Time For Tee

Cooking From Scratch to a Whole New Level

So far, all of the recipes or ideas I have presented about cooking from scratch haven’t been too radical. We have all known people who make jam, even if we don’t do it ourselves. We have been to restaurants that have a house dressing that they make from scratch. Condiments may have been a bit more unusual, but now I’m going to step it up a notch. Delve into the exotic—orchids!

Fortunes have been made and lost over these orchids. People have been conquered and subjugated for the sake of them. And yet, for the most part, they are so ubiquitous that we don’t give them a second thought. They are so main stream that we can’t imagine that there was a time that we cooked and baked without them. What on earth am I talking about? Vanilla.

Vanilla is native to Mexico, and for years, attempts to cultivate it anywhere else were a dismal failure. They require a specific insect to pollinate them that didn’t live anywhere else. It wasn’t until a young boy was playing with the flowers, which pop open, kind of like a snap dragon, that they realized they could pollinate them by hand. Although this was a labour intensive proposition, it also meant that vanilla could be grown anywhere with a tropical climate (translate—anywhere that the wealthy had control). Taking the uniqueness of vanilla production away from Mexico decimated their economy.

While I was growing up, anyone we knew who vacationed in Mexico would bring back large bottles of real vanilla extract for their friends and family. We all know how expensive it is to buy in Canada. The last few years this has sharply declined, now it’s hard to find vanilla from Mexico.

A few years ago, a dear client was travelling to Mexico for a holiday with her grandchildren. She asked me if I wanted her to bring anything back for me. I asked her if she could try to find some vanilla beans. When she returned, she said they were hard to find, but she managed to procure a package of three beans for me. At the time we had a full bottle, so I tucked them away.

Fast forward to last week. I was cleaning out cupboards and came across the packet. If you have never seen vanilla beans, they are long, thin, black and shriveled looking. When you slice them open lengthwise, the seeds are so tiny, it looks like black sand. If you have ever had the really good vanilla ice cream with black flecks in it, those are seeds. Whole, not ground up! Making homemade vanilla extract is the easiest thing in the world.

Step 1—slice open the pod lengthwise

Step 2—Put in a jar or bottle

Step 3—Cover with vodka

      

That’s it. The whole process. The catch is you have to be patient. It will take weeks or even months for the alcohol to extract all the flavor. Yes, you have to use alcohol. Plant oils have different properties. Some we can extract in water, like making tea. Some are oil soluble, which you see in a lot of plants used in skin care and salves. Some can only be dissolved in alcohol, like vanilla. Of course you can use the vanilla bean seeds directly in recipes, many gourmet pastry chefs do. However, that is prohibitively expensive. It is much more cost efficient to make an extract.

I can tell you that’s it’s worth it. The flavor and aroma is so amazing that you will have a hard time going back to artificial. On the bright side, once my bottle is finished steeping, it will probably last us more than a year.

 

Now that summer activities are getting into full swing (yes, that was a pun), I decided it’s time to focus on some particular pastimes and the issues that they can cause. Every sport and pastime uses a particular combination of muscles, often ones that we don’t use in our day to day lives. Although, with many golfers that I know, it is a daily activity! I’m going to focus on preventative maintenance here, as trying to cover every possible injury from a sport would take a book. Like with any sport, you should make sure your equipment is the correct size for you, the proper length of clubs depends on your height.

 Warming Up

At the beginning of the season, spend some time at the driving range and putting green. Shake off the winter stiffness without the pressure of a game or witnesses! Stop when you get fatigued and come back another day. Also go for some long walks, make sure your shoes are comfortable, get those joints lubricated up and expand your lungs!

I really enjoy golf, but I don’t get out very often, maybe once or twice a year. That make it hard to build up the specific muscles and improve technique. I learned early on that if I tried to play 18 holes in a row, by about the 14th, my muscles and concentration both got fatigued.  From that point on, I had a terrible game. So if we wanted to do both the front 9 and the back 9, we did one in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening. Remember, when you get tired, technique suffers, which leads to injury!

Let’s break golf down into it’s components; walking, bag carrying, stance, swinging and putting.

Walking

Walking is one of the very best forms of exercise, it’s great for the cardiovascular system, easy on the joints and keeps us limber. Important things to remember are hydration and good shoes. By hydration, I mean water, not the beer cart! This is no time for flip flops, loose sandals or worn out tread. The ground can be uneven or wet, creating a tripping or slipping hazard—not the kind of hazards we should be worrying about! If you do wear sandals, they should be the type that are secure on your foot. You should be able to kick your foot in the air, without your shoe coming off.

