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beware parsnips
My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were in
her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves and continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends to burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ? Another parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should not be eaten because that is toxic too. Kate |
beware parsnips
In message , Kate
Morgan writes My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were in her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves and continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends to burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ? Another parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should not be eaten because that is toxic too. Kate Wikipedia claims, but does not provide a citation, that *wild* parsnips cause phytophotodermatis (presumably as per giant hogweed). Google finds references to this, but also finds that cow parsnip refers to what we know as hogweeds, which could confuse the matter. However, it seems to me on a casual perusal that wild parsnip is among the culprits. (Wild carrot can also cause phytophotodermatis.) The active constituent is the same as in rue, another notorious cause of skin blistering. If there's other health issues then you'll have to dig further to find them. (I seem to recall a report in New Scientist many years ago that parsnips contain carcinogens, but quite possibly every crop plant contains compounds that are carcinogenic in sufficient concentration - Google finds an 1981 report to that effect at http://particle.physics.ucdavis.edu/News/parsnips.html) -- Stewart Robert Hinsley |
beware parsnips
The message
from "Kate Morgan" contains these words: My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were in her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves and continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends to burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ? Another parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should not be eaten because that is toxic too. You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea. I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it would be common knowledge if it were so. -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
beware parsnips
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... The message from "Kate Morgan" contains these words: My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were in her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves and continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends to burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ? Another parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should not be eaten because that is toxic too. You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea. I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it would be common knowledge if it were so. I've made wine by boiling up unpeeled parsnips - and very good it was too! Not only did I enjoy the wine, I froze the resulting parsnips (you just need the water they're boiled in for parsnip wine) and ate them later. Must be 5 years ago now and I'm still up and running ;) |
beware parsnips
"Stephen Wolstenholme" wrote in message ... On Tue, 1 Jul 2008 23:17:42 +0100, Rusty Hinge 2 wrote: You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea. I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it would be common knowledge if it were so. I've eaten loads of roast parsnips that were just scrubbed rather than peeled. The skin gets crisp and they taste better that way. I'm still alive. Same here, I almost never peel any root vegetables before cooking and it hasn't killed me yet. -- Chris Ignoti nulla cupido |
beware parsnips
Christina Websell wrote:
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... The message from "Kate Morgan" contains these words: My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were in her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves and continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends to burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ? Another parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should not be eaten because that is toxic too. You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea. I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it would be common knowledge if it were so. I've made wine by boiling up unpeeled parsnips - and very good it was too! Not only did I enjoy the wine, I froze the resulting parsnips (you just need the water they're boiled in for parsnip wine) and ate them later. Must be 5 years ago now and I'm still up and running ;) We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-( |
beware parsnips
"Stephen Wolstenholme" wrote in message ... On Tue, 1 Jul 2008 23:17:42 +0100, Rusty Hinge 2 wrote: I've eaten loads of roast parsnips that were just scrubbed rather than peeled. The skin gets crisp and they taste better that way. I'm still alive. Steve Same here, on both counts. Mary |
beware parsnips
"Broadback" wrote in message ... We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-( I'm not good at growing parsnips, which is a great pity because nothing you can buy from anywhere is as good as a freshly dug parsnip from your own garden. That applies to most home grown fruit and vegetables of course but somehow parsnips beat everything else. Mary |
beware parsnips
The message
