The Potato Chips or Potato Crisp: No Matter Still Delicious!

The credit for America’s greatest inventions is often a matter of controversy. The telephone: Alexander Graham Bell or Elisha Gray? The radio: Guglielmo Marconi or Nicola Tesla? The airplane: Gustave Whitehead or the Wright Brothers?

Add to that illustrious list: the potato chip.

The most common origin story for the potato chip involves Moon’s Lake House, a popular restaurant in the resort town of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. But even there, at least five different men and women have been credited as its creator. What’s more, food historians suggest the chip probably wasn’t invented in Saratoga—and possibly not in the U.S. at all.

The Saratoga Story

The most popular potato chip legend goes like this: One day in 1853, the shipping and railroad baron Cornelius Vanderbilt was dining at Moon’s Lake House. Disappointed by the fried potatoes he’d been served, he sent them back to the kitchen, asking for more thinly sliced ones. George Crum, a famed chef of Native American and Black heritage, took umbrage at the request and, in an “I’ll show him!” mood, sliced some potatoes as thin as he could, fried them to a crisp and served them to Vanderbilt. To Crum’s surprise, Vanderbilt loved them, and the potato chip was born.

Unfortunately, there are several problems with the Crum story. For one, if there was a disgruntled diner, it almost certainly wasn’t Vanderbilt. “There is no truth to the tale,” historian T.J. Stiles concluded in his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt.

For another, Crum’s supposed role in inventing the potato chip seems to have gone largely unrecognized in his lifetime, even though he was widely known across the U.S. and celebrated for his brook trout, lake bass, woodcock and partridge, among other dishes—making him perhaps the first celebrity chef in America. In 1889, a writer in the New York Herald called him “the best cook in the country,” with nary a word about potatoes. Most of his obituaries, in 1914, don’t mention the potato chip at all, and those that do simply say that he was “said to have” invented it.

This version of events eventually became so well-established that, in 1976, American Heritage magazine would dub Crum, also known as George Speck, the “Edison of Grease.”

Three years later, an obituary for Catherine Adkins Wicks, age 103, maintained that she, in fact, “was said to be the originator of the potato chip.” Wicks, who was Crum’s sister, worked alongside him in the kitchen and was familiarly known as Aunt Kate or Aunt Katie. In one variation of the disgruntled diner story, it is she, not Crum, who carved potatoes paper-thin in a moment of pique. In another telling, she accidentally dropped a thin slice into a boiling pot of fat while peeling potatoes retrieved it with a fork, and had her eureka moment.

Another Version: 

Still another notable to receive credit in her obituaries was Emeline Jones. Renowned as a cook to the rich, famous and powerful in New York City and Washington, D.C., Jones, who was also Black, had worked briefly at Moon’s Lake House under Hiram S. Thomas earlier in her career. So, while it’s possible she learned to make potato chips there, she seems unlikely to have been present at the creation.

A more recent theory, apparently first advanced by Stiles, is that the Lake House’s potato chips actually precede even Crum and Wicks. Another New York Herald article, this one from 1849, notes the “fame of ‘Eliza, the cook,’ for crisping potatoes,” adding that “scores of people visit the lake and carry away specimens of the vegetable, as prepared by her, as curiosities.” Regrettably, Eliza’s last name and anything else about her seems lost to history.

Whether or not anybody at Saratoga Springs actually invented potato chips, the town certainly did a lot to popularize them. For years, they were known as Saratoga chips, and they are still sold under that name today.

At first, Saratoga chips were a gourmet delicacy served at fine hotels and restaurants. Diners at the Cadillac Hotel in Detroit could enjoy them with chicken salad in aspic. Passengers aboard the luxury liner R.M.S. Berengaria nibbled theirs alongside roast pheasant. Wealthy families whose cooks had mastered the art of chip-making could buy a sterling silver Saratoga chip server at Tiffany for dishing them out with elegance.

Usually handmade and often served in wax paper bags, freshly fried snack chips tended to have a short shelf life, making them a hyperlocal, highly fragmented business proposition. It wasn’t until the 1930s that two companies, Lay’s and Fritos—the latter of which made their chips from corn, not potato—began their rise to becoming national brands mass-producing and distributing the popular snack foods. In time, chips became a universal treat, with potato chips alone becoming a $10 billion industry in the U.S.

