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Physicochemical and Descriptive Sensory Analysis of Arkansas-grown Peaches and Nectarines
in HortScience
Authors: Molly Felts 1 , Renee T. Threlfall 1 , and Margaret L. Worthington 2
1 Department of Food Science and Institute of Food Science and Engineering, University of Arkansas, 2650 North Young Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72704
2 Department of Horticulture, 316 Plant Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701
https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI13306-18
Understanding how human perception is related to physicochemical attributes strengthens identification of ripeness and marketability parameters for peaches and nectarines [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch]. Six peach and nectarine cultivars (Amoore Sweet, Bowden, Effie, Loring, Souvenirs, and White River) and three advanced breeding selections (A-827, A-850, and A-865) were harvested from trees grown at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Fruit Breeding Program in Clarksville, AR. Physical and chemical characteristics of the genotypes at harvest were as follows: fruit weight of 134.4 to 330.2 g, firmness of 7.8 to 35.8 N, soluble solids of 7.5% to 14.7%, pH of 3.3 to 4.8, titratable acidity of 0.2% to 1.1%, total sugars of 1.7 to 10.4 g/100 g, and total organic acids of 0.1 to 0.9 g/100 g. Overall, A-865 had the lowest fruit weight (134.0 g) and pH (3.3), and the highest firmness (35.8 N), soluble solids (14.7%), titratable acidity (1.1%), total sugars (10.4 g/100 g), and total organic acids (0.8 g/100 g). 'White River' had the largest fruit (330.2 g) and pit (11.06 g). A-850 (63.6) had the highest soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, and 'Bowden' (12.7) had the lowest. A trained descriptive sensory panel (n = 10) was used to create a lexicon for Arkansas-grown fresh-market peaches and nectarines. The panel evaluated the fruit for aroma (n = 4), external appearance (n = 8), internal appearance and pit attributes (n = 6), basic tastes (n = 3), aromatics while eating fruit (n = 5), feeling factors (n = 2), and texture (n = 6). Principal component analysis explained 63.4% of the data variance attributed to texture and acidity. Of all of the physicochemical attributes, firmness had the most significant correlations with the descriptive sensory attributes, followed by fruit weight. Firmness was negatively correlated (r = −0.70 to 0.81) to fruit size, fuzziness, amount of bruises on the flesh, pit size, and moisture release, and positively correlated (r = 0.68–0.84) to sourness, green/unripe aromatics, flesh hardness, flesh crispness, and fibrousness between the teeth. Fruit weight was positively correlated (r = 0.67–0.75) to fruit and pit size, overripe aromatics, and moisture release. Significant correlations between descriptive sensory appearance, basic tastes, aromatics, and texture attributes with physicochemical attributes provide an indication of ripeness and marketability parameters for peaches and nectarines. These descriptive attributes are quality factors that impact consumer purchases and perception of fresh-market peaches and nectarines.
Keywords: Prunus persica; composition; firmness; ripeness
Peaches (Prunus persica L. Batsch) have been cultivated worldwide for thousands of years. Peaches and nectarines belong to the same species but are differentiated by a single genetic locus that controls pubescence. Peaches and nectarines are both climacteric fruit (ripen after harvest) and have different types of flesh (mesocarp). The flesh types, ranging from melting to nonmelting, impact the firmness of the fruit. Melting-flesh fruit has increased enzymatic capacity for pectin degradation as compared with nonmelting flesh fruit. Melting flesh is a dominant trait caused by enzymatic (endopolygalacturonase) softening. Nonmelting-flesh fruit lack the presence of this enzyme, resulting in firmer, rubbery flesh during ripening (Karakurt et al., 2000; Tanou et al., 2017). There is now a third flesh type, slow-melting, which retains firmness and crispness longer than melting-flesh fruit but eventually expresses endopolygalacturonase activity to soften during storage (Ghiani et al., 2011).
Fruit can be defined by how the flesh is attached to the pit or endocarp; categorized as either freestone or clingstone. Cultivars also can be defined as semiclingstone or semifreestone, a trait particularly found in earlier-ripening cultivars; however, there are no freestone nonmelting flesh peaches, as pit adherence and flesh type are controlled by allelic variation at the same genetic locus (Ramina et al., 2008). Finally, other attributes of the fruit differ, such as the base color of the mesocarp, the acidity of the flesh, and the shape. The most common flesh colors are white and yellow, and the exterior of the fruit can have a blush (red hue), which sometimes continues into the flesh near the pit or skin. The most common peach and nectarine shape in the United States is round (or oblong shaped), although flat-shaped fruit also are found.
All of these attributes of peaches and nectarines affect how consumers perceive quality. Sensory methods, such as descriptive sensory analysis, are important to determine how physicochemical attributes are perceived when evaluated by a human subject (Contador et al., 2017). Previous sensory studies on peaches indicated attributes such as appearance, aroma, flavor, sweetness, sourness, and texture were common indicators of consumer acceptability of peaches, and primary drivers of liking include sweetness perception, grassy green fruit, and pit aromas (Belisle et al., 2017; Delgado et al., 2013). Descriptive sensory analysis was effective for identification of texture differences in both melting and nonmelting flesh peaches grown in California, as well as for soluble solids/titratable acidity ratios (Crisosto and Crisosto, 2005). Descriptive sensory analysis provides a means of quantitatively scaling attributes of food, whereas consumer sensory analysis demonstrates a degree of liking or preference from consumers. Delgado et al. (2013) evaluated "in-store" consumer (n = 120) acceptability descriptive sensory (n = 11) of seven nectarine and peach cultivars and found sensory attribute measurements explained cultivar characteristics better than instrumental measures alone.
Although California is the largest U.S. producer of peaches and nectarines, peach production in Arkansas was ≈820 t in 2014 (USDA, 2015). In the late 19th century, Arkansas had a significant industry growing and processing peaches to diversify farm operations. Thus, when the University of Arkansas Peach Breeding Program (Fruit Research Station, Clarksville, AR) began in the mid-1960s, the initial breeding focus was on the development of clingstone peaches for processing for the baby food industry (Worthington and Clark, 2019). The breeding program shifted focus in the 1990s toward fresh-market fruit because of a decline in the processing peach industry in Arkansas (Worthington and Clark, 2019). Since the start of this breeding program, 12 peach and six nectarine cultivars have been released. Current breeding selection criteria at the University of Arkansas include firm fruit with different flavors, acidity, and sweetness, as well as tree characteristics, such as time of ripening, disease resistance, and productivity. The program currently has many advanced peach and nectarine selections, with melting and nonmelting flesh, as well as white and yellow color, varying levels of blush and acidity, ranges of ripening dates, size, and both round and flat shapes.
The objective of this study was to evaluate how descriptive sensory attributes were related to physicochemical attributes of fresh-market Arkansas-grown peaches and nectarines. It was hypothesized that relevant correlations between analytical and descriptive sensory methods would be identified; therefore, expanding the understanding of how attributes of peaches and nectarines are perceived. There were limitations to this project, as the fruit evaluated included both Arkansas-grown peaches and nectarines with different acidity levels (low, medium, and high), stone types (freestone and clingstone), flesh textures (nonmelting, slow-melting, and melting), and flesh colors (yellow and white).
Plants and culture
Nine peach and nectarine genotypes (cultivars and advanced breeding selections) were evaluated (Table 1). Five peaches (A-827, A-850, 'Loring', 'Souvenirs', and 'White River') and four nectarines (A-865, 'Amoore Sweet', 'Bowden', and 'Effie') were evaluated in this study. The fruit was harvested from trees grown at the University of Arkansas Fruit Research Station, Clarksville, AR [west-central Arkansas, lat. 35°31′58ʺN and long. 93°24′12ʺW; USDA hardiness zone 7a; soil type Linker fine sandy loam (Typic Hapludult)]. Fruit was harvested from trees ranging from 4 to 10 years old that were either open-center trained and spaced 5.5 m between trees and rows, or trained to a perpendicular-V system with trees spaced 1.9 m in rows spaced 5.5 m apart. No bactericides were applied to plantings during testing. Insect pests and fungal pathogens were controlled following recommendations in the southeastern peach, nectarine, and plum pest management and culture guide (Blaauw et al., 2018). Based on recommendations from soil tests performed by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (Fayetteville, AR), trees were fertilized annually with a split application of N fertilizer in early March and late April or early May. Other macronutrients, including P and K, were applied with N during the early March application, as recommended by soil tests. The quantity of nutrients applied varied across years depending on the age of each tree and the results of soil testing. All trees were dormant-pruned annually and thinned to a distance of 12 to 15 cm fruit between shuck split and pit hardening.
Genotypic traits of fresh-market peach and nectarine genotypes, Clarksville, AR (2017).
The peaches and nectarines were hand harvested in the morning (between 7:00 and 10:00 am) on two harvest dates (27 June and 11 July 2017) at optimal ripeness (a slight softening at the suture and absence of green ground color) and were free of major blemishes, flaws, or damage. 'Amoore Sweet', 'Bowden', 'Effie', 'Souvenirs', and A-865 were harvested on 27 June, and 'Loring', 'White River', A-827, and A-850 were harvested on 11 July. There were no rain events within 24 h of either harvest. Approximately 54 peaches and nectarines were harvested for each genotype and placed into three boxes that contained corrugated pulp trays with individual wells for each fruit. Extra fruit was harvested in case there was damage or decay to the fruit during or after harvest. The boxes of fruit were transported in an air-conditioned vehicle to the University of Arkansas, Department of Food Science, in Fayetteville, AR. The fruit was randomly placed into new pulp trays. The randomization of the fruit after harvest was done to minimize the differences in fruit quality that might have been caused by tree canopy position or maturity states. The fruit was evaluated for descriptive sensory and physicochemical attributes at harvest.
