NOT BY BREAD ALONE

 

 

For years, bread has been known as ‘the staff of life” because it supports life itself. It also has lots of “relatives” that fall into that category such as rolls, bagels, English muffins, tortillas and even crackers.

There is nothing that smells better than fresh bread baking. Its aroma just says home and invites you to gather ‘round the table. That’s what makes it so irresistible and I have to admit that I love my bread as much as anyone.

Lately, though, bread and its counterparts have gotten a bad rap as folks are trying to cut carbs because  carbs are bad for you, if you want to lose weight you have to cut them and so on. Well, the truth of the matter is that we all need carbs, especially in the form of whole grains.

My go-to lately has been English muffins. I love the rounds with the big holes in them. So, I was wondering if it actually did make a difference what form our whole grains were baked into. Like we all have known for a while, any form of bread is better with whole grains instead of its bleached white counterpart.

What actually makes a whole grain whole are its three parts consisting of bran, germ and endosperm. These are the edible parts of a kernel of grain. The bran is the multi-layered outer skin of the kernel which contains fiber, antioxidants and B vitamins. The germ is the embryo which has the potential to sprout into a new plant. It contains B vitamins, some protein, healthy fats and minerals. The endosperm is the germ’s food supply, providing energy to the young plant so it can send roots down for water and nutrients and sprouts up for the sun’s photosynthesizing power. It contains proteins, starchy carbohydrates and some minerals and vitamins.

Whole grains contain all three parts but refining usually removes the bran and the germ. Retaining all three parts is what makes whole grains a better nutritional choice.

There are also slight differences between the various forms of grain products:

BREADS. Breads are usually made into loaves, sliced for sandwiches or left whole for more crusty breads. The term “bread” covers a whole slew of products including regular white and whole wheat varieties, sourdough, French, rye, pumpernickel, multi-grain and raisin and more.

One quirky fact about bread is that eating it toasted is better for you than not. My mother always told me this and I always thought it was a myth until recently. Toasting starts a chain of biochemical reactions. As it is heated, moisture is evaporated and the surface browns. This chemical reaction is known as the Maillard Reaction and makes bread crunchy instead of fluffy and the reduced water makes toast a little lighter than bread.

Contrary to belief, toasting does not kill the nutrients and the glycemic index is usually lower in toasted bread, making it better for diabetics. So, in that way, toast is better for you!

WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLAS. Although carb-rich, these can be a healthier choice than some breads because they are high in fiber and lower in fats, sodium and simple sugars. Whole wheat varieties have just .5 grams of simple sugars and most of the carbs are complex carbohydrates which help reduce blood sugar levels.

BAGELS. These round yeast rolls with holes in the middle have become popular over the years. Staples of the Jewish community, they became popular in New York in the late 19^th century. The original German ones do not have eggs in the dough and malt is used in place of sugar. Bagels, like pretzels, are made by first boiling them in water to lock in the flavor before they are browned in the oven for a hard crust. This process produces a dense, chewy roll with a crisp exterior.

Known in some places as “cement doughnuts,” bagels pack more carbs and more sugar than English muffins and some breads. A fresh bagel can pack 500 calories compared to a standard English muffin with only 120 calories, thus they are not always the healthiest choice.

CRACKERS. Crackers are made by layering dough made with the simple ingredients of flour, sugar, salt and water. The dough is first rolled in a flat sheet and then holes are punched in it. These tiny vents in crackers are known as dockers and allow steam to escape during the baking process which prevents them from rising like other biscuits or breads.

The holes minimize the air bubbles which make the crackers flat and crispy. There is a science to the placement of the holes; too close together and the cracker will be dry and hard to chew whereas if they are too far apart, the cracker will disintegrate.

Crackers can either be a healthy choice or not. Most are high in sodium, but if you choose ones that are high in fiber and low in sodium, they become a healthy snack.

