Wednesday
Get quality services with Infiniti New York
Use of cars in our life has become greater than ever; presently, almost everyone owns a luxury car and those who do not own it, dream of buy one. Everybody desires to own a unique and stylish car to get attention and higher status in a society; in fact, some people buy a luxury car just for the sake of status. But whatever the reason, it is for sure that a luxury car is one of the most cherished dreams for everyone. Infiniti car is also one of those luxurious cars that are becoming a craze among the elders as well as youngsters. It is indeed conquering every heart because of its magnificent looks, supreme luxury and high performance. For car lovers, the cars from this range are another name of luxury with looks and it is quite true as they have broken all sales records of the last decade. If you are looking at buying a new car or want to opt for a new model, then Infiniti New York is one of the best places where you can materialize your dream. Since these cars have a high demand in market, you can face problems in finding any particular model or color of your choice. In such a situation it is always better to go for an authorized dealer’s showroom to get what you have planned for. Infiniti New York is a renowned and authorized showroom that offers a wide variety of colors and models of luxury cars. If you are disappointed due to unavailability of a desired color or model then cheer up as at this showroom you will get everything as per your expectations. Therefore, do not compromise with your choice and buy only that model and color which you always dreamed of owning. For people who dream about buying a luxury car, Infiniti New York is the right place to realize their dream without any compromise. The showroom is basically famous for its best services and availability of every model of this range of cars; in fact, you can have a delightful test drive before making a decision regarding any particular model. It is quite possible that you may get confused after these test drives, as every model has a variety of specialties to fascinate you. If you have any doubt regarding performance of the car, then the zealous staff can clear your doubts by providing information regarding mileage, power and oil consumption. Infiniti in New York is the most apt showroom to get the desired model and reliable services. Since a car is an expensive asset, everyone would like to make any decision only after doing thorough market research; in fact, proper market research is very necessary for extracting the best deal from the market. Therefore, if you don’t have proper knowledge about available colors and models then search it on the World Wide Web as there you can find all possible information about luxury range of cars. In addition, if you ever face problem with any part of your car, then you can book your servicing date and time with ease.
Accessible Appalachia - Exploring Virginia's Crooked Road
Located in Southwest Virginia, the Crooked Road is more than just a driving route. This 200-mile heritage music trail winds through Appalachia and connects music venues and heritage sites that highlight the traditional music of the region; the gospel, bluegrass and mountain music that's been passed down for generations by local families. Along the way you'll find stage shows, outdoor concerts, festivals, Appalachian crafts, galleries and some great scenery; however it's the locals who bring the Crooked Road to life. Be it the banjo maker in Galax or the quilter in Floyd, they all have a story to tell. And part of the whole Crooked Road experience is simply taking the time to listen. Technically the Crooked Road isn't just one road, but a route composed of many state routes and local roads. The best starting point is the eastern terminus, Rocky Point; which is located 25 miles south of Roanoke. Just take VA 40 west towards Ferrum and follow the Crooked Road signs. Not only is this the easiest access point, but Ferrum makes a great first stop; as the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum offers a good overview on the regional heritage. Located on the campus of Ferrum College, the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum features indoor gallery space plus an outdoor heritage farm museum. The gallery space hosts exhibitions which highlight the people and heritage of the region. There is level access to the museum, barrier-free access throughout the galleries and plenty of accessible parking outside. Across the street, take some time to look through the Farm Museum which has gravel and dirt pathways, ramps up to the barns and a few steps up into the farmhouse. The pathways are doable for most people in dry weather and even though you can't access every display, you can still get a good feel for what Virginia farm life was like back in 1800. Traveling west on the Crooked Road, you'll cross the Blue Ridge Parkway and enter Floyd County. Here's where a little diversion is in order. Although it's not on the official route, I highly recommend at least a short drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, as it's very scenic. Either way, a stop is Floyd is a must; and if you are looking for overnight accommodations, look no further than the Oak Haven Lodge. Opened in 2003, this 10-room rustic lodge features ramp access to