from Stephen Wolstenholme contains these words: On Tue, 1 Jul 2008 23:17:42 +0100, Rusty Hinge 2 wrote: You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea. I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it would be common knowledge if it were so. I've eaten loads of roast parsnips that were just scrubbed rather than peeled. The skin gets crisp and they taste better that way. I'm still alive. You're not an insect, and I've no idea whether the toxins in the skin are thermolabile. Besides, you may be alive, but can you guarantee that your quality of life and your life-expectancy is at the same level (or better) than before you took to eating scrubbers - er - roast scrubbed parsnips? -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
beware parsnips
The message
from "Christina Websell" contains these words: I've made wine by boiling up unpeeled parsnips - and very good it was too! Not only did I enjoy the wine, I froze the resulting parsnips (you just need the water they're boiled in for parsnip wine) and ate them later. Must be 5 years ago now and I'm still up and running ;) I was taught to make parsnip wine by our housekeeper, a country lass, sometime round 1950. I was ten (and my parents had no objection to my learning to make parsnip wine, and dandelion wine!), and I only got the sugar (which was rationed) because I didn't take sugar in my tea, of which I have always partaken, shall we say, in good measure... One of the instructions was to peel the parsnips. BTW, carrot skins are also toxic to insects. I've discovered over the years that there is a correlation between eating carrots and ageing. The more carrots you eat, the older you get. I haven't tested this against other foods, but I suspect that the correlation might hold good there too. Moral: stop eating, and live forever. -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
beware parsnips
The message
from Broadback contains these words: We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-( I'm so sorry to hear that. It must be terrible when some of your family doesn't germinate... -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
beware parsnips
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words: "Broadback" wrote in message ... We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-( I'm not good at growing parsnips, which is a great pity because nothing you can buy from anywhere is as good as a freshly dug parsnip from your own garden. That applies to most home grown fruit and vegetables of course but somehow parsnips beat everything else. I concur. When I was very small (I'm told) parsnip was my favourite vegetable. I went off them in my teens, but rediscovered the delights of roast parsnips (peeled!) round the Sunday joint. À propos de rien, when I was four I was at boarding school in Seaford, while my stepfather-to-be was OIC an anti-aircraft battery at Newhaven. One weekend my mother took me (on foot) to the battery, and on the way, we happened upon a piece of land where tanks had been wallowing. "Is that the Officers' Mess?" I asked. At the battery they were firing at a drogue which was being towed a good mile behind an aircraft (Boodly RAF - no trust!) and when they'd stopped, we continued. The Ole Man's batman (not Batman) had been warned of my visit, and had prepared a treat - bananana sandwiches. Here comes the on-topicality - He'd boiled young parsnips and added sugar as he mashed them. Try it - sweetened mashed parsnip is quite indistinguishable from banananana - if you've never had a banananana, that is. -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
beware parsnips
On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 08:35:12 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote: I'm not good at growing parsnips, which is a great pity because nothing you can buy from anywhere is as good as a freshly dug parsnip from your own garden. The best and freshest seed comes from plants left to go to seed. I've done it, with no problems. Pam in Bristol |
beware parsnips
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... The message from "Mary Fisher" contains these words: "Broadback" wrote in message ... We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-( I'm not good at growing parsnips, which is a great pity because nothing you can buy from anywhere is as good as a freshly dug parsnip from your own garden. That applies to most home grown fruit and vegetables of course but somehow parsnips beat everything else. I concur. When I was very small (I'm told) parsnip was my favourite vegetable. I went off them in my teens, but rediscovered the delights of roast parsnips (peeled!) round the Sunday joint. À propos de rien, when I was four I was at boarding school in Seaford, while my stepfather-to-be was OIC an anti-aircraft battery at Newhaven. One weekend my mother took me (on foot) to the battery, and on the way, we happened upon a piece of land where tanks had been wallowing. "Is that the Officers' Mess?" I asked. At the battery they were firing at a drogue which was being towed a good mile behind an aircraft (Boodly RAF - no trust!) and when they'd stopped, we continued. The Ole Man's batman (not Batman) had been warned of my visit, and had prepared a treat - bananana sandwiches. Here comes the on-topicality - He'd boiled young parsnips and added sugar as he mashed them. Try it - sweetened mashed parsnip is quite indistinguishable from banananana - if you've never had a banananana, that is. Nice story, thanks. But I prefer parsnips to bananananas any day. Mary |
beware parsnips
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... The message from Broadback contains these words: We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-( I'm so sorry to hear that. It must be terrible when some of your family doesn't germinate... Mine have germinated quite enough, thanks. When offered double or quit they doubled. Thankfully the grandchildren don't seem to know what to do. Mary |
