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Vegetarian Diets For Your Cat Or Dog

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Vegetarians like animals too – they just do not eat them. Or perhaps that is why they do not eat them. Whatever! There is a question that troubles some vegetarians that own pets, and it is: do I have to feed them meat or can I provide vegetarian diets for my cat and dog. It is well worth thinking about this dilemma before getting a usually carnivorous pet.

Domestic carnivores such as cats and dogs are omnivores, meaning that they will eat pretty much anything If a domestic animal goes ferule (wild) it will revert to its primitive kind, which means that it will hunt and scavenge.

Cats and dogs will eat grains and grasses but they prefer them semi-digested, which is why, after they make a kill, they usually tear the stomach open first and eat that and the internal organs. The meat comes last on the list.

You can see by looking at the animals’ teeth that they have fangs for killing and gripping (for ripping) and molars for grinding and crushing. The grinding and crushing refers to grains and bones.

This means that you might be able to sustain your pets on a vegetarian diet, |but it almost certainly will not be simple. There has been a great deal of research into the dietary needs of human beings and so someone on a diet, measures what he consumes against what his body needs and takes supplements to match the deficit.

However do you know precisely what your pets’ requirements are and how you can supply them? If you do not, where will you find out? I am certain you can with quite a lot of study, yet do you have that level of commitment? And do you think that your pet would thank you for making it a vegetarian? It may even turn your pet into a rapacious killer to make up the deficit or fulfill its craving for meat.

Cats and dogs require a high percentage of protein, but do you think that you will be able to sneak enough nuts and tofu into its diet to supply enough? You may find your pets chasing every bird in your garden trying to get some meat, instead of observing them languidly from under your seat.

All in all, a vegetarian diet is not a good idea for domestic animals such as cats and dogs, and if you have trouble opening the cans or giving it raw meat, perhaps you could get someone else in the family who is a little less delicate to feed the animals or you could feed them meat less often, say only when you take them to your friend’s or mother’s house, then you can let them do it for you.

The other approach is to get rabbits or gerbils and tropical fish. Cats are not useful animals as dogs are in the sense that a dog will deter burglars and if you are just thinking of pets as stress-reducers or a way of introducing your kids to the animal world, a rabbit will do that equally as well.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on a number of subjects, and is currently involved with quick vegetarian recipes. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our site at Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes.

If you liked reading this piece on organic dog food and you would like to read more about dogs in general or dog training, please visit our website at Dog Training

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What Is Bread?

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Bread is a vital ingredient in the diet of millions of individuals on a day by day basis. However, there are as many sorts of bread as there are peoples’ eating it and most countries have in excess of one sort of bread as well. In it’s most fundamental form, bread is manufactured by cooking a dough of flour and water. However, it hardly ever rests there except in children’s scout camps.

The flour can be manufactured from almost anything that can be dried and pulverized, so in Europe and America, flour is most normally manufactured from wheat, rye and corn, whereas in India it is often made from gram and in Thailand it can be made from rice but there are numerous other types of flour as well, besides all the possible mixtures obtained by mixing the different flours.

Frequently, whole grains or rough-ground material will be added into fine flour to improve texture, taste, roughage or / and aesthetics. Also, in the same vein, occasionally the dough will be rolled in seeds such as sesame, poppy or other kinds of crop like rolled oats. The second ingredient is water, yet not always. You can use water, milk or even beer or yoghurt or a mixture of a few of them.

Then there are additives. No, not the E-numbers or chemicals such as flavour-enhancers or preservatives, they are completely unnecessary, unless you are using poor quality ingredients or you want the loaf to have a long shelf life. No, I am talking about natural additives. Yeast is the first additive. It makes the bread rise and so makes it light. Bread without yeast is more like cake. Sugar, honey or molasses is added to help the yeast increase in size.

Salt is the first real additive. Salt is added to inhibit the action of the yeast and as a flavour-enhancer, and you could add celery salt (garlic or any other salt) instead or table salt. However, you do not really have to use it if you do not use yeast. After that, the world is your oyster, you can put what you want.

Some people add an egg to give the bread more body or fruit such as raisins. Or you can add bananas instead or as well. Nuts are good in home made bread too but so are dried plums and apricots. I used to like to add a handful of rolled oats for extra fibre.