the front porch and office, with accessible parking available in a gravel parking area next to the office. Room 1 is located downstairs and has wide doorways, two double beds, good pathway access and a 5-foot turnaround in the bathroom. Access features in the bathroom include a low-step shower, a roll-under sink, grab bars in the shower and around the toilet and a portable shower chair. A commode chair is also available upon request. All this for a very affordable $65 per night. Continuing west, you'll pass through Galax and Abingdon before coming to Bristol. Here you'll find the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance Museum, which features exhibits on the roots of country music and the musicians that helped shape the genre. Access is excellent throughout the museum, with a level entrance and barrier-free access to all the exhibits. Best of all, admission is free. There's plenty of live music to be had in Bristol too, with weekly concerts at the Birthplace of Country Music Mural on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights and a Thursday morning jam session at the Star Barbershop on State Street. All of these musical events are free and open to the public. And as far as access goes, there is good wheelchair-access to the seating area at the mural and level access to the Star Barbershop. Finally, no matter what you do on your Crooked Road adventure, save time for a visit to the Carter Family Fold for a Saturday night concert. Granted some advance planning is required to plan a Saturday night stay near the Hiltons, but fortunately it's only about 20 minutes from Bristol. Located on the AP and Sara Carter homestead, the Carter Family Fold is actually a large theater; and in keeping with tradition, only acoustic instruments are allowed and no alcohol is served. That said, each week there's a different headliner, so no two shows are exactly alike. The energy however, is ever present. Accessible parking is located near the theater with level access to the entrance. Accessible seating (with companion seating) is available up font and it's the only reserved seating in the house. Indeed the front seats are the ones with an up-close look at all the action, because once the music starts, the area in front of the stage turns into a massive dance floor. But again, that's all part of the show. All in all it's great place to mix with the locals and an excellent opportunity to enjoy a real slice of Crooked Road culture.
Sunday
Free Online Games at ActiveGamez
There currently are few real web sites which have been built with the purpose of offering a wide selection of online games in several formats for PC gamers, some of those formats are flash and java. The beauty of free online games is that any gamer can have instant access to giant databases of interactive games which can be played during their leisure time. The categories vary from site to site, we can see that some of these games are educational or brainteasers, others are for pure fun and obviously these games are definitely strong enough to addict the players who often find themselves hooked up for hours. Other free online game categories are adventure games and role-playing games.Role Playing Games are multiplayer applications that appeals the appetite of many online players because it allows the gamer to impersonate a desired character while visitors can also pick an online partner to this game enhancing the very social nature of gaming thus making the gaming environment more hot and interesting; this is a sure hit among teens and young adults. New gamers will be delighted to know that some of these sites even have a rating system which can be quite useful if you don't want to waste precious gaming hours trying to find something fun and interesting; another great feature is the ability to post comments about the game, so the feedback loop is quite robust.For those who like shooting at stuff, one of the currently featured games (flash version) is called "Final Fortress", in this game you are given a missile launcher which should be used to destroy incoming tanks and small enemies. The game gives you the option of buying additional equipment such as: A Grenade Launcher ($350), Bio Canon ($400), Heavy Mines ($40 each), energy plant ($250) and additional normal mines for $20 each. Using all of these goodies you can improve you accuracy and increase your scores. Besides being a flash game, which are normally thought of as single level games, Final Fortress is actually a multi-level game so if you think the first round was easy then wait to see what it's in store for you.Not only war and shooting games cover the full range and categories, there are others aimed to improve your memory skills. For some people this results rather hard because the sequences are shown fast but this is exactly the purpose of the game, the more you remember the better your score becomes and you get the added benefit of improving your short term memory skills.
About the author:ActiveGamez.com provides a wide selection of free online games in almost every category imaginable from action games to adventure games, make some time and visit us today!
About the author:ActiveGamez.com provides a wide selection of free online games in almost every category imaginable from action games to adventure games, make some time and visit us today!
