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Oregano

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Oregano

Oregano can flavour your food or restore your health.

  • Oregano is a herb, or the leaves, of a typically perennial plant that grows to be 20 to 80 centimetres (8 to 31.5 inches) in height.
  • Oregano has the scientific name of Origanum vulgare and is from the family Lamiaceae, the family of mint, that also includes many other common herbs.
  • ‘Oregano’ is also known as ‘wild marjoram’, although is not true marjoram, and it is native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia.
  • Oregano is typically used as a fresh or dried herb, although its flavour can be quite overpowering when used fresh, so it is recommended that it be removed from the food after cooking, or use dried oregano instead.
  • Oregano has a fragrant flavour of warmness and slight bitterness.

Oregano, Herb, Dried, leaves, lots, pile, black, Ten Random Facts, Food

  • Due to World War II, oregano became more popular in the United States, due to the soldiers returning, having experienced the flavour in Italy.
  • Oregano is typically eaten as a seasoning on meat, vegetables, pizza and other dishes, or included in sauces, tea or oils.
  • Oregano is a great source of vitamin K, a good source of iron, fibre, manganese and calcium, and very high in antioxidants.
  • Oregano is a leafy herb, and is green when used fresh, and when dried, the leaves are crushed and are a brown-green colour.
  • Oregano can be used to treat respiratory, nervous and digestive problems, often in the form of ointment or tea, and was historically used as an antiseptic.

 

Bibliography:
Oregano, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=73
Oregano, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano

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Malabar Spinach

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Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach is not spinach at all.

  • Malabar spinach is eaten like a leafy vegetable, and is a perennial vine, although it is often grown as an annual in cooler climates as frost affects the plant.
  • ‘Malabar spinach’ is also known as ‘creeping spinach’,  ‘climbing spinach’, ‘Indian spinach’, ‘Chinese spinach’, ‘vine spinach’, ‘Vietnamese spinach’ and ‘Ceylon spinach’.
  • Malabar spinach has the scientific name of Basella alba, a white flowering, green stem variety, or Basella rubra, a plant that has red stems.
  • Malabar spinach is from the family Basellaceae, the family of some flowering plants including a number of other vines, with edible leaves and roots.
  • In a tropical environment, a Malabar spinach vine can grow up to a height of 10 metres (33 feet).

Malabar Spinach, Green, Glossy, Plant, Compost, Leaf, Vegetable, Food, Ten Random Facts

  • Malabar spinach has thick, green glossy leaves that can grow quite large, and berries that contain a red liquid that can be used as dye.
  • Malabar spinach leaves are commonly used in Asian cuisine, either cooked or raw, and they are said to have pepper and citrus flavours when raw, as well as being high in iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, fibre and other vitamins and minerals.
  • Malabar spinach, although named ‘spinach’, is not from the spinach family at all, although it tends to resemble spinach when it is cooked.
  • Malabar spinach is a great thickener for soup and other dishes, due to the mucilage (glutinous carbohydrate) content in the plant, that tends to cause the leaves to become slimy if they are cooked for more than a short time.
  • Malabar spinach grows best in a sunny area and warm climate, and is a great summer vegetable.
Bibliography:
Basella Alba, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basella_alba
Malabar Spinach, 2013, Survival Food Plants, http://www.survivalfoodplants.com/malabar-indian-spinach-basella-alba/
Stunning (Malabar) Spinach, 2013, A Farm of Your Home, http://www.afarmofyourhome.com/stunning-malabar-spinach/

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Comb

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Comb

A comb equals tidiness.

  • Combs are grooming tools with long, thin spokes called ‘teeth’, that are particularly used in hair styling.
  • Combs are typically made of metal, plastic or wood and have numerous teeth evenly spaced apart, although many combs have half of the teeth spaced closely together, and the other half spaced in a more open arrangement.
  • Combs have been used for thousands of years, and the earliest known time is in Ancient Persia, 5000 years ago.
  • Combs are commonly used for styling, decorating, securing and separating hair or textile strands, and to neaten hair.
  • Combs can be used as a simple instrument, with the spokes able to produce a musical sound when picked.

Comb, Pink, Black, Blue, Pale, Handle, Hairdresser, Ten Random Facts

  • Combs were originally made of wood, bone, ivory and shell, and later tin, silver and brass, and were commonly made as decorative hair accessories.
  • A comb with fine teeth can be used to catch or kill parasitic animals such as fleas or lice.
  • Combs come in many shapes, sizes and colour, but are commonly flat and rectangular.
  • Sharing combs can transfer infections, parasites or diseases from one’s head to another’s.
  • Combs are generally cheap items that are commonly purchased from grocery or department stores, and are sold singularly, or in packets of two or more.
Bibliography:
Comb, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comb
History of Comb, n.d, Lifestyle Lounge, http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/history-of-comb-7186.html
Jackson-Arnautu N, History of the Comb, n.d, EHow, http://www.ehow.com/about_4661215_history-comb.html

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Fernando de Noronha

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Fernando de Noronha

Lots of little islands in Fernando de Noronha.

