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Sausage

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Sausage

Will these sausage facts make you lose your appetite?

  • Sausages are edible food products typically made of encased ground meat and often include seasonings, and thousands of years ago were originally used as a way to preserve meat, typically with salt.
  • Sausage casings were first made using cleaned intestines and hollow stomachs from the animals that were killed for their meat – generally sheep, cows, goats and pigs although other animals have been used.
  • ‘Sausage’ comes from the old French word ‘saussiche’, which has its origin in the Latin word ‘salsus’, which means ‘salted’.
  • Modern sausage casings are often manmade and the options include cellulose, collagen and plastic, although plastic casings are not usually used due to health concerns.
  • Sausage varieties can be made with different methods of salting, cooking, drying and smoking, or they can be raw and are edible due to a fermentation process.

Sausage, Long, Uncooked, Raw, Pink, Beef, Pile, Meat, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Some countries in Europe are the home of thousands of different sausage varieties that range in size, shape, taste, or other attributes.
  • Sausages can be made without a casing, and can be made vegetarian, with nuts, soya products, vegetables and tofu, and include ingredients that hold the sausage together when cooked.
  • Sausages generally have a significant fat content that makes up 20 to 50 percent of its weight, and they usually need at least 20% fat to stay moist after cooking.
  • Sausages are called many different names, depending on their method of production and their ingredients, and they include ‘hot dogs’, ‘salami’, ‘saveloys’, ‘pepperoni’, ‘bratwurst’, ‘cabanossi’ and many others.
  • Sausage casings are generally filled with meat, and then twisted at intervals to section off the big long casing tube, often into the size of an individual portion.
Bibliography:
Sausage, 2003, Encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/sausage.aspx
Sausage, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sausage

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Yahtzee

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Yahtzee

“The classic shake and score dice game!” – Yahtzee slogan.

  • Yahtzee is a dice game that is primarily based on luck and probability and it was first trademarked on 19 April, 1956 by the E.S. Lowe Company.
  • Yahtzee is based on a number of historical dice games, including Yacht, Yogi, Generala, and Cheerio, and has had a few names in the past including ‘Yatzie’.
  • Yahtzee is played by rolling five dice, up to three times per turn, and creating combinations that score points.
  • Not including bonuses, the largest scoring combination is a ‘Yahtzee’, occurring when five of the same number is rolled in a turn.
  • Yahtzee remains popular and 50 million copies of the game are sold every year, and approximately 100 million people play the game around the world.

Yahtzee, Dice, Sheet, Grandad, Scores, First round, Second Round, 1,1,2,2,3 Ten Random Facts, Game, Dice

  • It is said that Yahtzee was invented by a rich Canadian couple who used to play the game on their yacht, who then wanted to give some sets to their friends who enjoyed the game, and so they approached Edwin Lowe, who made them 1,000 sets for the rights of the game.
  • In 1973, the rights for Yahtzee were bought from the E.S. Lowe Company by the Milton Bradley Company, and Hasbro later became the owners.
  • There are thirteen dice combinations listed on the scoresheet, and the largest possible score without bonuses is 375 points, while with bonuses the largest score exceeds 1000.
  • Many games have been derived from Yahtzee, with the first being ‘Triple Yahtzee’, and another variation was ‘Word Yahtzee’.
  • Yahtzee was not popular when it was first marketed, until parties based around the dice game were held.
Bibliography:
Yahtzee, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee
Yahtzee History, 2013, Yahtzee Online, http://www.yahtzeeonline.org/yahtzee-history.php

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Aquilegia

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Aquilegia

Pretty bird-like aquilegias bob all day in the wind.

  • Aquilegias are perennial, ornamental flowering plants that include 60 to 70 species and belong to the Aquilegia genus.
  • ‘Aquilegia’ flowers and plants are also known as ‘granny’s bonnets’ and  ‘columbines’, and are from the family Ranunculaceae, which is the family of buttercups.
  • Aquilegias are native to meadows and woodlands in cooler areas north of the equator.
  • The common name ‘columbine’ comes from the Latin word for ‘dove’, while the genus name, ‘aquilegia’, comes from the word ‘aquila’, which is Latin for ‘eagle’, and both are a reference to the unusual shape of the flower.
  • Aquilegias grow to be 38 to 51 centimetres (15 to 20 inches) in height, and are usually grown from seed.

Columbine, Flower, Purple, Lilac, Shade, Bud, Open, Plant, Flower, Aquilegia, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The indigenous Americans used small portions of some species of aquilegia flowers, as sweet additions to some meals, and sometimes used the roots medicinally.
  • Aquilegia plants have long-spurred flower petals that often resemble birds and are full of sweet nectar.
  • Aquilegias are highly toxic if the roots or seeds are consumed, and can cause fatalities.
  • Aquilegia flowers are typically red, purple, blue, white or yellow in colour, and depending on the species bloom in spring and/or summer.
  • Aquilegia plants are generally hardy, preferring partly shady conditions, and they have bluish green, maidenhair fern-like foliage.
Bibliography:
Aquilegia, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquilegia
Plant Profile: Aquilegia, 2013, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866504.htm

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Moose

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Moose

The big, big moose.