Water4gas - Increase Mileage Save Money
Water4gas allows users to increase mileage by 50%, save thousands of dollars a year on gasoline costs and drastically reduce car emissions. Water4gas is essentially a blueprint which shows users how to create a unique HHO (Hydrogen + Oxygen) Gas driven system. This revolutionary technology allows any car to run on both water and gasoline. Save MoneyWe live in a fast paced world where rising gasoline prices are a major issue for consumers worldwide. The majority of US, Canadian, British and Australian citizens are heavily reliant on their car’s and hence gasoline prices. Imagine becoming immune to rising gasoline prices and laughing in the faces of oil companies worldwide? Water4gas will save the average US driver in excess of $1000 dollars a year in gasoline prices. Increase MileageThe water4gas system has seen the majority of users increase their mileage by 50% - some users even experienced increases of up to 70%. The efficiency of your car’s engine will be dramatically increased, which will make amazing increases of your mileage. Further to this the unique system makes your engine run smoother and quieter. Not only will the technology increase mileage, but it will also improve performance and power of your car, and assist to prolong engine life.How It WorksWater4gas is safe and easy to assemble from readily available parts from your local hardware store. The technology does not interfere or damage your car’s engine or computer system. Essentially you place a quart size container filled with distilled water and small amount of baking soda under the hood of your car. The system is powered by electricity (12 Volts) from the engine, creates a vacuum and produces HHO Gas. This HHO gas is then pushed into the engines manifold or carburettor. ConclusionIf you are sick of paying rising gasoline prices, then a water based car system is something you should consider. 100% water car’s a something for the future, but currently a long way off being released to the public. Sure you can buy a hybrid car if you have the money, but it is not a viable option for your average Joe. Imagine being able to save money today, increase your car’s mileage and help save our environment with the one basic system. Water4gas is a unique innovation in environmentally friendly car modifications.
Golf Tips To Help Your Putting Stroke
Putting a golf ball can be difficult at the best of times. For many people, when they have problems putting, they try everything under the sun including a various string of new putters. But the main thing they forget to do is to go back to the main, basic fundamentals. Most times they simply need to correct the problem they may not realize they have. Follow along as we give you a few brief golf tips that will help you to putt more consistently.
Putting tips have to be very simple in order to be effective. Over thinking disrupts concentration on the putt and only makes things worse. That's why it is so important to return to the fundamentals when you can't seem to putt as well as you did previously. Quite often, when people start to putt badly they develop the yips, the term that applies to the herky-jerky putting motion that creeps in. The main cause of the yips is misalignment. You can correct this by consciously making sure your eyes are directly over top of the ball along the line of the putt. When people end up with misalignment problems it's usually because their eyes are not dead center over the line of the putt to the hole. Your eyes can be directly over the ball or a little behind it but they should always be dead center in the middle of the golf ball along the line of the putt to the hole.
Here are a couple of putting tips to help you make sure you are lined up over the ball properly. Almost every putter in existence has a straight line painted or etched on the top of the putting blade. Always make sure that line is pointed directly through the ball to the hole. You should be able to tell fairly easily if the line is angled a degree or two off the line through the ball to the hole. But here is an added, unique little tip that will help to make your aim a little better. Mark your ball, pick it up and look for the lettering. Now, when you set the ball back down, align the string of letters so they are aimed directly at the hole. Now when you set back up behind the ball, the line on the top of the putter should aim through the letters in a direct line to the hole. Now instead of guessing, you have some visible markings to help you determine if you are set up properly over the top of the ball with your putter square to the hole. This is a method used by many of the top professionals on the tour today.
Putting strokes can come and go even for the best of professionals. Sometimes our eyes can play tricks at us when we think we are set up properly over the ball. Whenever you have problems on the putting greens, it always good to resort to do the basic fundamentals. Get back to the basics and you will soon be dropping them into the cup again in no time.
Putting tips have to be very simple in order to be effective. Over thinking disrupts concentration on the putt and only makes things worse. That's why it is so important to return to the fundamentals when you can't seem to putt as well as you did previously. Quite often, when people start to putt badly they develop the yips, the term that applies to the herky-jerky putting motion that creeps in. The main cause of the yips is misalignment. You can correct this by consciously making sure your eyes are directly over top of the ball along the line of the putt. When people end up with misalignment problems it's usually because their eyes are not dead center over the line of the putt to the hole. Your eyes can be directly over the ball or a little behind it but they should always be dead center in the middle of the golf ball along the line of the putt to the hole.
