. Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to the Americas, and by the 17th century, lemons and other citrus fruits were well established in what is now Florida.

Throughout the 1800s, however, Florida lemon groves were repeatedly destroyed by frost. California lemon cultivation began during the Gold Rush to alleviate the shortages of fresh fruits and vegetables that led to scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency.

Today, California is the primary source of lemons in the United States, and Arizona ranks second. Other countries with significant commercial lemon crops are Italy, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Iran, Turkey, India, and Egypt.

Lemon trees are tropical plants and can grow only in frost-free regions. They can be standard or dwarf size, and like other citrus trees, they have large, dark green, evergreen leaves and produce very fragrant white flowers. Although they bloom most abundantly in the spring, they also may flower at other times of the year, depending on the climate.

Only about 2 percent of the blossoms produce fruit, but that number still can bring a large harvest. Lemon and other citrus trees can live and continue to bear fruit for as long as 100 years.

Uses

When selecting lemons, choose those that are heavy for their size and bright yellow. Lemons can be kept up to 2 weeks in plastic bags in the refrigerator.

Although lemons are too tart and acidic to eat as fresh fruit, they are among the most versatile and widely used fruits. The juice and grated peel are used to flavor a wide variety of foods and beverages.

Spread on the surface of cut fruits (such as apples) and vegetables (such as potatoes), lemon juice prevents browning that results from oxidation. Frozen lemon juice, but not the processed type (labeled as “reconstituted”), is an acceptable substitute for fresh juice.

Nutrient composition

Lemons are high in vitamin C and fiber and contain bioflavonoids (antioxidants) that may help prevent cancer

Berry is a general term for fruits that are usually small, rounded, and pulpy with seeds embedded in a juicy flesh. The term is loosely applied to a range of fruits belonging to vastly diverse botanical families.

Aside from the more popular berries such as the blackberry, blueberry,cranberry, currant, raspberry, and strawberry, there are a host of less common species, each with its own distinctive shape, color, fragrance, and taste.

Berries were a staple in the diets of our hunting-and-gathering ancestors and still play an important role in the culinary traditions of many peoples around the world.

American Indians used various types of berries as food, medicine, dyes, and food preservatives. Early American settlers developed a taste for the many varieties growing wild in woods and fields of North America, and they learned to use the berries for food and medicine.

Research has shown that several berries have medicinal properties. (Cranberries and blueberries help prevent urinary tract infections.) Most berries contain generous amounts of vitamin C, and some are a good source of fiber because of the skin and seeds.

Blackberry

Also called bramble berries because they grow on thorny bushes (brambles), blackberries range from one-half to an inch long when mature and are purplish black.

Like raspberries, to which they are related, blackberries are oblong and are made up of small edible seeds that are encased in juicy globules adjoining a fleshy base.

The most common varieties of blackberry are the Cherokee (a sweet variety) and the Marion (a tart variety). Boysenberries, loganberries, ollalaberries, sylvanberries and tayberries are hybrids of blackberries and raspberries.

Blackberries are found throughout the temperate zones of the world, growing wild in meadows and at the edge of forests. The bushes flower in spring and bear fruit throughout the summer. Borne in loose clusters on stems that grow from the canes, the berries change from green to red and then to purplish black as they ripen.

Blackberry bushes are so vigorously invasive that they are considered a weed in some areas. Plump, deeply colored blackberries are the most delicious to eat, and immature red berries are tart.

Blackberries are best used immediately, because they spoil quickly. They can be lightly covered and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. Blackberries can be eaten fresh; used as a topping for yogurt, ice cream, and pancakes; tossed into a fruit salad; puréed to make a dessert sauce; or made into blackberry pie. About 98 percent of commercially produced berries are processed into jams, fillings, juices, wines, and brandies.

Blackberries are high in vitamin C, are a good source of dietary fiber, and contain ellagic acid, a phytochemical that may help prevent cancer.

The orange is a reddish yellow, round fruit of the citrus family with a rich, juicy pulp that varies in flavor from very sweet to sour. The pulp of the orange is a segmented ball, each segment wrapped tightly in a thin semi-opaque membrane called the albedo.

The flesh is encased in a sturdy, glossy skin composed of two layers. The outer layer, called the zest, has a pungent but pleasant fragrance, and the inner layer, called the pith, is white, spongy, and bitter. Although some varieties are seedless, most have seeds.

Varieties

There are two common types of oranges: the sweet orange, which is the more common, and the sour orange. The sour orange has a thick skin and is used predominantly in making marmalades and liqueurs.

