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Uses For Jujubes - Red Dates

Uses For Jujubes - Red Dates Last week, I talked about the hungry sparrows feasting among my jujube trees. Apparently many have not heard of a jujube or red date before and are curious what to do with them besides just eating them from the tree. Just to recap in case you have not read my previous post, when mostly yellowish in color they taste a little like a dry apple. They get sweeter as they turn a reddish color and as they turn completely red and start to wrinkle slightly, they are closer to a raisin or a date. No matter how you eat them, don't forget that there is a pit in the center. I find that cutting them close to the pit around each side is the easiest way to rid the fruit of the pit. The Varied Uses of Jujubes The light green to yellow jujubes are easily shredded and used any time apples are called for. I have used them in breads, muffins, and mixed with pear or apples for a fruit crisp when shredded right from the tree. ...

Grackles Command the Backyard

The grackle is one of the larger birds that I see frequenting my backyard. They do not tend to go to the feeder thankfully as I imagine that they would make quite a mess. They will, however, peck in the grass and on occasion eat the jujube fruit dropped by the sparrows. As I explained in an earlier post , the sparrows seem playful and happy in their fruit feast. The grackles however become very territorial and if they find a fruit that they claim as their own, they will continue picking it up and flying here and there until they feel they are safe from thieves and then very quickly eat. I will admit that the grackle was one of my most disliked birds in Arizona until my daughter began pointing out all the interesting things about this bird. My dislike stemmed from a large ficus tree that we had in the backyard of a former home. The grackles would nest in the tree in the evening and would make so much noise that I would need to close...

Sea Glass: Collecting Beach Treasures

Last weekend, I was looking through my collection of sea glass and I offered a few suggestions about what to look for and where to collect in my last blog post. Today, I would like to share a few finds that are a little less common and thrilling when found well tumbled on the shore. These two were among my first finds on South Padre Island in Texas and began my hunt for sparkling treasures any time I find myself along a coast. The blue is fairly rare and likely from an old Noxzema container, V icks bottle, or other medication or poison that has not been packaged in cobalt blue glass for a long time. I have a few cobalt blue pieces but not many. The knob is slightly bowed underneath so I would think the lid to pottery jar or jug. Both are exceptionally s mooth and well tumbled. Both likely churning in the ocean for 50 years or more. At times I will find glass with writing, patterns, or the spirals of the neck of a bottle which are always ...

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