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Vanilla Extract

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Vanilla Extract

Do you use pure or imitation vanilla extract.

  • Vanilla extract is a flavouring mixture that largely contains vanillin, which generally comes from the vanilla bean that grows on an orchid plant called Vanilla planifolia.
  • Pure vanilla extract is made be steeping 100 grams of vanilla beans in a litre of water mixed with 35% alcohol, (for each gallon of liquid, 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans) and the final liquid is usually purchased in a small bottle.
  • Vanilla extract is the most frequently used type of vanilla flavouring and is typically dark brown in colour, and pure vanilla extract has a more distinct smell and flavour than the more bitter imitations.
  • ‘Vanilla extract’ is also known as ‘vanilla essence’ and unnatural or synthetic vanilla flavouring extract or essence is known as ‘imitation’ vanilla.
  • Some people are allergic to vanilla extract and can develop migraines from it due to its vanillin content.

Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Essence, Queens, pure, Ten Random Facts, Flavour, Lid

  • Vanilla extract is popularly used in flavouring baked wheat products, sweets and desserts, particularly custard and ice cream.
  • Vanilla extract can be expensive, particularly when typhoons hit the main producing countries, causing significant losses.
  • The main producer of vanilla extract is Africa’s Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean, although the plant is native to Mexico.
  • Vanilla extract may vaporise when heated as a liquid, due to its alcohol content, and will generally result in the loss of some vanilla flavour.
  • Vanilla extract was first developed as a commercial liquid product in the 1847s in the United States by an American chemist Joseph Burnett, after a request from a customer.
Bibliography:
History of Vanilla, n.d, Plain Vanilla, http://www.indepthinfo.com/vanilla/history.shtml
Martinez C, What is the Origin of Vanilla Extract, n.d, http://www.ehow.com/info_12012268_origin-vanilla-extract.html
Vanilla, 2014, Joy of Baking, http://www.joyofbaking.com/Vanilla.html
Vanilla Extract, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla_extract

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Elvis Presley

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Elvis Presley

“Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can’t help but move to it. That’s what happens to me. I can’t help it.” – Elvis Presley.

  • Elvis Presley was a singer, actor and musician from America, who was very popular in the rock and roll genre.
  • ‘Elvis Presley’ was also known as ‘the King of Rock and Roll’ and ‘The King’, and had the full name of ‘Elvis Aaron Presley’ and his middle name was originally spelt ‘Aron’.
  • Elvis Presley was born on 8 January, 1935, in Mississippi’s Tupelo in the United States, as a twin, although his older identical brother was stillborn, making Elvis an only child.
  • Elvis Presley had been a good singer since childhood, despite some people not liking his style, although bullying and shyness contributed to stage fright and failed grades for music.
  • Elvis Presley first recorded himself in 1953, at Sun Records, trying to gain recognition, later forming a trio with Bill Black and Winfield ‘Scotty’ Moore brought together by Sun Record’s founder, Sam Phillips.

Elvis Presley, Cover, Elvis is Back, Music, C, RGA Victor, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Elvis Presley
Image courtesy of Brett Jordan/Flickr
  • Elvis Presley started to become popular in 1955 and his popularity grew until 1958 when he joined the US Army, but his producers kept his music coming and he was able to quickly slot back into his music career two years later, with a number one hit in 1960.
  • Elvis Presley performed in genres of rock and roll, pop, rockabilly, R&B, gospel, country and blues, and was initially thought to be an African American by some who had only heard him, due to the style of his voice and music.
  • Elvis Presley married Priscilla Wagner on 1 May, 1967, and they had a daughter, Lisa Marie, but divorced in 1973, and it was only a few years later that he died on 16 August, 1977, aged 42, in Tennessee’s Memphis, in the United States, prior to just starting a tour, likely due to heart attack that was possibly caused by drugs.
  • Elvis Presley was entombed at Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, two days after his death, with 80,000 people lining the streets in the area, and he was later buried at his Graceland estate, also in Memphis, even though some believe Presley actually faked his death.
  • Elvis Presley had 70 albums, more than 100 singles, featured in 33 films, achieved 90 gold album awards, a total of 77 platinum and multi-platinum album awards, and is the ‘best selling solo albums artist’ in the United States ever, and won three Grammy awards in his lifetime.
Bibliography:
Elvis Presley, 2013, Bio.com, http://www.biography.com/people/elvis-presley-9446466
Elvis Presley, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley

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Elvis Presley’s Albums

Cliffs of Moher

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Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher is a place of legends.