  • Fernando de Noronha is a tropical island archipelago consisting of 21 islands located near the coast of South America’s Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean.
  • ‘Fernando de Noronha’ is named after Portuguese Fernão de Loronha, a wood merchant from Lisbon, who is said to have funded and organised the expedition fleet that is believed to have discovered the islands in 1503, although there are accounts of possible earlier discoveries by other people.
  • The total area of Fernando de Noronha is 26 square kilometres (10 square miles).
  • Fernando de Noronha was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 due to the importance of the islands’ ecosystem and their fauna and flora.
  • The largest island, also called Fernando de Noronha, is 10 kilometres (6 miles) in length and 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) in width.

Fernando de Noronha, Beach, Water, Island, South america, Brazil, Large, Tide out, Ten Random Facts, Blue, Clear, Ocean, Scenic, Flickr

Fernando de Noronha
Image courtesy of Rosanetur/Flickr
  • Fernando de Noronha was originally mostly forest, but it is said that is was cut down in the 1800s when prisoners were taken to the islands, and is now home to mostly schrubs and small forests.
  • Fernando de Noronha is home to the largest population of dolphins in the world; a significant population of tropical seabirds; the endangered hawksbill turtle; numerous aquatic species; important plant species; and the endemic species of two birds, a dove and two reptiles.
  • The Fernando de Noronha islands attract tourists, although visitors are limited, so as to not upset the fragile ecosystem.
  • In 2012, the population of Fernando de Noronha was just over 2,700 people and the islands are accessed by plane or boat.
  •  Fernando de Noronha is popular among tourists for its beaches, diving, marine wildlife and fort ruins.
Bibliography:
Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves, 2014, World Heritage Convention UNESCO, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1000
Fernando de Noronha, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_de_Noronha

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Australian Brush Turkey

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Australian Brush Turkey

Can you hear the quiet grunt of an Australian brush turkey?

  • Australian brush turkeys are common ground dwelling birds, native to the eastern areas of Australia’s Queensland and New South Wales.
  • ‘Australian brush turkeys’ are also known as ‘Australian brush-turkeys’, ‘scrub turkeys’, ‘bush turkeys’ and ‘brush turkeys’.
  • An Australian brush turkey has the scientific name of Alectura lathami, and comes from the family Megapodiidae, the family of mound building birds.
  • Australian brush turkeys have mostly black feathers, yellow wattles and red necks and heads.
  • Male Australian brush turkeys use leaf matter and other organic litter to create mounds, up to 1.5 metres (5 feet) in height and 4 metres (13.1 feet) in diameter, that covers the 16 to 24 eggs that a female lays.

Australian Brush Turkey, animal, Mound, Tall, Male, Yellow, Maintaining, Ten Random Facts, Australia

Photo courtesy of Val Laird
  • Australian brush turkeys grow to be 60 to 75 centimetres (23 to 30 inches) in length, weigh 2.27 kilograms (5 pounds) on average, and have an 85 centimetre (33 inches) wingspan, although they only fly very short distances.
  • Australian brush turkeys are found mostly in rainforests, urban areas, and scrublands.
  • Male Australian brush turkeys use their mound as an incubator, often for more than one female’s eggs, and keep the mound at a constant temperature in the mid thirties °C (nineties °F), using their beak to test the temperature, and changing the temperature by adding or removing leaf matter.
  • Australian brush turkeys have a diet that mainly consists of seeds, insects and fruit.
  • Australian brush turkey chicks are not cared for by their parents and are capable of looking after themselves, although they are often preyed upon by animals and birds, and are said to have a 1 in 200 chance of survival to adulthood.
Bibliography:
Australian Brush Turkey, 2013, Wildlife, http://www.wildlife.org.au/wildlife/speciesprofile/birds/brushturkey.html
Australian Brushturkey, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Brushturkey
Brush-turkey: The Rainforest Rake, 2007, Skyrail, http://www.skyrail.com.au/news/skyrail-nature-diary/1040-brush-turkey-the-rainforest-rake

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Fire Extinguisher

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Fire Extinguisher

Fire extinguishers can save lives…

  • Fire extinguishers are emergency items used in the case of a small fire.
  • ‘Fire extinguishers’ are also known as ‘extinguishers’.
  • Fire extinguishers are typically in the form of a cylindrical container that is generally red in colour for high visibility, with squeeze style handles to release the contents.
  • Fire extinguishers contain a fire extinguishing substance and a pressurised agent as the propellant, and can be handheld or on wheels with different extinguishers used for different fire types.
  • Handheld fire extinguishers are typically 0.5 to 14 kilograms (1.1 to 30.9 pounds) in weight.

fire extinguisher, red, white, bottle, handheld, holder, Australian, single, Ten Random Facts, Emergency tool

  • The earliest known and patented fire extinguisher was invented by Ambrose Godfrey, a German chemist, in 1723 in England, and used gunpowder and fuses for expelling the liquid.
  • The first modern style portable fire extinguisher, a copper container filled with potassium carbonate and pressurised air, was invented by George William Manby, a British captain, author and inventor, between 1810 and 1820.
  • Fire extinguishers typically contain substances of  either water, dry chemicals, wet chemicals, foam or carbon dioxide to extinguish fires.
  • Fire extinguishers are typically found in public and commercial buildings, houses, and land water and air vehicles.
  • Fire extinguishers should be periodically checked and maintained, as damage can cause incorrect discharge and ruptures that lead to deaths and explosions.

 

Bibliography:
Fire Extinguishers, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher
History of Fire Extinguishers, 2011, Fire Safety Advice Centre, http://www.firesafe.org.uk/history-of-fire-extinguishers/

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