Monday, September 19, 2011

Home Brewing

A few months ago, a book on home brewing caught my eye in my monthly cookbook catalog. “Home brewing”, I thought, “how involved is that process?” So, to answer my question I checked out several books on the frothy subject from the library.

Immediately I was intoxicated. Malts, hops, yeast, wort, racking, original gravity, final gravity, pitching, etc. And, the recipes go on and on. So many. Needless to say, I ordered that original home brewing book. I had a hard time choosing my first brew but I finally settled on Honey Red Ale.

I have all of my hardware. The brew kettle, fermentation bucket, carboy, hydrometer and siphon. This is the short list. I plan to purchase the ingredients this weekend. Most recipes yield 5 gallons which is the equivalent of about 45-50 bottles of beer. I like beer but that is a lot of beer!

I will be sharing most of the beer, which will be bottled under the name “Brewlene”. I couldn't resist. I wonder if my circle of friends will increase while I learn the art of zymurgy. I guess that is all a matter of taste. Cheers!

September 28th is Drink Beer Day

Monday, September 5, 2011

Purple Reigns

I believe potatoes are not getting their just due. People often shun these tubers when they are dieting and they should not. What they need to shun is the butter, sour cream and chips. But potatoes should be a part of any healthy diet. Especially purple ones.

Yes, purple potatoes. Peruvian purple potatoes to be exact. Peru is the world's potato capital. Peruvian potatoes dates back to the Incan empire. The diversity of tubers in Peru is unprecedented, with the purple potatoes reigning supreme.

A recent study has shown that purple potatoes has a high concentration of antioxidants, which protects your body from molecules called “free radicals” that can damage healthy cells. One potato has only 110 calories, sans the butter and sour cream. And, they taste great mashed, baked or broiled. No frying allowed for nutritional benefits. Sorry, but those are the rules.


September is National Potato Month