April 2006
Dear Friends,

Spring has certainly “sprung” here in North Florida and it’s nice to see bright, new green leaves everywhere and the azaleas blooming. This is the month the temperatures really begin to heat up well into the 80’s. So before it really gets hot, I’ve been busy catching up on gardening and outdoor chores such as washing screens and windows, doing some touch-up painting and thoroughly cleaning the back porch. Take a minute to walk around the outside of your home and make a Spring chores list, then tackle it a little at a time.

An FCH group in WA has planted a vegetable garden and plans to cook (and eat!) their harvest this summer. Even if you have no room for a garden, consider planting a pot or two of herbs, flowers, or a veggie or two. Here’s a simple, instructive activity for children that let’s them see how plants grow: Buy a packet of bean seeds (pole beans or any type of green beans) at a nursery or home improvement store. Fold a paper towel to fit inside a zipper sandwich bag. Place 2 – 3 seeds in the bag in front of the paper towel. Gently pour just enough water to soak the paper towel. Zip bag shut and set it upright
or tack the bag to a bulletin board. In a few days the seeds will germinate or sprout and soon you’ll see roots and the bean will begin to grow. This is a great way for children to see all of the plant parts as they grow. You’ll need to plant the beans in the garden or a pot if you want them to keep growing.

In February we learned about oats and oatmeal and I gave you a heart-healthy oat muffin recipe. I tried some variations I’ll share with you in a minute. Last month I
shared information about baking soda and baking powder. This month let’s learn more about flour and fiber. As you can see, there are many lessons you can teach from just one recipe! Whether you have an FCH group, or are teaching your own children, use recipes to teach more than just how to cook. Expand the lesson by
teaching about the various ingredients; a quick internet search will take you to many great sites for more information.

Children are also learning many other important skills when they cook: reading, math, measuring, sequencing, and following directions. Have your daughter start a recipe file box and/or a homemaking notebook. Copying a recipe onto a pretty recipe card is one way to practice handwriting skills. Encourage her artistic flair! Have her create her own recipe cards by drawing or painting around the edges of an index card.

Our oat muffin recipe contains one cup of oats and one cup of all-purpose flour. What are the nutritional differences between white all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour? A kernel of wheat, or the wheat berry, has three parts: the outer layer
or bran, the endosperm inside the bran, and the wheat germ, the small sprouting
section of the wheat berry.

White flour is made from the endosperm; the bran and wheat germ are removed and often sold separately. Whole wheat flour contains all three parts of the wheat berry. Because the wheat germ contains oil that can go rancid, it is important to store whole wheat flour in the freezer or refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.

Whole wheat flour contains about four times more potassium and phosphorous as white flour. One cup of whole wheat flour contains just over 2 grams of fat, compared
to 1 gram for white flour. One of the most important nutritional differences is the amount of fiber. One cup of whole wheat flour contains 15.2 grams of dietary fiber, but white
all-purpose flour contains just 3.4 grams of fiber per cup. The endosperm is a source of soluble fiber, and the bran contains primarily insoluble fiber. When you eat whole wheat bread, you’re getting more of both the soluble and insoluble fiber.

When you purchase bread, check the nutrition label. Some brands look “healthy” but the main ingredient is still white flour (although it may be listed as “enriched wheat flour”). Compare labels and look for breads made with whole wheat or other whole grains.

Oats are an excellent source of fiber. One-half cup of dry oatmeal contains 4 grams of fiber, about 2 grams each of soluble and insoluble fiber. What’s the difference? Insoluble fiber, sometimes called “roughage,” passes through the digestive system quickly, promotes regularity and may help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

Both types of fiber are important in our daily diet. The American Dietetic Association recommends 20 – 35 grams of dietary fiber each day, but the average American gets only about 12 grams per day. Fiber is also found in fruit and vegetables. Whole grains such as oats and whole wheat are excellent sources of fiber and nutrients and should be part of our daily diet. Gradually add more fiber to your diet to avoid intestinal discomfort.

Getting back to our oat muffin recipe, can you substitute whole wheat flour in place of the white flour? Yes! Muffins made with whole wheat flour will not rise as high and the texture will be more dense, but they are delicious, and nutritious. To make a somewhat lighter muffin, you could use ½ Cup of whole wheat flour and ½ Cup of white flour. That’s what I did for the variations below.

Flour helps to form the structure of the muffin. Oats, fruit and nuts are additions that weigh the muffin down. Experiment with the recipe. In case you missed the February Online Letter, here is the basic oat muffin recipe followed by some of my variations.

1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 Cup rolled oats (old-fashioned or quick)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt, optional
6 oz. jar maraschino cherries, well drained
1 egg
¾ Cup milk
3 Tablespoons canola oil
¼ Cup molasses or honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a regular size muffin tin with Baker’s Joy, or line muffin tin with paper liners.

Mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, and oil well. Add molasses or honey and stir well. If you want the cherries throughout the batter, chop them and stir into the flour mixture (the flour coats them and helps to keep them from clumping together).

Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just until well mixed. Spoon batter into muffin cups filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 15 – 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: About 8 muffins.


Here are some variations we enjoyed: I omitted the chopped cherries and added
½ Cup of chopped pecans and one banana, mashed. I used honey rather than molasses with this variation which was very tasty although my husband enjoys more nuts in the muffins.

In another batch I increased the chopped pecans to 1 Cup and added a handful (about
¼ Cup) of dried blueberries I had on hand. I used honey rather than molasses. I also tried decreasing the oil from 3 T. to 2 T. and that worked just fine. These were delicious; the dried blueberries have an intense blueberry flavor and we enjoyed the nuttier texture with a whole cup of chopped nuts.

I also made a batch using about a cup of craisins (dry cranberries) with ½ Cup of chopped pecans.

All of the muffins turned out good so experiment with some of your family’s favorite fruit and nut flavors. Once you have all the utensils and ingredients out, make an extra batch or two. Muffins freeze well, if they don’t get eaten up right away! It’s helpful to have two muffin tins. Happy baking!

I hope you and your family have a most joyous Resurrection Sunday!

Here are a few more entries from my Grandma’s 1928 diary:

Sunday, April 1, 1928 – April Fool’s Day: We were up and ready long before they (her mother, sister and other relatives) came. I was so sure they would start early. Managed to April Fool them by locking all the doors and hiding. I served cotton in the creamed cauliflower. I nearly choked to death laughing watching first one, then another pick it out of their mouth. I had colored eggs for the kids. Made two china eggs look like real to fool the kids. We cleaned up the mess and visited.

Friday, April 13, 1928: The two Germans, Capt. Herman Koehl (pilot) and Baron Guenther van Huenefeld (passenger and backer) with the Irishman James G. Fitzmaurice (second pilot) landed on Greenly Island about noon Eastern time. Reports have it they were lost and about out of gas too. They are the first to succeed in flying across the Atlantic toward the U.S. High winds kept them off their course. They were in the air 34 hours and 32 minutes. I ironed all morning and went to get my hair cut.

Saturday, April 28, 1928: Fair and warm enough to enjoy summer clothes. Cleaned downstairs and the hall closet. Found moths in there. Arla (her 7 year old daughter) and I did the city buying me a pair of silk gloves for $1.39 and a 29 cent flower and Arla a pair of real cute gloves for 39 cents. We walked home. My chicken I bought had some kind of growth and I couldn’t use it at all.


Until next time ~


 

Copyright, 2006, Laurie Latour.  www.FutureChristianHomemakers.com

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