Warm weather brings about bugs. Kitchens become meccas for ants, flies and the occasional roach family. Many home chefs have to deal with this by product of higher temps. It is annoying but luckily can be brought under control with the right products.
The dilemma facing many a home owner is how to humanely get rid of these "visitors." Sure, you can use commercial ant sprays but do you want to? Insecticides have strong and always chemical ingredients. These require gloves because of their strength as well as diluting the powder or liquid with the recommended amount of water. Some leave a powdery white residue that could prove to be harmful to children and animals.Ant bait ,used for lure, is a granular sugar like substance that are filled with poison. A more humane and safer way to go is using natural repellents.Lemon juice works well. The sugar loving insects will be repulsed by the fruit's intense sourness.Another natural cure is cinnamon. You would think the spice's musky sweetness would attract them but that' s quite the opposite. Home chefs scatter it along with ground cloves around doorways and windows. Cinnamon oil can also be used. You can also use freshly picked peppermint leaves along with peppermint oil to repel them.
Roaches are year round and even worse to get rid of than ants.Again you can use roach spray and traps. There is the classic Raid which comes in sprays and foggers, It and similar products have a chemical known as pyrethroids which cause paralysis in bugs.Other chemicals used are carbamates and organophospates which render certain amino acids inactive. These cause the bugs to die.One dosing may be great however home chefs need to be very aware that constant use of these insecticides can cause problems in humans and companion animals.Again the best path is the all natural one.A better idea is putting cedar chips in the corners of your kitchen. A classic that has worked for decades is the bay leaf. You can buy them in your store's spice section and strew the leaves where the walls meet the floor.Flies are not so much in a summer kitchen but they are a problem at outdoor picnics and barbecues. The easiest is having electronic pest devices on the tables. These emit a high pitch sound that scares the bugs away from the food.
Don't let the bugs of summer bug your cooking. Use all natural remedies to get rid of these critters.It makes for easier and cleaner work.
Showing posts with label picnics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label picnics. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
An Herbal Feast For The New Year
The Persian New Year ,Nowruz, starts with the coming of Spring and all things green.It's no wonder that the new year's feast is full of verdant herbs. These are not only celebrating the rebirth of all things vital but Iranian cuisine itself.
Samin Nosrat,a famed food writer and teacher herself, wrote about her holiday and the foods. that are a big part of it .The holiday lasts thirteen days and begins on Monday with the coming of Spring. Families gather around a haft sin, a table spread with seven items.These are sprouts which symbolize rebirth, along with apples that represent beauty and purity.Music is played and rosewater dabbled into guests'palms.It's eleven days of herb filled savory dishes and tea treats.On the final day, Persians take to the outdoors with a celebratory picnic.Most of the meals eaten are usually at home. The cuisine is labor intensive with a good deal of time spent chopping herbs.The focus is on easy to make kebabs and rice, Herbs play such a significant part in the cooking that they measured by the kilogram instead of the bunch in Iran. They can be served fresh but also withered, stewed and even fried in the cuisine.
The herbs figure heavily in the recipes, Ms. Nosrat gives.There is a herb and radish salad with feta and walnuts.It's rich with chives and cilantro, along with dill, mint and tarragon. They're mixed into a vinaigrette , then poured on top of radish and cut Persian cucumbers that have been tossed with crumbled feta cheese.Another festive dish is herbed rice with tahdig.Again there is a large quantity of dill and cilantro, about a cup each into basmati rice that has been cooked with leeks - another flavorful green.it turned into a crisp cake that's been pan fried. The bottom layer is the basmati mixed with Greek yogurt and the rest of the rice is piled upon it.Fish is also laden with herbs. Branzino or rainbow trout is stuffed with the finely chopped leaves and stems of both cilantro and dill. A cup of chopped chives gives it some punch as do scallions and garlic. Tarragon rounds out the flavor with its' mild earthy sweet taste.The filling becomes a kind of pesto when walnuts and oil are added to the blend.
Persian cooking celebrates the verdancy of a returning Spring. It' is a time of enjoying the freshness of herbs in all savory dishes. These bring to mind the renewal of the season.
Samin Nosrat,a famed food writer and teacher herself, wrote about her holiday and the foods. that are a big part of it .The holiday lasts thirteen days and begins on Monday with the coming of Spring. Families gather around a haft sin, a table spread with seven items.These are sprouts which symbolize rebirth, along with apples that represent beauty and purity.Music is played and rosewater dabbled into guests'palms.It's eleven days of herb filled savory dishes and tea treats.On the final day, Persians take to the outdoors with a celebratory picnic.Most of the meals eaten are usually at home. The cuisine is labor intensive with a good deal of time spent chopping herbs.The focus is on easy to make kebabs and rice, Herbs play such a significant part in the cooking that they measured by the kilogram instead of the bunch in Iran. They can be served fresh but also withered, stewed and even fried in the cuisine.
The herbs figure heavily in the recipes, Ms. Nosrat gives.There is a herb and radish salad with feta and walnuts.It's rich with chives and cilantro, along with dill, mint and tarragon. They're mixed into a vinaigrette , then poured on top of radish and cut Persian cucumbers that have been tossed with crumbled feta cheese.Another festive dish is herbed rice with tahdig.Again there is a large quantity of dill and cilantro, about a cup each into basmati rice that has been cooked with leeks - another flavorful green.it turned into a crisp cake that's been pan fried. The bottom layer is the basmati mixed with Greek yogurt and the rest of the rice is piled upon it.Fish is also laden with herbs. Branzino or rainbow trout is stuffed with the finely chopped leaves and stems of both cilantro and dill. A cup of chopped chives gives it some punch as do scallions and garlic. Tarragon rounds out the flavor with its' mild earthy sweet taste.The filling becomes a kind of pesto when walnuts and oil are added to the blend.
Persian cooking celebrates the verdancy of a returning Spring. It' is a time of enjoying the freshness of herbs in all savory dishes. These bring to mind the renewal of the season.
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