Carrying Golf Bags

Golf bags are heavy and a bit of an awkward size. If you don’t have a pull cart, choose a bag that has a kick stand, so it stands upright. Over the course of 18 holes, bending down and lifting that weight over and over is a pulled muscle waiting to happen. Some bags have a double backpack style strap, which distributes the weight evenly across your shoulders. If you have the single strap, putting it across your body also helps distribute the weight. If you must carry your bag on one shoulder, alternate them, so one doesn’t do all the work.

Anytime you are carrying weight on one side of your body, it would be better to hold it in your hand and bend your elbow a little. This way, your strong bicep is doing the work, not the tops of your shoulders. Rotator cuff injuries are common in golf.

Keep it Limber : Rotate your shoulders frequently and shrug them up, one at a time.

Stance

As with any sport, stance in golf is important. Stay loose and flexible, not stiff. Bend your knees, never lock them. If you are new to golf, or it’s been a while, it’s a good idea to take a lesson or two. Having a proper grip and stance will not only improve your game, it reduces the likelihood of injury from bad technique. Remember golfer’s elbow from April 27, 2020? Don’t hold your clubs in a death grip, that will lead to tension and cramping. Flex your finger and stretch your wrists and "fore!" arms frequently.

Swinging

This is where people are the most likely to get an injury. A golf swing twists your torso in a rapid motion, unlike anything else. It uses our Lats (latissimus dorsi), QLs (quadratus luborum), intercostals, errectors, obliques, and traps (trapezius). The mid back is a difficult area to stretch.

Remember stretches are slow and controlled. Keep breathing. Hold 20-30 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times (fore!).

Errector Stretch—With your knees slightly flexed, not locked, bend at the waist. It doesn’t matter if you can touch your toes. Hang loosely like a rag doll. Very slowly, one vertebrae at a time, pull yourself upright.

Obliques and Intercostals— For the side you are stretching, raise that arm over your head. Bend to the side, as far as you can comfortably. Hold 20-30 seconds.

 

Lay flat on your back with your knees bent up, feet flat on the floor. With slow and controlled movement, let both knees fall to one side, keeping your shoulders flat on the floor. Hold 20-30 seconds. Repeat with the other side. Alternately you can have one leg straight, and only the knee for the side you are stretching up. Let it fall over the straight leg. Hold 20-30 seconds.

Genie Stretch—If you ever saw “I Dream of Jeannie” you will know what I mean. Hold your arms in front of you with your hands touching your opposite elbow, palms down. Your arms should be parallel to the floor, elbows and shoulders should be at 90 degree angles.

Stand against a wall with your upper arm flat against it.

Turning with your feet, turn away from the wall, as far as is comfortable. Using your torso twisting muscles, press back into the wall, while you exhale. Your body shouldn’t actually move, this is a resisted stretch. Hold 5-10 seconds.

Putting

Generally, putting is not an overly strenuous action. What I’m going to focus on here is the repetitive nature of the stance. Head down, both hands in the center of the body. Over time, this leads to tight pectoral muscles and overstretched muscles in the back of the neck. This should be countered with pectoral stretches, like the doorway stretch and scalene stretches.

Pect Stretch

Two Handed

Stand in an open doorway and put both hands on the door frame at shoulder height.

Slowly step through the door with one foot, until you feel a stretch in your chest. Hold 20-30 seconds. Breathe!

Step back to center

Step through with the other foot. Hold 20-30 seconds. Breathe!

A common variation of this for golfers: hold your club across the back of you shoulders, with your arms stretched out and hands behind the club.

One Handed

Stand in a doorway or outside corner of a wall. Place your right hand on the wall at shoulder height, with your elbow bent.

Slowly turn your whole body to the left until you feel a stretch in your chest.  Don’t plant your feet, keep them in line with your legs. Hold 20-30 seconds. Breathe!

Turn back to center.

Repeat with your left side.

Scalene stretch

Sit in a chair and hang on to the seat with your right hand.

Slowly bend your head, moving your left ear toward the left shoulder. Hold 20-30 seconds. Breathe!

Bring your head slowly back to center.

The second time tip your head slightly forward as you bend your neck sideways. Your nose should be pointing at your left knee. Hold 20-30 seconds. Breathe!

Bring your head slowly back to center.

The third time, tip your head slightly back as you bend your neck sideways. Your nose should be pointing at the top of the wall, not the ceiling. Hold 20-30 seconds. Breathe!

Bring your head slowly back to center.

How many golf puns did you see??