Physicochemical analysis
Fruit for physicochemical analysis was done in triplicate per genotype. Each experimental unit was an individual peach or nectarine. The physicochemical analysis included physical attributes, color, and composition evaluated at harvest. On the day of harvest, the fruit was weighed, the exterior color was measured, the firmness was measured, and then the fruit was cut in half for interior color and pit size. The other half of each fruit was frozen at −10 °C for composition.
Physical.
The physical attributes were evaluated on the day of harvest. Fruit and pit weight were measured on a digital scale (PA224 Analytic Balance; Ohaus Corporation, Parsippany, NJ). Fruit weight was the weight of a whole, intact peach or nectarine. Pit weight was evaluated on the pit extracted from the fruit. Firmness of the fruit flesh was measured using a Stable Micro Systems TA.XT.plus Texture Analyzer (Texture Technologies Corporation, Hamilton, MA). Before the firmness measurement, three sections of skin per fruit were removed by slicing off a 5-mm section at the firmness measurement site. The fruit was then placed on a flat surface. Using the 2-mm-diameter probe, at a rate of 2 mm·s−1 with a trigger force of 0.02 N, firmness of the fruit flesh was evaluated at three locations per fruit (90°, 180°, and 270° to the right of the suture). Force to penetrate the fruit was measured in Newtons (N).
The color of the fruit skin and flesh was analyzed on the day of harvest using a Konica Minolta CR-400 Chroma Meter (Konica Minolta, Inc., Ramsey, NJ). The L*, chroma, and hue angle were evaluated. Color analysis was done to determine Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) Laboratory transmission values of L* = 100, a* = 0, and b* = 0 (CIE, 1986). The CIELAB system describes color variations as perceived by the human eye. CIELAB is a uniform three-dimensional space defined by colorimetric coordinates, L*, a*, and b*. The vertical axis L* measures lightness from completely opaque (0) to completely transparent (100), whereas on the hue-circle, +a* red, −a* green, +b* yellow, and −b* blue were measured. Hue angle, calculated as arctan (b*/a*), described color in angles from 0 to 360° (0° is red, 90° is yellow, 180° is green, 270° is blue, and 360° is red). Chroma, calculated as [(a*)2 + (b*)2]0.5, identified color by which a sample appears to differ from gray of the same lightness and corresponds to intensity of the perceived color. Skin color was evaluated on three locations for each fruit (90°, 180°, and 270° to the right of the suture). The fruit was then cut in half and the fruit flesh was immediately analyzed for color in three locations similar to how the exterior color was measured.
Composition.
After physical and color attributes were evaluated, the fruit was frozen at −10 °C for composition. The fruit half was thawed for composition analysis (soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, organic acids, and sugars). Each fruit half (skin and flesh) per genotype and replication was macerated in a Magic Bullet for 2 min (Homeland Housewares, Los Angeles, CA), then the juice was centrifuged at 5000 rpm for 8 min and strained through cheese cloth. The pH and titratable acidity of the fruit were measured using the Titrino Plus 862 Compact Titrosampler (Metrohm AG, Herisan, Switzerland) with the electrode standardized to pH 4.00, 7.00, and 10.00 buffers. Titratable acidity was determined using ≈6 g of juice diluted with 50 mL deionized, degassed water with a titration using 0.1 N sodium hydroxide to an endpoint of pH 8.2. Titratable acidity was expressed as percentage of malic acid. Soluble solids (expressed as percent) of the fruit was measured using an Abbe Mark II refractometer (Bausch and Lomb, Scientific Instrument, Keene, NH). Organic acids and sugars of the fruit were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The juice from compositional analysis was then filtered through a 0.45-μm nylon filter (VWR International, Radnor, PA) for HPLC analysis. Glucose, fructose, isocitric acid, and malic acid of the fruit were measured using previously established HPLC procedures (Segantini et al., 2018; Walker et al., 2003). The HPLC was equipped with a Bio-Rad HPLC Organic Acid Analysis Aminex HPX-87H ion exclusion column (300 × 7.8 mm), Bio-Rad HPLC Fast Acid Analysis column (100 × 7.8 mm), and a Bio-Rad HPLC column for fermentation monitoring (150 × 7.8 mm) in series (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA). A Bio-Rad Micro-Guard Cation-H refill cartridge (30 × 4.5 mm) was used for a guard column. Columns were maintained at 65 °C by a temperature control unit. Mobile phase consisted of a pH 2.28 solution of sulfuric acid and water with a resistivity of 18 M obtained from a Millipore Milli-Q reagent water system. The sulfuric acid solution was used as the solvent with 0.45 mL·min−1 flow rate. The solvent delivery system was a Waters 515 HPLC pump equipped with a Waters 717 Plus autosampler (Waters Corporation, Milford, MA). Injection volumes were 10 μL for all samples, and run time for completion was 35 min. A Waters 410 differential refractometer to measure refractive index connected in series with a Waters 996 photodiode array detector monitored the eluting compounds. Isocitric and malic acids were detected by photodiode array at 210 nm, and glucose and fructose were detected by the differential refractometer. The peaks were quantified using external standard calibration based on peak height estimation with baseline integration. Individual sugars and acids, total sugars (glucose + fructose), and total organic acids (isocitric + malic) were expressed as g/100 g.
Descriptive sensory evaluation
Descriptive sensory analysis was performed at the Sensory and Consumer Research Center at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR. The 10 descriptive panelists (two male and eight female ages 35–75) who evaluated the peaches and nectarines had more than 10 years of experience descriptively evaluating products for the Sensory and Consumer Research Center. The panelists were trained to use a modified Sensory Spectrum method, an objective method for describing the intensity of attributes in products using references for the attributes. The descriptive panelists developed a lexicon of sensory attributes for the peaches and nectarines through consensus during orientation and practice sessions (two sessions) (Table 2).
Lexicon developed for fresh-market peach and nectarine attributes by a descriptive sensory panel with 10 trained panelists.
After harvest, the fruit for sensory evaluation was stored overnight at 2 °C with 85% to 89% relative humidity, then removed from cold storage, gently rinsed, placed on pulp trays, and allowed to air-dry. Each panelist evaluated one fruit for each genotype in duplicate. The fruit was served monadically (one at a time) at room temperature (25 °C) on plates labeled with three-digit codes in a randomized complete block design. Panelists were instructed to cleanse their palates with unsalted crackers and water between samples. Expectorant cups were also provided. Serving order was randomized across each replication and panelist to prevent presentation order bias. The descriptive panel evaluated the fruit for aroma (n = 4), external appearance (n = 8), internal appearance and pit attributes (n = 6), basic tastes (n = 3), aromatics while eating (n = 5), feeling factors (n = 2), and texture (n = 6). The panelists first evaluated the aroma and exterior attributes of whole, intact fruit. After evaluating the aroma and exterior attributes of the fruit, the panelists were instructed to cut the peach/nectarine in half with a knife, then slice the half without the pit into four slices (one-eighth of the whole). The half of the fruit with the pit was used for the evaluation of internal and pit attributes. The four slices from the half of the fruit without the pit were used for basic tastes, aromatics, feeling factors, and texture. The fruit attributes were evaluated using a 15-point scale in which 0 = less of an attribute and 15 = more of an attribute.
Design and statistical analysis
Three individual fruit per genotype were used for physicochemical analysis (three replications, completely randomized design), and the descriptive sensory analysis was organized as a randomized complete block design with two replicates. Individual fruit were the experimental units in both physicochemical and descriptive sensory analyses. For physicochemical data, a univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significance of the main factor (genotype) using Tukey's honestly significant difference test to detect significant differences (P < 0.05) among means. For descriptive sensory analysis, a mixed model ANOVA was performed with genotype considered a fixed factor and panelist, replication, and genotype × panelist interaction considered random effects. Means separation was performed with Fisher's protected least significant difference to detect significant differences (P < 0.05) among genotypes. Pairwise correlations using multivariate analysis were used to verify the relationship between/within attributes (P < 0.05), and multivariate analysis was used to determine principal component analysis.
Physicochemical attributes at harvest
The nine peach and nectarine genotypes were evaluated for physicochemical attributes (physical, color, and composition). Physicochemical attributes were significant for all attributes for the genotypes evaluated (Table 3). 'White River' (330.20 g) was the largest fruit, and A-865 (134.40 g) and 'Amoore Sweet' (137.46 g) were the smallest. 'White River' was larger than previously reported, with a 10- to 14-year fruit weight of 201 g (Clark and Moore, 2003). A study by Rahmati et al. (2015) indicated that when drought stress is high, fruit weight is negatively affected. The 2017 harvest was an exceptionally wet year in Arkansas, with 455 mm of rain from April to June, which could have contributed to the increased fruit weight. In addition, thinning practices may have had an effect on fruit size. 'White River' (11.06 g) also had the largest pit, and 'Amoore Sweet' (4.62 g) had the smallest. There was a significant difference in firmness among genotypes, with A-865, a freestone, slow-melting nectarine (35.81 N) having the highest firmness and A-827, a freestone, slow-melting peach (7.77 N) the lowest.
Physical and composition attributes for fresh-market peach and nectarine genotypes, Clarksville, AR (2017).