A little oil (olive or other) or butter will help the bread’s elasticity and it will also store longer too, not that that was ever an issue in our household. Herbs and garlic is nice in homemade bread yet so is ginger or onions. In fact, one of the best breads I ever made was done with the left overs from my Sunday luncheon. I could not eat it yet it was not enough to put in the fridge so I put it in the bread mixture.

I put in French green beans, a little potato, some cabbage, a bit of chicken, kidney beans and the gravy – only a little of |each. It was the best bread I ever made, and I have spent the last ten years attempting to replicate the loaf in vain, because I did not note down exactly what I did.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with low cholesterol diet recipes. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

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Some Reasons Why Barbecuing is So Trendy

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Barbecuing in America is a very popular pastime. Statistically it’s shown that 90% of families participate in at least one barbecue gathering every year. About 40% of families delight in throwing parties that center around the idea of barbecuing. So why is barbecuing such a popular activity. You may have often heard people commenting “that it just tastes better” when they are referring to grilling on a barbecue. Every one I know starts to salivate at the first whiff of a steak grilling on a barbecue.

There are many types of meats and side dishes that are perfect for barbecuing. Fish, pork and beef are the most popular but don’t forget the lamb and chicken. When visiting your local grocery store, look for meats that are specifically cut and packaged for barbecuing. If you do not find pre-packaged meats, then chances are spices, marinades, and other kits for grilling are somewhere near by.

Some of the more traditional side dishes might be coleslaw, potato salad, beans and coleslaw. Most people expect these side dishes as a minimum at barbecues. These sides work well with the variety of meats available and are easy to prepare and store until it is time to eat. A condiment bar should have pickles, relish and onions. Different types of grills will present different types of flavors. A smoky flavor is achieved with charcoal and smoker grills. These flavors are among the favorites of many barbecue goers. With a smoker barbecue you can have fun getting different flavors in your meat by simply changing the type of wood you use. If you like faster cooking times but still want that grill fried taste you can use a propane gas grill.

With a grilling barbecue you can get a few different types of cooking surfaces as well. The most common versions are a brazier, which is basically a thin wire grill that sits above the charcoals, a flat grill and a rib grilled. Some manufacturers even make these surfaces available as non-stick, opening up even more types of food that is cookable on the barbecue. By planning correctly you should be able to cook an entire meal on the barbecue.

Some models of barbecue are available that have a wok type surface for cooking pasta, rice and stir fries. With a rotisserie set you can even cook a rotisserie chicken. Another reason barbecuing might be popular is that it’s a great excuse to have a get together or throw a party. Outdoor parties not only allow your guests to be present during the cooking of the meal, but also give them the opportunity to be with friends. Barbecues also tie in well with a themed party. A few festive decorations won’t cost much and can be purchased from your local store or party shop. Try purchasing decorations that can be stored and re-used later such as torches or table cloths. Have a clambake with tropical music, throw some sand around to give it that real beach feel.

Barbecuing is considered to be a hobby as well which might be helping to add to its popularity. Barbecuing, like anything else in life, takes time and practice. if you experiment with recipes, techniques and different styles of barbecues you will make it more interesting and fun. Once you have developed a liking for barbecuing, then you can focus on creating your own variations on traditional recipes and ideas.

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How To Prepare Vegetarian Soup

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Vegetarian soup is a liquid food that is made by boiling vegetables in water and then seasoning and occasionally thickening the liquid that is produced. It is usually served as the first course of a dinner, but it is also often served as a light meal, such as lunch, on its own.

Soup is an easily made, economical and when properly prepared from fresh, nutritious vegetables, very wholesome food.

Care should be taken to produce this food attractive enough to appeal to the appetite, so it ought not to be greasy nor bland in flavour, neither should it be served in large quantities nor without the proper accompaniment.

A small quantity of well-seasoned, attractively presented vegetarian soup cannot fail to find approval when it is served as the first course of a meal. The point of this piece is to acquaint you with the details of cooking appetizing and nutritious vegetarian soup that is both wholesome and healthy.

The three main types of soup that can be cooked from wholly vegetarian (but not necessarily vegan) ingredients are: broths, cream soups (contains dairy produce) and purees. The basis of these three kinds can be a vegetable stock prepared from either dried or fresh vegetables or both.

BROTHS have for their base a clear vegetarian stock. They are sometimes a thin soup, yet other times they are prepared fairly thick with vegetables, rice or barley when they are served as a large part of a meal.