Here are a couple of putting tips to help you make sure you are lined up over the ball properly. Almost every putter in existence has a straight line painted or etched on the top of the putting blade. Always make sure that line is pointed directly through the ball to the hole. You should be able to tell fairly easily if the line is angled a degree or two off the line through the ball to the hole. But here is an added, unique little tip that will help to make your aim a little better. Mark your ball, pick it up and look for the lettering. Now, when you set the ball back down, align the string of letters so they are aimed directly at the hole. Now when you set back up behind the ball, the line on the top of the putter should aim through the letters in a direct line to the hole. Now instead of guessing, you have some visible markings to help you determine if you are set up properly over the top of the ball with your putter square to the hole. This is a method used by many of the top professionals on the tour today.
Putting strokes can come and go even for the best of professionals. Sometimes our eyes can play tricks at us when we think we are set up properly over the ball. Whenever you have problems on the putting greens, it always good to resort to do the basic fundamentals. Get back to the basics and you will soon be dropping them into the cup again in no time.
Easy Weight Loss Tips
Excessive weight is definitely a top concern for many people as our culture has become very sedentary and much of our food is packaged with empty calories, so we are prone to obesity or excessive weight problems. Readers and consumers are always interested in weight loss regimens because it is estimated that as many as eight in every ten people experience health and fashion problems linked to obesity or excess weight. Here are some weight loss tips that will surely work for you if you decide it's time to get your own weight issues under control:
Consume about five servings of vegetables and fruits at a minimum each day. Such foods are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber which provides you with a sense of fullness that can help to keep you from over-indulging. Fruits and vegetables also naturally have lower calorie counts.
You may have thought that skipping meals would help lower weight. Think again. Skipping meals isn't a good idea because firstly, it can lead to ulcers, and secondly, you'll tend to eat more because of over-hunger during your next meal, so it basically defeats the purpose of skipping a meal in the first place. Instead, you should have about five to six very small meals throughout the whole day, instead of the usual three large meals. Eating more frequently will actually help balance calorie intake, regulate your blood sugar levels and keep your metabolism chugging along at a steady pace all day.
Take the time to learn how to read and interpret product labels especially on packaged food products that claim to be healthy. You'll often find that they are actually a lot less healthy than they claim because the food serving listed is much smaller than most reasonable people would eat. Or maybe an item is low fat, but has a ton of sugar in it.
Start fitting some regular exercise into your day. You'll keep your metabolism pumping away, actively working to burn calories and stored fats in the body. Such rigorous activities would also help you excrete toxins from the body through sweat. Enrolling to a gym and getting involved in physical sports are sure ways that the body can effectively and beneficially sweat it out. About 30 to 60 minutes of overall physical activity three to four times a week is what you want to strive for. If you are too busy to go the gym or get involved with sports, a half hour walk a few times a week would also do the trick. The idea is to get up and move and keep your body working efficiently.
Consume about five servings of vegetables and fruits at a minimum each day. Such foods are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber which provides you with a sense of fullness that can help to keep you from over-indulging. Fruits and vegetables also naturally have lower calorie counts.
You may have thought that skipping meals would help lower weight. Think again. Skipping meals isn't a good idea because firstly, it can lead to ulcers, and secondly, you'll tend to eat more because of over-hunger during your next meal, so it basically defeats the purpose of skipping a meal in the first place. Instead, you should have about five to six very small meals throughout the whole day, instead of the usual three large meals. Eating more frequently will actually help balance calorie intake, regulate your blood sugar levels and keep your metabolism chugging along at a steady pace all day.
Take the time to learn how to read and interpret product labels especially on packaged food products that claim to be healthy. You'll often find that they are actually a lot less healthy than they claim because the food serving listed is much smaller than most reasonable people would eat. Or maybe an item is low fat, but has a ton of sugar in it.