The sweet varieties are prized both for eating and for their juice. The two most common varieties of sweet orange are the navel and the Valencia.

The navel orange has a thick, easy-to-peel skin, is seedless, and has a mild flavor. Valencia oranges are more commonly known as juice oranges because of their abundant juice content and thinner skin, which makes them easy to squeeze.

Other sweet oranges include the blood orange, with its red pulp, and the Jaffa, imported from Israel.

Origin and botanical facts

The name orange, “naranga” in Sanskrit, comes from the Tamil “naru” and means “fragrant.” The orange is a native of Southeast Asia. The seeds and seedlings of this golden fruit were brought to the New World by European conquerors around 1520.

By the 1820s, the orange was a flourishing crop in Florida. Oranges survived the severe freeze during the winter of 1894-1895 to become the most popular fruit in the United States after apples and bananas.

Oranges grow best in areas that have a subtropical to semitropical climate. The orange tree is a lush evergreen that thrives in warm climates and can simultaneously produce flowers, fruit, and foliage.

For this reason, it is nicknamed the “fertility tree.” When in full bloom, the tree has a fragrant smell.

Uses

Oranges may keep up to 7 days in the refrigerator or in cool room temperatures in ventilated areas. Skin color is not a good guide to quality because some oranges are artificially colored to preserve shelf life and to enhance appeal and marketability.

The fruit is a great snack, although most Americans consume oranges in the form of juice. Oranges are a versatile cooking ingredient. The skin is used commercially in candy and is the base for various liqueurs and cordials.

Nutrient composition

Oranges are high in vitamin C and are a good source of folate. Oranges (but not their juice) are good sources of fiber. Both contain antioxidants that promote health.

Spinach is a leafy vegetable that grows in a dark-green rosette about 8 to 10 inches across. The leaves may be flat or curly, depending on the variety. Cooked spinach has a pungent, earthy flavor and can have a mushy texture; raw spinach is milder and crisp.

Varieties

Spinach comes in two basic types: savoy (curly leaf ) and flat (smooth leaf ). Savoy has crinkly dark-green leaves. Flat-leaf spinach has unwrinkled, spade-shaped leaves and a slightly milder taste than savoy.

A third type that is increasing in popularity is the semi-savoy, whose slightly curly leaves provide some of the texture of savoy but are easier to clean. All varieties have the same appearance when cooked.

Origin and botanical facts

Spinach probably originated in southwest Asia or the western Himalayas, but wild varieties also grow in North Africa and Iran. The leafy vegetable was first cultivated by the Persians. Its cultivation reached China in the 7th century A.D. and Europe in the 9th century, when it was introduced to Spain by the Arabs, who named it.

Today, spinach is grown and enjoyed in many parts of the world. Spinach is an annual plant that requires cool, damp weather and rich, moist soil. Spinach seed can be planted in early spring or in autumn, depending on the variety.

Hardier types will survive the winter in well-drained soils and can be harvested until spring. More tender varieties are planted in spring, as early as February, for summer harvest.

Spinach is ready to be harvested about 6 weeks after planting, when the largest leaves are 6 to 8 inches long.

Uses

Spinach leaves that are crisp and bright to dark green are best. The leaves can be refrigerated in a plastic bag for 3 days. Spinach can be served raw or cooked.

The flat-leaf variety, with its slightly milder flavor, is generally preferred as a raw salad green. Spinach should be cooked very quickly, either by steaming or by sautéing with a minimum of liquid, just until the leaves wilt.

The leaves also can be added to soups, casseroles, and stews. A variety of seasonings, such as lemon juice, soy sauce, horseradish, tomato sauce, or nutmeg, add flavor to spinach dishes. Chopped, seasoned spinach also makes a flavorful stuffing for mushroom caps or a filling for savory pastries.

Nutrient composition

Raw spinach is high in vitamin A (betacarotene) and a good source of vitamin C and folate. Cooked spinach is high in vitamin A (beta-carotene) and folate and is a good source of vitamin C, riboflavin, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, and magnesium.

Although spinach is a good source of iron and calcium, oxalic acid (a chemical that is present in the leaves) inhibits the body’s absorption of these nutrients. Absorption of iron can be increased by eating spinach with a fruit or vegetable that contains vitamin C.

Few things are more pleasurable than eating really good fruit. So why don’t we eat more, and why do we so often fall short of the recommended absolute minimum of two servings of fruit per day ?

Why do Americans seem to prefer a box of store-bought cookies or cake from a mix for dessert ?