CREAM SOUPS are highly nutritious and there are lots of varieties. They have for their foundation a thin cream sauce, and to this are always added vegetables or grains.

PUREES are soups made thick partly or completely by the addition of some foodstuff obtained from boiling an piece of food and then straining it to form a pulp.

If vegetables containing starch such as beans, peas, lentils or potatoes are used for this soup, it is unnecessary to thicken the soup with any additional starch, yet if watery vegetables are used, other thickening is required. To be right, a puree should be nearly as smooth as double cream and of the same consistency.

When preparing vegetarian soup always use soft water but be careful to proportion the amount of water to that of the vegetables. Somewhat less than two pints of water to a pound of vegetables is a good rule for ordinary soups. Rich soups, meant for company, might have a smaller amount of water.

Here is a puree type recipe for carrot soup:

CARROT SOUP

4 good-sized carrots, 1 small head of celery, 1 fair-sized onion, 1 turnip, 3 oz. of breadcrumbs, 1-1/2 oz. of butter or margarine, 1 blade of mace, pepper and salt to taste.

Scrape and clean the vegetables; cut them up small; place them in a pan with 3 pints of water, the butter or margarine, breadcrumbs, and mace. Boil until the vegetables are quite tender; rub everything through a sieve and return the mixture to the saucepan.

Reheat; season with salt and pepper. If it is too thick add water. The soup ought to be as thick as cream; boil and serve with crusty bread.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with how to cook for diabetics. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Cookbooks For Diabetics.

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Joining A Vegetarian Club

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Lifestyle changes are the hardest ones to achieve and one of the biggest lifestyle changes that anyone can make voluntarily is to become a vegetarian. Often people find it easier to become part of a support group while attempting lifestyle alterations; think of Alcoholics Anonymous, Weight Watchers or giving up smoking. Joining a support group can help the novice vegetarian as well.

The advantages of being a member of such a support group are manifold, but some of them are encouragement, advice and friendship. You might not need the friendship, yet you may like to socialize with other vegetarians so that you can see how they cope with eating out and basically simply mixing into a society designed by and for meat-eaters.

However, whether you propose giving up your old friends or not, you may find yourself moving away from them after a time quite naturally. Remember the old expression: ‘Birds of a feather flock together’? This is quite standard.

You will have worries substituting something else for meat; you will be worried that your diet is deficient in some mineral; you will get to wondering which restaurants serve real vegetarian food and plenty more.

Your newly discovered support group friends will be a immense source of encouragement and advice in this sphere. You might not like the concept of a ‘vegetarian support group’, yet you could just as easily join a vegetarian dining club or vegetarian cookery class, the impact will be the same – you will learn and you will create new friends.

If you have difficulty locating such a group by the standard ways of your local Yellow Pages and an Internet search, try going to the local community centre, where there may be yoga classes – a few of the attendees will be vegetarians that you can ask. Or go to you local health food shop and ask there Similarly you could ask at a martial arts club or a Hindu Indian restaurant. If all else fails, you could start your own club.

If you set up your own club, find a supportive bar or restaurant that will prepare your meal suggestions for that night at a reasonable price. After a time, I am certain you could build up a nice little club of twenty people and the landlord might let you have your own room to dine in once a month like the Masons.

If you think that this is too much in the early days, you could just set up a blog. A blog is an interactive web site, where you and others can post relevant information. If you keep the name of the blog relevant to your town and vegetarianism, you should find that other people looking as you once did will find you, whereas you discovered no one. Once you have built up a group of local, on line vegetarian sympathizers, you could suggest meeting once a month in the flesh and take the dining notion from there. An advertisement in the local paper would help as well.

If you want to read more about Welsh food, food in general or cooking eggs in particular, just visit Traditional Welsh Recipes

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How Accurate Is Monitoring Your Blood Pressure At Home?

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

If you have a certain medical condition or if you have reached a particular age, you might start thinking about monitoring your blood pressure at home yourself. Yes, you can always go to the GP to have it done, but that costs time (and in most countries, money) which you might not have. So, what about monitoring your blood pressure at home?

How accurate are blood pressure monitors for home use? The fact is that contemporary monitors are very accurate, yet you ought to still continue regular visits to your medical doctor, who will verify the findings of your home monitor.