Start fitting some regular exercise into your day. You'll keep your metabolism pumping away, actively working to burn calories and stored fats in the body. Such rigorous activities would also help you excrete toxins from the body through sweat. Enrolling to a gym and getting involved in physical sports are sure ways that the body can effectively and beneficially sweat it out. About 30 to 60 minutes of overall physical activity three to four times a week is what you want to strive for. If you are too busy to go the gym or get involved with sports, a half hour walk a few times a week would also do the trick. The idea is to get up and move and keep your body working efficiently.
Analysts Speculate IT Tech Trends for 2008
What are the experts predicting for tech trends in 2008? At the recent Gartner Symposium/ITxpo held last October in Orlando, more than 6000 senior business and IT strategists from virtually all major industries gathered for the industry's largest conference to gain the latest advice on driving profits and performance with IT. Attendees rely on the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo for their annual planning and to gain insight into how their organizations can best use IT to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency. Reflecting Gartner's very latest research findings, the analysts projected the 10 technologies likely to play a 'strategic' role in 2008. Gartner defines a strategic technology as one "with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years." In addition Gartner also looks at "high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt." "Companies should factor these technologies into their strategic planning process by asking key questions and making deliberate decisions about them during the next two years," said David Cearley, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "Sometimes the decision will be to do nothing with a particular technology. In other cases it will be to continue investing in the technology at the current rate. In still other cases, the decision may be to test/pilot or more aggressively adopt/deploy the technology. The important thing is to ask the question and proactively plan." Here's a look at the top 10 tech trends, and what Gartner had to say about them: Green IT: The focus of Green IT that came to the forefront in 2007 will increase in 2008. As the impact on power grids, carbon emissions from increased use and other environmental impacts are under investigation, companies should be mindful of potential regulations that could limit the building of data centers, and should be prepared with backup plans for handling growing data demands. Unified Communications: At present only 20 percent of the installed base with PBX has migrated to IP telephony, with more doing some sort of trial testing. Gartner says that over the next three years the majority of corporations will migrate to Internet Protocol telephony, resulting in a major change in voice communications. Business Process Modeling: Top-level process services must be defined jointly by a set of roles (which include enterprise architects, senior developers, process architects and/or process analysts). A key to success will be an organization's ability to bring these roles together, whether they be process or service designated. Gartner also expects business process management software suites to better complement SOA applications development. Metadata Management: Over the next three years, companies working to integrate both customer data and product data will link these master data management efforts together in an overall enterprise information management (EIM) strategy. According to Gartner "This critical part of a company's information infrastructure will enable optimization, abstraction, and semantic reconciliation of metadata to support reuse, consistency, integrity and shareability." Metadata management, Gartner notes, also extends into SOA software development projects with service registries and application development repositories. Virtualization 2.0: Virtualization technologies can improve IT resource utilization, but with the addition of automation technologies-with service-level, policy-based active management-even greater improvements are possible. "Resource efficiency can improve dramatically, flexibility can become automatic based on requirements, and services can be managed holistically, ensuring high levels of resiliency," Gartner says. Mashup and Composite Apps: Over the next 3 years, Web mashups will be the way companies create composite enterprise applications, Gartner predicts. Mashup technologies will evolve significantly over the next five years, and application leaders must take this evolution into account when evaluating the impact of mashups and in formulating an enterprise mashup strategy. Web Platform and Web-Oriented Architecture: Software-as-a-Service, in which applications are available on-demand over the Web, is becoming a sensible option for many companies. Emerging Web platforms, Gartner says, will provide service-based access to information, applications, and business processes through Web-based "cloud computing" environments. Companies must also look beyond SaaS to examine how Web platforms will impact their business in 3-5 years. Computing Fabric: According to Gartner researchers, "A computing fabric is the evolution of server design beyond the interim stage, blade servers, that exists today. The next step in this progression is the introduction of technology to allow several blades to be merged operationally over the fabric, operating as a larger single system