Easter is not a time for groping through dusty, musty tomes or tombs to disprove spontaneous generation or even to prove life eternal. It is a day to fan the ashes of dead hope, a day to banish doubts and seek the slopes where the sun is rising, to revel in the faith which transports us out of ourselves and the dead past into the vast and inviting unknown. ~Author unknown, as quoted in the Lewiston Tribune
Longans are great tasting fruits that you can find in many Asian markets. Some are frozen, but the best ones are the fresh ones with the vines still intact. Florida is now a big market for these babies.
Closely allied to the glamorous lychee, in the family Sapindaceae, the longan, or lungan, also known as dragon’s eye or eyeball, and as mamoncillo chino in Cuba, has been referred to as the “little brother of the lychee”, or li-chihnu, “slave of the lychee”. Botanically, it is placed in a separate genus, and is currently designated Dimocarpus longan Lour. (syns. Euphoria longan Steud.; E. longana Lam.; Nephelium longana Cambess.). According to the esteemed scholar, Prof. G. Weidman Groff, the longan is less important to the Chinese as an edible fruit, more widely used than the lychee in Oriental medicine.
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China’s sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO’s successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. China since the early 1990s has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations. - CIA Factbook.
It is fair to assume that when women in the past have achieved even a second or third place in the ranks of genius they have shown far more native ability than men have needed to reach the same eminence. Not excused from the more general duties that constitute the cement of society, most women of talent have had but one hand free with which to work out their ideal conceptions. – Anna Garlin Spencer
Hope the people of Japan and those affected by the 8.9 tsunami the strength to weather this natural catastrophe.
Dragon fruits are some of the best tropical fruits to have on a hot, sunny day.
The Dragon fruit also known as the Pitaya in the Southern Americas as well as Asia is quickly become known here in the United States. Right now we are shipping the red flesh variety .South Florida being as close to the equator as you can get seems to be the perfect growing area for this incredible fruit. We have been working on this item for quite a few years and is now making its way from the fancier restaurants to peoples homes. With a growing season from June to late December there is plenty of time to get your hands on this beauty.
High in vitamin C , they are rich in phosphorus and calcium and are free radical fighters known to contain phytoalbumin antioxidants and also have been shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. I know for a fact my wife, from Costa Rica, eats them regularly and they for sure help her with stomach ails. There is something to be said about a medicinal way of life.
Best served chilled, I like to make melon balls from them. You eat the flesh and seeds inside skin by cutting the fruit in half first. The flavor is mild and refreshing – a cross between a Kiwi and Watermelon. If you want to kick it up a notch try drizzling my Golden Passion fruit on it for a wow factor! Dragon fruit Martini’s are in. Makes a wonderful juice as well. Sorbets and ice cream are being done and Bacardi has even launched a new rum flavor with dragon fruit. The future of this fruit is bright: why not try some today – we are ready for shipping.
Fresh Gardens are growers and shippers of rare tropical fruits. Many items you may have never heard of, and that is what makes them so exciting. Most have been brought from South and central America and Asia. Although well known in those areas very few know of them here in the United States. That’s my job as a grower of these items: to excite and get you into trying these exotic tropical fruit for the first time!
There are only a few areas in the United states these are grown and Miami, Florida is one of them!
Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. – Steve Jobs
Creativity is…seeing something that doesn’t exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God. – Michele Shea
A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. Ayn Rand
Ingredients:
Water spinach, 1 pound
Garlic, 6 cloves minced or chopped
Fish sauce, 2-3 tablespoons
Oil for frying, 2 tablespoons
Wash the water spinach and cut off about 4-5 inches of the tougher parts of the stem, leaving the skinnier parts and the leaves behind. Let dry completely.
Heat up the oil in a wok to medium high heat and sautee the garlic to release the fragrance, about a minute.
Add in the water spinach and start stirring with a pair of tongs to evenly wilt the spinach. This will take about 3 minutes or so. Season with the fish sauce to taste and then remove, getting rid of the excess liquids left behind.