  • The Cliffs of Moher are cliffs found in County Clare in the Burren area, on the coast of Europe’s Ireland, that look out over the Atlantic ocean.
  • The ‘Cliffs of Moher’ are also known as ‘Aillte an Mhothair’ in Irish.
  • The Cliffs of Moher range 120 to 214 metres (390 to 702 feet) in height from water level, and spread for 8 kilometres (5 miles).
  • The Cliffs of Moher is one of Ireland’s most popular sights, seen by nearly a million visitors annually.
  • The Cliffs of Moher are made mainly of sedimentary rock, particularly shale and sandstone.
Cliffs of Moher, Overhang, Misty, Dark, Black, Mystery, Ten Random Facts, ireland, land, rock, sedimentary, flickr
Cliffs of Moher
Image courtesy of German Poo-Caamano/Flickr
  • The Cliffs of Moher are home to 20 species of bird, with seabirds numbering over 30,000 pairs, including puffins, razorbills, guillemots and others, including some endangered species including peregrine falcons.
  • The Cliffs of Moher have been featured in multiple films and music videos, and has been mentioned in literature.
  • The Cliffs of Moher contains a large amount of fossils, including trails left by sea creatures.
  • The Cliffs of Moher are eroded by wind, wave, rain and ice, and this has created caves, and isolated landforms in the ocean.
  • The Cliffs of Moher are a section of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark that became a member of the Global Geoparks Network in 2011, that is supported by UNESCO.
Bibliography:
About the Cliffs, n.d, Cliffs of Moher, http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/about-the-cliffs/
Cliffs of Moher, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffs_of_Moher

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Saint Patrick’s Day

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Saint Patrick’s Day

The real meaning behind Saint Patrick’s Day:

  • Saint Patrick’s Day is a holiday originating from Europe’s Ireland observed on the 17 March every year, and is a public holiday in Ireland and a few other countries, but is celebrated throughout much of the world.
  • ‘Saint Patrick’s Day’ is also known as the ‘Feast of Saint Patrick’, ‘St. Patrick’s Day’, ‘Patrick’s Day’, ‘Paddy’s Day’ and ‘Patty’s Day’.
  • The 17th March, St Patrick’s Day, is believed to be the day that Saint Patrick, an important Ireland saint from the 5th century, died.
  • St Patrick’s Day celebrates Saint Patrick, who was originally from Roman Britain, and was captured and held captive by Irish pirates at age 16, eventually escaping six years later, only to return to Ireland as a Christian missionary.
  • Saint Patrick’s Day was officially declared a feast day in the 1600s and the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Church of Ireland (Anglican) and Lutheran churches typically honour the day.

Saint Patricks Day, Card, Shamrock, Scrapbook, Green, Three leaf clover, Ten Random Facts

  • Saint Patrick’s Day is generally associated with the colour green, a colour affiliated with Ireland in general, and shamrocks (clover), which were said to be used as an illustration to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish, by Saint Patrick.
  • A rugby league match is held during the Saint Patrick’s Day period with Ireland and the United States competing.
  • Saint Patrick’s Day parades are very popular throughout the world, and the first was believed to have been held in the United State’s city of Boston in Massachusetts in 1737, where there was a significant population of Irish.
  • Occasionally, the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day is moved to a different date if it coincides with Holy Week, and this occurred in 1940 and 2008.
  • Saint Patrick’s Day traditions include going to church and having feasts, particularly with alcohol, and it is also commonly celebrated as a cultural Irish day.
Bibliography:
Saint Patrick’s Day, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick’s_Day
St. Patrick’s Day, 2014, Kidzworld, http://www.kidzworld.com/article/521-st-patricks-day

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Green Anaconda

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Green Anaconda

Constrict these facts like a green anaconda.