Was a British Doctor the Real Inventor?

But if potato chips weren’t born in Saratoga, where did they come from? Food historians suggest they go back to at least 1817 when an English doctor named William Kitchiner came out with the first edition of his pioneering cookbook, The Cook’s Oracle, published in both British and American editions. One recipe, “potatoes fried in slices,” sounds remarkably like today’s potato chip. Later revisions referred to the dish as “potatoes fried in slices or shavings.”

While Kitchiner may have been the first to publish a potato chip recipe, that doesn’t mean he invented it. In fact, given the ubiquity of the potato—long a staple throughout the world—it seems likely that the potato chip has been invented and reinvented by countless cooks, possibly for centuries.

For serious snackers, the question of who actually invented the chip may be beside the point, anyway. The important thing is that somebody did and seasoned them with lots of salt in hopes to make them inedible to the customer. Yet to Crum’s surprise, the customer loved the dish. The owner of the restaurant started selling the potatoes soon after in paper cones and later in boxes.

The Accidental Inventor of the Potato Chip:

Another story includes George’s sister, Catherine “Aunt Kate” Weeks. The story goes that Aunt Kate accidentally invented the potato chip when she was cutting potatoes when one of the shavings fell into the fryer. After she fished it out of the oil, Crum saw the potato sitting on the counter and took a bite. He liked it so much that he insisted that they sell them. The incident was even mentioned in her obituary.

Fried Potato Shavings:

But wait there’s more! Even though George Crum has been named the inventor of the potato chip, there were recipes for fried potato shavings in British cookbooks years before Crum was born. However, these potatoes were a quarter of an inch thick.

More Potato Chip Fun Facts:

Potato Chips were never patented.

Wax paper bags revolutionized the chip industry.

Joe “Spud” Murphy developed the technology to add seasonings during manufacturing.

In 1958, Barbecue flavored chips became the first flavored chips in the United States. The next flavor to be sold was sour cream and onion.

The invention of the mechanical potato peeler in the 1920s helped the potato chip industry take off.

Lay’s potato chips were the first national potato chip brand.

The Frito-Lay plant in Georgia cooks about 1 million pounds of potatoes a day to make an average of 175,000 boxes of chips.

During World War II, potato chip production was halted because they were declared a “nonessential food.”

So as the old advertising saying goes….”I bet you can’t just eat One?”     And by the way please pass the dip! 

When You Wish Upon A Star: Wishes Do Come True!

People have been conditioned to make a wish. People make wishes on New Year’s Eve, on Christmas Day, and when blowing the candle on their birthday cake. Most people could not resist making a wish before throwing a penny into a fountain. There are many practices of making a wish, including making a wish upon a star.

But where did this practice come from? No one knows for sure, but the tradition lingers to this very day, even when majority of the people are wired and surrounded by all sorts of modern gadgets and most things are done electronically.

Wishing on shooting stars may have originated from Ptolemy, who said that the stars were a sign that the Gods were listening to our wishes. The tradition of making a wish by blowing out the candles on a birthday cake originates with the ancient Greeks.

How to make a wish upon a star

Is there a science on making a wish? Nope, there isn’t. What’s important is that you think of the things you wish for. Close your eyes and think of the things that you fervently want, a thing that you could not live without or something that is almost impossible for you to acquire. Pick one or the two most important items from your mental list. Open you eyes and look up at the sky and find the brightest star, because finding a shooting star is not that easy. Close your eyes again and make your wish. Depending on where you are located, you might be making your wish on Venus, Polaris (Northern Star), the Southern Cross, or Sirius.

Traditional belief

It could be that the tradition of making a wish upon a (shooting) star came about because these are beautiful and very rare. Since stars in the ancient times have been associated with divine powers. You’d probably encountered the phrase, looking or reading the stars, an evidence of man’s fascination with the heavens and its relation to angels, faith and prayers.

The truth is shooting stars are not stars but meteors and it’s the glowing trail of a meteoroid or a piece of space debris that burns as soon as it enters the earth’s atmosphere. And it is this phenomenon that makes the shooting star very attractive, ideal and considered as a lucky item for making a wish. And maybe it is also because of the fact that it is actually a challenge to make a wish on a shooting star since it appears for just a fleeting moment. You’ll be startled when you actually see one and before you could think of your wish, it’s gone.

