Food, Recipe and Activity of the Week - May 25, 2008
This week's features include:
Food - Strawberry
Recipe - Strawberry cran-cooler
Activity - Bocce Ball
History
Strawberries have a long history, dating all the way back to 234 B.C. Strawberries were first grown in Italy, where they grew wild all along the land. The ancient Romans loved their strawberries, but after the fall of Rome, their popularity declined. Not until the middle ages did strawberries regain their popularity, this time across all of Europe. The Europeans saw the strawberry not so much as a delicious treat but as a food that could help with depression, fainting, inflammation, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, and many other sicknesses.
When Europeans came to North America , they found the American Indians were already enjoying the taste of strawberries. In fact, the American Indians would add crushed strawberries to cornmeal to make strawberry bread. The pilgrims enjoyed it so much that they began making their own version of the recipe, which is now called strawberry shortcake.
Before the mid 1800's, only the wealthy could enjoy the sweet taste of strawberries. Train and automobile transportation made it possible for the popularity of strawberries to become more widespread because strawberries could be shipped longer distances.
Today, the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand are the major producers of strawberries. In the U.S., California grows over 80 percent of the country's strawberries, producing approximately one billion pounds of strawberries every year!
Selection / Storage / Preparation
Selection - The season for strawberries is between the months of April and July, although they can usually be found in grocery stores year-round. When selecting strawberries, make sure that they have shiny skin that is deep red in color. Avoid purchasing strawberries that have yellow or green spots as this is a sign that they are not fully ripe. Once off the vine, strawberries do not continue to ripen. Prepackaged strawberries should not be packed really tight because this causes the flesh to become bruised and damaged. The plastic around the package should be dry and not discolored. If you want sweeter strawberries, try finding the medium-sized berries. Larger strawberries are sometimes more tart.
Storage - Strawberries are quite perishable and can only last in the refrigerator for a few days. Before refrigeration, pick out the strawberries that appear spoiled because they will cause the other berries to spoil. The remaining strawberries can be placed back in the original container, unwashed. They can also be placed on a plate, unwashed, covered with a paper towel, then wrapped in plastic. Strawberries kept at room temperature should be stored away from sunlight to avoid spoiling. Strawberries can also be frozen for up to one year. Start by washing the strawberries and patting them dry. Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. The stems can either be removed or remain attached. Lemon juice can be added to the strawberries prior to freezing to retain their color. After three to four hours, place them in a heavy plastic bag. Strawberries can also be cut into pieces or crushed and then frozen, but this results in a loss of vitamin C. Freezing whole strawberries will retain more of the vitamin C.
Preparation - Fresh strawberries should only be washed right before eating or right before being added to a recipe. Wash with the green cap still attached as this will prevent the berry to soak up excess water causing a change in texture and flavor.
Nutrition
Strawberries are rich in phenols, which provide the red color and function as antioxidants to prevent oxidative damage to cells. Therefore, the antioxidants in strawberries help protect against cardiovascular diseases, some forms of cancer and anti-inflammatory diseases. A study involving 1,271 adults over the age of 65 showed that strawberries were among the top eight foods that decreased rates of death from cancer. Subjects who consumed little or no strawberries were three times more likely to develop cancer than those who consumed the most strawberries. Strawberries also contain other nutrients in significant amounts such as vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fiber.
Nutrition analysis per 1/2 cup serving of strawberries: calories: 22, fat: <1g, cholesterol: 0mg, protein: <1g, carbohydrate: 5g, sodium: 1mg, potassium: 120mg, fiber: 2g, vitamin C: 41mg, folate: 13mcg
Adapted from: The World's Healthiest Foods, University of Illinois Extension and Dole 5 A Day
Makes 4-10 ounce servings
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen sliced strawberries, reserving 4 slices or whole berries for glass decoration
- 2 cups chilled cranberry juice drink
- 4 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup ice
- 1/2 cup ginger ale
Directions:
Combine strawberries, cranberry juice, and honey in blender and run on HIGHEST speed to puree strawberries. Once berries are smooth, and while blender is running, add ice and allow to blend until smooth. Remove from blender base; add ginger ale. Stir briefly, pour into chilled glasses and decorate with a whole strawberry or slice on the rim of the glass. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Nutritional Information (per serving): 200 calories, 0 grams fat, 1 gram protein, 53 g carbohydrate, 3 grams dietary fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium. Recipe courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more recipes and other information about fruits and vegetables visit : http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5aday/index.htm
If you have never played Bocce Ball, you are in for a great time! Bocce ball is one of the oldest games ever played by humans. It dates all the way back to 5000 B.C. when the Egyptians played a form of Bocce Ball with rocks. The game was introduced to the US by Italian immigrants at the turn of the century. Since then, it has become a tradition in many households. A 150 lb person can burn up to approximately 200 calories per hour while playing bocce ball.
So invite your family and friends over for a game while the weather is nice! All you need is a long, flat stretch of grass (cut short) or pavement and a set of bocce balls to play. Follow these directions to get your game underway.
How to play bocce ball:
- Measure out a stretch of land for the bocce ball court (measuring 76 ft long by 10 ft wide).
- You will need two teams of one, two, or four players each. Each team gets four bocce balls, divided evenly among players.
- Flip a coin to see which team starts first. Taking the smallest ball, called the “pallina,” a player from the starting team will throw the ball to the opposite end of the court, standing in front of the foul line (which is 10 ft from the throwing end of the court).
- The same player will throw one of the larger balls, called the “boccia,” trying to get the boccia as close as possible to the pallina. The purpose of the game is to get as many boccias closest to the pallina without touching it.
- The opposing team will take turns throwing each of their boccias until one of the balls ends up closer to the pallina than the starting player's ball. If the opposing team does not get closer than the starting player's ball, the starting team tries to outdo its first throw.
- The starting team takes their second turn only if the opposing team gets closer to the pallina than the starting team without using all of their balls.
- Continue with these steps until all eight balls have been tossed.
- The team with the closest ball scores one point for each of its balls that are closer to the pallina than the other team's closest ball.
- No points are awarded if both team's closest balls are equal distances from the pallina.
- The team to score points wins that frame and begins the next. If no points are awarded, the team to throw the pallina last throws it again.
- Play as many frames until one of the teams scores a total of 16 points.
- You can also try to throw your boccia to knock the pallina closer to your team's balls, or you can knock the other team's balls away from the pallina.
Above information adapted from: eHow.com: How to Play Bocce Ball