Last Commented Food Blogs (315)

Nutmeg and mace. Pala in Indonesia.
Once these trees only grew on the Banda Islands in the Moluccas.
The dutch waged bloody wars for control of this spice and the Banda Islands, even exterminating the native population.
The profit range was about 600 times, when there was rumour in Europe that nutmeg would be the only remedy against the black death.
Nowadays Indonesia is still a main producer and a good nut costs about 1,40 Euro here.
No idea what the peasants get or what the price in Indo shops.

Anyone else here like Broccoli? I could live of it

Spring Violet Jam..using Wild Violets



Spring is Violet time in the Midwest...did you know you could use the blooms to make a edible Jam? Here's a recipe for making Violet Jam using the blooms only, not the stems or leaves. Be sure to pick your blooms in area free of pollutants or spray. Anyone with allergies should sample small amt of this to test for reaction to the flowers involved.

1 1/2 cups violet blooms (purple color or white)
1 1/2 cups water, divided
Juice of 1 lime
2 1/3 cups sugar
1 package (1 3/4 ounces) powdered pectin

Rinse violet blooms well, place in blender. Add 3/4 cup water & lime juice, blend well.
Gradually add sugar,blending til a smooth paste is formed.
In a saucepan, combine pectin & remaining water. bring to a boil for 1 minute. add to blender & blend 1 minute.
Quickly pour into prepared jars & seal with lids or may be stored in refrigerator. Jam will be magenta pink color if using mostly purple blooms.
Makes 4-5 small jars of jam.



Very good on biscuits or toast.

Think of Indian food. You'll come across variety of delicious and mesmerizing recipes. Some of them are branded according to the region and were branded by their rulers throughout india. Different regions in india are recognized by their specific type of recipes. And important to mention these dishes are only for those who are having huge taste buds. And not for those who are habitual of having only and only boiled vegs..........(ohhh..Indian food.--so pungent ..so....spicy.) people using these kind of quote are ignorant and uneducated in chemistry of spices. For which whole world dependend on india for centuries........................
Guys.....those who have heard of forgotten recipes can share.

we were discussing this subject the other day, and I thought you would enjoy this. I would have sent this to you via email, but I'm blocked...
Don't know if this link will work, didn't have time to figure how to load it here.....

I've given up beef years ago gave up pork more recently, my friend who works selling fish says only eat the big fish) once a month. I was married to a woman from Lithuania, we lived in the US, she taught me more than I could of imagined about food. Now, I eat all organic foods (when possible), no GMO, (genetically modified organism). I realize in Europe that you got your sh#@ together. You don't allow GMO and pesticides doesn't seem to be as needed there as they are here. I never knew how fulfilling and healthy nuts are, I now buy 20 pounds of organic almonds at a time. I bake my own bread....have you seen all the ingredients in bread?? I use organic flour from Italy, yeast, raisins, sunflower seeds, a little salt and water and some honey....that's it.....ever look at the ingredients for bread must be over 50 and 40 of the words I can't even pronounce....

We're slowly being poisoned by what we eat......we need to take back control.........

Does it cost more? Absolutely. But to have the quality of life in the long run is worth it's weight in gold.....my luck I'll get hit by a bus.

A memory to send shivers down the back of many US veterans.

Somehow for the past 40 years of my life I have always had a case or two or three of them.

During the Cold War many places I worked in had whole closets stuffed with them. Some LRRPs (Long Range Recon Patrol) & RCW (Ration Cold Weather) too. Early on the C rations had those wooden crates that unfolded into a desk and which were stuffed with C rations. I saw some of those C rat desks get moved out and replaced by MREs. <Those desks are considered prized collector's items BTW by those who collect such military exotica.>

So anyway not very long ago I was issued some new MREs. This led to a decision that the time had come to start rotating out my Vietnam/Cold war stockpile.

NRE content has always been a source of controversy. A natural result of trying to please all the people all of the time.

Back in WW2 the C ration was basically some crackers and spread, a can of apple sauce and some cigarettes and toilet paper and matchs. It was intended to provide a lunch for soldiers on the line. It was not intended for long term sustenance. The meals evolved, becoming more nutritionally complete with each incarnation. A K ration came into being. LRRP meals had more calories and protein. Cold Weather Rations had more calories.

Eventually what we call the MRE emerged. A broad variety of freeze dried meals in an airtight sack stuffed into boxes labeled A or B or C.

There also exists a meal type called Humanitarian Ration. Made without meat (except chicken) so as to not offend some like them, some hate them. Originally in yellow bags, I believe the current color is pink.

