Great Explorers - Neil Armstrong by Jim Ollhoff: Book Review

 

Great Explorers: Neil Armstrong
Author: Jim Ollhoff
Publisher: ABDO Publishing Company, 2014

Age: 9-15, Middle Grade Nonfiction
Pages: 32

Neil Armstrong was a great American hero. His legacy today as the first person to walk on the moon continues to inspire the most ardent of dreamers. “There was a feeling that if people could do that,” Ollhoff writes, “they could do anything.” Ollhoff describes Neil Armstrong as a modest, quiet man, but whose talents and achievements as a military pilot and aeronautical engineer, placed him in a unique position in history. 

In the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold War. The Soviet Union had just sent a man into space, and the U.S. was worried about losing control of the space frontier. In 1961 President Kennedy made landing a man on the moon a U.S. goal within the next ten years. Armstrong was accepted into NASA’s Gemini space program as an astronaut the following year. 

Ollhoff describes the training process and command decisions that demonstrated Armstrong’s skill in controlling a spacecraft. In one example, two ships had spun out of control. His intelligent response and quick action saved the lives of everyone on board. Armstrong was subsequently selected into the Apollo space program, which included many missions, one of which eventually went to the moon. 

On July 19, 1969, Apollo 11 had reached its destination and was orbiting around the moon. A lunar module, the Eagle, was launched with Armstrong at the controls. It landed on the lunar surface and Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Over television, he uttered the now-famous words: “That’s one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind.” 

Armstrong went on to have a full career, teaching and lending his expertise to NASA and the aviation industry. Ollhoff also describes Armstrong’s equally impressive early years and personal life. Model airplanes and books about flying were long his interest as a young boy. Timeline, Glossary and Index are provided. 

Great Explorers is a light introduction to the history of the space program and the life of Neil Armstrong. Designed to inspire, the story certainly does that. Personally, the moon landing is still a major event in my lifetime. On the day of the landing in 1969, I was at the switchboard working as a telephone operator in Tacoma, Washington. News came over the air on TV that the Eagle had landed. There must have been fifty or more of us working the switchboard that day. One by one we took turns taking breaks so we could run to the break room and watch the exciting news. The transmission was poor, in black and white, but the message was loud and clear.

We had landed a man on the moon!  

V is for Vanilla: Yummy Fruits A-Z

Vanilla orchids bloom for one day (or less!)

Vanilla has been called the "cheese pizza of ice cream." Where would we be without this basic ingredient that flavors our favorite foods and adds ambiance to our worlds and homes with its sweet perfume? 

The vanilla bean (or pod), from which vanilla is derived, is the fruit of the vanilla orchid. It is the only edible plant in the orchid family, and only native to Mexico. It was first cultivated by Mexico's Tononac people, who in the 15th century were later conquered by the Aztecs. Legends and myths about the vanilla plant have long existed in their culture.

Vanilla plants grow on vines,
often climbing trees in wild.

The vanilla orchid has a unique
characteristic that affected its history and distribution for centuries. It can only be pollinated by Mexico's Melipone bee, and efforts to relocate this bee have never been successful. 

This was first discovered by the Spanish explorer Cortes in the early 1500s, when the plants he took back to Spain failed to produce fruit. It is the sole reason Mexico became the center of vanilla production, a monopoly that lasted for 300 years.

Edmond Albius

In 1841, a young twelve-year-old slave named Edmond Albius changed all that. He was living on a French island in the Indian Ocean at the time, and had discovered a way to hand pollinate the vanilla flower. Although labor-intensive, the technique caused a global explosion in vanilla production outside of Mexico. In fact, it became so competitive that so-called "vanilla rustlers" began robbing and fighting for world domination. 

- Vanilla plantation -
La Reunion Island, Guatemala

Today, in addition to Mexico, vanilla is grown in Madagascar, Indonesia, China, Papua New Guinea, Turkey, Tonga, Uganda, Fiji, Tahiti, Comoros, Guatemala, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and India, Madagascar and Indonesia being the two top producers.

Considered also a spice, vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world (after saffron). All is due to the labor-intensive method still required to pollinate the vanilla orchid flower, but there are other factors, too. Vanilla plants can only be grown within 20 degrees of the equator. 

Added to this, orchid flowers bloom for one day only (sometimes less), so the timing of pollination is critical! 

Vanilla beans are dried to process.
The tiny seeds inside are flavorless,
and often seen in vanilla bean
ice cream (as black specks)

It explains why vanilla is still so expensive and why 97% of vanilla used today as a flavoring and
fragrance is artificial. Imitation vanilla is made from a wood byproduct called lignin. In tastes test, most people cannot tell the difference in baked goods, but in cold or unbaked foods, they notice a difference in the taste. 