If your doctor has determined that you have high blood pressure (hypertension), he or she will probably recommend lifestyle alterations or / and medication. It is very problematic to institute lifestyle alterations, so if you do, monitoring your hypertension at home and seeing reductions can be very satisfying, but it can also work the other way around if the changes do not seem to be having any effect.

When you are deciding which home blood pressure monitor to buy, there are two basic options: the aneroid and digital monitors. The digital monitors have either an automatic or a hand-pumpable cuff.

The other sorts are finger or wrist monitors, yet these ought to be avoided as they give fairly erratic or inaccurate readings and they are a lot dearer as well. If you do purchase one of these monitors, take it with you to your medical doctor’s and compare its performance against a sphygmomanometer, which is considered the gold standard of blood pressure monitors.

So, let us take for granted, that you purchase a proper monitor with a cuff, the first thing to do to make certain maximum accuracy is to get a cuff that fits you properly. This is not usually difficult, yet if you are big or small, the instruments within the cuff might not be able to give an accurate reading.

If you want an accurate reading, you ought to wait at least 45 minutes after drinking caffeine before taking a reading. In fact, you ought to sit quietly for at least ten minutes, before taking any reading. Other precautions are to go to the bathroom first, not to have smoked or to have taken any alcohol recently. In addition, strap the cuff at least an inch above the crease of your elbow.

You will be hoping for a reading below 120/80 which is considered ‘normal’. Readings between normal and 140/90 point toward prehypertension and mean that you need to take some action to escape entering ‘Stage One Hypertension’, which is anything over this reading.

Modern home digital monitors over a certain cost are highly accurate. The digital home monitor that I use was $100 four years ago, so it should be cheaper now. It was tested against a sphygmomanometer (the sort doctors use) and it was always within the constraints of accuracy prescribed by the American National Standard for Electronic or Automated Sphygmomanometers. Look for that warranty, if you purchase a home monitor.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on several of subjects, but is currently involved with work on how to read blood pressure. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, just go to our site at High Blood Pressure Recipes.

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Blindness These Days

Sunday, January 15th, 2012

Not very long ago, it was not at all unusual to see blind people strolling along the streets tap-tapping away with their white sticks, being guided by a dog, normally a Labrador, but I have not seen anyone like that in Britain for years, as far as I remember.

That has to become a good thing; it has to mean that we are starting to cure or at least improve most types of blindness.

My aunty had cataracts for years when I was a kid in the Sixties – it was just one of those facts of life. Some individuals got them when they were old and others did not.

My brother’s mother-in-law had cataracts in the late Nineties and she was enrolled on a two year waiting list to have them taken away, but at least she had hope and they were going to be taken away free of charge.

I do not know of anyone else that has eye trouble except myself. I could not get my glasses clean one day and then a friend said he saw a white spot in one of my eyes. He drove me to the hospital and the doctor said that I had ‘premature senile cataracts’.

Well, I live in Thailand now and he did not say those exact words. He told me that the cataracts were because I was prematurely senile.

I asked him if that was what he actually intended; he looked it up in a book and we both had a hearty laugh about it, although he never actually corrected himself.

My condition turned out to be a little more serious than just cataracts, but when I went from the local hospital to a major hospital in Pattaya, the surgeon saw me within 30 minutes and asked me if I wanted the cataracts removed.

I said that I did and she was prepared to do the operation there and then. I had it postponed for 24 hours, but she would have sorted my eye out that day in a 30 minute operation, which does not require anaesthetic. I think that that was wonderful.

We have come a long way from routinely seeing blind people on the street and putting up with cataracts through a two-year waiting list to immediate removal of cataracts by laser surgery in 40-50 years.

At least we have in the West and in the East too, if you have the money. There are still millions of people in Asia and particularly in Africa suffering blindness and partial blindness for the sake of an simple 30 minute operation.

Two weeks after my surgical treatment, my other eye started to cloud over. It was as if it had been holding on with its last scrap of strength until I got his mate sorted out.

I had that one done last year and when I was permitted to take off my patch and look about me with two decent eyes again for the first time in a decade, I could not believe that I had forgotten how bright the world really is and that I had not noticed how dingy my world had gotten.