The color of the skin and flesh of the fruit were evaluated (Table 4). L* and chroma of the skin and flesh were significant for these genotypes, but for the flesh, the hue value was significant. For fruit skin, 'White River' (65.52) had the highest L* value, and 'Souvenirs' (38.38) had the lowest. 'Amoore Sweet' (52.23) had the highest skin chroma value, and A-865 (31.73) had the lowest. There was no difference among genotypes for skin hue, which ranged from 30.74 to 57.51. For flesh L* value, A-850, a white-fleshed peach, had the highest value, and 'Souvenirs', a yellow-fleshed peach, the lowest. McGuire (1992) stated that hue angle can be useful in identification of ripeness as fruit ripen from green to either yellow or shades of red. A hue angle from 45 to 90° is orange to yellow and 90 to 180° is yellow to green. The flesh hue angle ranged from 56.52 to 99.89. Hue angle can be used for identification of ground color as a determination of ripeness (Shinya et al., 2013). A-850, A-865, 'Bowden', 'Effie', and 'White River' were white-fleshed, and A-827, 'Amoore Sweet', 'Loring', and 'Souvenirs' were yellow-fleshed. 'Amoore Sweet' (49.68) had the highest flesh chroma, and A-850 (16.27) had the lowest. Bible and Singha (1993) indicated fruit from the upper canopy could have higher chroma values and increasing redness indicated by a lower hue angle as compared with fruit found in the lower canopy. As the fruit in this study was randomly taken from all locations on the tree, variations in chroma and hue due to fruit location within a genotype were possible. The L* values of the flesh and skin of the peaches and nectarines were in the midrange between opaque (0) and transparent (100). The L* value of the skin of each genotype tended to be lower than the L* value of the flesh. In general, the hue of the flesh and skin of the peaches and nectarines was between 0° (red) and 90° (yellow), with the flesh having a trend for higher (more yellow) values than the skin. There were not trends with chroma values for these genotypes.
Skin and flesh color attributes for fresh-market peach and nectarine genotypes, Clarksville, AR (2017).
The composition attributes measured included soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, organic acids, and sugars (Table 3). A-865 (14.70%) had the highest soluble solids, and 'Loring' (7.50%) had the lowest. A-850 (4.79) had the highest pH, and A-865 (3.30) had the lowest. Titratable acidity had an inverse relationship to pH, in which A-850 (0.16%) had the lowest titratable acidity, and A-865 (1.07%) had the highest. A-850 is a low acid fruit, whereas A-865 is a high acid fruit. Crisosto (1994) established stone fruit maturity indices as a way to define the stage of development of the fruit to give a minimum acceptable quality to the consumer, concluding that of the three composition attributes (soluble solids, pH, and titratable acidity), soluble solids was a good indicator of maturity. Crisosto and Crisosto (2005) found that consumer acceptability increased with an increase in soluble solids and preferred soluble solids of high-acid cultivars ranging from 10% to 12%, and low-acid cultivars ranging from 15% to 16%. Above those ranges, consumer acceptability plateaued. As defined by Crisosto and Crisosto (2005), high acid genotypes have a titratable acidity ranging from 0.7% to 0.9%, and low acid genotypes have a titratable acidity ranging from 0.3% to 0.5%. The high and low acid genotypes in this study were outside of those ranges.
Another key finding of Crisosto and Crisosto (2005) was that consumer acceptance was greatly influenced by the balance of soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, rather than either attribute alone. However, great differences in consumer acceptance were found for the different acid types, indicating no single value will describe the optimum ripeness parameters of peaches and nectarines. Of the soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio of the nine genotypes in this study, A-850 (63.62) had the highest soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, whereas 'Bowden' (12.67), A-865 (14.02), 'Loring' (14.66), and 'White River' (15.69) had the lowest (Table 3). As expected, the low acid peaches (A-827, A-850, 'Amoore Sweet', and 'Souvenirs') had higher ratios than the high acid fruit (A-865, 'Bowden', 'Loring', and 'White River').
The total sugars (glucose + fructose) and total organic acids (isocitric + malic acid) were significantly different for the genotypes in this study (Table 3). A-865 (10.36 g/100 g) had the highest total sugars and 'Souvenirs' (1.71 g/100 g) the least. 'Bowden' had the highest total organic acids (0.86 g/100 g) and 'Souvenirs' (0.11 g/100 g) the lowest. The primary individual sugars and acids varied by genotype. Glucose and fructose ranged from 0.57 to 5.57 g/100 g and 1.08 to 4.80 g/100 g, respectively. A-865 had the highest glucose and fructose, 'Souvenirs' had the lowest glucose, and 'Amoore Sweet' had the lowest fructose. In a study by Chinnici et al. (2005), the glucose and fructose concentrations in commercial peach juice was 3.65 to 4.26 g/100 g and 3.43 to 7.54 g/100 g, respectively. Similarly, they found citric and malic acid concentrations ranging from 0.10 to 0.19 g/100 g and 0.15 to 0.56 g/100 g, respectively. In this study, the isocitric and malic acid contents of the nine genotypes ranged from 0.06 to 0.59 g/100 g and 0.03 to 0.66 g/100 g, respectively. These values were similar to or greater than those found by Chinnici et al. (2005). The predominant acid varied by genotype; A-827, 'Bowden', and 'Souvenirs' had predominantly isocitric acid; A-850, A-865, and 'White River' had predominantly malic acid; and 'Effie' and 'Loring' had roughly equal amounts of both acids (data not shown). 'Bowden' had the highest isocitric acid content, and 'Amoore Sweet' had the lowest. A-865 had the highest malic acid content, and 'Souvenirs' had the lowest. In a study by Wang et al. (1993), the malic and citric acid content also varied among peach cultivars.
Sensory attributes at harvest
Descriptive sensory attributes were evaluated on the nine peaches and nectarines at harvest. Sensory analysis has been shown to explain cultivar characteristics, better than instrumental measurements alone (Delgado et al., 2013). During orientation and training, the 10 trained panelists created a lexicon of descriptive sensory terms using Arkansas-grown peaches and nectarines (Table 2). Within each category, multiple attributes were evaluated.
The panelists evaluated aroma (fruity/peach, earthy/dirty, green/unripe, and mold/mildew) of the whole, intact fruit. The panelists detected differences between genotypes in fruity/peach aroma (2.5–4.3 on a 15-point scale), but not earthy/dirty, green/unripe, or mold/mildew, which received low ratings (≤1) (Table 5). 'Effie' and 'Loring' had the highest fruity/peach aroma, and A-827 had the lowest. In a study by Jordan et al. (1989), a relationship was found between aroma and flavor; however, they concluded that the relationship was not strong enough to influence a consumer to purchase the fruit. In addition, they found that aroma intensified during later stages of senescence. Therefore, because the fruit in this study was evaluated at harvest, the aroma scores may be lower than the consumer would experience in a commercial setting, as the fruit is stored before sale and ripeness aromas might increase during that storage.
Descriptive sensory aroma, basic taste, aromatic, feeling factor, and texture attributes for fresh-market peach and nectarine genotypes evaluated on a 15-point scale (0 = less of the attribute; 15 = more of the attribute in terms of intensity), Clarksville, AR (2017).
The panelists then evaluated the exterior appearance (uniformity of color, color-yellowness, color-redness, size, shape, amount of bruises, amount of blemishes/deformities, and fuzziness) of the whole, intact fruit (Table 6). Of the eight attributes, the panelists detected differences among the genotypes for all attributes except amount of bruises, which was low (≤1.6). Uniformity of color was evaluated using the ratio of color uniformity, where 0% was rated 0 and 100% was scored 15. Uniformity of color ranged from 7.3 to 9.9, where 'Souvenirs' had the highest uniformity, and A-865 had the lowest. This indicated that A-865 had a fairly equal distribution of yellow and red, whereas 'Souvenirs' had more of one color. Yellowness was evaluated using a ratio of yellow, in which 0% yellow was scored 0 and 100% yellow was scored 15. Yellowness of the fruit did not describe intensity of yellow, but rather the ground color (whitish yellow to very yellow depending on genotype). Yellowness ranged from 3.4 to 6.8 where 'Amoore Sweet' was the most yellow. Similar to yellowness, redness was evaluated using a ratio of red in which 0% red was scored 0 and 100% red was scored 15. Redness ranged from 6.3 to 10.0 where 'Souvenirs' was the most red. Using 'Souvenirs' as an example, the high degree of uniformity indicated the skin of the fruit was predominantly one color. Results from the degree of yellowness indicated little yellow, or ground color, and the degree of redness indicated a high degree of red, or blush. Over a 6-year period, 'Souvenirs' reported an average of 90% blush, the highest of all University of Arkansas peach releases (Clark and Sandefur, 2013).
Descriptive sensory exterior appearance attributes of fresh-market peach and nectarine genotypes evaluated on a 15-point scale (0 = less of the attribute; 15 = more of the attribute in terms of intensity), Clarksville, AR (2017).
Size was evaluated using spheres of various diameters as references. A 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) sphere was scored an 8, whereas a 3-inch (7.6 cm) sphere was scored a 13. Size ranged from 8.9 to 13.5, where 'White River' was the largest, and A-865 was the smallest (Table 6). Shape was evaluated as the degree of roundness of the fruit using a 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) sphere to indicate a score of 15, and an egg to indicate a score of 5. Shape ranged from 9.4 to 11.7, where 'White River' was the roundest, and 'Amoore Sweet' was the least round. Shape has been linked to inadequate chilling or prolonged dormancy, which could lead to a more oblong shape (Wert et al., 2007). However, elongation or a more oval shape can vary between cultivars (Quilot et al., 2004). Although the location (Clarksville, AR) where these genotypes are grown is a high chill environment averaging 1000+ chill hours annually (Worthington and Clark, 2019), none of the peach and nectarine genotypes in this study have shown signs of inadequate chilling during years of testing at this site. Amount of blemishes/deformities were evaluated as the visual ratio of blemishes on the fruit, in which 0% would be a score of 0 and 100% a score of 15. Blemishes/deformities ranged from 1.8 to 4.1, where 'Effie' had the most, and 'Loring' had the least. Fuzziness was evaluated as the amount of fuzz or pubescence on the fruit, with scores ranging from 0.0 to 8.0. The reference for fuzziness was an artificial decorative peach (scored at 10.0) purchased at a local retailer. Most of the nectarines that lack the fuzzy exterior were scored a 0. Panelists did detect differences in the level of fuzz of the peaches with 'Souvenirs' less fuzzy than the other peaches. Fuzziness of the peaches was indistinguishable among A-827, A-850, 'Loring', and 'White River'.