beware parsnips
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... The message from "Christina Websell" contains these words: One of the instructions was to peel the parsnips. BTW, carrot skins are also toxic to insects. You keep hearing that. Carrot flies can't be insects then. Another long-held belief dashed :-( I've discovered over the years that there is a correlation between eating carrots and ageing. The more carrots you eat, the older you get. That's very true. I haven't tested this against other foods, but I suspect that the correlation might hold good there too. It is. Not many people know it though. Moral: stop eating, and live forever. What sort of a life would it be without parsnips though? Although I suppose parsnip wine might do, better get practising. Mary |
beware parsnips
Kate Morgan wrote:
My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were in her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they were very dangerous and could cause health problems, [...] I noticed several blisters on my hands and wrists about a day after hacking down my parsnip foliage. The blisters did not itch and eventually went away. They left pale brown scars, of which I can still find one or two if I look carefully. That's about three years later. Of course, it _may_ have been caused by something else. I don't recall any reaction to any other plant I've handled. Cheers Edwin Bath. ----- |
beware parsnips
Rusty Hinge 2 wrote:
[] À propos de rien, when I was four I was at boarding school in Seaford, [] Drifting further off topic, hats off to you, mate. I was all set to correct you about accents on majuscules in French, but your Seaford education stood you in good stead. The Academie Francaise has this to say about it: Accentuation des majuscules Quant à l’utilisation des accents sur les majuscules, il est malheureusement manifeste que l’usage est flottant. On observe dans les textes manuscrits une tendance certaine à l’omission des accents. Il en va de même dans les textes dactylographiés, en raison notamment des possibilités limitées qu’offrent les machines traditionnelles. En typographie, enfin, certains suppriment tous les accents sur les capitales sous prétexte de modernisme, en fait pour réduire les frais de composition. Il convient cependant d’observer qu’en français, l’accent a pleine valeur orthographique. Son absence ralentit la lecture, fait hésiter sur la prononciation, et peut même induire en erreur. On veille donc, en bonne typographie, à utiliser systématiquement les capitales accentuées, y compris la préposition À, comme le font bien sûr tous les dictionnaires, à commencer par le Dictionnaire de l’Académie française, ou les grammaires, comme le Bon usage de Grevisse, mais aussi l’Imprimerie nationale, la Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, etc. Quant aux textes manuscrits ou dactylographiés, il est évident que leurs auteurs, dans un souci de clarté et de correction, auraient tout intérêt à suivre également cette règle, en tirant éventuellement parti des ressources nouvelles que peuvent offrir les traitements de texte modernes. Il en va de même pour le tréma et la cédille. Now if only I could figure out how to do it conveniently on this damned Mac! ;) -E |
beware parsnips
In article , "Cerumen" writes: | | Same here, I almost never peel any root vegetables before cooking and it | hasn't killed me yet. Don't try it with cassava :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
beware parsnips
I am supprised that no one has picked up on the fact that parsnips are
the same family as Hemlock. Wild parsnips are quite toxic and can cause phototoxic symptoms in some people and animals David Hill Abacus Nurseries |
beware parsnips
In article , Dave Hill writes: | | I am supprised that no one has picked up on the fact that parsnips are | the same family as Hemlock. And tomatoes are as deadly nightshade and thorn apple, beans are as laburnum (and even more toxic tropical plants), and so on. | Wild parsnips are quite toxic and can cause phototoxic symptoms in | some people and animals So can thousands of widely-grown plants. The symptoms are not "feeling unwell", in any case. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
beware parsnips
snipped all interesting stuff on subject but thank you all for input which I
will pass on to daughter dear and suggest that maybe its not everyone who suffers a reaction and sadly she was one of them. I remember she did say the plant did look very like a Giant Hogweed, thanks again we live and learn kate |
beware parsnips
In message
, Dave Hill writes I am supprised that no one has picked up on the fact that parsnips are the same family as Hemlock. I had assumed that people knew that. Apiaceae includes several crop plants (parsley, carrot, parsnip, celery/celeriac, coriander, sweet cicely, fennel, dill) and some of the most toxic plants in the British flora (hemlock, water dropwort, cowbane) It's not the only family with a mix of crop and poisonous plants - Fabaceae and especially Solanaceae have a similar mixture. Wild parsnips are quite toxic and can cause phototoxic symptoms in some people and animals David Hill Abacus Nurseries -- Stewart Robert Hinsley |
beware parsnips
The message