If you are concerned about an eye operation, do not be. What you will experience once you are able to see properly again will make all the apprehension appear ridiculous and if you have the opportunity to give someone their sight back, please do it.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of subjects, and is now involved with 500 Delicious Diabetic Recipes. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Easy Diabetic Meals

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Some Top Secret Tips From Professional Chefs

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Some people find successful cooking to be virtually effortless, while others consider cooking to be an elusive art. Becoming good at cooking isn’t difficult if you educate yourself a little and persevere. Learning to cook is an extremely useful skill to have as everyone has to eat! This article includes some great tips for the beginner cook and for the experienced cook, as well.

Avoid cooking soggy rice. When you are cooking rice, place a folded towel between the lid and the pot. When the rice steams, the moisture it creates will be absorbed by the towel and won’t drip back into the rice. Cook the rice for the recommended amount of time, and you will have perfect rice every time!

To remove the peel from a clove of garlic in a quick and easy way, carefully smack the heel of your hand on the side of a wide knife blade (laid flat over the clove) to crush the garlic a bit, allowing the skin to slip right off. As a bonus, the flattened clove will be easier to mince before you add it to your dish.

Cooking with fresh, raw cloves of garlic can easily create an overpowering smell that can linger on your kitchen, clothes, and nose, you need not worry about removing the smell from your hands. After your are finished with the garlic, you should rub your hands on your stainless steel sink for half a minute before you attempt to wash them with soap and water.

Fresh lemons are a very versatile garnish in many recipes, but getting juice out of a lemon can seem like a huge chore. Rather than pulling out the big juicer, try this trick. Roll the lemon on the counter top for a few seconds, then place it in the microwave on high for 15 seconds. Take it out and cut it open – you should be able to squeeze twice the juice as before!

Timing is everything when cooking several courses. Anything that has to be baked for a long period of time should go in the oven first. If you have to have a pot of boiling water to whip up some instant potatoes put it on next. Then gather up the rest of your ingredients for various stove top dishes that are quickly prepared.

As this article has discussed, cooking is revered by many as an excellent and enjoyable hobby. However, some people don’t know where to start, in terms of picking the right recipes or using the proper techniques. Follow this article’s advice and you will be on your way to cooking great food.

Looking to find the best deal on recipes for eggs, then visit www.recipesforeggs.com to find the best advice on scrambled eggs calories for you.

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The Importance Of Fibre In A Diabetic Diet

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

We are all encouraged to eat foodstuffs with more fibre, because dietary fibre is a vital ingredient for keeping our bodies healthy. It is especially useful for the colon.

Since attention to detail in diet is even more important to diabetics, it stands to reason that fibre is even more vital to diabetics as well. And, indeed, diabetics are counselled to eat lots of fibre.

Fibre will also defer the on-set of diabetes in those people who are in a pre-diabetic condition. Fibre assists reduce the blood-sugar levels naturally, so it will help everybody in their quest to maintain healthy blood.

The manner in which it does this is fairly simple to understand. Fibre is more difficult to digest than the rest of the sugars and starches that surround it, so it has the impact of remaining in your digestive system for longer, thereby helping you feel ‘full’ longer, and it is digested very slowly thus reducing spikes in your blood sugar level.

Blood-sugar spikes are bad news for anyone who does not want a spike in order to achieve a task, like a weight-lifter or a sprinter. Spikes in children may lead to instances of hyperactivity in children.

The best sort of fibre is soluble fibre. This type of fibre is found in:

grain that has not been overly processed to get rid of the husk, so brown rice, whole wheat bread, cereals and pasta.

‘dry’ fresh fruits, not necessarily dried fruits, like bananas, mangoes, pineapple and apples

beans, lentils, legumes and pulses are stuffed almost full of dietary fibre and are easily added to soups and stews.

Another way of feeling ‘full’ so that you are able to reduce the craving for a substantial meal is drinking water. Substitute plain tap water or bottled water for fizzy drinks. Your body might need the extra water to help it digest the extra soluble fibre that you are eating.

Fibre helps in all dietary situations, but is incorporated into the calculations that some diets use. For instance, if you are counting carbohydrates as opposed to calories, you will have a limit or target number of carbs you should consume in a day.

This is 20 carbs a day in the preliminary phase of the Atkins diet. Some diets will allow you to subtract the amount of fibre from the absolute number of carbs for the purpose of your calculations.