Well my MREs were way, way, way past their shelf date and two weeks ago I decided it was time to eat them or dispose of them.

Tang from a vintage 1970s MRE compared to a contemporary MRE bag.



Cold War era MRE vs contemporary MRE



Commercial knock off copies of an MRE usually using a mix of true MRE components and commercial equivalents.



MREs usually come with a heating pouch. Just put the food in the bag and add a half inch of water. A chemical reaction then produces lots of heat to heat the food.



Most MREs come with deserts of one kind or another. They can be bags of fruit cocktail, apple sauce, brownies, cookies, skittles, or (my favorite (no longer issued) oatmeal cookie bars. They usually also come with crackers of one kind or another and a spread. Grape jelly, peanut butter, cheese, jalepeno cheese spread, etc.

As you can imagine there is usually some trading going on with soldiers for the different components. Trade you my jalepeno cheese spread for your peanut butter, etc.



I love the old Oatmeal cookie bars.



Right after Hurricane Katrina some countries donated their own military rations to the folk of New Orleans. Similar to US Aid to Haiti being blocked by Haitian Customs, US Customs seized the shipments of aid to the US. I am happy to report while I was there some of the foreign military MRE equivalents fell off the back of the truck into my hands. The French include wine in theirs! The British meals were so so, but wow, that is some excellent coffee in those little silver packets.

More info on MREs is at


What is your experience with MREs?

Without much luck at some of the smaller brick/mortar stores... yes, even Johnson's Gro and Save-A-Lot, and Big Lots... I lucked out at Walmart! I'm here to say that Sweet Relish is plentiful, but to look for Pickle Relish (dill), is more scarce than I imagined. Every store, had plenty of Sweet Relish, but none for Pickle Relish! So, I just gave up.... Then as I was at Walmart, shopping... I thought, what the heck, I was already in the aisles for spices/sauces... and there it was "PICKLE RELISH (dill)" sitting on the shelf... just as pretty as can be!

My idea of making some homemade Tartar Sauce, with a "twang, jaw clenching, savory bursts of flavors", that just might make the fried fish jump up and run away on their own!" Traditionally, Sweet Relish is typically used, but I got to take that other road.... and invite my taste buds, to the "edge" of my world! I can feel my jaws, starting to draw up, to the verge of locking up! Just thinking of that, is making my mouth salivate already. Whew!!! OK, people... I been thinking about this all day, and it ain't gonna stop, till put it all together... "I need a bib...."!!! hahaha Report later...

P.S. Got me some Jalapeno flavored Sweet Relish while I was there at Relish Heaven... (Walmart, aisles 6) ~JOHN~

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Many around here, including me, do this every year.

Your first thoughts were probably about additives, pesticides and some of the preservatives that we are subjected to every day in the food we eat but I’m not talking about that today. I’m talking about our fresh products as it comes from the ground, spiked with toxins by nature. We probably consume enough toxins to kill an ox.

Everybody is quick to point out the disadvantages of (red) meat but it would seem that other foods are just as bad. It is no longer just sugar, salt, nicotine, alcohol, and fat to worry about.

The green leaves of Rhubarb contain Oxalic Acid. It causes kidney stones and, if you eat enough of it, it can kill you.

Kidney beans contain large quantities of Lectin and as little as only 3 uncooked beans can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea.

Apple pips contain Cyanide. If you eat enough it will cause vomiting.

The area near the stem of tomatoes contains a toxin called Tomatine that is sometimes used in pest control.

Green potatoes are extremely rich in Glycoalkaloid poison. Death by potatoes is rare but not unheard of at all.

The pips of cherries contain Hydrogen Cyanide. This can cause vomiting, breathing problems, and even kidney failure.

Brazil nuts contain extremely high concentrations of Radium, a thousand times more that the average levels in other foods, making it the most radioactive food in the world.

Nutmeg, a known hallucinogen can cause nutmeg psychosis which leads to depression and a feeling of impending doom.

Then lastly, to draw the attention away from plant toxins, eating the puffer fish leads to paralysis or death if prepared incorrectly. Chefs train for up to 3 years to prepare it correctly but people still die as a result from time to time.

So, what shall I say; Bon Appetite? We may as well start with the hand picked mushrooms. Only about 5% of mushroom varieties are poisonous and you will have a 95% chance of survival; or would you rather starve to death?

What the hell, I’m hungry. I must find something toxic to eat before I get withdrawal symptoms. I got used to having all these toxins in my system.


Have a wonderful day. There is no need to start your new diet today. Nothing has changed.