The panelists detected differences among the genotypes for all six interior appearance and pit attributes (Table 7). Uniformity of color ranged from 8.5 to 13.3, where 'Bowden' had the highest uniformity of color, and 'White River' had the least. Yellowness ranged from 7.9 to 13.5, and redness ranged from 0.9 to 5.9, where 'Amoore Sweet' had the highest yellowness, 'White River' had the least yellowness and most redness, and 'Bowden' had the least redness. Amount of bruises ranged from 0.4 to 2.5, in which 'Loring' had the most bruises and 'Amoore Sweet' the least, although the amount of bruises were low. Nectarines tended to have fewer visible bruises than the peaches. Separation from pit was evaluated as the degree of separation of the pit from the flesh, in which a score of 0 would be easy, and a score of 15 was very difficult (clingy). Separation from pit ranged from 6.9 to 13.9, where 'Amoore Sweet', a clingstone nectarine, scored highest, and A-850, a freestone peach, scored lowest. Pit size ranged from 7.3 to 11.0, where 'White River' had the largest pit, and 'Souvenirs' had the smallest.
Descriptive sensory interior appearance and pit attributes of the flesh of fresh-market peach and nectarine genotypes evaluated on a 15-point scale (0 = less of the attribute; 15 = more of the attribute in terms of intensity), Clarksville, AR (2017).
Three basic tastes (sweet, sour, and bitter) of the fruit were evaluated. The references for sweet, sour, and bitter were solutions of sucrose in spring water, solutions of citric acid in spring water, and solutions of caffeine in spring water, respectively. Of the three basic tastes, sourness was the only attribute that differed among the genotypes (Table 5). Sourness ranged from 1.6 to 4.6, where 'Bowden' was the most sour, and A-850 was the least sour (with a 0.05% solution of citric acid = 2 and 0.08% solution = 5). Sweetness of these genotypes ranged from 3.5 to 4.4 (with a 5% solution of sucrose = 5) and bitterness was less than 1.0 (with a 0.05% solution of caffeine = 2). It was interesting that the panelists were able to detect differences in the sourness but were not able to detect differences in the sweetness of the fruit when the soluble solids ranged from 7.5% to 14.7%. Crisosto and Crisosto (2005) found that consumer acceptance was closely related to soluble solids content, but maximum consumer acceptance depended on the cultivar. Because the fruit had different acid types (low, medium, and high), the perception of sweetness could be masked.
The aromatic category, which included the aromas/flavors evaluated through retronasal olfaction (while eating the fruit), had five attributes (overall aromatic impact, peach/fresh, green/unripe, earthy/dirty, and overripe). Of the five attributes, green/unripe and overripe were significantly different for the nine genotypes (Table 5). The average overall aromatic impact, peach/fresh aromatics and earthy/dirty aromatics, were 5.9, 1.6, and 4.3, respectively. Green/unripe aromatics ranged from 3.0 to 4.3, with A-850, 'Loring', and 'White River' having the least green/unripe, and A-865 the most. Overripe aromatic attributes were low (0.0–0.8). 'White River' had the highest overripe aromatics, and A-827, 'Amoore Sweet', 'Bowden', 'Effie', and 'Souvenirs' were the least overripe with scores of 0.0.
Two attributes were evaluated for feeling factors (mouthfeel), astringent and metallic, and the panelists only detected a significant difference in astringency among the nine genotypes (Table 5). Astringency ranged from 5.9 to 6.5, where A-827 and 'White River' were the most astringent, and 'Souvenirs' was the least. Metallic feeling factors were ≤0.8 for these genotypes.
Texture (flesh hardness, moisture release, awareness of skins, flesh crispness, flesh melting, and fibrousness between teeth) of the fruit was evaluated (Table 5). Panelists detected differences among the genotypes for all attributes except awareness of skins. Flesh hardness was evaluated as the force required to compress the sample between molars. References ranged from cream cheese = 1 to an almond = 11. Flesh hardness ranged from 5.2 to 7.5, where 'Souvenirs' (slow melting flesh) had the hardest flesh and 'Loring' (melting flesh) was the least hard (beef frank = 5 and olive = 7 for the references). Delgado et al. (2013) found that certain groups of consumers (males) preferred more firm/crunchy cultivars; however, texture was not a primary driver for consumer liking. Before descriptive sensory analysis, Delgado et al. (2013) ripened the fruit post-harvest to a "ready to eat" firmness range as established by Crisosto and Crisosto (2005), which could minimize the variation in firmness. However, different flesh types ripen differently during storage, and storage can impact the texture of the fruit as compared with fruit that was ripened on the tree. Moisture release was evaluated as the amount of wetness in the mouth after one bite or chew. References ranged from a banana (1) to an orange (15). Moisture release ranged from 4.9 to 7.8, where 'Loring' had the most moisture release, and 'Bowden' had the least (mushroom = 4 and snap pea = 8). Awareness of skins was evaluated as the awareness of the skins during three to five bites. References ranged from baked beans = 4 to medium lima beans = 8. Awareness of skins ranged from 6.6 to 7.5. Flesh crispness was evaluated as the unique, strong, clean, and acute sound produced in the first bite of the food with incisors and open lips. References ranged from a ripe banana = 0 to a carrot = 15. Flesh crispness ranged from 4.8 to 8.0, where 'Souvenirs' (slow-melting flesh) and 'Bowden' (nonmelting flesh) were most crisp and 'Loring' (melting flesh) the least. Flesh melting was evaluated as the ease with which the flesh disintegrates under a slight pressure exerted between the tongue and the palate. References ranged from a carrot = 0 to a slice of canned mango = 15. Flesh melting ranged from 0.6 to 6.0, where 'Loring' (melting flesh) had the greatest flesh melting, and 'Bowden' (nonmelting flesh) had the least. Fibrousness between teeth was evaluated as the amount of grinding of fibers required to chew through the sample in three to five bites (references ranged from an apple = 2 to bacon = 12). Fibrousness ranged from 4.2 to 5.5, where 'Bowden' (nonmelting flesh) had the greatest fibrousness and 'White River' (melting flesh) the least. The melting flesh fruit tended to have lower flesh hardness, flesh crispness, and fibrousness between teeth as compared with the slow-melting and nonmelting fruit.
Correlations between physicochemical and sensory at harvest
A multivariate pairwise analysis was carried out to identify significant correlations between the descriptive sensory attributes and physicochemical attributes. Of all of the physicochemical attributes, firmness had the most significant correlations with the descriptive sensory attributes. Firmness was correlated with exterior appearance (size and fuzziness), interior appearance (amount of bruises and pit size), basic taste (sourness), aromatics (green/unripe), and texture (flesh hardness, moisture release, flesh crispness, and fibrousness between teeth). Firmness was negatively correlated with fruit size (r = −0.81), fuzziness (r = −0.70), amount of bruises on the flesh (r = −0.75), pit size (r = −0.72), and moisture release (r = −0.77), and positively correlated with sourness (r = 0.68), green/unripe aromatics (r = 0.72), flesh hardness (r = 0.70), flesh crispness (r = 0.69), and fibrousness between the teeth (r = 0.84). This indicates the firmer the fruit measured analytically, the smaller the fruit, the smaller the pit, the more green/unripe aromatic, sour, hard, and crisp the flesh, and the less moisture release and bruising/pitting of the flesh. Because pit adherence and flesh type (melting/nonmelting) are controlled by the same genetic locus, there are more clingstone, nonmelting flesh nectarines than peaches. In addition, the University of Arkansas fruit breeding program has focused on breeding low-acid peach/nectarines. Therefore, correlations between firmness with size, acidity, and fuzz are artifacts of the genotypes available in the University of Arkansas program.
Fruit weight also had several significant correlations with descriptive sensory attributes. Fruit weight was positively correlated with exterior appearance (fruit size), interior appearance (pit size), aromatics (overripe), and texture (moisture release). Fruit weight was positively correlated with fruit size (r = 0.68), pit size (r = 0.75), overripe aromatics (r = 0.67), and moisture release (r = 0.69). Bigger fruit tended to be more aromatic and moist than smaller fruit.
The pH (r = –0.82), titratable acidity (r = 0.89), and soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio (r = –0.77) were correlated to the sourness basic taste. The fruit that was perceived as the least sour had a higher pH and soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio and lower titratable acidity. There were no correlations found for soluble solids, total or individual organic acids, and sugars.