ENGLISH MUFFINS. These have become my favorites and go-to source of whole grains. They are a yeast bread and are usually cooked on an iron skillet. When they first originated in Wales in the 10^th century, they were considered fare of the lower class. However, by the 19^th century, they became popular at teas and were sold throughout England and Wales.

The dough consists of flour, yeast, salt, water or milk, a little sugar and the addition of either baking soda or baking powder along with the yeast. The dough is left to rise and then shaped into rounds and left to rise again. This process produces a light and fluffy muffin with a crispy crust on the outside which is browned in a skillet on both sides and then dusted with corn meal.

English muffins are famous for their large holes which can sop up lots of butter, honey, jelly or any other topping. Thus, it is usually the toppings that make them unhealthy. Plain English muffins are actually good for you since they contain less sugar. A way to make them even healthier is to use honey in the dough rather than sugar. They are often recommended over bread on diet plans.

To get the large holes, the secret is to not punch down the dough when shaping into rounds. This rise is what creates the air pockets which produce the holes.

English muffins are also versatile. They can be topped with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast, split and topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese for individual pizzas, sliced and used for sandwiches with slices of turkey, ham or tuna or split and used for burgers instead of buns. They have more texture and fewer calories than refined white buns.

Too many folks have given up beloved bread products when all they have to do is switch to whole grains instead of refined flours to make them a healthy choice. The best part is that you can go for healthy without sacrificing taste…now that’s a win-win!

 

BLACK WALNUTS...FALL TREAT OR SCOURGE

 

 

Late summer and fall bring a treat or scourge to many people’s backyards, depending on your point of view. Black walnuts are one of the most valuable and fully utilized natural forest trees in the United States…or one of the most nuisance trees around. Folks either love them or hate them, there usually isn’t any middle ground.

Although they are found in 32 states, they are most abundant in Missouri (some of us beg to differ on this fact) where they are the state tree. They can be planted but are not grown in orchards, instead growing wild in yards, fields and forests.

They make great shade trees since their average height is 50 feet tall and some have even been reported to reaching 100 feet. They grow just as wide which provides lots of shade. Since their lifespan is 150 years, the trees are destined to be around for quite some time. In autumn, their leaves turn bright yellow which is in stark contrast to their black trunks.

The black walnut is a very versatile tree. Its fruit is used in both sweet and savory dishes, its wood is prized for furniture and gun stocks and the husks are used to make dyes. Its shells are the hardest of any tree nut in the world.

They have quite the repertoire. Not to be confused with the English walnut, black walnut shells have been used to clean the Statue of Liberty and the United States Navy have used them to clean its ships and submarines. They are also used as filler in dynamite.

 

THE NUTS. Here is where the controversy comes into play. They start falling and cluttering up a yard in late summer. Since they don’t all fall at once, it is a never-ending task. If you don’t like the nutmeats, this can seem like an un-ending chore, especially when mature trees can produce between 66 and 350 pounds of nuts per tree per year. However, if you like their rich, bold taste, then it becomes a labor of love.

 

These unique, all natural sustainable nuts have the highest level of protein of any nut and they are still all picked by hand. Early settlers added them to soups and stews and ground them into meal for baking. The sweet, earthy nutmeats are also a tasty snack when eaten raw. Their hard shells provide a perfect package for storing the nuts over winter.

 

HARVESTING. They should be collected as soon after they fall as possible to avoid molding or letting squirrels and other creatures beat you to them. There are basically only two ways to do this, either pick them up by hand or use a nut collector which is a tool that you roll over the ground and it collects them.

Removing the hulls is the hard part…literally. Some folks hit them with a hammer, some strew them in their driveways and run over them with vehicles and some use nutcrackers. There used to be an elderly gentleman from my area that would collect all the walnuts he could and then would sit and crack them while watching basketball games on TV all winter.

Whichever method you use, it works best if you strike the shell at a ninety-degree angle to the seam of the shell then use pliers to chip away at the rest. Remember to wear gloves since they will stain your hands.