Astronomy

It is believed that the act of wishing on a shooting star started during the time of Greek astronomer Ptolemy, around 127 AD to 151 AD. He wrote that sometimes the gods also got bored and curious and would occasionally peer down on earth. And in so doing, some stars slipped through the gap between the spheres and became visible as falling or shooting stars. He further added that the gods were more receptive to wishes made during times like those.

Whether it is true or just a myth, maybe tonight you would look up at the sky and say, Star light, star bright, the first star as see tonight, I wish I may or simply enjoy the beauty of the twinkling stars above, if you are lucky.

Part of pop culture ever since a cartoon cricket sang about it in Pinocchio (1940), wishing upon a star is a familiar habit for those seeking a little celestial intervention. But like so many superstitions, its historical origins are hazy. Astronomers will be irked right off the bat: the tradition relates to wishing on “falling stars,” which of course are not starts at all, but meteors going out in a blaze of glory as they enter earth’s atmosphere. In the 2nd century AD, Greek astronomer Ptolemy presented the dubious theory that shooting stars flew through the gap between cosmic spheres when the gods pried them apart to peek down at the activities of mortals on earth. In later Christian tradition, they were thought to represent rising or falling souls or angels. In any case, wishing on them amounted to trying to tap into the mystical to improve your fortunes through a fleeting, fantastic phenomenon. The tradition has been strengthened in the modern era, when urban light pollution made shooting star sightings more difficult and wish opportunities more precious. But if you consider that the granddaddies of those cute shooting stars have—and still can—spell doomsday for planets in their path, you might consider wishing that they pass by harmlessly. The dinosaurs probably never saw it coming…………

Some traditions perceive shooting stars as both good and bad. The Greeks believed the stars were rising or falling human souls, and Jews and Christians believed in falling angels or devils. On the other side of the world, different Indigenous Australian groups perceived meteors as either good — associated with benevolent spirits — or bad — bringing evil magic and war. When Halley ’s Comet appeared in the sky in 1066, it was a good omen for the Normans but bad for the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. And Ptolemy wrote that shooting stars were evidence of the gods peering down to earth and lights falling through the cracks, but it is uncertain whether being spied on by the gods is a good or a bad thing.

These days, witnessing a shooting star is considered lucky and an opportunity to wish for your heart’s desire.

Other Wishing which can be done

Dandelions, wishbones, shooting stars, and candles are just a few ways people make wishes. Many people make wishes on them, because that’s what they were told to do, but how did these superstitions start?

Shooting stars

When someone sees a shooting star they may point and yell, “Look! A shooting star!,” close their eyes, and make a wish on it. According to Wish Upon a Star Travel Blog . The Europeans believed the gods would occasionally peer down, and when they moved the sky, a star would escape and fall down. The Greeks, however, believed that the stars represented falling human souls, and it was lucky to make a wish on them.

Candles

Candles have always been a tradition when it comes to birthdays and other special occasions, but there is a reason for them. eHow Food said Greeks baked cakes for Artemis, the god of the moon, where a cake represents a moon (when round) and a candle represents the light of life. The Europeans and especially the Germans were skilled candle makers and put a big candle in the middle of a cake and burned it all day long to ward off evil spirits. When the candle is blown out and a wish is made, the smoke is said to take the wish up to heaven.

Dandelions

Making wishes on dandelions dates back to Celts and the French. Dandelion comes from a French word meaning “lion’s tooth” according to My Flower. Dandelions used to be used for medical purposes to treat infections and diseases. Because they thought this was a magical herb, people began making wishes on them when the dandelions become gray and white. They are also considered lucky if a bride carries them in her bouquet.

Wishing fountains

The Wishing Fountain states that the tradition all started with the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy. In 19 B.C., the Roman soldiers were searching for some water source, and legend has it they ended up at the Trevi Fountain, which was not as glorious as it is now. They used that as their water source for 400 years and drinking from the fountain was supposed to give people good fortune. Now, the tradition is said that throwing a coin in the fountain will cause the same thing. This tradition spread to thousands of fountains around the world and is continued today.