To further understand correlations between descriptive sensory and physicochemical attributes, principal component analysis was used to segregate genotypes into different groups (Fig. 1). The perception of physicochemical and descriptive sensory attributes was reduced to two principal components that explained 63.4% of data variance. Principal component 1 (40.7%) and principal component 2 (22.7%) corresponded to texture and acidity of the fruit, respectively. The nonmelting flesh ('Amoore Sweet', 'Bowden', and 'Effie') and two slow-melting (A-865 and 'Souvenirs') genotypes formed one cluster to the left, whereas slow-melting genotype (A-827) and the melting genotype (A-850) were clustered in the middle, and the two other melting-fleshed genotypes ('Loring' and 'White River') grouped together far to the right. Interestingly, all the nectarine genotypes were clustered to the left. The University of Arkansas fruit breeding program has specifically focused on the development of clingstone, nonmelting flesh nectarines with superior postharvest storage potential (Worthington and Clark, 2019). In nectarines, the clingstone pit is not considered a negative attribute because consumers are more likely to bite directly into whole fruit, unlike peaches, which are often peeled and sliced before eating. The wide distribution of slow-melting genotypes across the x-axis indicated that there was substantial variation in quantitative firmness within that broad texture class. This is supported by analytical measurements of firmness; the firmest (A-865) and least firm (A-827) genotypes were both categorized as slow-melting types. The second principal component corresponded to acidity, with the high-acid types (A-865, 'Bowden', 'Loring', and 'White River') above the x-axis and the low-acid types (A-827, A-850, 'Amoore Sweet', and 'Souvenirs') below the x-axis. The medium-acid 'Effie' was located between the low-acid 'Amoore Sweet' and high-acid 'Bowden' (Worthington and Clark, 2018) between the two clusters close to the x-axis. The segregation of the genotypes provides some insight into attribute perception.
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Principal component (PC) analysis of physicochemical and descriptive sensory attributes of fresh-market peach and nectarine genotypes. Nectarines are indicated with shaded symbols, and peaches are indicated with hollow symbols.
Citation: HortScience horts 54, 2; 10.21273/HORTSCI13306-18
Ripeness and harvest parameters, such as texture and appearance, were well described by the analytical measurements for composition and firmness, with firmness having the most correlations to descriptive sensory attributes. At least 69% of the variation in sensory flesh hardness, moisture release, flesh crispness, and fibrousness between teeth, could be explained by firmness measured analytically. Of the composition attributes, ≥77% of the sour taste perceived by the descriptive sensory panel could be explained by pH, titratable acidity, or soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio. Significant correlations among descriptive sensory appearance, basic tastes, aromatics, and texture attributes with physicochemical attributes can provide an indication of ripeness and marketability parameters for peaches and nectarines. These descriptive attributes are quality factors that impact consumer purchases and perception of fresh-market peaches and nectarines.
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This research was funded by the Specialty Crop Block Grant from the Arkansas Agriculture Department, U.S. Department of Agriculture (16SCBGPAR0038) and U.S. Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch funds for "Breeding Peaches and Nectarines Adapted to the Soils and Climate of Arkansas" (Project Number ARK02402).
1 Corresponding author. E-mail: rthrelf@uark.edu.
Volume 54 (2019): Issue 2 (Feb 2019)
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Prunus persica; composition; firmness; ripeness
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ZOPO Speed X in India launched with 3 GB RAM, fingerprint sensor
Derin J Tom — July 21, 2017add comment
ZOPO launched the company's latest smartphone, ZOPO Speed X in India. Let us now have a detailed look at its specifications.
Don't miss: How to remove fake followers in Twitter?
ZOPO Speed X Specifications
The smartphone sports a 5-inch Full HD 2.5D curved glass display at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
It is powered by 1.3 GHz Octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor with up to 450MHz Mali T720GPU and runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat) out of the box.
The device comes with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal memory that can be expanded to 128 GB using microSD card.
It has 13MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.2 aperture, Omnivision OV13850 sensor, secondary 2MP camera and 13MP front-facing camera with Omnivision OV12830 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, soft LED flash.
Connectivity and sensors
The device is equipped with fingerprint sensor besides supporting 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz / 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and Hybrid Dual SIM (nano+nano/microSD) connectivity features.
The gadget packs 2680 mAh built-in battery and weighs 131 grams.
The mobile will be available in Space Grey, Orchid Gold, Charcoal Black and Royale Gold colors at a price of Rs 9,499 exclusively via e-commerce platforms in the country.
Let us know your views by commenting in the comments section below. We'd love to hear about it from you.
4G VoLTE Android Nougat Zopo Mobiles

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Flautist Rebecca Jeffreys and pianist Alexander Timofeev may not always be 'Friends in Common Time' on their new disc, given the various time signatures the eight represented composers employ. But the performances couldn't be more amiable and intimate, and the musicians appear to savour the opportunity to introduce unknown repertoire that should appeal to listeners beyond the flute-piano world.
One of the composers is the Moldovan-born Timofeev himself. His Reminiscenza wears nostalgia lightly on its sleeve as the instruments engage in lyrical and jaunty conversation. Like that piece, several others say what they have to say in concise terms. Norwegian composer Tor Brevik's Pastorale is a tender ballade and German composer Peter Kütt's Sonatina a three-movement score juxtaposing poetic and soaring ideas.
The flute has a chance to take off during the cadenza in Adrienne Albert's Fantasia, which also finds the instruments sharing winsome melodic material. Slovakian composer Peter Machajdík weaves haunting chords, figures, and textures in Senahh, though the disc's absence of booklet notes precludes any insight into the title.
Subtle sonorities abound in Kevin W Walker's Winter in the Woods for alto flute and prepared piano, which places the instruments in serene balance. The disc's only potentially familiar composer is André Caplet (1878-1925), whose Rêverie et Petite valse comprises two charming movements that Jeffreys and Timofeev play with fine sophistication, as is true of everything they touch on this genial and distinctly uncommon recording.


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Last Time They Met - Qualifying Final, 2013
Mon 12 May 2014, 01:06 PM
The South Sydney Rabbitohs recorded just their second finals victory since 1987 in week one of the 2013 finals, overcoming a woeful record against the Melbourne Storm in the process to book a place in the Preliminary Final the last time the two sides met.
Despite some strong play from the Storm, the Rabbitohs went into the sheds leading 14-0 before coming out to record their first win over Melbourne since 2010.
After enduring a barrage of Storm attack in the first eight minutes, remarkably, it was the Rabbitohs who managed to score first in their first real attacking opportunity when Dylan Farrell capitalised on a Storm loose ball. Adam Reynolds converted from the sideline to give the red and greens an early six points to nil lead.
With half of the first stanza gone, the Melbourne Storm's ill-discipline began to piggy-back the Rabbitohs up-field, eventually culminating in Adam Reynolds being given the chance to extend the home-sides lead by two points.
Souths continued to look sharp from the ensuing set, while the Storm looked uncharacteristically flustered, the sentiment proven when Billy Slater lost the ball after taking a towering South Sydney bomb to give the Rabbitohs another throw of the dice.
Souths made the very most of it on the back of yet another penalty when Jeff Lima hit a short ball at speed to slam down adjacent to the posts for his first try in the red and green. Adam Reynolds converted to extend the lead to 14-0.
The Storm were given an opportunity with just under ten minutes remaining when Roy Asotasi was placed on report for a suspected crusher tackle. The Storm used up all their opportunities and came up short though despite a valiant effort from Sisa Waqa to ground the ball off the back of a Cooper Cronk kick – the video referee ruling against the try on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
Melbourne were unperturbed though, continuing to put the Rabbitohs under pressure with consecutive repeat sets, but the red and green wall of defence held strong, with some brilliant efforts across the park to amazingly take the Rabbitohs into the sheds leading 14-0.
It took 15 minutes for the teams to draw more points, and when they finally did come, it was through Billy Slater, Cameron Smith adding the extras to narrow the gap to eight points.
The Storm were denied a try despite building plenty of pressure, and the Rabbitohs capitalised at the other end of the field when Issac Luke took a Greg Inglis ball on the burst before stretching out as far as his arm would go to touch down next to the posts.
With ten minutes left, the Storm mounted a promising attacking raid down the touchline culminating in Sisa Waqa attempting to pluck a high ball from the air. With Waqa and Dylan Farrell both attempting to diffuse the situation, contact in the air resulted in Waqa landing on his head. Farrell was placed on report.
With a penalty from the Waqa incident in hand, the Storm capitalised with Will Chambers scoring out wide to make the score 20-10 with just under eight minutes remaining.
But the effort was enough for the Rabbitohs to book their way into week three of the 2013 NRL Finals Series.
To watch the highlights, please press play on the video player.


The whole idea behind paint sealant is to protect your vehicle's paintwork from the harsh environment that surrounds it - Ultra Violet rays from the sun which can fade paintwork, atmospheric fallout and acid rain which can damage the paint finish, road salt and other contributors which can fade and corrode the surface. These are the effects of contaminants on paint that wasn't protected, this vehicle was less than a year old.
What does Supagard protect against?
Supagard is professionally applied by trained technicians and all you have to do is wash the car - what could be simpler?
The paint has started to oxidize and the grime in the low points can only be cleaned by a cutting polish removes layers of paint.
Supagard protects the paint from day one. There has been no oxidization, no accumilation of grime and no reduction in paint thickness.
Liquids and dirt can't penetrate the leather once coated with Supagard's Bionic Leather Preserver. This means dirt and spills can be easily removed from above the surface of the leather.


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Of smoke, sweet and spice
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 12:05PM
The day before yesterday was Victoria Day here in Canada, the unofficial kickoff to our summer. Next Monday is Memorial Day in the United States, the unofficial launch of summer down there. So for my friends to the south, I feel like I'm giving you a sneak peek at the answers to next week's pop quiz, and for all the rest of you, I feel like I'm letting you know about something good, as I'm keen on Romesco sauce for the hot months ahead, just like I'm a keen on all of you, year round.
Romesco is a Catalan sauce; an intensely-flavourful slurry of roasted peppers (ideally nyoras, pimiento choricero), thickened with toasted bread and nuts (usually almonds), ruddy with paprika. It is a fair partner to grilled fish and meats, but it's really in its niche alongside vegetables.
The Spanish know this, and so Romesco is the choice accompaniment to the mild green onions called calçots as part of their annual celebration of their harvest. This festival, the calçotada, involves grilling bundled calçots on steel grates over open fires until their exteriors are blackened and crisp. The onions are then wrapped in newsprint and left to steam. Once the packages are opened, and the charred exterior of each onion gets peeled back to expose the tender flesh beneath before they're dragged, bendingly, through Romesco sauce. You eat the onions whole, with head titled back and messy fingers, in a perfect bite of smoke, sweet and spice.