After you have successfully cracked the nuts and gotten the nutmeats out, they need to be dried for a couple weeks. Either lay the meats on a screen or drying rack or put them in a mesh bag so they can get good air flow. They can be stored un-shelled for up to a year, preferably in the freezer.

 

LUMBER FROM BLACK WALNUTS.  The easily worked, close-grained wood of the black walnut tree is highly prized by furniture and cabinet makers. The attractive color and exceptional durability of the logs makes them in such high demand for veneer that walnut rustlers would harvest trees in the dead of night, sometimes even by helicopter.

Early settlers found that the rich brown heartwood was very resistant to decay. Thus, they used them for just about everything, including fence posts, poles and shingles.

 

GROWING BLACK WALNUTS TREES. Black walnut trees are surprisingly easy to grow. If grown with other trees in close proximity, they tend to grow straight and tall. Thus, those grown in a forest tend to have long, straight trunks, the exact characteristics that make them ideal lumber logs. However, if you are planting them with this intention, keep in mind that it is a two-generation process for them to get large enough to make veneer logs.

 

If they are planted in the open, they branch out more. To reach maturity and start bearing nuts takes eight to ten years. Unlike other trees, black walnuts are prone to a unique reproductive pattern known as alternate or biennial bearing. It’s a natural phenomenon that prevents trees from over-extending their resources. This is the reason that one year a tree will produce a heavy crop while other years there will be a light or no crop of walnuts.

 

BLACK WALNUT’S “DARK SIDE.” Roots of black walnuts can extend up to 50 feet from the base of the tree and exude a natural herbicide called juglone. This is also present in the leaves and fruit and is the reason why many plants will not grow under or around walnut trees. This reserves water and nutrients for the tree itself by limiting its competition.

This is why tomatoes, potatoes, pears, berries and many other fruits, vegetables and landscape plants are stunted or killed if planted under the trees or in close proximity of the tree’s dripline.

 

QUIRKY BLACK WALNUT FACTS:

*If your love/hate relationship with these trees borders on the hate side, you can intercept and reduce the amount of nuts a tree produces by applying a nitrogen fertilizer to the soil around the tree in early spring and late summer. Water well to make sure the nitrogen soaks into the root zone so it is absorbed. According to Washington State University, extra nitrogen causes a flush of vegetation growth while limiting fruit production.

*Many folks refrain from planting black walnut trees near their homes or other buildings because they tend to draw lightning strikes. Although we have all heard that “oaks draw the strokes,” black walnuts rate right up with them. All trees attract lightning because they are tall, filled with moisture and provide good conductivity. Lightning frequently selects large deep-rooted tree species and walnut trees fit the bill.

*Walnuts can be “one shell of a business.” There are approximately 215 buying stations across the country that will buy these hard gems, however they only deal in large quantities. If you have only a couple trees, you can still sell them to local buyers and don’t forget that the nutmeats are not the only valuable part in demand. Some companies also buy the hulls to use in different processes.

Love them or hate them, black walnut trees are scattered throughout the country and are unique in their own right.

 

 

SOME GRANDPARENTS NEVER GROW UP

 

Life can be strange sometimes, almost backwards. When we are kids, we can’t wait to grow up and do all the things adults do but when we find out all the responsibilities that being a grownup entails we long for our youth again.

Grandparents are a different breed altogether. After raising kids and making some mistakes along the way, we have learned. We want to do better with the grandkids. It’s really important to us that they like us, that they think we are fun, that we are cool (does anyone actually say that anymore??) and that they really want to come and stay with us.

So, we think of fun things to do with them when they come, we ALWAYS fix their favorite foods which always includes ice cream and popcorn and, miraculously, our joints just don’t hurt when they are around so we can crawl all over the floor and play with them. Isn’t that amazing!

Even though we enjoy all of this, the magical part is that when we need a break, they can go home. We just don’t think it can get any better than this. But then, something horrible and unimaginable happens. They grow up. They weren’t supposed to. Well, in the back of our minds we always knew that one day they would become responsible young adults who we would be so proud of, but how did it happen so quick? That quirky, funny, magical age when they thought we were the center of the universe was supposed to last if not forever, then at least 20 or 30 years. It doesn’t.