Wishbones

Wishbones are usually a Thanksgiving or Christmas tradition where two people pull on each end of the wishbone of a turkey, and the one who gets the bigger half supposedly makes a wish that comes true. The Encyclopedia of Superstition said the origin is not completely known, but it has something to do with the importance of poultry. These animals were thought to have magical powers because roosters crowed when the sun rose, and hens clucked when they had layed eggs. Their magic supposedly spread through their bones. The wishbone or proper name fercula was chosen because it is the symbol of fertility. Wishbones continue to be a tradition even today.

There are more ways of making wishes like 11:11 and eyelashes. Wishes are things people due from the age of five to the age of 100 and continue throughout generations.

Back to the stars

Although there are two schools of thought, the popular nursery rhyme suggests the ‘first star I see tonight’ is the lucky one rather than a falling star. If you do see a star, there are ways to ensure your wish is a sure thing: in Chile you pick up a stone at the same time, or in the Philippines tie a knot in your hanky.

The practice of wishing on a star is now ensconced in an iconic song. ‘When you wish upon a Star’ was first written for the Disney cartoon Pinocchio in 1940, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song, before becoming the theme tune for the Disney Corporation, and now a regular Christmas song in Scandinavia and Japan.

“When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you”

There is no clear explanation why the fear and bad omens of shooting stars has disappeared from our culture, perhaps this is due to our increased scientific understanding of our night sky, and now we celebrate rather than fear any falling space debris.

Shooting stars began as both a good and bad signal in the sky and it is unclear why we now only focus on the positive. But now this belief is so heavily ingrained into popular culture, it appears wishing on a star is a happy and hopeful superstition which is here to stay.

“Star light, star bright,”

BY ANONYMOUS

Star light, star bright,

First star I see tonight,

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have this wish I wish tonight.

“When You Wish Upon a Star”

Disney…..sung by Jimmy Cricket 

When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream

No request is too extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do

Fate is kind

She brings to those who love

The sweet fulfillment of

Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue

Fate steps in and sees you through

When you wish upon a star

Your dreams come true!

Come and See Us Multiply: The Iris

Let me star by say that Iris flowers were one of my Mother’s favorite flowers.  She had a whole array of these flowers in the yard when I was growing up.  My Aunt Dap who lived next door did too, I think secretly they were having a contest who could have the most colors and flowers. 

Iris flowers are a popular perennial plant with showy blooms in a range of colors, including blue, purple, white, yellow, and orange. These flowers have six petals, three of which form the upright «standards» while the other three hang down and are known as the «falls». Irises prefer well-drained soil and full sun, although some varieties can tolerate partial shade. They can be propagated through dividing the rhizomes in the fall, and they typically bloom in the late spring or early summer. The iris has a rich symbolic history, and it is often associated with royalty and the Greek goddess Iris, who was the messenger of the gods – Of course the idols of the Greeks is complete nonsense.

The iris is known for its beauty and unique blooms, which are unlike any other flower. As with many flowers, the iris has a number of meanings, and they are often given as gifts. We have created this article to teach you about the beautiful iris.

There are more than 200 different varieties of iris, and they come in an array of colors. In fact, the name, ‘iris,’ comes from the Greek word that means ‘rainbow.’ These flowers are found almost everywhere in the world, both naturally and on flower farms. You can also, of course, find them in gardens across the globe. The irises found in gardens are generally white, yellow, or blue, which is the most popular type. 

Where does the iris come from? Its history is interesting, and we can trace it back to the times of the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks had a goddess, Iris, who was seen as the messenger of the gods. She was also the personification of the rainbow, and the people believed that she was the link between earth and heaven. Because of this, the Greeks placed purple irises on the graves of women who had died in order to summon Iris, the goddess, to help the dead reach heaven.

The Greeks were not the only ones who loved the iris flower, though. We know that the Ancient Egyptians also liked irises, thanks to the exotic look. There have been a number of paintings of irises found in Egyptian buildings. 

You might understand that the iris is also associated with France, specifically with the French monarchy. This pairing occurred during the Middle Ages. The famed Fleur-de-lis eventually became the national symbol of France. 

Historically, the iris has been used to create aromatic perfume. It has also been historically used by herbalists as a natural remedy for conditions such as coughs and lung conditions. Today, the iris is often seen in home gardens, bouquets, and of course, can be found naturally in the wild.