from Stewart Robert Hinsley contains these words: Wikipedia claims, but does not provide a citation, that *wild* parsnips cause phytophotodermatis (presumably as per giant hogweed). Google finds references to this, but also finds that cow parsnip refers to what we know as hogweeds, which could confuse the matter. However, it seems to me on a casual perusal that wild parsnip is among the culprits. (Wild carrot can also cause phytophotodermatis.) The active constituent is the same as in rue, another notorious cause of skin blistering. If there's other health issues then you'll have to dig further to find them. (I seem to recall a report in New Scientist many years ago that parsnips contain carcinogens, but quite possibly every crop plant contains compounds that are carcinogenic in sufficient concentration - Google finds an 1981 report to that effect at http://particle.physics.ucdavis.edu/News/parsnips.html) Water dropworts of various flavours look similar to parsnips and smell similar TAAAW and at least some are very poisonous, but they are only a related species, not true parsnips. -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
beware parsnips
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beware parsnips
The message
from Emery Davis contains these words: Il en va de même pour le tréma et la cédille. Now if only I could figure out how to do it conveniently on this damned Mac! ;) Avez vous de chose semblable à 'Character Map'? Sinon, copiez et sauvez ceux-ci: Ç and ç -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
beware parsnips
In article , Rusty Hinge 2 writes: | | However, tomatoes are much more closely related to black nightshade, | whose berries are edible when ripe, in just the same way as green | tomatoes are slightly poisonous, but on ripening, become free of the | relevant toxin. | | Black nightshade berries are quite widely eaten on every continent | except Antarctica, and I concoct a very passable ersatz blueberry pie | filling with them, and some added sugar and tartaric (or ascorbic) acid. Er, not quite. At one stage, I got interested, and did some quite extensive poking around for information - including in scientific papers. Black nightshade is, indeed, widely eaten - but also causes quite a lot of cases of (usually non-fatal) poisoning. Their toxicity or lack of it may depend on the variety, the growing conditions, the degree of ripeness, and their preparation. The scientists who tried to identify what factors were important and the toxins wrote some ambivalent papers and then seemed to move onto less confusing areas of research. | You *CAN* use citric acid, but IME it tastes of lemon. | | rant | | And it's added to most commercial jams, and ruins their flavour. | | /rant Just think how sickly they would be without it! Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
beware parsnips
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beware parsnips
In article , Rusty Hinge 2 writes: | | I think we've had a similar conversation before... We have. | I asked Kew, and they had no knowledge of any toxic issues. That must have been a while back, unless you know someone there, as their new policy is that they don't talk to amateur botanists. | I have though, spoken to many people, most of whom haven't any idea that | there *IS* something called 'black nightshade' and all too many of them | think woody nightshade is deadly nightshade. | | There is a comprehensive ignorance in the minds of even countryfolk. I | wouldn't mind betting that if you showed a number of them a black | nightshade plant, the majority would say it was deadly nightshade. That is why I looked at the scientific papers. What is clear is that it is quite safe under some conditions, and unsafe under others, and there is no consensus on what those conditions are! The main difference between it and common staples is that we tend to know the conditions under which the latter can be eaten safely. | There are natural acids in fruit, and the citric acid is added to set | the sugar without too much effort. Some jams (and marmalades) are so | hard that when you mine a lump from the jar and try to spread it on a | slice, the progress of the jam heaps-up a pile of butter before it. Some of them. There isn't much in strawberry or quince. Seriously acid and pectin-rich fruits (like japonica) produce a jam like that with little effort :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
beware parsnips
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... | You *CAN* use citric acid, but IME it tastes of lemon. | | rant | | And it's added to most commercial jams, and ruins their flavour. | | /rant Just think how sickly they would be without it! There are natural acids in fruit, and the citric acid is added to set the sugar without too much effort. Um. It's not a matter of 'setting the sugar'! It's said that it extracts the pectin from the fruit but a lot of fruit has so little pectin that ... well never mind. I make ALL our jams and marmalades and have done so decades. I've never, ever, used citric acid in powder or fruit form, nor bottled or pectin extracted by me from apples. It's not necessary. Jam doesn't HAVE to be like a jelly, it just needs to hold itself together well enough to be able to use a knife to extract it from the jar rather than the spoon. My test used to be to invert the jar of cold jam for a few seconds, if it didn't fall or ooze out it was fine. Some jams (and marmalades) are so hard that when you mine a lump from the jar and try to spread it on a slice, the progress of the jam heaps-up a pile of butter before it. You shouldn't buy it then, make your own. It's easy and far, far better. I used to make a marmalade with honey, to sell. It was very popular but for various reasons I stopped selling it. I have boxes full of lovely mature marmalade which will probably see us out. (Un)fortunately the sugar in it has crystallised into large, tasty lumps which we love. An 8oz jar lasts us for many weeks, thus