Citrus fruit is plentiful in America, grown in abundance in Florida, Arizona, and California. It travels well, keeps well, and is plentiful all year in every state, making it a convenient (and self-packaged) food. Citrus trees are also familiar fixtures in the Mediterranean, as the climate is just right.

Therefore, including lots of fresh oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons, and limes in your diet is quintessentially Mediterranean. And don’t forget the more unusual citrus choices, for variety: kumquats, tangelos, and tangors, if you can get them.

The orange juice industry has made it known that orange juice contains the folic acid so important for women of childbearing age. Deficiencies of folic acid have been linked to fetal abnormalities, and the United States Food and Drug Administration has stated that women of childbearing age can dramatically reduce the risk of having a child with neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly by consuming enough fruits and vegetables to assure adequate folic acid intake.

Although some legumes and vegetables are even richer sources of folic acid, the orange still ranks as a good source.

Citrus fruits’ real claim to fame is its high concentration of the antioxidant vitamin C. Although vitamin C is present in most fruits, one medium orange supplies the entire recommended daily allowance (currently 60 milligrams, although recent studies have suggested that 100 to 200 milligrams daily best saturates cells with vitamin C).

Many studies have linked vitamin C consumption with reduced cancer risk. In addition to vitamin C’s antioxidant properties (discussed in detail in the previous chapter), vitamin C gives the immune system a boost and aids the body in the absorption of iron, particularly that from plant-based sources, which aren’t as readily absorbed by the body as the iron in animal meats.

If you down a glass of orange juice with your iron-fortified cereal (for an extra C boost, throw in a few strawberries, too), your body will absorb more iron than it would without the extra vitamin C (for more on iron, see Chapter Seven).

Vitamin C is also important for maintaining the body’s collagen supply. Collagen is necessary for healing wounds, strengthening blood vessels, and maintaining bones and teeth. Collagen has also been linked to a decreased risk of cancer metastasizing (spreading through the body).

Too much vitamin C (in daily megadoses of over 1,000 milligrams) could lead to kidney stone formation in certain people, and even higher doses have been shown to cause abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and nausea.

Such megadoses would be virtually impossible to achieve from food, and are only a problem when people take vitamin C supplements, so we recommend getting your vitamin C from food sources- and what better food source than citrus fruits?

In addition to vitamin C, citrus fruit has other star qualities. Red grapefruit has been the subject of recent cancer research because of its high level of lycopene, the phytochemical that has been linked to lower rates of prostate and possibly breast and colon cancer. Red grapefruit is sweeter than yellow grapefruit-just one more reason to enjoy it.

Even those who don’t normally appreciate grapefruit’s puckering tang might enjoy the sweeter red variety. Don’t worry about the color of the rind when choosing your citrus. Most commercially produced citrus is waxed and much of it is dyed. The citrus rind and citrus oil are also potent sources of the phytochemical limonene, a monoterpene often used in household products like detergent and furniture polish (which you should not, of course, eat!).

Limonene has exhibited extremely strong anticancer effects, even causing complete regression of mammary tumors in laboratory rats. Try slicing organic citrus rind and candying it for a unique treat, made even more special when dipped in chocolate (for special occasions only-despite the orange rind, this is basically candy).

Many cookbooks contain recipes for candied lemon, orange, and grapefruit peels.

Store citrus fruits in the refrigerator to keep them fresh the longest. Citrus can also be stored in a cool, dry place but will need to be eaten more quickly. Make sure the citrus can breathe. Airtight bags or containers tend to encourage molding. If allowed to come to room temperature, citrus fruits will be juicier and more fragrant.

Did you know that…

• Grated potatoes help your eyes regain their brightness? Potatoes also help reduce superficial burns of the skin, by rubbing the damaged skin with potato juice.
• Our organism cannot produce by itself Omega 3 and Omega 6?
• Each vitamin from the B complex has its functions, but cannot prove its efficiency if not administrated with the other vitamins from the B complex?
• Half of the mineral springs of Europe are located in Romania?
• Green leafed vegetables contain Iron and Calcium and mustn’t be boiled for too long, because they lose their nutrients?
• Vitamin C is eliminated from the blood after ~4 hours of being administrated?
• South America offered the world for the first time chocolate, vanilla, corn, tomatoes, potatoes and peanuts?
• If your sense of smell is very deteriorated you cannot tell the difference between potato and apple?
• You should boil the potatoes in their skin in order not to lose the vitamin C from potatoes ?
• Kiwi contains the most nutrients? It has more Vitamin C than an orange and  more Potassium than a banana?
• A few tablets of dark chocolate, consumed daily, have the same effect as aspirin? Dark chocolate reduces the risk of heart  and cerebral attacks?