Since the iris has so many meanings, it makes this flower a wonderful choice for any occasion. You can use irises for sympathy or get well soon arrangements and corporate events and birthdays. They are also perfect for those ‘just because’ moments to brighten someone’s day. 

Today, the state of Tennessee is proud to have the iris as its state flower. Additionally, the city of New Orleans, Louisiana boasts the Fleur-de-lis as the emblem of the city.

As you can see, the iris has an exceptional history, and there are also specific meanings associated with the flower. These include hope, wisdom, and faith. When we consider other factors, such as region and color, the iris might have other meanings. For example, in some places, the purple or dark purple iris is symbolic of royalty. A yellow iris can mean courage, passion, and admiration.

The Meanings of Irises

Just like your favorite shoes, irises come in many colors, each just as beautiful as the next. The ancient Greeks saw the rainbow as the robes of the goddess Iris, with some believing the multi-colored flowers were part of her robe. Others saw it as the veil from her dress. 

The rainbow flower is widely considered the symbol of communication and messages, due to the goddess, Iris, being the Greek goddess for the Messenger of Love.

The traditional purple iris represents wisdom, courage, respect, and admiration. Not surprisingly, then, it has also come to symbolize royalty, a common association with the color purple. 

The beautiful blue iris symbolizes faith, hope, trust and pixie dust. Oh no, wait… that last one is something else. But who would argue that its dazzling magic fits here?

Is it passion you’re looking for? Look no further than a yellow iris. Delicate and tall, the yellow iris could make anyone catch all the feels at a glance.

As with many white flowers, the white iris symbolizes purity and innocence. It is often found in mixed bridal bouquets, due to their smaller size and striking appearance. Small in size, yes, but never to be underestimated in terms of its effect. 

So knowing the meanings of the individual colors also helps when putting a bouquet together. With this knowledge, you can mix and match meanings into a cohesive whole, combining purity with respect, hope, and passion, or whatever other heady combination speaks best for you — or perhaps your union with a partner.

Let’s face it, you have many moods and meanings — so express yourself!

February Birth Flower

Iris are synonymous with affection and devotion making them the perfect alternative to roses for Valentine’s or a stunning February birthday gift.

Ancient Egyptian kings were enthralled by the iris and its exotic appeal. Drawings of the flower have been found in many Egyptian palaces, helping make its celebrated connection to royalty extremely powerful. A flower on the Sphinx is thought by many to be an iris; while another appears on a bas-relief from the 18th Egyptian dynasty. 

The iris is the birth-month flower for February, appropriately matching the beautiful purple amethyst stone also associated with the month.

Irises have been used for various purposes throughout history: French peasants planted irises on the edges of their thatched roofs to prevent erosion; irises were prescribed by Apothecaries as a remedy to digestive problems; and the root was blended into cough syrups and antitussive teas. Ancient cultures utilized iris oils in their perfumes, furthering the stature of this regal plant.

Examples of iris based perfumes today include: Iris Nobile Acqua di Parma; Iris Ganache Guerlain; and Iris Silver Mist Serge Lutens. Possibly next only to the rose, the iris flower is a favorite subject of great art, appearing in masterpieces by painters such as: Leonardo da Vinci, Cezanne, Renoir, Claude Monet, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.

4 Fun Facts About Irises That Will Make You Love Them Even More

Beard or no beard, there’s a lot to love about irises. But even the most dedicated iris-lovers might not know all the fascinating facts about this bulb.

Who would have thought that a flower with a beard could be considered a beautiful addition to the garden? You won’t find a flower with more variety and color than irises. Irises are often considered spring bulbs, but some of the thousands of iris varieties bloom in summer and fall, too.

One distinctive feature of irises is their lance-shaped, spiky foliage—the blooms are often confused with lilies, but the foliage is a tell-tale sign of which plant you’re looking at. Irises are perennials that easily self-multiply and can be divided, meaning you can plant more irises in your garden for free each year.

1. Irises Have Been Important Flowers Since the Ancient Greeks

A lot of the iris’s long history traces back to the Greeks. Its name comes from the Greek word for rainbow and messenger. It’s believed that these flowers were named because their blooms come in so many colors of the rainbow. In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris delivered messages to the gods, traveling on rainbows to get from heaven to earth and back. Ancient Greeks would plant irises on the graves of their loved ones in hopes that the goddess Iris would help connect their souls to heaven.

