I had this great idea for making money from live plant last
Christmas. It was yet another one of my “get rich quick” schemes that somehow
has been taken away from me. It’s strange how I have these ideas and then the
next thing you know someone on Etsy has the identical stuff. Either the
universe has the ability to extract my ideas and give them to someone else so I
don’t have to bother doing it or maybe there’s no such thing as a new idea and
I saw it myself somewhere else. Or I talk too much.
Whatever the reasons
are I don’t mind because it frees me up to think about my next scheme.
What was the idea? I hear you ask. Well, I thought I could
attach an air plant to an old smoking pipe (There are a lot of them about not
being used now) and then stick this to an old vintage smoking tobacco tin. Hey
presto a work of art, right there on your mantelpiece. I have thought of a few
places to stick air plants but this one appealed to me more than a lump of
driftwood.
There were two main problems though. The first is that most
repurposed pipes really smell of stale tobacco, which doesn’t wash off.
Secondly most air plants eventually die off which would leave the aforementioned
smelly pipe sat on an old rusty tin on the mantle. Which isn’t exactly a work
of art. You can get new pipes for 2 euro these days but where’s the fun in
that?
Tiger Nuts
I was watching the UK version of Dragons’ Den last week and
saw a bloke making milk out of Tiger Nuts (cyperus esculentus), which brought
back a few memories of my childhood. We always
seemed to have a bowl of them in the house around Christmas and they made a
really enjoyable snack. I missed the boat on making these a get rich quick
scheme as I was a bit too busy polishing the lump of coal I got in Santa sack
to think about anything entrepreneurial.
These almost forgotten edible tubers have been cultivated
for thousands of years and are generally considered weeds in most countries. They
are also called water grass as they can be found growing next to rice and
peanut farms. They have a distinctive sweet/nutty flavour and can be made into
a milky drink or soaked in water before eating. They have a high oil content
too so can be processed as well. The tuber is rich in energy content (starch,
fat, sugar, and protein) and has a few minerals thrown in so it won’t be long
before someone markets them as a “Superfood” It makes good fishing bait too.
Nuts
Nuts are a great snack and table decoration at Christmas,
especially if you have a display of nuts that are still in their hard shells. Peanuts (which are legumes that grow
underground) are probably the most popular to have in a bowl at Christmas have
a soft dried pod you can break open with your fingers (called monkey nuts).
These give you something to occupy your hands instead of trying to smoke a pipe
filled with an air plant and are great for popping open and eating as you
witness a family member talking rubbish after too many cans of lager (other
drinks are available)
If you don’t have a nut allergy there are plenty more
varieties to choose from. Some of the hardest shells like walnuts have a
tendency to shatter into a thousand pieces when the nut crackers are applied.
Try turning that into a game for the family, pick up a piece and after popping
it in your mouth decide if its “Nut” or “Shell” The one with a tooth remaining
is the winner. Walnuts are high in omega3 which can turn them rancid which
increases the tension of the game.
Christmas Nuts
Here are a few more gentle nuts to chew on
Almonds
Almonds have more fibre, protein, and other nutrients than
any other nuts.
Brazil Nuts
Rich in selenium which helps digestion. Just the job for
Christmas
Cashews
These sprout from the bottom of a cashew apple, the fruit of
a tropical evergreen tree. Because their shells contain powerful, irritating
oil, they are always sold shelled.
Hazelnuts
Mostly grown in Turkey, hazelnuts pair well with chocolate
and coffee and are used in spreads.
Pecans
An especially high fat content helps give pecans their rich,
creamy, buttery taste.
Pine Nuts
Also called piñon or pignoli nuts, these small,
teardrop-shaped nuts are harvested from pine cones.
Pistachios
Originating from the Middle East, these nuts are high in
calcium. The green colour is the result of chlorophyll that develops as the
seeds grow.
All of the above go well with raisins.
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