Archive for December, 2011
Dec
29
Olive trees, ‘Olea europaea,’ are the oldest fruit trees and certainly are one of the most important fruit trees in history. Olive tree culture has been closely connected to the rise and fall of Mediterranean empires and other advanced civilizations throughout the ages. Because olive trees offered wealth and future food supplies to established civilizations, the agricultural nations became stable societies, resulting from a secure expectation from past experience of an uninterrupted food and olive oil supply. This factor was a necessary requirement for population growth and increase. Dependable fruit production and olive oil production means that olive trees must exist in a stable society and a peaceful environment. That stability must extend for many years, since most ancient seedling olive trees required eight or more years before ever producing the first crop of fruit. Productive orchards of olive trees meant that a foundation of the great empires of Greece and Rome had arisen and developed into complex economic and political forces. It is interesting to note that the historical decline of these empires corresponded to the destruction of their olive tree orchards that reduced the available supplies of olives, olive oil, olive wood, and olive soap. In connection with the destruction of olive orchards, it is interesting to note that in the Israeli wars with Palestine, 50,000 olive trees were destroyed by Israeli bulldozers. That act of agricultural destruction resulted in considerable anger and unrest along the Gaza strip and the West Bank, because the economic livelihood of many Palestinian farmers depended on their products from the uprooted olive trees. Additionally, the olive tree was historically a ‘peace and goodwill’ symbol, and when the olive trees were leveled near the city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and the “Cradle of Biblical History,” that elimination of olive trees seemed like a deliberate provocation to end the ‘peace’ with the Palestinian settlers and farmers.
The Greeks recognized that in their vast empire they must avoid hostilities and war during the period that the Olympic Games were being conducted, and they declared a worldwide armistice so that their complete attention could be directed toward their athletic events and games.
Medical properties of olive oil were reported by many ancient Greek writers and philosophers, their importance in creating nutritional benefits and wealth for Greek citizens continues abundantly today–some Greek olive tree orchards containing a million or more trees. Aristotle wrote extensively about the accepted methods of successfully growing olive trees.
Greek mythology records that Athena, the Goddess of wisdom and peace, struck her magic spear into the Earth, and it turned into an olive tree, thus, the location where the olive tree appeared and grew was named Athens, Greece, in honor of the Goddess, Athena. Local legend tells us that the original olive tree still stands growing after many centuries at the ancient sacred site. Citizens still claim that all Greek olive trees originated from rooted cuttings that were grown from that original olive tree. Homer claimed in his writings that the ancient olive tree growing in Athens was already 10,000 years old. Homer stated that Greek courts sentenced people to death if they destroyed an olive tree. In 775 BC Olympia, Greece, at the site of the ancient Olympic stadium, athletes competed and trained, and winners were triumphantly acclaimed and crowned with a wreath made of olive twigs. Ancient gold coins that were minted in Athens depicted the face of the Goddess, Athena, wearing an olive leaf wreath on her helmet holding a clay vessel of olive oil. The Greeks began olive cultivation in 700 BC. The sacred lamp that was used in ancient Greek culture for lighting dark rooms at night was fueled by olive oil. Aged olive oil was also used in sacred anointing rituals of the church at weddings and at baptisms. Herodotus wrote in 500 BC, that the growing and exporting of olives and olive oil were so sacred that only virgins and eunuchs were allowed to cultivate orchards of olive trees. The first documented plantings of olive trees may have occurred during the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete and are believed to have been growing around 3500 BC. That civilization predates the discovered Mycenae olive fossils from 1600 BC and later in the Greek empire. Sturt Manning, an archeologist from Cornell University, reported in Live Science Magazine (Apr 28, 2005) that the most devastating volcano in 10,000 years occurred on the Greek Island of Thera, after which the city of Akrotiri was totally buried by the falling ash. The finding of olive wood and olive seed fossils buried near the site has shown through carbon dating that the volcanic eruption occurred between 1660 and 1600 BC and may have contributed to the total destruction of the advanced Minoan civilization (Atlantis) on the isle of Crete and may have led to the formation of the Sahara desert in North Africa after vaporizing the native forests there.
In the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible (Gen 8:11), Noah was given an olive branch by a dove after the great flood as a symbol of peace and love of God, which it remains today. In the book of Exodus, Moses explains that God expected olive oil to be used in various rituals that were performed by priests of Israel. Olive oil was used as an anointing oil to be poured over the heads of Kings and priests that acknowledged their authority as an agent of God. Many other references to olives are given in the Bible. Psalms 52:8 “But I am like the green olive tree in the house of God, I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.” Finally, Jesus was to spend his last day praying at the mount of olives garden of Gethsemane, in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. Jesus was arrested there, tried, convicted, crucified and later ascended to heaven, after his resurrection from the tomb.