giving time for the crystallisation to continue to the bottom of the jar. Licious. Frank Cooper's Oxford Marmalade is a case in point. I unforget it how it was when I was a young brat: proper marmalade, which could sneak off the side of your toast if you were unwary. In order to make the modern block of stuff usable, I have to heat it almost to boiling-point and add half of its original volume of fluid. I nominate a cheap malt whisky (such as Lidl's Glen Orchy), along with some (half a cup) thinly-sliced crystallised ginger, pre-soaked in aforsaid malt. OK, fair's fair, I buy it now simply because I can add so much whisky innit. You could make your own marmalade with whisky but I'd prefer to use something better than paint stripper. But there again I use 30yo Armagnac when I flambé a steak ... Mary p.s. so good to see that you use butter instead of something produced by men in white coats. Why not enhance it with your own produce? |
beware parsnips
In article , "Mary Fisher" writes: | | Um. It's not a matter of 'setting the sugar'! It's said that it extracts the | pectin from the fruit but a lot of fruit has so little pectin that ... well | never mind. You need SOME acid to set pectin, but that really only matters for weird things like pumpkin jam. | I make ALL our jams and marmalades and have done so decades. I've never, | ever, used citric acid in powder or fruit form, nor bottled or pectin | extracted by me from apples. It's not necessary. Jam doesn't HAVE to be like | a jelly, it just needs to hold itself together well enough to be able to use | a knife to extract it from the jar rather than the spoon. My test used to be | to invert the jar of cold jam for a few seconds, if it didn't fall or ooze | out it was fine. Our strawberry jam failed to set this year because the wet weather meant that the strawberries contained too much water. No, we didn't add any, and that is one jam you can't boil down. | OK, fair's fair, I buy it now simply because I can add so much whisky | innit. | | You could make your own marmalade with whisky but I'd prefer to use | something better than paint stripper. But there again I use 30yo Armagnac | when I flambé a steak ... I object! A decent single malt is at least the equal of an Armagnac. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
beware parsnips
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words: "Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... | You *CAN* use citric acid, but IME it tastes of lemon. | | rant | | And it's added to most commercial jams, and ruins their flavour. | | /rant Just think how sickly they would be without it! There are natural acids in fruit, and the citric acid is added to set the sugar without too much effort. Um. It's not a matter of 'setting the sugar'! It's said that it extracts the pectin from the fruit but a lot of fruit has so little pectin that ... well never mind. I'm mindful of a big preserving pan of slowly seething strawberries, picked (usually) at Tiptree, and myself, with spoon, testing for the 'gel'. Heaven with Mother's scones, butter and double cream. I make ALL our jams and marmalades and have done so decades. I've never, ever, used citric acid in powder or fruit form, nor bottled or pectin extracted by me from apples. It's not necessary. Jam doesn't HAVE to be like a jelly, it just needs to hold itself together well enough to be able to use a knife to extract it from the jar rather than the spoon. My test used to be to invert the jar of cold jam for a few seconds, if it didn't fall or ooze out it was fine. Excellent. Some jams (and marmalades) are so hard that when you mine a lump from the jar and try to spread it on a slice, the progress of the jam heaps-up a pile of butter before it. You shouldn't buy it then, make your own. It's easy and far, far better. There aren't enough hours in the year. If I made marmalade, however much of it I produced would be gone in a twinkling. As far as marmalade goes (not very far... Ed.) I'd give Paddington Bear a run for his money... I used to make a marmalade with honey, to sell. It was very popular but for various reasons I stopped selling it. I have boxes full of lovely mature marmalade which will probably see us out. (Un)fortunately the sugar in it has crystallised into large, tasty lumps which we love. An 8oz jar lasts us for many weeks, thus giving time for the crystallisation to continue to the bottom of the jar. Licious. Sounds good. It's only a few years since I finished using-up all the jams and marmalade my mother made: some of the pots dated back to the 1950s, and some of the sugar crystals in those were hard as a hard thing, and the size of sweets. Microwaving the jars on the very lowest setting was fine, and the jam became jam again, but a couple of days later it began to form crystals again. Frank Cooper's Oxford Marmalade is a case in point. I unforget it how it was when I was a young brat: proper marmalade, which could sneak off the side of your toast if you were unwary. In order to make the modern block of stuff usable, I have to heat it almost to boiling-point and add half of its original volume of fluid. I nominate a cheap malt whisky (such as Lidl's Glen Orchy), along with some (half a cup) thinly-sliced crystallised ginger, pre-soaked in aforsaid malt. OK, fair's fair, I buy it now simply because I can add so much whisky innit. You could make your own marmalade with whisky but I'd prefer to use something better than paint stripper. But there again I use 30yo Armagnac when I flambé a steak ... There's no point in using rubbish wine/spirits on good ingredients. I often put a good Merlot or Shiraz into dishes, and the Lidl Glen Orchy is quite good enough to put in a decanter. I reserve the cask-strength 15 y.o. Laphroaig and the Penderyn for appreciative topers - er - tipplers. Quaffers are lucky to get Glen Orchy. whisper I have a numbered bottle of single-cask-bottling of Linkwood. I'm saving it for a special occasion and/or (a) deserving conoisseur(s) innit. Mary p.s. so good to see that you use butter instead of something produced by men in white coats. Why not enhance it with your own produce? I do, but ATM I haven't got a decent preserving pan. Well, I haven't got a preserving pan. I molish my own pickles and things though. Microwave jam is really good, but you can only make so much at a time. I can make even less as I broke the turntable in the microwave. -- Rusty Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk Separator in search of a sig |