This is the problem. Although we love watching them become their own persons, we like to regress to that state of play and happy-go-luckiness (OK, this may not be an actual word, but we grandparents have the luxury of calling things whatever we want!) that we knew as kids and our grandkids take us there. When they grow up, it forces us to grow up….again, and we are not very good at that.

As hard as we try, there are just a few things that we can’t leave behind. Just so you grandkids…er, young adults now, know…..

HUGS. Just so you know, this is the biggy. Until you are grandparents yourselves (which we sincerely hope is a little while down the road yet), you will never know the joy we feel when you wrap your little arms around us and squeeze. It makes us feel like we are the only ones in the world to you. We were used to getting them when you came over, when you left, when you went to bed, when we dropped you off to soccer practice, when we picked you up, basically just about all the time.

We are having withdrawals. It’s imperative that you wean us off slowly on this one. Now, we know that when you are around friends or even girlfriends or boyfriends (oh gosh no!) it is embarrassing for you to hug us or heaven forbid that we hug you. This is muddy territory; what do we do, a handshake, a wave, tuck our hands behind our backs and walk away?

Help us out here, we are trying our best. So, just know that it takes all of our effort to refrain. So, when no one is around, could you still sneak us a hug or two. We promise that we’ll do better, but we really need these from you.

SLOBBERY KISSES. Running a real close second behind hugs, we miss these too. It always seemed that the better the clothes we had on, the more slobbery the kisses were and that was just fine! The only time this was a little embarrassing was in front of your Mom and Dad because they remember when they did it and they usually got a scolding. Oh well, we know those kisses aren’t coming back because they were only a right of passage but we just wanted you to know what they meant to us.

NOSINESS. OK, this is a really sticky one. We remember that whenever we saw you, you couldn’t wait to tell us about every single, minute detail of everything that had happened in your life for the last forever. Now, it’s like pulling teeth to find out anything that is going on with you. It’s like,

 “How’s everything going?”

 

“Good.”

 

“What have you been up to?”

 

“Not much.”

 

“How’s school?”

 

“Good.”

 

Give us a little break here. We remember when we thought you would never quit talking, and that was just fine. Now, it’s like we have to crack some secret code to find out anything about your life. These one word answers just aren’t getting it….you do speak in whole sentences yet, don’t you?

We’re not being nosey, we just care. It really strikes a nerve when we see on FB that you got sunburned in Florida on spring break when we didn’t even know you were in Florida on spring break!

Remember when we got cell phones and you insisted that we learn to text. Well, we did learn and we’re not asking for a whole low down on your entire life, but a short text every so often would be great. I tried it, it only takes 3.4 seconds to type “How are you?” or “I’m going to prom, want to see my dress?” takes only 7.5 seconds.

We also know that you are ALWAYS on your phones anyway. That’s why, even when you are with us, you are not really with us, are you? You are texting five different friends at once which is why we get those one-word answers. Come on, sneak us a text or two a week just to let us know how you are doing. We promise, cross our hearts, that we won’t tell!

PHONES. Now, before I even go into this one, don’t get me wrong, we love phone calls from you any time, 24-7. However, we grandparents are not as naïve as you may think. Usually, when we are lucky enough to get a call from you, you are driving. First of all, we hope you are using hands-free calling, if not, this is a whole different ball game. But we know you are driving because when you reach your destination, it’s like “gotta go, love ya!” And just like that, you’re gone.

We are really trying to hang on and be patient because we know that when you get through your teen years and your early 20’s, you will eventually come back to us, not as the cute little pinch-your-cheek grandkids that we adored, but instead as responsible adults that are more like us.

It’s just this in-between stage that is so hard for us. Please be patient with us and cut us a little slack. We’re having a tough time but doing the best we can. However, be warned, some grandparents never grow up!