The earliest art that depicts an iris is a fresco in King Minos’ palace on the Greek island of Crete. That palace dates back to 2100 BC.

2. Irises Can Be Bearded Or Beardless

The colorful blooms can be bearded or unbearded and come in solid colors or patterns with dramatic veining. All irises have upright petals and fall petals that hang down below. You can tell a bearded iris from a beardless iris by looking at the center of the fall petals—bearded irises have a fuzzy patch, which is why they are called ‘bearded.’ Beardless irises may have a patch of color in the same place on the fall petals, but with no fuzzy texture.

3. Parts of the Iris Have Been Used Medicinally

Irises have more of a purpose than just something pretty to look at. Historically, parts of iris plants have been used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Besides being a common fragrance added to perfumes, the juice from fresh iris roots was used to remove freckles. The root was blended to create cough syrups and topical treatments for skin conditions like eczema and acne. The seeds were prescribed for digestive problems. With the rise of aromatherapy, the oil from irises is said to help with congestion and boosting mood.

4. Each Color of Iris Means Something Different

The iris species symbolizes eloquence, which stems from the goddess Iris being a messenger. But within the species, each color also carries its own meaning—keep this symbolism in mind the next time you send someone irises. For example, purple irises represent admiration and wisdom, while blue is a symbol of faith and hope. Yellow irises are said to symbolize passion, and white represents purity.

This bulb has been a part of so many cultures and histories and continues to be a favorite in the garden today. With so many varieties in hundreds of color combinations, you could have a garden full of irises that would be anything but boring. Do your research and find the perfect iris to complete your flower bed.

Are you ready to start growing Iris now? I grow them and just love them like my Mother and Aunt Dap! 

Just Because It Says American Cheese: It Isn’t So 

I for one love American cheese whether it is Yellow or White, I LOVE IT! I think it is the best cheese ever for grill cheese.  Nothing like plain old white bread both sides covered in butter with 3 slices of American cheese on it and fried on a pan. Ritz crackers with American cheese,  fast food hamburger……what else American cheese. Golden Goodness I say! 

Any way you slice it, American cheese has been having a hard time as of late. The melty, gooey squares wrapped perfectly in oily plastic sleeves — the highlight of childhood grilled cheese sandwiches and backyard cookouts — have been declining in sales for four years and counting, another supposed victim of millennial tastes.

But before American cheese was hated, it was respected and well-loved. The processed cheese that has become known as American cheese was first developed in Switzerland, not America, back in 1911. Cheese alchemists Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler heated up emmental — a hard, Swiss cheese — with sodium citrate in an attempt to create a cheese with a longer-standing shelf life. Not only did the addition of the sodium citrate achieve their goals, it also made for a smoother, velvet-like cheese.  

Stateside, Canadian-born James Lewis Kraft was experimenting with a similar process: heating and then cooling cheeses to form what was called a “warm cheese.” The “warm cheese” was easier to slice and made for convenient distribution. As Kraft’s business — which purchased cheeses wholesale and sold them locally (using a horse named Paddy and a rented cart) — grew, so did the desire to carry longer-lasting cheeses that could be shipped. Emulsifying salts were later added, which give American cheese its coveted melt as well as helped maintain its freshness. Additionally, a process to cool, slice, and package the singles was patented by Norman Kraft in 1944.

“American cheese has been part of American history for over 100 years, since J.L. Kraft patented it in 1916,” Anne Field, Kraft’s senior director of brand building, says. “He was looking for ways to bring safe, fresh, and convenient cheese to millions of Americans at a time when that wasn’t the norm for most people. That benefit allowed American troops to enjoy sustenance and the taste of home during WWI and WWII.”

American cheese served all the purposes it was intended for: It was convenient, lasted a long time, and tasted enough like cheese for Americans to overlook its processed nature. As Field confirmed, it was shipped overseas for the troops and made its way to bologna and cheese sandwiches all across America. In fact, the fact that it came prepackaged in a society that was wholly benefitting from an industrialized America was a positive; it was seen as a luxury to be able to purchase the “De Luxe” Kraft slices, which were touted as “perfect” — in shape, flavor, and convenience — in 1950s Kraft advertisements.