Impressionist artists were stunned by the antique age and beauty of olive trees and their productiveness that resulted in masterpiece paintings by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Renoir, and Matisse. The world’s great Biblical reporters, literary writers, and poets immortalized the olive tree, such people as Jesus, Milton, Shakespeare, and Lord Byron.
Thomas Jefferson wrote “The olive tree is the richest gift of heaven.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has reported “Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, who traveled abroad, brought plant material such as olive trees and rice back to the U.S. to develop United States agricultural production.” Thomas Jefferson was the U.S. ambassador to France during the Revolutionary War, and he began to import olive trees and seeds into the southern U.S. The excessive humidity of South Carolina and Georgia did not allow profitable olive tree orchards to develop properly in those areas. Jefferson wrote “The greatest service which can be rendered to any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.” He ranked his introduction of the olive tree and dry rice into South Carolina as two of his top lifetime achievements. Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Ronaldson on January 13, 1813, “it is now twenty-five years since I sent them (southern planters) two shipments of about 500 plants of the olive tree of Aix, the finest olive trees in the world.”
The fragrant flowers of olive trees are small and creamy white, hidden within the thick leaves. Some cultivars will self pollinate, but others will not. The blossoms usually begin appearing in April and can continue for many months. A wild, seedling olive tree normally begins to flower and produce fruit at the age of 8 years. The fruit of the olive tree is a purplish-black when completely ripe, but a few cultivars are green when ripe and some olives turn a color of copper-brown. The size of the olive fruit is variable, even on the same tree, and the shape ranges from round to oval with pointed ends. Some olives can be eaten fresh after sun-drying and the taste is sweet, but most olive cultivars are bitter and must be treated by various chemical solutions before developing into edible olives. If the olives are thinned on the limbs of the trees to 2 or 3 per twig, the ultimate size of the olives will be much larger. The fruit is gathered in mid October and should be processed as soon as possible to prevent fermentation and a decline in quality.
The leaves of olive trees are gray-green and are replaced at 2-3 year intervals during the spring after new growth appears. Pruning yearly and severely is very important to insure continued production. The trees have the unproductive limbs removed, “so that it will be more fruitful” John 15:2. An olive tree can grow to 50 feet with a limb spread of 30 feet, but most growers will keep the tree pruned to 20 feet to assure maximum production. New sprouts and trees will emerge from the olive tree stump roots, even if the trees are cut down. Some olive trees are believed to be over a thousand years old, and most will live to the ripe old age of 500 years.
Olives generally are beaten off trees with poles, harvested mechanically or by shaking the fruit from the trees onto canvas. Most ripening olives are removed from the trees after the majority of the fruit begins to change in color. It is important to squeeze out the olive oil within a day after harvesting or else fermentation or decline in flavor and quality will occur. The olive oil can be consumed or used in cooking immediately after its collection from the press. Olive oils are unique and distinct, each brand of olive oil having its own character, as determined by many factors, like those unique flavor differences found in fine wines. Prepared commercial olive oils can vary greatly in aroma, fruit flavor; whether the taste is, flowery, nutty, delicate, or mild, and the coloring of olive oil is quite variable. Read the rest of this entry »
When it comes to small kitchen remodeling, there are several things you need to consider. Even before acquiring the services of a professional contractor, or making appliance selection.
More than any other room of the house, the kitchen is the most versatile. It is used to prepare meals, feed the family, store foods, and clean and stow service ware and other household items.
The kitchen is also the family gathering place, the centerpiece of the home. Therefore, it is important that every kitchen remodeling idea be taken into consideration. This is especially true when available space is limited, and kitchen remodeling cost a concern.
Whether you design the kitchen yourself, work with a kitchen remodeling contractor or home center, formulating a plan will be the first step.
Important Things to Consider When Planning Kitchen Design
The first kitchen remodeling tip is to consider the three basic kitchen functions: storage, food preparation, and clean-up. A well-thought out kitchen design will accommodate each of these three functions.
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Dec
23
BUILT-IN APPLIANCES: gives more rest and less work.
What does a person want Less work and high output. Till 1980′s all the people that were more time-consuming did the household work. Keeping peoples’ basic requirements in mind built-in appliances were introduced in the market in order to save time and energy of the people so that people can concentrate on other curricular activities in their day-to-day life.
What are built-n appliances
In computer, monitor is a part of television and both have the functions of a set-top box so here we can say television and monitor have built-in functions of a set-top box. Similarly the built-in appliances can be related according to the products:
* Microwave Ovens.
* Dish washers.
* Refrigerators
* Freezers.
* Washing machines and other laundry equipments.
* Cooker hoods.
* Hobs.
These all equipments are related to home built-in appliances where refrigerator is used to store food under required degree Celsius. Washing machines are used to wash and dry the clothes as dryer is built-in equipment, etc. Similarly other appliances work can also be related.