  • ‘Moose’ are also known as ‘Eurasian elks’, or ‘elks’, although they are different to the American elk, and their scientific name is ‘Alces alces’ which includes 6 to 7 subspecies.
  • Moose belong to the deer family, Cervidae, and the sub family Capreolinae, and can grow to be 1.4 to 2.1 metres (4.6 to 6.9 feet) in height, and weigh between 200 to 700 kilograms (440 to 1500 pounds),
  • Moose are native to the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, mainly abundant in Canada, Alaska and Russia, although they are found in parts of Europe, Asia and the United States, and are one of the largest land animals in Europe and North America.
  • Adult male moose are named ‘bulls’, adult females are called ‘cows’ and the young are named ‘calves’, and they do not live in herds, but are instead solitary for most of their lives.
  • The diet of moose consists of large quantities of vegetation, including aquatic plants, as they require significant amounts of sodium in their diet.

Bull Moose, Antlers, Full, Male, Wyoming, Meadow, Single, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic

Moose
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Moose are classified by the shape of the antler that the males grow and lose at the end of autumn, regrowing in spring, and while the antlers grow at a rapid rate, ‘velvet’ protects them.
  • Moose can run at speeds of 56 km/h (35 mph) and they can also swim well, reaching speeds of 9.6 km/h (6 mph).
  • Moose live for 15 to 25 years, and usually give birth to one or two young, who are chased away when they are around one year old.
  • Moose are preyed on by wolves and bears, although these predators are both wary of the adult deer, and the moose are often hunted by humans who consume them as food.
  • Automobile accidents can occur with moose, which are generally fatal for both parties due to the size of the animal.
Bibliography: Katherine Gammon, Fun Facts about Moose, 2013, Live Science, http://www.livescience.com/27408-moose.html
Moose, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose

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Peach

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Peach

Everything’s peaches!

  • Peaches are from the genus of cherries and plums, Prunus, and the family of roses, Rosaceae, and they typically have white, yellow or orange coloured flesh, with skin that is generally red or yellow.
  • Peaches are furry and feel like velvet, unlike nectarines that are the same species and are technically fuzz-less peaches, even though they are sold as two different fruits.
  • Peaches grow on deciduous trees with the scientific name Prunis persica, that grow to be 4 to 10 metres (13 to 33 feet) in height.
  • Peaches are stone fruits that have one seed that is 1.3 to 2 centimetres (0.5 to 0.8 inches) long, that is encased in a larger, hard, grooved shell.
  • The word ‘peach’ comes from the French word ‘pêche’, and the scientific name of peaches suggests the fruit comes from Persia, however, it is believed that the fruit is native to China.

Peach

  • Peaches often need to be eaten within two weeks after picking, as they continue to ripen after picking and they can spoil easily.
  • China was the biggest producer of peaches in 2011, producing just over half of the total world’s production of 21.5 million tonnes (24 million tons).
  • Peaches contain significant amounts of fibre, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C, with many smaller quantities of many other minerals and vitamins.
  • A peach can be either a ‘clingstone’ or a ‘freestone’, meaning that the flesh either ‘clings’ to the stone (seed case), or easily comes free from the stone, respectively.
  • Peaches can be eaten raw, canned, dried, cooked, used in baked goods, and made into sauces, and the juices and oil of a peach can be used as a moisturiser.
Bibliography:
Peach, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peach
Peaches, 2011, Fresh for Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/peach/peach.html

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Talcum Powder

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Talcum Powder

Silky smooth talcum powder…

  • Talcum powder, also known as ‘talc’ or ‘talc powder’, is a personal hygiene item often used to prevent rashes, and the powder is typically used in baby powder and other cosmetic powders.
  • Talcum powder is typically ground talc, a mineral that has many uses, including use in some food products, chalks and lubricants, as well as some paper making processes.
  • The talc in talcum powder is found in soapstone and other rocks, and is the softest mineral ever.
  • To make talcum powder, talc is extracted from mines, ground, made pure and processed.
  • Talcum powder is used to absorb moisture on the body, so it is useful in infant care and in hot and humid climates to prevent chafing and rashes.

Talcum powder, white, cosmetics, talc, mineral, ground, baby powder, Ten Random Facts,

  • Talcum powder is generally soft, fine-grained, white, grey or pale green in colour, and has a pleasant smell often due to the perfume that is sometimes added.
  • With excessive exposure, it is said that talcum powder can cause cancer in some people, although this is strongly debated, and through inhalation of the powder, there is a small chance of lung damage.
  • Talcum powder can be substituted with cornstarch, which can be bought in the food section at retailers.
  • Talcum powder has been used to prevent the squeakiness of floorboards.
  • Talcum powder was first made into a baby powder to help with nappy rash in 1893, by Johnson & Johnson, and the powder was available to the public in 1894.
Bibliography:
Talcum Powder, 2013, The Facts About, http://www.thefactsabout.co.uk/content.asp?menuid=23&submenuid=100&pageid=100&menuname=Talcum+powder&menu=sub
What is Talcum Powder?, 2013, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-talcum-powder.htm

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