Food, Recipe and Activity of the Week - November 11, 2007
This week's features include:
Food - Pear
Recipe - Microwave breakfast cobbler
Activity - Badminton
History
People have been enjoying the sweet flavor of the pear since ancient times. Early Romans loved pears so much that they developed ways to produce over fifty varieties of pears with different textures and colors. Soon after, the pear was cultivated in Europe, producing hundreds of varieties of the delectable fruit.
The famous Bartlett pear was originally grown in Berkshire, England back in the 17th century by a teacher named John Stair. Stair sold some of his pear tree branches to a horticulturist named Williams who further refined the breed and named it after himself. When European immigrants crossed the Atlantic Ocean to settle in America, they brought the Williams pear seedlings with them. The name of the pear changed to Bartlett in 1812 in Dorchester, Massachusetts when a gardener named Enock Bartlett, unaware of the pear's true name, sold the pear under his own name. The Bartlett pear spread to the Western front during the Gold Rush and has since become America's favorite pear.
Source: California Pears
Pear storage
To ripen your pears, place any variety in a paper bag in room temperature. Ripening should only take 2 to 5 days. To check if they are ready to eat, press your thumb gently into the stem end of the pear. If it is slightly soft to the pressure of your thumb, it is ripe and ready to eat! Refrigeration is recommended if they are ripe and are not eaten right away. You can store pears for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
What about the color of a pear?
The color of a pear does not represent how ripe it is, so it is best to do the thumb test. Bartlett pears turn from green to yellow when they are ripe. Some varieties of pears that are red in color will turn from dark to bright red. Still other varieties might not change in color at all.
Nutrient analysis for 1 medium pear: calories: 98, protein: <1g, carbohydrate: 25g, fat: <1g, cholesterol: 0mg, saturated fat: <1g, sodium: 0mg, fiber: 4g
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 can (16 ounces) peaches, sliced and drained
- 1 can (16 ounces) pears, halves and drained
- 1 cup (6 ounces) prunes, pitted and halved
- 1 tsp orange peel, grated
- 1 1/2 cup granola cereal, lowfat
- 1/3 cup orange juice
Directions:
In a 6-cup shallow microwave bowl toss peaches, pears, prunes, orange peel and orange juice. Top with granola. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes. Spoon into bowls. Serve with plain yogurt if desired.
Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 274, Fat 3g, 3 g Protein, 64 g Carbohydrate, Cholesterol 0 mg, Fiber 7g, Sodium 85 mg.
Reprinted with permission from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 5 a day website. More recipes are available at www.5aday.gov/month/index.html
Badminton is the world's fastest racquet sport: a shuttle (aka birdie) can leave the racket at a speed of almost 200 mph! And in competitive badminton, the shuttle isn't the only thing moving at a fast pace. Badminton athletes must have explosiveness, quick reflexes, rapid hand-eye coordination, and also possess top aerobic endurance. In a competitive game, athletes move at a fast pace running, jumping, twisting, stretching, and striking. In a typical two-game singles match, top players will cover nearly every inch of the court and travel more than a mile!
The game of badminton dates back at least two thousand years to the game of battledore and shuttlecock played in ancient Greece, India, and China. The game took its name from Badminton House of Gloucestershire, the home of the Duke of Beaufort, where the sport was played in the last century.
In the United States the first badminton club was formed in 1878. The Badminton Club of New York became a weekend meeting place for New York 's society leaders. In 1936 the American Badminton Association was organized, changing later, in 1978, to USBA. As of September1995 nearly 2,700 members belong to the USBA. The USBA sends players to various championships including the World Championships, the Junior Championships, and the Pan American Games.
To enjoy a game of badminton though, you needed be a world-class player. Badminton is an exciting indoor or outdoor sport that can be played with friends or competitively through a club. Follow these steps to play a game of badminton:
- Toss a coin. The winner of the toss may choose to receive or serve first.
- Always serve from the right side and serve to the diagonal service box.
- Serve underhand only.
- Count scored points only on your serve.
- Gain control of the serve by winning the point when your opponent is serving.
- Score a point when the shuttle lands in your opponent's court.
- Also score a point when your opponent hits the shuttle out of your court, into the net, hits the shuttle with his body or clothing, or hits it before it crossed the net.
- Win the game by scoring 15 points first.
- Play a match based on the best two out of three.
A 130-pound person can burn approximately 342 calories playing a leisure game of badminton for one hour.
Be sure to consult a physician before beginning any new form of physical activity.
For more information, go to www.usabadminton.org