image that is the sum of the components from those blades. The fabric-based server of the future will treat memory, processors, and I/O cards as components in a pool, combining and recombining them into particular arrangements to suit the owner's needs." The researcher added, "For example a large server can be created by combining 32 processors and a number of memory modules from the pool, operating together over the fabric to appear to an operating system as a single fixed server." Real World Web: The term "real world Web" is informal, referring to places where information from the Web is applied to the particular location, activity or context in the real world. Gartner states, "It is intended to augment the reality that a user faces, not to replace it as in virtual worlds. It is used in real-time based on the real world situation, not prepared in advance for consumption at specific times or researched after the events have occurred." It gives the example of a navigation unit that adjusts the information it delivers as a car or boat moves around. Gartner sees real world Web application improving many business processes and creating new revenue streams. Social Software: The Web 2.0 market will go through a lot of changes between now and 2010, Gartner says, and will experience considerable flux with continued product innovation and new entrants, resulting in considerable vendor consolidation. However, the research firm does see social networking being adopted by many enterprises to augment traditional collaboration. According to Gartner, "These 10 opportunities should be considered in conjunction with many proven, fully-matured technologies, as we as others that did not make this list, but can provide value for many companies," said Carl Claunch, vice president at Gartner. "For example, real-time enterprises providing advanced devices for a mobile workforce will consider next-generation smartphones to be a key technology, in addition to the value that this list might offer."
How To Buy And Store Your Vegetables
Short of curing cancer and promising never-ending longevity, vegetables are accredited with so many health benefits it's a wonder that their daily consumption is not a common obsession. Rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, vegetables are THE cornerstone of a healthy diet. Once the exclusive domain of vegetarians, vegetable-only meals are being incorporated into a growing number of weekly menu plans. And why not? They're good for health, they help with weight loss and they're easy on the budget.
With increased demand comes increased availability and today's supermarkets and grocers offer an exciting diversity of vegetables. If you're shopping for lettuce, what type? Good shops will have at least 5 varieties of hand. Check out the cos, iceberg, mignonette, green coral, red coral, butter endive, rocket and radicchio. And potatoes? Look for the pink eye, desiree, pontiac, king edward, new and sebago. Capsicums are available in a multitude colours. Asian vegetables such as bok choy, chinese cabbage and ginger are plentiful and fresh.
There are lots of books that shows versatility of vegetables. It is used almost in every dishes. Don't you ever think why people don't like spinach when it has lot to offer?
BUYING AND STORING
When shopping for vegetables, it's worth remembering that freshness is important. Buy only what you need - shopping for small amounts of vegetables a few times a week is much better than once weekly shop for everything. Plan meals with vegetables in seasons. These will be the freshest and most reasonably priced vegetables available. Watch the weather - long periods of rain can reduce the supply and the price will rise. If you establish a good relationship with your fruit and vegetable provider, they will be able to assist you in the best buys from week to week.
Also keep in mind that frozen vegetables can be added to soups and simmering dishes. Despite being frozen, they still contain nutrients and can be extremely handy if you don't have the time to shop every couple of days.
Lettuce and leafy greens
Looks for lettuces and leafy greens with crisp shiny leaves. The base of the lettuce should be dry and not slimy. Wash the lettuce, remove the core and, if possible, spin dry in a salad spinner or pat dry in a tea towel. Store the lettuce in a plastic bag or wrap in wetted absorbent paper in the crisper section of your refrigerator. Lettuce should keep for up to 7 days for the crisper varieties, softer leaf types will only last for 3-4 days. Salad leaves deteriorate after a few days, so it's best to only buy what you need; some supermarkets are now selling prepackaged salad mixes that last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Root vegetables
Avoid root vegetables with blemished skin, green or purple marks, a musty smell or that have started to sprout. Carrots, potatoes, parsnips, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, beetroot, celeriac, sewedes, jerusalem artichokes and turnips are all quick to show signs of spoilage, When purchased, carrots should be firm with no signs of wrinkles. Store most root vegetables in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator for 6-8 days. There are many different varieties of potatoes available for cooking; the two main groups being floury and waxy. Floury potatoes are suited to baking, mashing and frying while waxy potatoes are good for boiling. Potatoes should be bought with the dirt still on to protect them from bruising and exposure to light. If stored in a cool dark placecc in a hessian bag, potatoes can last for up to 1 month.