  • Green anacondas are constrictor snakes found in South America’s tropical swamps and creeks.
  • ‘Green anacondas’ are also known as ‘common anacondas’ and ‘water boas’, and have the collective nouns of ‘knots’ and ‘beds’.
  • Green anacondas are from the family Boidae, the family of boas that are snakes that are non-venomous.
  • Green anacondas have the scientific name of Eunectes murinus, meaning ‘good swimmer’ and ‘of mice’ from Greek and Latin respectively.
  • Green anacondas are the heaviest known snake in the world and are said to weigh up to 250 kilograms (550 pounds) and have lengths of 10 metres (33 feet) or more, rating them as the second longest snake, although these sizes are debated, and their average weight and length is generally considered less, growing on average 4.6 to 5 metres (15 to 16 feet) in length and 30 to 70 kilograms (66 to 154 pounds) in weight.

Green anaconda, half, snake, moving, boa, zoo, ground, flickr, Ten Random Facts

Green Anaconda
Image courtesy of Cristóbal Alvarado Minic /Flickr
  • Green anacondas have olive green scales spotted with black patches, and a head with an orange/yellow stripe down each side.
  • Green anacondas can be 30 cm (12 inches) or more in diameter and their jaws can stretch wide open so they can swallow their prey whole.
  • Green anacondas typically spend a lot of time in the water, and hunt at night, lurking in the water, striking at weaker animals like fish, turtles, birds, caiman and mammals, and sometimes larger animals like deer, constricting them and then consuming them.
  • Green anacondas birth between 20 to 40 live babies, that start at a length of 70 to 80 centimetres (2.3 to 2.6 feet).
  • Green anacondas have an average lifespan of 10 years in the wild and are popularly depicted in media as large snakes that swallow humans whole, although in reality, this is a very unlikely occurrence.
Bibliography:
Eunectes murinus, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunectes_murinus
Green Anaconda, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/reptiles/green-anaconda/

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Green Amaranth

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Green Amaranth

Green amaranths: a weed here or a food there.

  • Green amaranth is an annual herb that is generally believed to be native to tropical America.
  • Green amaranth comes from the family Amaranthaceae, the family of amaranths.
  • Green amaranths have the scientific name ‘Amaranthus viridis’, and ‘amaranthus’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘everlasting’ or ‘unfading’  and ‘viridis’ is Latin for green’.
  • ‘Green amaranths’ are also known as ‘slender amaranths’, ‘green pigweed’, and ‘Prince of Wales feathers’.
  • Green amaranths grow to be 0.3 to 1 metre (1 to 3 feet) in height, and green and yellow dye can be made from the plant.

Green amaranth, plant, flower, red, leaves, weed, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Green amaranths have green notched leaves and tiny flowers that grow in clusters on spikes, and the flowers are a green or brown to pink colour.
  • Green amaranth fruits are small and round and do not open to release the small black seed they contain.
  • Green amaranths flower mainly during warm, summer months, however flowers can be seen throughout the year, depending on the region it is grown in.
  • Green amaranths are significant weeds in many countries, growing in gardens, cracks, disturbed areas, and in fields.
  • Green amaranths are eaten in Greece, India and Africa, as a leafy vegetable, and are also used medicinally for a variety of purposes.

 

Bibliography:
Amaranthus Viridus, n.d, Some Magnetic Island Plants, http://www.somemagneticislandplants.com.au/index.php/plants/42-amaranthus-viridis
Green Amaranth, n.d, Herbiguide, http://www.herbiguide.com.au/Descriptions/hg_Green_Amaranth.htm
Jansen P, Amaranthus viridus L., 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa, http://database.prota.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dllAC=QBE_QUERY&BU=http%3A%2F%2Fdatabase.prota.org%2Fsearch.htm&TN=PROTAB~1&QB0=AND&QF0=Species+Code&QI0=Amaranthus+viridis&RF=Webdisplay

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