An FDA approved non-plant substitute in the U.S. called castoreum (from castor sacs of beavers, a type of scent gland) is also used. It is often referenced as "natural flavoring" on the label, and commonly used in foods, beverages, cigarettes and perfumes. Personally, after reading all this, I'm going to stick to pure vanilla when cooking at home. As for the rest, all we can really do is avoid processed foods. 

Do you use artificial or pure vanilla extract?

Vanilla comes in the following forms:

• pure vanilla extract - from beans soaked in alcohol and water
• vanilla powder - from dried pure extract or beans, pulverized
• vanilla bean - the orchid fruit (buy dark, almost black in color, and slightly moist); beans should last five years, if stored away from light and heat (do not freeze)
• vanilla sugar - sugar flavored by vanilla beans
• vanilla paste - from pure extract and bean seed in syrup 

Dried vanilla beans

Besides vanilla's use as a flavoring in foods and beverages, it is used in perfumes and medicines. In aromatherapy, it has been used to soothe nerves, to uplift the spirit, and as an aid in losing weight. Folk remedies include its use as an aphrodisiac and a treatment for fevers. 

Vanilla Recipes

"Easy Vanilla Sugar"

 
Fill large jar with sugar. Break up vanilla bean into three pieces. Press into the sugar and let sit for several weeks.

"Yummy Vanilla Custard"

2 cups milk

1 vanilla pod (bean)

3 eggs

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup stiffly whipped cream

--In heavy saucepan, add milk and vanilla pod. Heat to under boiling point and remove from burner. (Wipe vanilla pod dry and store. You can use again another time)

--In medium bowl, beat eggs until lemon-colored. Pour small amount of hot milk over eggs, stirring constantly. 

--Add mixture to remaining milk in saucepan and cook, stirring constantly over low heat for 20 minutes (until thick). Remove from heat, stir in sugar. Let cool. Then fold in whipped cream gradually.

(Note: one teaspoon vanilla extract can be substituted for vanilla pod. Add to sauce after removing from heat. Use as sauce or custard.  

Vanilla Joke

Vanilla Books


--Pure Vanilla: Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques 
by Sauna Sever and Leigh Beisch (2012)


--Vanilla Orchards: Natural 
History and Cultivation 
by Ken Cameron (2011)


--I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World  by Marguerite Wright (2000)

--Vanilla: Travels in Search of
the Ice Cream Orchard 
by Tim Ecott (2005)

Vanilla Movie

--Vanilla Sky (2001) (trailer)

starring Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz, 

Cameron Diaz and Kurt Russell

Vanilla Song

--Vanilla Twilight by Owl City (2010)

Sources: http://www.beanilla.com/vanilla-faqs/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla; http://vanilla.servolux.nl/vanilla_history.html; 
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/desserts/a/Vanilla.htm; 

U is for Ugniberry: Yummy Fruits A-Z

Ugni shrubs are 3-15 feet tall.
Berries are 1 cm in diameter.

Ugni (also known as Chilean guava or strawberry myrtle) is an
evergreen shrub native to Chile, Argentina, Central America, and southern Mexico. The ugniberry is quite edible and tastes like a spicy strawberry. It is often used as a replacement for strawberry flavoring in processed foods. 

There are ten species of this shrub. In New Zealand it is called "New Zealand Cranberry," and in Australia, "Tazziberry," however neither are native to the region. The shrub is smaller than the taller South American version. 

Juan Ignacio Molina
1740-1829

Historically, ugni shrubs were first described in 1782 by a Chilean Jesuit priest, Juan Ignacio Molina, who was also a botanist and naturalist, among other, and later a professor of natural sciences in Italy. His writings were the first to describe the natural history of Chile. Molina's contribution to science also explains the complete name of this plant - Ugni molinae.

Ugnifruit was then introduced to England in 1844 and became a favorite fruit of Queen Victoria. It was also enjoyed as an ornamental plant, prized for its flowers and evergreen foilage. The ugni flower is quite beautiful with its drooping pale pink petals. 

Ugni Matador Liqueur

Today the fruit is used on a rather small scale in New Zealand, Australia....and Chile, where traditional Matador liqueur is made. The fruit is also used to make jams, cakes, and other desserts, and eaten fresh or added to salads.