Whole pumpkins will keep for months in a cool dark place. Wedges wrapped in a plastic can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Unless you have a good, sharp and large knife, it is probably best to buy pumpkin bu the wedge. Check that the seed area is moist, but not slimy, and that there is no mould.
Tomatoes
Store tomatoes at room temperature as refrigerating will soften the flesh. To ripen tomatoes leave them on a window sill in a sunny spot in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the colour of a tomato is no longer indicative if the flavour. Vine ripened tomatoes that have been, as the name implies, left to ripen on the vine usually have a stronger sweeter flavour. Roma or egg tomatoes can also be sweet.
Brassicas
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are quick to show signs of spoilage. With broccoli and cauliflower, look for tightly packed florets that show no evidence of yellowing or tiny flower. Cabbages and brussels sprouts should be dense with crisp out leaves.
Onions
Purchase onions with skins intact and no soft spots, green sprouts or any signs of moisture. Spring onions (also known as green onions) should have crisp green stems with moist roots.
Peas and Beans
The best way to test the freshness of a beans is to bend it - if it snaps it is fresh, it it bends it is on its way out. Try to purchase beans loose as this allows you to pick your own. Store them in a plastic bag in your refrigerator for 2-3 days. Sugar snap and snow peas (also known as mangetout) should be crisp and bright green with no sign of blemishes; they should be eaten on the day of purchase. Buy peas in the pod and shell them just before cooking - 1 kg peas will yield 500 grams shelled peas. About the only way to tell the sweetness of a pea is to put it to the taste test.
Capsicums
Look for capsicums (also known as peppers) with shiny waxy skins; they should also be heavy for their size with no signs of softening. They can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator for 4-5 days
Celery, Fennel and Asparagus
Stalky vegetables should be crisp with upright stalks. Celery should have bright green leaves. Look for asparagus with firmly closed buds. Store stalky vegetables in the vegetable crisper for 2-3 days.
Avocado
To select a ripe avocado, gently press your thumb into the top near the stem and if it gives slightly it's ready to eat. Ripe ones should be eaten with 2-3 days of purchasing. Store unripe avocados at the room temperature.
Sweet Corn
Corn is best purchased in its husk. Peel back the husk and silk and check the kernels for signs of drying. Also, the silk should no be starting to moisten - the whiter the silk the fresher the corn. Corn is best eaten soon after purchased.
Mushrooms
Look for clean white mushrooms with a fresh earthy aroma and tight caps. Exotic mushrooms are usually sold in trays covered in plastic so check carefully for any signs of decay. Mushrooms last longer when stored in paper bags in the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator. Do not wash or peel mushrooms; brush clean with a piece of absorbent paper towel.
With increased demand comes increased availability and today's supermarkets and grocers offer an exciting diversity of vegetables. If you're shopping for lettuce, what type? Good shops will have at least 5 varieties of hand. Check out the cos, iceberg, mignonette, green coral, red coral, butter endive, rocket and radicchio. And potatoes? Look for the pink eye, desiree, pontiac, king edward, new and sebago. Capsicums are available in a multitude colours. Asian vegetables such as bok choy, chinese cabbage and ginger are plentiful and fresh.
There are lots of books that shows versatility of vegetables. It is used almost in every dishes. Don't you ever think why people don't like spinach when it has lot to offer?
BUYING AND STORING
When shopping for vegetables, it's worth remembering that freshness is important. Buy only what you need - shopping for small amounts of vegetables a few times a week is much better than once weekly shop for everything. Plan meals with vegetables in seasons. These will be the freshest and most reasonably priced vegetables available. Watch the weather - long periods of rain can reduce the supply and the price will rise. If you establish a good relationship with your fruit and vegetable provider, they will be able to assist you in the best buys from week to week.
