vendredi 26 août 2005

Oranges and Lemons Collect Art Tissues... Banish Ah-Tish-Ooos The above examples of orange, lemon, tangerine, clementine, apple and pear fruit tissues are from a collection, now numbering over 200 different examples, I started for my young daughters over 30 years ago. At the time they didn't need any encouragement to eat fruit every day (preferring it to sweets) so when and wherever we went shopping they collected the attractive and decorative wrappers from various market-stalls and greengrocers shops. I would either gently iron them flat or press them between the pages of large, heavy books. The odd example is probably still hidden between the pages of books unread for many years... Deuteronomy and Don Quixote come to mind. The first citrus fruit wrappers are believed to date from the 11th and 12th centuries - and in London's Victoria & Albert Museum there are some hand-painted tissues from the Middle East dating from the 15th century. By the mid-1970s, when I started collecting wrappers, most had given way to pre-shaped trays holding wax-sprayed fruit in packing cases. Few collections had been formed in those days but I remember reading about Sothebys in London having a notable collection for auction in 1977. There are a few collectors world-wide who have amassed more than a thousand different examples - but others have a presence on the web, including Roger Harris with both Fruit Wrappers and Fruit Labels and some examples from the 1930s here collected by his grandfather whilst on holiday in Spain. I still find a few new designs coming from countries bordering the Mediterranean on the local market-stalls here in central France, but long gone are those wonderful wrappers from English apple and pear orchards... not just because of different preservation and presentation methods, but because a majority of the old orchards have been grubbed up for the ever increasing demands for new housing. Journalist and broadcaster George Monbiot in a revealing article, "Fallen Fruit - An insane European ruling will be the final straw for the English apple" published in The Guardian in 2004 said, "...last winter, when I wanted to buy some fruit trees. I had a copy of the "Fruit and Vegetable Finder" published in 1995. It listed J.C. Allgrove's as the last of the great nurseries of the Thames Valley. In the 1940s it kept 1,000 varieties of apple tree, and in 1995 it still sold 250. I rang the number in the book and a woman answered, "I'm sorry dear, we've closed." It is worth "bookmarking" Monbiot.com for his challenging coverage of both home and international politics as well as other important current concerns. As my daughters did, I also eat plenty of fruit daily - two or three oranges, a banana and a small bunch of grapes (sometimes our own) being normal during the summer months... as well as lots of other seasonal local fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, cherries, mirabelles, apricots, apples, pears, peaches and plums. I know I feel great partly due to the accompanying benefits to my health and well-being of Vitamin C... and also due to my cutting coffee and alcohol more or less completely from my regime :~( Vitamin C on the High Seas Vitamin C was the subject of the first ever clinically controlled experiment in recorded medical history. In the 1750s a British doctor gave lime fruits to a group of sailors, and their overall health was monitored against another crew on similar rations... but without the Vitamin C rich fruit. Sea voyages lasted a long time in those days so there was ample time for the experiment to produce results. The sailors who had no limes added to their rations returned home showing all the signs of scurvy - bleeding gums, festering wounds, rough skin and wasting muscles. The sailors with the Vitamin C rich limes in their rations showed no signs of these health-sapping problems. Consequently limes were added to the rations of all British sailors who became known as "Limeys." It's surprising today that with so much fresh fruit available everywhere the problem of Vitamin C deficiency still exists, but it does, especially in around 90% of the elderly population and in all age groups of heavy drinkers... so be warned! Nobel Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling (the only double winner) was instrumental in promoting Vitamin C consumption in the fight against conditions from the common cold to cancer, and up to half of all adults in the Western world take it as a supplement. However, whilst that is a laudable (some say laughable) effort on our part it is so much easier, enjoyable and energising to take it at it's source... by eating citrus fruits, whole or juiced, every day. Without doubt citrus fruit is a major key to health, vitality and appearance... it is both plentiful and a pleasure to prepare so should be on everyone[base ']'s plate. And don't think there are only oranges and lemons for you to chew on - there are probably more health-giving citrus fruits than most people have heard of, as you can find out by visiting The Fruit Pages, a cool non-profit site that your children should especially enjoy for their education as well as their health. Another great site cforyourself.com is the Internet's leading website about the nutritional benefits of vitamin C for optimum health. Whether you eat whole, peel and chop, juice and drink neat or blend as a smoothy, citrus fruits will give you the wow factor with your partner. You may screw your eyes up occasionally when a sharp one touches your taste buds... you may dribble the sweet juices from your mouth as you gorge on a huge slice of melon... but you'll certainly have a sharper image in the long run with your brighter looks, smoother skin and fresher breath by indulging yourself on Citrus with a capital C. 11:05:03 PM    comment []