Leeks are not the same as calçots, even though the latter does look an awlful lot like a minature version of the former, but they're what came in our CSA last week. Leeks require extra care in their preparation — they prefer a gentle, attentive hand, and an equally-gentle cooking method. In Tender, Volume 1 (UK General Books, 2009) and elsewhere, Nigel Slater offers his thoughts on how best to handle a leek, specifially using an onion in comparison. In Tender he puts forward:
"Leeks are a little more demanding of the cook. Whereas an onion caught around the edges by a bit of overcooking will take on a welcome rustic note, a leek sorched is a leek ruined."
As you might have already guessed, I agree. When faced with high, direct heat, leeks can seize up and go brittle, losing all of their supple pleasure. And so, in my want for a grilled leek, I began with steaming them first (though boiling in well-salted water would have done as well). I cooked them until they flopped heavily from the steamer basket, making sure that the heat had reached their centres. Then we were off to the grill for a quick blast of flame. I borrowed the finish from the calçotada, and carefully, tightly, packed the hot leeks in a double layer of newsprint. After a few minutes we tore open the parcels, removed the tiger-striped exteriors of the leeks, and dressed them with Romesco, tucking in with forks and knives in hand. The leeks were luxurious, moodier and darker than if we'd braised them, edged with the presence of smoke without the harshness of char.
This long weekend, and for the next one, and maybe the one after that, it'll be how we're doing things. It's going to be a great summer.
Romesco and grilled leeks
The Romesco sauce is also wonderful with potatoes — fried, roasted or grilled. We've dipped steamed asparagus in it as well, without complaint.
4 medium red bell peppers
2 plum tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, unpeeled
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 dried ancho chili
1 1-inch slice white country bread, with crusts removed
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or thereabouts
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus extra
12 small leeks
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Smoked salt to serve, optional
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the peppers, tomatoes and onion in about a teaspoon of olive oil. Roast for 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or so. Add the garlic cloves to the sheet pan and roast for 10 minutes more. Remove the vegetables from the oven to a bowl. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the ancho chili in the hot oil until it darkens and puffs, about 30-45 seconds. Remove the chili to a small bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to soften for about 30 minutes.
In the same skillet, heat the half the remaining oil over medium heat. Tear the bread into chunks. Add the bread and almonds to the pan and sauté until golden, around 2 minutes. Remove the bread and almonds to the bowl of a food processor.
Stem, peel, seed and roughly chop the peppers, tomatoes and onion. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers, tomatoes and onion to the pan with any accumulated juices. Fry for about 30 seconds, then add both paprikas, stirring often. Cook for 1 minute more. Remove the pepper mixture to the food processor, scraping out any bits that have stuck to the pan.
Peel the garlic. Stem and seed the softened chili, chop it into chunks, and add it to the processor bowl with the garlic.
Purée the vegetables in the processor with 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and the sherry vinegar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and run the machine again. It might be necessary to drizzle in more extra-virgin olive oil to get the sauce smooth. Stop the processor and season with kosher salt and additional sherry vinegar if needed. Pulse once or twice. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refigerate. Bring Romesco to room temperature before using.
For the leeks, trim the root ends, but leave the layers attached (extra root can be trimmed away before eating, better to err on keeping the end intact). Trim the darkest green ends from the top. Remove the any tough outer layers from the stalk. Starting about 1-inch from the end, cut the leek lengthways through its middle to its tip, as shown here. Rinse the leeks under cold running water, gently opening up the layers, to wash away any dirt. Leave the leeks to soak in a bowl of cold water, swishing them now and again dislodge any persistent grit.
Bring about 1-inch of water to boil in a large pot. Place the prepared leeks in a steamer basket and steam, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Using tongs, remove the leeks from the steamer to a clean kitchen towel. Blot the leeks dry, then place them in a bowl. Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat a medium-hot grill. Grill the leeks, turning often, until well-marked on all sides, around 5 minutes total. Set the leeks onto a large piece of newspaper or parchment paper, and wrap tightly. Let steam for 5 minutes. Carefully open the package and strip away the crisp outer layer of the leek. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked salt. Pass the Romesco sauce alongside.
I like the combination of sweet and hot paprikas. If you don't have both on hand, one or the other is fine, adjusting accordingly.
In a pinch, I've used jarred roasted piquillo peppers instead of roasting my own. If following suit, you'll need about 1 1/2 cups of peppers.
As it sits, the Romesco will tighten up considerably; you might need to loosen it with some extra-virgin olive oil before serving.
Leftover leeks and Romesco makes for a fine breakfast sandwich: slice the leeks into a small pan over low heat with a knob of butter. Warm them gently, then place them atop a piece of grilled bread smeared with Romesco. Fry an egg in your pan, plunk it on the leeks, with a skinny slice of Manchego and the another slice of toast. Eat.
Everything starts again
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 11:07AM
Seven years ago today, I pressed publish.*
At the time I was in my twenties. I'm not anymore, in fact that cake up there was to celebrate yet another birthday into my thirties. Sean and I called an apartment our home back then; we don't anymore. It was in the city where he grew up. We don't live there anymore, either.
I worked at a job that had me in a windowless office. Scratch that, there was a window but it was blocked from easy view by a bookcase taller than me. I could see a slivered glimpse of an interior courtyard by leaning all the way back in my chair and scooting over to the left. That's changed too — I've not sat in that chair or stood in that room in six years.
I couldn't have imagined these 2,557 days since that apartment, that career, those first words. I knew Sean was the finest man I could ever hope to marry, so that was a strong beginning.
Over the years we moved, and moved again. We left things behind and gained so much. When we moved here, to the city where I grew up, things had changed, were changing. I got to know new neighbourhoods, new shops, new people. I learned to live in a place I thought I knew, as an adult and a parent. We settled in and stretched out and explored.
One of the elementary schools I had attended closed, torn down to its foundations and then paved over for townhouses. When I pass that corner I think about the sturdy, square building that used to stand there. I think of how the thin heels of my loafers would often hook the edge of the stairs when I'd run from our classroom up on the top floor down to the room on the bottom where we had assembly. I remember the sound of chairs scraped across linoleum and the crumpled paper of packed lunches. I think of all the childhood, childlike dramas and tragedies that took place with those halls as backdrop, the stage now cleared.
We went to my high school's anniversary. The halls seemed wider.
I recently spent a day in truly windowless room. It happened to be that day in spring when the trees pop, and the leaves go from frilled curls to full spread. That blink-and-you'll-miss-it day. Keeping occupied over hours of waiting, Sean and I reached the topic of Jack Kerouac and On the Road, specifically the original text versus as it was published by Viking in 1957, with names changed and sections removed.
Kerouac put On the Road to paper over a span of three weeks in April 1951. Three weeks! He worked it out on a manual typewriter, taping sheets of teletype paper together so the resulting roll could be fed into the machine once, and he could then go from there continuously, uninterrupted. The manuscript is single-spaced, without paragraphs or breaks, a solid block of text with the words stacked like bricks in pavement, one hundred and twenty feet long. Edits are in pencil. Kerouac didn't write a book; he told a story. Starting at the outset and working his way to the conclusion.
A book written in three weeks makes a great headline. It's a headline that swaggers, full of bravado. That said, what catches me are all the years that built those twenty-one days. Kerouac had a famous habit of notebooks, of scribbling and collecting stories as he went — like those pebbles that you kick around for a while before picking them up — he tucked them in his pockets in between pages. He began writing On the Road as Sur le Chemin, in colloquial Québécois French, three months before he started the scroll.
I like that. I like the idea that even a work known for the spontaneity of its prose — one that reads like a singular act of improvisation — could have begun in fits and starts. I like that, for even him, it can take some time to get one's mind around things. We may need to circle our destination, figuring out how best to approach, from what angle, and where to land.
In a beautifully fitting twist, Kerouac's scroll is jagged and torn at the bottom, the end ripped away. And so, his finale, in its original form, is a mystery. The margin reads, "ate by Patchkee, a dog", which may or may not be the truth, which could very well be a joke, but it is another thing I like.
Endings are often messy. They smudge and smear into the next beginning as everything starts again. Endings follow along, trailing behind forward progress, like the echo of your own footsteps.
So here we are, with the trees heavily green and mornings still cold. We've made some headway, the first seven years done, with still a ways ahead. (Seven is a number that's important to me, as you might have guessed.) That milestone passed, this road has been an exceptional one to travel thus far, and I'm looking to the horizon, looking to reach the rim of its curve and then drive past it.
Thank you, thank you for the company. Let's get going on the next seven. I'll bring the cake.
*If you follow that link, it's rather empty, save for a comment made by Tara some years later; she's a treasured friend and I'm happy that she's there, Anne and Diana are we. However, the quiet there is a bit misleading; when I transplanted this site from another space to this one, the comments from those early posts did not come along. I have them saved though, and if I can figure out a way to respost them I will, as I am, still and always, grateful for the welcome and continued friendship from this community. xo, all.
In other business, we have the UPPERCASE winners — congratulations Melinda and Jade! I'll be in touch soon.
Hazelnut and strawberry celebration cake
Think of this cake as a gussied-up version of a Victoria sponge. The flavours are the same, as we've got the well-worn charm of strawberry jam, lemon and (butter)cream. Folding beaten egg whites into the batter, as done with chiffon cakes, results in an airy, delicate crumb. I've gone and mussed up that delicacy a little with ground hazelnuts, but I think the modest sacrifice in height is worth it — the cake has fluff but also has enough structure to stand up to the rich weight of the preserves, and it's still plenty tall. I also happen to think that the teensy flecks of gold and brown look pretty, so there's that, too.