Also keep in mind that frozen vegetables can be added to soups and simmering dishes. Despite being frozen, they still contain nutrients and can be extremely handy if you don't have the time to shop every couple of days.
Lettuce and leafy greens
Looks for lettuces and leafy greens with crisp shiny leaves. The base of the lettuce should be dry and not slimy. Wash the lettuce, remove the core and, if possible, spin dry in a salad spinner or pat dry in a tea towel. Store the lettuce in a plastic bag or wrap in wetted absorbent paper in the crisper section of your refrigerator. Lettuce should keep for up to 7 days for the crisper varieties, softer leaf types will only last for 3-4 days. Salad leaves deteriorate after a few days, so it's best to only buy what you need; some supermarkets are now selling prepackaged salad mixes that last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Root vegetables
Avoid root vegetables with blemished skin, green or purple marks, a musty smell or that have started to sprout. Carrots, potatoes, parsnips, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, beetroot, celeriac, sewedes, jerusalem artichokes and turnips are all quick to show signs of spoilage, When purchased, carrots should be firm with no signs of wrinkles. Store most root vegetables in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator for 6-8 days. There are many different varieties of potatoes available for cooking; the two main groups being floury and waxy. Floury potatoes are suited to baking, mashing and frying while waxy potatoes are good for boiling. Potatoes should be bought with the dirt still on to protect them from bruising and exposure to light. If stored in a cool dark placecc in a hessian bag, potatoes can last for up to 1 month.
Whole pumpkins will keep for months in a cool dark place. Wedges wrapped in a plastic can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Unless you have a good, sharp and large knife, it is probably best to buy pumpkin bu the wedge. Check that the seed area is moist, but not slimy, and that there is no mould.
Tomatoes
Store tomatoes at room temperature as refrigerating will soften the flesh. To ripen tomatoes leave them on a window sill in a sunny spot in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the colour of a tomato is no longer indicative if the flavour. Vine ripened tomatoes that have been, as the name implies, left to ripen on the vine usually have a stronger sweeter flavour. Roma or egg tomatoes can also be sweet.
Brassicas
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are quick to show signs of spoilage. With broccoli and cauliflower, look for tightly packed florets that show no evidence of yellowing or tiny flower. Cabbages and brussels sprouts should be dense with crisp out leaves.
Onions
Purchase onions with skins intact and no soft spots, green sprouts or any signs of moisture. Spring onions (also known as green onions) should have crisp green stems with moist roots.
Peas and Beans
The best way to test the freshness of a beans is to bend it - if it snaps it is fresh, it it bends it is on its way out. Try to purchase beans loose as this allows you to pick your own. Store them in a plastic bag in your refrigerator for 2-3 days. Sugar snap and snow peas (also known as mangetout) should be crisp and bright green with no sign of blemishes; they should be eaten on the day of purchase. Buy peas in the pod and shell them just before cooking - 1 kg peas will yield 500 grams shelled peas. About the only way to tell the sweetness of a pea is to put it to the taste test.
Capsicums
Look for capsicums (also known as peppers) with shiny waxy skins; they should also be heavy for their size with no signs of softening. They can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator for 4-5 days
Celery, Fennel and Asparagus
Stalky vegetables should be crisp with upright stalks. Celery should have bright green leaves. Look for asparagus with firmly closed buds. Store stalky vegetables in the vegetable crisper for 2-3 days.
Avocado
To select a ripe avocado, gently press your thumb into the top near the stem and if it gives slightly it's ready to eat. Ripe ones should be eaten with 2-3 days of purchasing. Store unripe avocados at the room temperature.
Sweet Corn
Corn is best purchased in its husk. Peel back the husk and silk and check the kernels for signs of drying. Also, the silk should no be starting to moisten - the whiter the silk the fresher the corn. Corn is best eaten soon after purchased.
Mushrooms
Look for clean white mushrooms with a fresh earthy aroma and tight caps. Exotic mushrooms are usually sold in trays covered in plastic so check carefully for any signs of decay. Mushrooms last longer when stored in paper bags in the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator. Do not wash or peel mushrooms; brush clean with a piece of absorbent paper towel.
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