The popularity of this berry is growing. Some claim it has five times the taste of a blueberry, so home gardeners are beginning to plant this shrub more, as it does well in most soils. The only catch is probably the climate. Ugni shrubs thrive best in a subtropical, temperate climate, although they can handle light frost and withstand some dry conditions. I would love to see a variety that could be grown in the Pacific Northwest, east of Washington's Cascade range where I live.  

Do you grow this shrub? Do you eat the berries?

Cake with ugniberries

Nutritionally, ugniberries are high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K. Native people used this berry to treat diarrhea, dysentery, and urinary tract pain. Antioxidant levels are comparable to blueberries, but information is sketchy, as studies appear to be ongoing. 

Ugni Recipe

"Ugniberry Oatmeal Muffins"

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ugniberries

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Directions:

--In medium bowl, mix together oats and buttermilk. Let stand 5 minutes. Add oil, brown sugar, egg and mix.

--In second bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir flour mixture into batter and fold in berries. Grease muffin tins with vegetable oil. 

--Fill tins 3/4 full and sprinkle tops with extra rolled oats. Bake 20-25 minutes, until centers are cooked. Remove from oven, cool ten minutes on rack, and remove from tins. Yield: 8 muffins. 

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugni; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ignacio_Molina

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/newsletter/october2001.htm; http://www.edible.co.nz/fruits.php?fruitid=18

S is for Strawberry: Yummy Fruits A-Z

Wild strawberries have been around for at least 2,200 years ago. Researchers know that Italy had strawberries in 234 BC, where ancient Romans used strawberries to make different types of medicines.

We also know that French kings planted strawberries in their royal gardens in the 14th century and European monks (15th century) wrote of strawberries in their manuscripts. Flemish, German, Italian, and English artists depicted strawberries in their work, while instructions on how to grow strawberries were described in England in 1578. Cultivation of non-wild strawberries followed in the 1750s in Brittany, France. After a period of cross-breeding with a native Chilean strawberry from Chile, a large, juicy and sweet strawberry was developed that became quite popular in Europe.

Meanwhile, settlers who had left for America in the late 1500s discovered native wild strawberries in Virginia and Massachusetts, a berry long since enjoyed by area Indians. Its popularity spread from there. Today the U.S. is the largest producer of strawberries in the world, with California producing the most (Florida second). Spain is the second largest producer, and also the largest exporter of strawberries.

Besides being high in vitamin C and dietary fiber, the health claims for eating strawberries are mainly: 1) support of cardiovascular health & disease prevention; 2) decreased type 2 diabetes risk, help regulating blood sugar; 3) prevention of certain cancers - breast, cervical, colon and esophageal. A word of caution would be the concern for those with gall bladder or untreated kidney problems. The oxalates in strawberries may interfere with calcium absorption. Other than that, enjoy this yummy fruit with gusto! I slice these on my oatmeal with nuts almost daily.

Strawberry Recipes

FRESH: The best way 
to enjoy strawberries!

But for that special occasion try:


"Easy Strawberry Trifle"


2 cups fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups homemade vanilla pudding (or store-bought pudding)
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 cups pre-baked angel food cake, cut in one-inch cubes (shortcake or pound cake also works)

--(Reserve 3 or 4 berries for garnish). Hull and slice 1 cup strawberries. Arrange berries along the sides of a clear, glass serving dish (1-1/2 quart size). 

--Place remaining strawberries and sugar in blender container and process until pureed. 

--In mixing bowl, mix pudding and cream cheese with electric mixer and blend well. 

--Place half of cake in bottom of serving dish. Pour half of pureed strawberries over cake, and top with half of pudding mixture.
--Repeat layer. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Before serving stop with reserved berries. Yield: 6 to 8 servings. 


Strawberry Jokes

Q: Why were the little strawberries upset?



A: Because their parents were in a jam!




Q: What did one strawberry say to the other strawberry?

A: If you weren’t so sweet, we wouldn’t be in this jam!

 

"Rock Berries"

Strawberry Books

--Strawberry Girl (1945) (ages 8-12)

by Lois Lenski (a Newbery Medal book)

--Freckleface Strawberry (2007)
 (ages 3-8) by Julianne Moore & LeUyen Pham 

--Strawberry Hill (2010) (ages 8-12) 
by Mary Ann Hoberman 

"Strawberry
Shortcake"

--Strawberry Shortcake (various titles) (2003-2014) A popular series for ages 2 to 6 years; I counted 131 books online! 
Note: the American Greetings character "Strawberry Shortcake" evolved commercially 
to include: dolls, toys, songs, posters, movies, TV series, video games, cartoons, and books. Lawsuits regarding ownership of this character and related continue to this day.

