Food, Recipe, and Activity of the Week - July 19, 2009
This week's features include:
Food - Cherry
Recipe - Cherry pepper salad
Activity - Windsurfing
History
People have been enjoying the sweet, tart flavor of the red cherry for centuries. If we could travel back in time, we would see that cherries were served as part of large feasts for Roman conquerors, Chinese noblemen, and Greek citizens. Cherries were brought to America in the early 1600's, when some of the first settlers set foot on American soil. French settlers from Normandy brought cherry pits along with them and planted them along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian missionary from Michigan, was the first to begin large-scale cherry production in 1852. He began by planting many trees near Traverse City, Michigan. Shortly thereafter, other farmers began following suit, making cherry production in the state of Michigan a booming industry. Today, Michigan still remains the number one cherry producer, growing approximately 75% of the nation's cherries.
Adapted from: The National Cherry Festival
Cherry Availability / Selection / Storage
Cherries are a summer fruit, available from the months of June to August. Be sure to select cherries that are plump and reddish brown in color because they will be the most flavorful. Cherries can be stored for up to two weeks at a temperature of 32 degrees.
Nutrition
Research has shown that cherries are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, which help protect against cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and possibly even gout and headaches. Cherries are rich in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. They contain significant amounts of vitamin A, which is required for night vision, immune function, and helps keep skin healthy.
Nutrient Analysis of one 1/2 cup fresh, tart cherries: calories: 39, fat: <1g, cholesterol: 0, protein: 1g, carbohydrate: 9g, potassium: 134mg, vitamin A: 994 IU, vitamin C: 8mg, fiber: 1g
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pitted fresh sweet cherries
- 1 cup thinly sliced sweet yellow peppers
- 1 cup thinly sliced green peppers
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced mild chili pepper
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp pickled ginger strips (optional)
- 4 cups mixed greens
Instructions:
- Toss together all ingredients except greens.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Serve atop the mixed greens.
Nutrition Information: 70 calories, 2 grams total fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams protein, 3 grams fiber, 90 milligrams sodium, 0 milligrams cholesterol.
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. For more recipes and access to the recipe’s full nutritional profile, visit www.cdc.gov.
Windsurfing is a wonderful way to alone enjoy beautiful clear water and to let your mind and body glide away. It is also a sport where you can sail with a crowd of hundreds of other windsurfers and take part of a unique camaraderie. It is a fun and easy sport that can be enjoyed by people of different shapes and ages. Some people believe that you have to be physically strong to windsurf, but a 100 lb girl can windsurf just as well as a 200 lb guy. It is a matter of technique, right equipment, and proper conditions. If you are a beginner it is recommended to take a few lessons from reputable instructors, to learn the proper technique and to use the right equipment.
Windsurfing can be an expensive sport, however you can get a good setup for $500 and the wind is free. This is similar to snow skiing except you do not need lift tickets, or registration fees.
In order to surf there are some safety procedures that you need to pay attention to:
- Stay with your board, it is a good floating device.
- Prepare for the conditions (wet suit/dry suit, sunscreen etc.)
- Know the sailing site (weather, boat traffic etc.)
- Learn the International Distress Signal. If you are in serious need of help, sit on your board and keep raising and lowering your arms above your head and down to your sides. This signal is recognized worldwide as the sign for help when you are on the water.
Another factor to pay attention to is the wind. Before you sail you need to learn how to read the wind. First determine from which way the wind is blowing. You can do so by tossing sand or grass in the air and see which way it is blowing. The next step is to build yourself a wind clock. Twelve o'clock is from where the wind is blowing, which is referred to as upwind. Six o'clock is the down wind, and three to nine o'clock are the crosswinds. You can never sail upwind, thus if you need to go to a location that is in the 12 o'clock position you need to criss-cross back and forth forward to get there, to make sure that the wind is always blowing in your sail.
There are six steps to windsurfing:
Kneeling position - Place the board in the water and wade out to no deeper than the waistline. Place the board in the three to nine o'clock position and the mast in the six o'clock position.
Jump up on the board and stand on your knees with one leg on each side of the mast.
Uphauling - Keep the mast in the 6 o'clock position and stand up. Bend your knees and pull up the rig putting hand over hand.
Grab the mast and make sure the sail is not touching the water. This is the neutral position.
The Neutral Position - In the neutral position you can do your maneuvers. Keep you back straight, your knees extended and lean slightly backwards. Have one foot on each side of the mast and do not pull the mast too close to your body.
In this position you can turn the board. Leaning the mast forward will turn the board downwind (left), and leaning the mast towards the tail will turn the board upwind (right).
Ready Position - In the neutral position, let go of your backhand and put your back foot on the centerline. Place your front foot just behind the mast slightly pointing towards the front.
Maintain the sail in a perpendicular position.
Set Position - Pull the mast toward the centerline so that the wind is blowing in the sail. Pull until you can see through the sail window. Keep your upper body and shoulders parallel to the boom.
Place your front hand on the boom and hold your hands shoulder width apart.
Sailing Position - Slowly rotate your upper body to fill the sail with the wind.
Pull in the sail with your back hand. If you feel like the wind is going to tip you over, slightly let go of your back hand.
You are now surfing!