The layers are adaptated from the Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake in The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (America's Test Kitchen, 2011). The cake uses 6 yolks and 3 egg whites, so be sure to keep those extra 3 whites aside if making the Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Softened butter and cake flour for pans
2 ounces hazelnuts, skin on, roasted and cooled
2 cups (8 ounces) cake flour, sifted
1 3/4 cup (12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar, divided
10 tablespoons (5 ounces, 1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
3 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil (like grapeseed or safflower)
6 egg yolks, at room temperature
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2-3/4 cup strawberry preserves
1/4-1/2 teaspoon finely-grated lemon zest, depending on taste
1/2 recipe Swiss Buttercream, with 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt added at the start (and without coconut)
Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8x2-inch pans with softened butter. Line the bases with parchment paper, grease the parchment, then dust bottoms and sides with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, grind the hazelnuts into a fine meal. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides and pulse again one or two times. You should have about 1/2 cup hazelnut meal.
In a large bowl, whisk together the ground hazelnuts, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar. In another bowl, or a jug with a pouring spout, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, neutral oil, vanilla extract and egg yolks. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Sprinkle in the cream of tartar. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and with the machine running, pour in the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a steady stream. Continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and stiff peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the egg whites into a bowl and set aside.
Add flour mixture to the now-empty mixer bowl. With the machine running on low speed, slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture, stirring until just incorporated, around 20 seconds. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk again until there's no visible flour, around 15 seconds more (note: due to the hazelnuts, this batter will not be completely smooth).
With a rubber spatula, stir 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten. Add 1/2 of the remaining whites and fold gently until almost combined, a few white streaks can remain. Add the last of the whites and continue to fold until no streaks remain. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Tap the pans gently on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles.
Bake layers in a preheated oven until the cake begins to pull away from the edge of the pan and a cake tester (toothpick) inserted in the centre comes out clean, around 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the edge of the cakes with an offset spatula or butter knife, then invert onto a wire rack lined with clean parchment and remove the baking parchment from the bottom of the layer. Invert the cake again onto a greased wire rack and cool completely before filling and frosting, at least 2 hours.
To assemble, mix the strawberry preserves with the lemon zest in a bowl. Stack and fill the cakes, dividing the jam between the cake layers and topping each with thin coat of buttercream. Use the remaining buttercream to cover and decorate the sides and top to your liking.
For a tutorial on filling and frosting a cake, see here.
Makes 1 8-inch, three-layer cake.
The ground hazelnuts can be substituted for an equal amount other ground nuts — almonds, walnuts or pistachio are winning bets. Or, if not your thing, omit nuts altogether and make up the difference with an equal amount (2 ounces, 1/2 cup) of sifted cake flour.
The cake layers can be made a day ahead and kept at room temperature overnight, wrapped well in clingfilm. As pictured, I used three 6-inch pans, baking the cakes for around 25 mintues.
I use a chunky, homemade strawberry preserve, one that's not particularly sweet as far as jams go. If yours is on the sweeter side, you might want to pull back to 1/2 cup total. Also, keep in mind that a thick layer of jam will cause the cake to slide when stacked, so err on the side of miserly.
This cake plays well with other frostings. A malted or coffee buttercream would be ones I'd suggest, or even a good old whipped ganache. The buttercream can be coloured or left plain — it is naturally white, as seen in between the layers, and I used a mix of paste food colours to tint the icing for the exterior.
I did a piece on decorating layer cakes for Saveur last year; if you're looking for more tips, it might be of interest.
tagged biography, layer cake in baking, celebrate, dessert
Zinged up
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 12:49PM
Hello, hello!
A quick stop in on this afternoon, as I wanted to let y'all know that I'm on Design*Sponge today for their "In The Kitchen With..." series. (These are some outtakes, more photos and the full recipe is through the link.) It's an honour to be featured, and I'm especially excited to be talking about pakoras — or at least my not-at-all traditional take on pakoras, less of a fritter and more of an Indian take on a tempura-style fry up.
The batter is my grandmother's, so no disputing that it's the real deal, but I keep the vegetables in large-ish pieces to show off all the shapes and colours to their deep-fried finest. Plus, you can pick and choose your favourites — mine are the onion ones, followed closely by the green beans, then sweet potatoes, sliced thin.
I've also shared the recipe for my Mum's Fresh Green Chutney; it's got green apple, green chilies and fistfuls of cilantro, zinged up with lime juice, ginger and garlic. It's not only good with these fritters, but it's also what I like with samosas or even dolloped beside kofta kebabs that have been grilled over the fire. Keep a jar on hand in the fridge, and you'll find a million ways to use it.
We've got birthdays to celebrate tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited for that. Meet you back here next week, with tales of the weekend no doubt, along with the winner of the UPPERCASE contest! (psst! There's still time to put your name in the hat; I'll count entries up until 11:59 p.m. EDT.)
Cheers, folks, here's to swell days ahead.
tagged design sponge, pakora in announcement
It's a corker
Friday, April 13, 2012 at 11:52AM
I meant to include an announcement in the title, and then promptly forgot the intention — sorry! You see, there's a giveaway going on. Details are at the bottom of the post, after the recipe.
This is totally happening.
Here we have that unapologetic specimen of salad, the iceberg wedge. Actually, it's burly enough to warrant emphasis — The Iceberg Wedge. Yes, that's better.
I was out with a friend I don't see as often as I'd like, the sort of friend who orders you a French 75 in a bar that's all dark wood and leather and brass, and whose taste you'd trust implicitly. Over the wandering path of our catching up, one of us mentioned iceberg lettuce; imagine my delighted suprise when he boldly declared his love for the stuff, a declaration I immediately cosigned. Besides maybe a backyard burger, I think we agreed that a wedge salad, dressed with bacon and blue cheese and more than a dash of hot sauce, is iceberg's highest praise.
I've got real hopes some of you agree.
Iceberg salads are often maligned, the badum-bum-cha punch line to jokes about terrible cooking. And there's surely fair reason for that, as sure as there's redeeming qualities to The Iceberg Wedge. It isn't refined, it isn't one of those springy salads that gets us ready for summer days. It is watery refreshing, it's old school gung-ho — it is crunch, and fat, and cool, and nose-clearing heat, all set right up to high on the sensory scale. It isn't wimpy, wan or delicate. It's a corker, a real wise guy. It's memorable.
As you might recall, I held off on bringing up this recipe earlier. I wanted to get the dressing measurements locked in before sending you on your way. There's a trouble in that though; as silly as it sounds, blue cheese dressing is an art more than a science. There are variables to consider and balance, ones that can't be be pinned down to hard and fast rules: the pungency and the moisture of the cheese, the astringency of the particular lemon that's juiced, the consistency of the sour cream. I've abandoned hope of giving exacting quantities, offering instead guidelines to steer you in the right direction.
If you don't mind, I have a note on the hot sauce to choose. I have a weakness for cayenne-based sauces with blue cheese, specifically Franks Red Hot Sauce, the hot sauce for Buffalo chicken wings — a dish that should always be served with celery and carrot sticks and blue cheese dressing. And no, I don't dip my wings in the dressing. That's just me. But the vinegary sting, that lip prickling heat from the hot sauce after a bite of chicken is so, so great with celery dipped in dressing for a chaser. Here, the iceberg lettuce stands in for the celery and the bacon for the deep fried wings, but the same logic applies.
And while we're on the topic of hot sauce, — my apologies but I have some heart-held feelings when it comes to the iceberg, scratch that, The Iceberg Wedge — I don't mix the hot sauce into the dressing. I'm not entirely fond of the pinkish shade it dyes everything, but there's also a taste preference; keeping it instead in drips and drabs across the salad perforates the dressing's richness. Again, that's just me.
Despite my peculiarities of opinion, there's nothing difficult about an iceberg salad. Not much happens in the kitchen, but everything happens on the plate.
Another point scored for The Iceberg Wedge.
The Iceberg Wedge
You can use the dressing right away but I think it's even nicer after a day in the fridge, which gives the flavours the chance to fully develop. If you choose to wait, you may need to stir in a few drops of water to thin the dressing before use; it thickens quite a lot as it sits.
But oh, that thickened dressing is especially great on top of one of those backyard burgers. Leave it as is, straight from the fridge, and go to town.
For the blue cheese dressing (makes about 2 cups)
1/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Juice from half a lemon
1 medium sized head of iceberg lettuce
1 recipe blue cheese dressing
5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped then fried until crisp
Minced chives, freshly-cracked black pepper, and hot sauce to serve
Make the dressing. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk. Gently fold in the blue cheese and chives along with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Season with freshly-ground black pepper. Take a taste. If more freshness is needed, stir in a bit more lemon juice. If it needs thinning, add some buttermilk. Keep tasting and tweaking until the dressing suits your taste. Set aside, or if making ahead, cover and refrigerate until use.
To make the salad, discard any saddish-looking outside leaves from the lettuce. Cutting through the core, halve the head lengthways. Then cut each half into half the same way, so you end up with quarters, each with bit of core attached. Place the wedges on individual plates or on a platter, family style. Pour some of the dressing over the wedges, then top with the bacon. Garnish with minced chives, a cracking of black pepper, and as much hot sauce as you dare, passing the remaining dressing alongside.
Best eaten immediately, serving 4.
If you can time things such that the bacon is still warm, with some of its fat still sizzling when it's scattered on the salad, that's the way to go.
Green garlic can be used instead of, or in addition to, the chives.