--The Strawberry Statement by James Simon Kunen (1969) (nonfiction) (Chronicles a student's experience at Columbia University; counterculture and student revolts, 1960s).

Strawberry Movies

--Strawberry Blonde (1941)  

James Cagney and Olivia DeHaviland

--Strawberry Summer (2012)  

Julie Mond and Trevor Donovan



--The Strawberry Statement (1970)
Bruce Davison and Kim Darby 
(Based on Kunen's book; Winner at Jury Prize Cannes Film Festival, 1970)

Strawberry Songs

--Strawberry Wine - Deana Carter (1996)

--Strawberry Letter 23 - The Brothers Johnson (1977)

--Strawberry Roan - Ed McCurdy (a cowboy song) 
(written by Curley Fletcher, first published 1936)

--Raspberries Strawberries - Kingston Trio
(first released, 1960)

--Strawberry Swing - Coldplay (released 2009)

--Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles (1967)

Although credited to both John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the story behind this song is that John was inspired by a garden he had played in as a child near his home. The garden was located at a Salvation Army children's home called "Strawberry Field."

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry; http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=32

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_Shortcake; http://www.berries4u.com/history.htm; http://www.strawberries-for-strawberry-lovers.com/where-are-strawberries-grown.html#sthash.3SVXz5SO.dpbs

R is for Rhubarb: Yummy Fruits A-Z

Fudging a bit here, because technically rhubarb is a vegetable, but here in the U.S. most of us know it as a fruit. I always have. Have you? 

We have a New York court decision in 1947 to thank for the confusion. They ruled that since all of us were using rhubarb as a fruit anyway, the designation should be changed. (I'm guessing there was also some monetary motivation). So although rhubarb is technically a vegetable, for all tariff and regulation purposes it is "officially" a fruit.

Rhubarb is grown all over the world, often in hothouses, which has increased its availability. Hothouse rhubarb also tends to be sweeter and more tender. Other areas can grow rhubarb year round. The Chinese have been growing rhubarb for thousands of years. There it was commonly used for medical purposes. Medieval Europeans and Arabs also used rhubarb in this way.

The leaves are quite toxic. During World War II, British citizens were ill-advised they could eat these leaves, and there were reported fatalities. On the other hand, the stalks are rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber. But other vitamin and mineral content is small, since stalks average 95% water.  

I happen to like rhubarb, but with all the added sugar we need to enjoy this (very tart) fruit, it might make sense to use a sugar substitute like Stevia or Splenda to sweeten. Nevertheless, the health claims are impressive: anti-cancer properties; aiding indigestion; lowering blood pressure; diminishing hot flashes; lowering high cholesterol; and anti- oxidant, inflammatory, and allergy properties.

Rhubarb Recipes

"Rhubarb Custard Pie"

3 cups rhubarb, cut up
1 pie shell, unbaked


Custard: 
2 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

Meringue:

2 egg whites, beaten stiff

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Fill pie shell with cut rhubarb. Mix together all custard ingredients and pour over rhubarb. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until rhubarb is tender.

For meringue, add sugar and salt to stiff egg whites, Blend with beater. When custard is set, spread meringue around edge of pie and return to oven for 12 to 15 minutes to brown lightly.

• I also found this Icelandic recipe online for rhubarb jam. Have never had one for jam. (It works with other recipes, too).

"Rhubarb Jam"

rhubarb (6 oz.), cut into small pieces

granulated sugar (6 oz.)

In medium sauce pan, bring sugar and rhubarb to a boil over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until rhubarb falls apart and is pureed. Transfer to bowl and cool. 

Rhubarb Jokes:

Q: "What kind of socks do you need to plant rhubarb?"

A: "Garden hose!"

Q: "Have you heard the one about the rhubarb who robbed a shop?"

A: "He got taken into custardy!"

Rhubarb Books

--Rhubarb by M.H. Van Keuren
(2012) (Sci-Fi)

--The Joy of Rhubarb: The 
Versatile Summer Delight 
by Theresa Millang (nonfiction) (2004)

--Rhubarb by Craig Silvey (2004) (fiction)


--Rhubarb (1946) (fiction)
by A. Allen Smith and Leo Herschfield 

--Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat  
by Red Barber and Robert W. Creamer (nonfiction) (story of baseball radio voice Red Barber) (1997)

Rhubarb Movie

--Rhubarb the Millionaire Cat (1951)
(Comedy; A rich eccentric dies and leaves inheritance to a feral cat)

Rhubarb Song

"Rhubarb Pie" by John Fogerty (2007)

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb

http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/rheum_x_hybridum.htm

http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/nutritional