beware parsnips
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beware parsnips
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beware parsnips
In article , Rusty Hinge 2 writes: | | The main difference between it and common staples is that we tend | to know the conditions under which the latter can be eaten safely. | | Well, in parts Sith Effrica they are a staple. And in some other parts of the world. That was what puzzled the researchers - they weren't sure whether the regional variants were the key to edibility, or what. Solanum nigrum is cosmopolitan, was so since before humans arose, and is a variable species. | Some of them. There isn't much in strawberry or quince. Seriously | acid and pectin-rich fruits (like japonica) produce a jam like that | with little effort :-) | | A? Have you missed-out one of Mary's comments? There's LOADS of acid in | quinces and enough in strawberries. Are we talking pectin, here? Actually, no. True quinces (Cydonia oblonga) aren't very acid at all (the 'bite' is something else, as with sloes), though Chaenomeles is. And the same applies to strawberries - some varieties border on the sickly, because they have been bred for sweetness partly by breeding for low acid. I agree that the primary problem with strawberries is pectin (because they have effectively damn-all), but am not entirely sure what the problem is with Cydonia. Anyway, jam made from them alone typically doesn't set properly. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
beware parsnips
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... You shouldn't buy it then, make your own. It's easy and far, far better. There aren't enough hours in the year. Oh come on! You spend time on the pc ... .... Sounds good. It's only a few years since I finished using-up all the jams and marmalade my mother made: some of the pots dated back to the 1950s, and some of the sugar crystals in those were hard as a hard thing, and the size of sweets. Yes, the slow growing crystals grow very large. Microwaving the jars on the very lowest setting was fine, and the jam became jam again, but a couple of days later it began to form crystals again. It would take years for them to get to the size of sweets though. .... whisper I have a numbered bottle of single-cask-bottling of Linkwood. I'm saving it for a special occasion and/or (a) deserving conoisseur(s) innit. looks round your place or mine? Mary p.s. so good to see that you use butter instead of something produced by men in white coats. Why not enhance it with your own produce? I do, but ATM I haven't got a decent preserving pan. Well, I haven't got a preserving pan. I molish my own pickles and things though. I have a large brass preserving pan going a-begging. I prefer to use a very large ss pan for all preserving. it's not as pretty but it was very cheap and cleans easily - and of course there's no observable reaction between metal and ingredients. Microwave jam is really good, but you can only make so much at a time. I can make even less as I broke the turntable in the microwave. :-) I've never tried it - only recently bought a microwave - but the amounts would make it inefficient. Mary |
beware parsnips
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message k... For sheer complexity of flavour and smoothness, it's difficult to beat a well-aged single malt like Laphroaig or Ardbeg. Brandy lovers might try Linkwood. I used to enjoy Laphroaig then I discovered Ardbeg ... Mary |
beware parsnips
Following up to Rusty Hinge 2
I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it would be common knowledge if it were so. if you harvest parsnips in the sun, the sap on your skin will make it, is the word photosensitive? Anyway you will probably get burns. Our doctor didnt know this. -- Mike::::::::: remove clothing to email |
beware parsnips
Following up to Edwin Spector
That's about three years later. Of course, it _may_ have been caused by something else. no, its the parsnips. Its funny its not better known. -- Mike::::::::: remove clothing to email |
beware parsnips
In article , "Mike....." writes: | Following up to Rusty Hinge 2 | | I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it | would be common knowledge if it were so. | | if you harvest parsnips in the sun, the sap on your skin will make it, is | the word photosensitive? Anyway you will probably get burns. | Our doctor didnt know this. Firstly, it affects only some people, and few people are seriously affected. Secondly, parsnips are normally harvested in winter, when there isn't any sun in the UK to notice (for most people). So the word "probably" is wrong. It is true only for the most extreme photosensitisers (possibly including rue, possibly not even that). "Will probably" should be "might". Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
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