I truly appreciate the response to my work in UPPERCASE and all the recent kindness regarding my nominations over at Saveur. And so in thanks, I got together with Janine to offer two copies of UPPERCASE magazine's latest issue for a giveaway! The contest is open to anyone; simply leave a comment here if you'd like to be considered. (Please provide a way to contact you - through your own website or email address. If concerned about privacy on the latter, the information is only visible to me when entered in the contact email field of the comment form. It will not be made public.)
Entries will be accepted until at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 20, 2012.
Hooray and best of luck!
tagged blue cheese, iceberg in lunch, salad
We take in good faith
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 1:11PM
I had planned to share a recipe today, but in the midst of holiday weekend chaos and revelry, I came to the conclusion that it required another go round before we gave it our attention.
Nonetheless, on this sunny Tuesday, with a sky that's a clear, true blue, I came to say hello. It's a day for company, don't you think? One made for visits and a chat.
The latest UPPERCASE, the spring edition, has just come out; it's issue 13 and is packed from beginning to end with good things. You can preview it here, if you'd like.
My contribution to its lineup is a story on how we can conjure up good weather and good luck through food. How a gloomy day can be made spritely with citrus, or the smell of cinnamon brings us to fruitful September. I touch upon superstition, too, like pomegranate seeds and their mythical ties to fertility. In many ways, the story is a lot about hope, the bolstering effect of positive thinking, and the small measures we take in good faith.
The recipe is for Lucky Spring Rice, and that's what you see in the photos up top, a dish with much in common with Lebanese Mujaddara, Persian Jewelled Rice, Egyptian Kushari and the Indian Pilaus I grew up with. There's lentils, and nuts, a mix of rice and fried pasta bits. Here's how I describe it there:
[This is] a rice that's balanced. There's the weighty, chewy comfort of starch that suits the spring days that still run cool. Then there's the bright sweetness of fruit both fresh and dried, against the musky, fragrance of cinnamon, coriander, cumin and clove. There's the spark of pepper mollified by the cool of mint and grassy cilantro. There's a twang of sharpness, as life must have some to offset everything else, and there's a richness too, which rounds out the flavours.
It's hearty and satisfying, and a meal that can be eaten out in the yard with plates balanced on laps. No fuss, spring evening food, which is to say pretty much what I'd like for lunch today.
In other (read: fun, amazing, oh-my-gosh-really) news, I have been nominated for two awards over at the Saveur 3rd Annual Food Blog Awards, which explains that big banner over there. I am a finalist for Best Cooking Blog and Best Food Photography, and I cannot come up with sufficient thanks for those who nominated me. It is a true, jaw-dropping honour to be in such brilliant company. For those who'd like to vote, the polls are now open and run until April 26. As always, I am grateful for all the support.
Well then, I'm off. I wish you both fair weather and fine fortune, and we'll meet back here soon. 'Til then, pals.
tagged saveur magazine, uppercase in announcement


text:
Q: Cassandra mathematical operations within a single row Suppose there is a table holding some points with columns id (primary key), and coordinates x, y, z
Suppose I wanted to add an extra column calculating say average value of x, y and z for every point. Is that possible through cqlsh? Or would I have to select all the rows, modify them, and write them back?

A: To physically write them as a new column, you'd need to query them, do the average, and then write it back explicitly.
However, you could also calculate the average on the fly - if you want to do that, the concepts you're looking for are:
User Defined Functions or User Defined Aggregates

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Summer Memories Bring Joy In Middle of the Winter
א׳ שבט ה׳תשפ״א - January 14, 2021
Campers from Ckids Gan Yisroel and their families were thrilled to see their counselors from the summer, who brought Chanukah joy to over 25 Florida homes.
Summer was months ago, but for campers of Ckids CGI, memories really do last a lifetime. This winter, during a Chanukah that was lonelier than most, campers and their families were treated to a visit from their summer camp counselors.
"We decided to surprise my son," says Larah Batkilin. "So when his counselor showed up he was completely shocked and so excited—he started to cry!"
Emotional reunions like this one happened in 25 homes all over Florida. "The goal was to bring the Camp Gan Yisroel spirit to each house," says Rabbi Levi Plotkin, who is camp director alongside his wife Chaya. "And we're so proud of the results," Chaya adds.
"We heard so much from our boys about how amazing camp was," says parent Erin Berger. "Now we got to see for ourselves exactly why they loved camp so much!" Counselors brought a mini Chanukah party along with them, complete with Menorah lighting, doughnuts, gelt, dreidels, and, of course, camp songs.
Ckids Gan Yisroel is an overnight camp in Parkland, Florida, under the auspices of Rabbi Yosef Biston of Parkland and Merkos of Florida. "We're bringing Jewish kids together for an authentic summer experience that is completely immersive," says Biston. "The results have been transformational."
The power of summer camp is nothing new, explains Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302, "The Rebbe emphasized time and again how much of an effect a summer can have."
Ckids International, run by Rabbi Zalmy Loewenthal, is changing the face of Jewish education with an innovative approach to learning. "We aim to provide the highest level of meaningful Jewish experience delivered in an exciting format that will make a lasting impression."
Summer camp has the unique ability of accomplishing what no other program, school, or shul can do. "The kids come back from camp with a new chayus," says Mrs. Altein, a Shlucha in Sunny Isles Beach, FL. "They know so much more than they did just a few weeks before—it blows me away every time."
This winter, families need the boost more than ever. Counselors maintained the highest standards of social distancing throughout their encounters, with many of the visits taking place outdoors.
Campers were thrilled to see their counselors, a memory of an amazing summer from the past and a preview of all the good times to come this year. Parents as well were incredibly touched by the visits. "I can't believe the guys drove 4 hours just to see my son," says Mrs. Benchetrit, who lives in Ormond beach. "It was a Chakunah we'll never forget."
The Chanukah visits were just a taste of what this summer has in store. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!


Here's a neat slam model I built back when Pro Mod Drag cars were just starting to get popular. I started with a Johan Sox and Martin '71 Plymouth 'Cuda kit and added a scratch built wing and rocker panel skirts. The hood scoop was modified from the Revell Matt and Debbie Hey T-bird pro streeter. The wheels came from the parts box and I hand painted the HEMI graphics .


The assistance to secure our cardiovascular system from cardiac arrest. They all inform you about the exact same things; you can have best abs in just 5 minutes a day, etc. Keep in mind, supplements are simply that "supplements".
Creating efficient skin care practices are essential in our lives. Young kids can get away with cannot clean their faces for a day, or 2. It's a various story for us grownups, we'll suffer break-outs in our facial skin if we let a day or two pass without proper cleansing. For adults, sometimes discovering the finest skin care products can be difficult for our distinct skin type. A lot of grownups experience no little quantity of disappointment and stress in this area. So in response, we provide some solid suggestions to help you discover the very best products for your skin.
Take a lotion for dry skin that contains alcohol. The label might say ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, isopropyl, or other types of alcohol. Just understand if the brand you utilize has any of these components in it, you are not going to end up with soft smooth skin.
A big dehumidifier readies to obtain individuals back in their houses rapidly. It would only take a day or 2 for the impacted areas to dry. They can likewise be utilized to reduce humidity. The less humidity you have, the better off you are.
Few of us today take the time to see that our meals throughout the day offer all of us of the correct nutrients. We may be to hectic and get a junk food hamburger, get included in conferences and can't stop to eat at all, or we might, in the name of excellent Health, just not eat enough daily to obtain rid of that over sized waist line. There are lots of reasons for not getting the nourishment that we need.
A house prepared meal can provide you with all of the nutrition you require for the day. Consuming a healthy diet plan filled with fresh fruits and vegetables and low in fats can significantly minimize your threat for cardiovascular disease. Simply discover a few easy to prepare meals and cook them frequently if you don't like to prepare. Make a fresh salad once a week to last the whole week. Make a large fresh fruit salad in the exact same preparation time frame.
Be conscientious about checking your blood sugar often. Don't make reasons, stating you don't have time or have something else essential to do. There is absolutely nothing more crucial. Avoiding this job becomes part of denial. Rather, you need to deal with diabetes directly and handle it proactively.
When you are doing situps or crunches, press your tongue to the top of your mouth. This engages your neck muscles and keeps them lined up appropriately while you are working out. You can prevent straining a muscle or experiencing another injury when you make sure to do this.
Now these fats assist to protect us from heart attacks. And the Omega 3 supplement is a natural blood thinner, which assists to decrease our high blood pressure. Several overseas research studies have actually discovered that guys who eat fish 2 or 3 times per week are less most likely to suffer an abrupt cardiac arrest than men who hardly ever consume fish.
Matcha powder is finely ground high quality powdered green tea grown in misty Japan Mountains and it is widely utilized in tea events. You require to settle with one that is certified by the appropriate bodies if you want high quality of this item.
The frequency of your exercises depend upon exactly what you are aiming to accomplish. When planning to increase muscle size and strength, you need to not utilize a strength training regular on a daily basis. For muscles that are leaner and specified, carry out strength training regularly.
Ask your doctor or nurse to recommend an exercise regimen that would be great for you. They know your physical capacities and can recommend exercise that will help you, without over-stressing your body. Walking is a kind of workout recommended for almost everybody. However there are also other possibilities such as tai chi or yoga that will tone your muscles, and might increase your capacity for workout.
The less of these foods you eat the much healthier your body is going to feel. Soy protein is discovered in soy beans, tofu and miso soup. A lot of individuals reside in areas that have hard water running through their tap.


This guy was tricky. He's a gift and the person who commissioned me didn't have a ton of great photos. I knew he was a Wheaten mix, so I used the body of another dog photo I googled and superimposed his face on it. He turned out pretty cute! I have a ton more dogs to get finished before Christmas so I will be one busy painter.