So, as Bert and Ernie try anything new in under 2 minutes (well ernie does, bert makes sure ernie doesn't keel over before he tries it :hap: ) I want to try and create some quick ways of serving food to them and maybe even get the budgies to try something other than corn!!! They have tried and eatern frozen/fresh vegies (corn, carrot and peas), banana, potato, zukini and hard boiled egg. I want to try them on pasta, brown rice, and lentils etc...My question is can I cook up some rice, pasta and lentils and freeze them in ice cube trays, so that when I want to serve them up, I just need to add them to the frozen and/or fresh vegies??? I know if I want to do egg, it will have to be prepared fresh... damn! I'm so lazy (Laughing out loud). What pasta should I buy? Is there a brown version (like rice) :hap: Um... that's all I can think of at the moment... any foodie advice is welcome!

Sounds good. Yes you can freeze pasta and it comes in all kinds...veggie flavours and wholemeal etc :hap:

my birds also eat wheat and mung beans soaked and softened in water overnight.

Edited December 29, 200717 yr by KAZ

It's a good idea, definitely worth a shot I think :hap: .

Though, at the rate my guys seem to eat I may just keep it in the fridge rather than the freezer :(Laughing out loud): .

Thanks guys! I'll do some pasta and lentils tomorrow. Can You freeze rice? Not sure about that one???

Thanks guys! I'll do some pasta and lentils tomorrow. Can You freeze rice? Not sure about that one???

Yes :hap:

Tah :hap:

I make sure i ALWAYS have some rice and veggie cubes in the freezer. :hap: My guys LOVE them. At the moment i cook up brown rice, fresh broccoli, carrot and peas with lots and lots of dried chilli mixed in (birds don't taste the heat in chilli like we do), they all dig in right away when i put a plate out. :hap:

I make sure i ALWAYS have some rice and veggie cubes in the freezer. My guys LOVE them. At the moment i cook up brown rice, fresh broccoli, carrot and peas with lots and lots of dried chilli mixed in (birds don't taste the heat in chilli like we do), they all dig in right away when i put a plate out.

I have always wondered about the chilli thing with birds if they dont taste it, why give it to them ? Is it about the vitamin content ? I would rather give capsicum for its vitamin content I think.

My guys won't touch capsicum, but they go absolutely nuts for anything with chilli, i think they must like the taste.

My guys won't touch capsicum, but they go absolutely nuts for anything with chilli, i think they must like the taste.

Mine like red capsicum but not green...could be the colour or the sweetness

 

CHILLIES AND BIRDS

Chillies: The Burning Question

 

Scientists in the United States have discovered the reason why chillies are so hot. They say that the chilli plant repels animals, which will not spread the seeds, whilst birds, which ensure effective dispersal, are not put off.But if birds eat chillies and mammals don’t - why do we like them? Science In Action investigates.

 

Plant Manipulation

 

Many plants have ripe, fleshy, coloured fruit in order to attract animals that will eat them and then disperse their seeds in droppings. However, the chilli plant has developed another way of ensuring its seeds are spread far and wide.What raises the roof of your mouth when you eat a chilli is a substance called capsaicin. This stimulates the areas of the skin and tongue that normally sense intense heat and pain, falsely telling the brain that the area affected is burning.New research carried out by scientists in Arizona, has discovered that this characteristic peppery taste repels certain animals – which are no good at dispersing the seeds.

 

Digestion And Dispersal

 

To find out what happens in the wild the scientists observed the eating habits of the local animals living around a group of wild-growing chillies in Arizona. They found that desert mice and rats avoided spicy chillies, but birds fed almost exclusively on the plants.The researchers also noted that when birds ate the chillies, many seeds germinated, but there was no germination after mice had eaten the chilli seeds.This is thought to be because seeds pass through a birds’ digestive systems very quickly and come out unharmed, whereas in mice, rats and other mammals, the seeds don’t make it out in one piece as they are broken down by the acidic juices during digestion.The researchers suggest that chilli plants have evolved to produce capsaicin as a repellent for animals, which will ensure their future survival, whilst still allowing birds to eat their seeds.

 

Human Taste

 

Skilful play by the chilli, but if birds eat chillies and mammals don’t - why do humans like the hot stuff?

According to Paul Sherman from Cornell University in New York, people may have initially eaten spices because they tasted good, but they also recognised their health giving properties. He explains:

 

‘There is tremendous evidence that spices are anti-microbial. Of 30 commonly used spices, at least half of them kill or inhibit 75% of the bacteria they have been tested on.’‘

 

Certain ones, garlic, onion, allspice and oregano kill or inhibit everything that they have been tested on in the laboratory.’Sherman reached his conclusion after he had studied a range of recipes from different parts of the world.In particular he wanted to see whether different amount of chillies and other spices are used in meat as opposed to vegetable dishes. The idea being that if humans use spices to inhibit or kill food born pathogens, more would be needed to perform the same job in a meat product than a vegetable product.Sherman details his findings:‘We went back to all our cook books and looked at the 2,900 vegetable recipes and found that in 36 out of 36 countries worldwide, spices are used less frequently in vegetable recipes. This was across the board in every single country.’Luckily for those of us with delicate palates, the decision to add a pinch or spoonful of chilli powder to our dishes is also determined by another product of evolution - free will.

Edited December 30, 200717 yr by KAZ