So, for instance, you may consume 25 carbs, and, as long as the food contains at least five grammes of fibre, you have not broken the guidelines of the diet. You will have to check whether your particular diet allows for this variation.

It sounds like another chore to have to track fibre as well as everything else you have to consider before you can eat anything, but it will be second nature after a few weeks or months.

The best manner in which to get going is to get a small guide that will go in your pocket or bag so that you can look into it often.

.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of subjects, and is now concerned with Diabetes Cook Books. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Cookbooks For Diabetics.

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3 Recipes With Cantaloupe

Sunday, December 25th, 2011

The variety of melons called muskmelons consists of a juicy, edible fruit that is characterized by its round shape and a ribbed surface. Cantaloupes are a type of muskmelons..

Extensive variation takes place in this fruit. Some cantaloupes are substantial and others are small; some have pink or yellow flesh and others have white or light-green flesh. The flesh of these fruits contains a lot of water; therefore, their food value is not high, being just a little over half as much as that of apples.

If melons suitable for the table are required, they ought to be selected with care. To be just at the right stage, the flower end of the melon ought to be a trifle soft while pressed with the fingers. If it is very soft, the melon is maybe too ripe; yet if it does not give with pressure, the melon is too unripe.

Various ways of serving cantaloupes exist. If they are to be served plain as a breakfast food or a lunch dessert, cut them crosswise into halves, or, if they are big, divide them into sections lengthwise.

With the melons cut in the desired way, remove all the seeds but keep the melons on ice until they are to be served. The pulp of the melon may also be cut from the rind yet then diced and used in the making of fruit salads.

Again, the pulp may be partly scraped out of the melon and the rinds then packed with fruit mixtures and served with a salad dressing for a salad or with fruit juices for a cocktail. The pulp that is scraped out may be diced and used in the fruit mixture.

Recipe 1

FRUIT IN CANTALOUPE SHELLS

During cantaloupe season, a wonderful fruit salad can be made by combining a number of different sorts of fruit with the flesh of cantaloupe and serving the mixture in the cantaloupe shells. Such a salad is a fantastic one to serve when light refreshments are desired or when something unusual is required for a light luncheon.

Cut cantaloupes in half crosswise, yet, using the French cutter, cut some of the meat into round balls. Dice the remainder yet mix with any blend of fruit desired. Position this in the cantaloupe shells after cutting points in the top edge. Garnish with the balls cut from the cantaloupe but serve with any desired dressing. You can also sprinkle nuts on top to add a variation of textures.

Recipe 2

FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE

1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved 1 cup sliced fresh peaches, peeled 1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries 1 cup watermelon balls 1 cup cantaloupe balls 1 cup seedless grapes 1/2 cup sparkling wine (or sweet) wine, chilled 2 tbs thawed orange juice, frozen, concentrated, undiluted

Mix together all of the fruit in a large glass or ceramic bowl then gently stir to mix. Add the orange juice and wine and lightly stir again. Chill with a wrapping on it for at least 20 minutes. Mix again gently before serving.

Recipe 3

ERDBEER BOWLE (Strawberry Wine Punch)

1/2 pt strawberries, stemmed, rinsed, cut in half 1 tbs granulated sugar 1/2 bottle German Riesling, well chilled 1 tbs brandy (preferably Alsbach Uralt) 1/2 bottle German Sekt well chilled

Bowle is a typical German party wine punch. During the month of May, throughout Germany, bowle is served flavoured with fresh woodruff (Waldmeister), a sweet scented herb with white flowers, which grows particularly well in wooded yet shady areas away from hot sun. Later, during strawberry season, bowle is made with strawberries which grow abundantly everywhere. As German summer season progresses, bowle is willing with other fruits like peaches, chunks of juicy watermelon, cubes of bright orange cantaloupe, or plump raspberries.

Put the strawberries in a substantial covered glass jar (a sun tea jar is fine), sprinkle them with sugar and drizzle them with the brandy. Set them aside to marinate for two hours to allow the sugar to draw out the juice from the berries.

Add white wine, stir, then set aside for two more hours. When ready to serve, pour into a punch bowl. Add Sekt and serve chilled in wide champagne style glasses, making certain to distribute strawberries with the wine.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on a number of subjects, but is at present concerned with Recipes to Lower Your High Blood Pressure. If you want to know more, go to our website at Gourmet Recipes and Good Health.

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