Precautions and maintenance:
It is good to use these appliances but maintenance and precautions are to be taken. While using these appliances make a point not to turn on the switch until plugs are properly plugged-in because it may result to electric shock, which is harmful. After rechecking the connections switch on the appliance. Appliances should be kept clean and far away from dust and dirt. Maintenance should be taken at least after six months for safety so that the appliance can work for a longer period of time.
Overview of built-in appliances:
After having some basic knowledge about the built-in appliances we can conclude that they have become a basic necessity of human’s life. These appliances save lots of energy and time of a human and give ample of time for some other activities. Some best manufacturers of built-in appliances are Whirlpool who is known best for Home appliances; Smeg and Hotpoints are known for Kitchen appliances, etc.
Last but not the least BUILT-IN APPLIANCES gives more rest and less work.
Home appliances – For a house that matters
Setting up a home includes, apart from painting and colors, bricks and brats, home appliances too. These are the most essential part of running a house, because good home appliances insure good housekeeping. How to choose a home appliance is the main problem, or should I say the trickiest part of the whole process. Before getting to that, here is a brief list of the home appliances that are generally used by us daily. A glance at the list, will give you an idea on exactly what you will have to invest if you are planning to set up a home.
Appliances for the home
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Heroditus, the father of ancient history, recorded in the mid-400′s B.C., that oak trees were reputed to have within their boughs, the gift of prophecy. The presence of oak tree galls in oak trees is caused by insect larvae that tunnel inside the twigs. The oak tree branches can become infested with numerous little galls that look like brown or tan balls, as the cells of the oak tree grow to surround the insects inside. Some cultures call these creations, ‘Oak Apples,’ and they are used commercially to produce tannins, ink and a wide assortment of medicinal remedies. The use of oak wood is well known as a hard wood with many uses reported in ancient times.
It is not an easy task to write about the history of oak trees, because there are so many species, all having different stories of their own in historical development of tree lines, having evolved in different climates in different nations of the World. William Bartram in 1773 wrote in his book, ‘Travels’, that he slept underneath the “protecting shade of the hospitable live oak, and reclined my head, and at Fort Frederica, Ga. “under the whole spreading boughs that opened a spacious avenue leading to the former seat of General Oglethorpe.” One live oak tree called the Wesley Oak, named after the founder of the Methodist Church, John and Charles Wesley, was used to carve out a rugged, wooden cross, that is still used at the altar of the Christ’s Episcopal Church on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, also the island site of Fort Frederica, Georgia.
Over the last several hundred years, all around the world, different varieties of Oak Trees have been discovered; six hundred plus. Oak trees are desired among the gardening world for many different reasons. Some gardeners like the old world appeal of swooping oak tree limbs, covered with hanging Spanish moss. Some may like to plant them for shade trees, but what is probably the most famous association of oak trees are on the old plantations of the south. Innumerable forests of oak trees, neatly trimmed and brimming with wildlife, nibbling away at the acorns.
There are several classifications of oak trees: Deciduous Varieties: Pin Oak Tree, Quercus palustris; Sawtooth Oak Tree, Quercus acutissima; Willow Oak Tree, Quercus phellos; White Oak Tree, Quercus alba; Water Oak Tree, Quercus nigra; Turkey Oak Tree, Quercus laevis; Swamp Chestnut Oak Tree, Quercus michauxii; Shummard Oak Tree, Quercus shummardii; Red Northern Oak Tree, Quercus rubra; Red Southern Oak Tree, Quercus falcata; and the Post Oak Tree, Quercus stellata. There are also Evergreen Oaks: Laurel Oak Tree, Quercus laurifolia; and the Darlington Laurel Oak Tree, Quercus hemisphaerica. The two most famous however, are Semi-Evergreen: Live Oak Tree, Quercus virginiana; and Sand Live Oak Tree, Quercus geminata. All of these varieties produce acorns that vary in size from ½ inch to 1 ¼ inches.
In locations where Oak trees are not commonly found, certain varieties can be planted to attract wildlife. Smaller nut varieties are fed on by squirrels, and birds, and larger acorn varieties like the White Oak, and Gobbler Oak and Sawtooth Oak are eaten by deer, turkey, and boar. The White Oak tree is a great wildlife cultivar to plant because of its ability to ripen acorns within one year, and its above average growth rate. The Live Oak is commonly found in woods of the Southeastern United States. Pine trees are also found in large numbers in the Southeast, so there will certainly be turkeys out in the morning and evenings looking for live oak tree delicacies, gobbling invitations for their turkey friends to come down and join them in Thanksgiving for the Fall feast.
When Oak trees are planted for shade trees one must consider the overall height of the tree. The Black Oak Tree, and White Oak Tree can grow as tall as a hundred feet, whereas, the Water Oak and Sand Live Oak, and Chinquapin Oak will only reach fifty feet or there about. Quercus rubra or Northern Red Oak, one of the fastest growing oak trees, can reach towering heights of eighty feet in just about half the time that a Sand Live Oak takes to grow fifty feet, and is often a choice shade tree among new home builders.
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