Over time though, American cheese culture expanded. Once viewed as elitist and inaccessible, cheeses that were considered fancy have now become more attainable and approachable. Blue cheese is celebrated on burgers, goat cheese is folded into mashed potatoes, and brie, gouda, and gorgonzola all commonly find their way onto decorated cheese plates.

Not only that, but Americans have grown to avoid processed foods and opt for whole, real ingredients that are easier to understand and trace. In a more health-conscious society, consumers want to know where their food is coming from — and how their bodies will process it. The heyday of neon orange-powdered instant mac has been replaced with a white cheddar option (complete with organic pasta). There are talented cheesemakers all across America delivering interesting, new cheeses that are flavorful and transparent in their production. Instead of optioning for the once-desired American cheese, everyone now seems to have a negative opinion on the flimsy, bright orange squares.

Well, not everyone. Many fast food chains — purveyors of classic American cheese — continue to stand by the cheese. Shake Shack sources its American cheese from Wisconsin. The beloved West coast chain, In-N-Out, also includes American cheese in its ingredients. Five Guys goes with the classic, layering their cheeseburgers with Kraft’s slices.

“The Murrell Family tested a variety of cheeses before landing on American cheese. Ultimately, they felt American cheese tasted best on Five Guys’ hamburgers,” Lauren Lewis, the director of marketing at Five Guys, explained. “We ended up selecting Kraft because it is a well-known, reputable brand with a global reach.” That being said, Five Guys’ Kraft American cheese isn’t the same as the Kraft singles you can pick up at your local grocery store; it contains a higher percentage of cheddar cheese and butter, giving it that same craveable melt paired with the punch of saltiness from cheddar.

In fact, some will argue that American cheese isn’t an inherently bad thing — it’s just misunderstood. Iron Chef Alex Guaranschelli has proclaimed her love for American cheese in a series of tweets. “On a burger and on grilled cheese, there’s nothing better. Stop playing,” she wrote. In a follow up tweet, she said, “I might go so far as to say someone who doesn’t like American cheese is someone you just can’t trust.”

People decry American cheese, stating that “it’s not even real cheese!” when in actuality, it does contain real cheese. Like milk, American cheese — a combination of cheese, milk, and dairy ingredients — goes through a pasteurization process. The salts are then added to “facilitate the even, consistent melt,” according to Field.

People decry American cheese, stating that ‘it’s not even real cheese!” when in actuality, it does contain real cheese.

To get the best of both worlds, there are other cheese brands that are crafting American cheese slices while placing an emphasis on health and environmentalism. Horizon Organic’s American cheese slices, for example, are “produced with no antibiotics, no persistent pesticides, no added hormones and only non-GMO ingredients,” said Lee Nelson, Horizon Organic’s brand manager. Daiya Foods, based out of Canada, carries dairy-free slices of American cheese for vegans and those with lactose intolerance.

Gabriel Martinez, the former chef of Brooklyn’s beloved Long Island Bar, knew that he had to include American cheese when conceiving the restaurant’s celebrated burger. “My gripe with just melting a slice of cheese on a burger is the inherent greasiness when it gets ‘over-melted,’ thus I have always opted for American slices as they are an emulsified product that stay super creamy when heated,” he explained. “Given my discerning palate and basic knowledge of modernist cooking, I set out to make my own with a better quality base product.” Martinez credits his inspiration to Wylie Defrusne’s beer cheese version, and settled on a blend of raclette and cheddar for his finished product.

Since launching the L.I. Burger, a new chef — Kevin Walker Garrett (who is also a proponent of American cheese) — has taken over, and formulated a new sliced topping for Long Island Bar’s aged beef burger.

“I think there’s a nostalgic quality to [American cheese]. I grew up a poor kid from Texas and I would make American cheese sandwiches. I would take tortillas that my mom would make and put American cheese in there. It’s comforting, it’s good,” he reminisced.

Garrett’s new cheese contains a blend of cheddar and morbier — a semi-soft French cheese with a distinctive horizontal grey stripe. In addition to the cheeses, sodium citrate and gelatin get thrown in the mix to ensure that the in-house American cheese has a desired melty quality without completely liquefying under the salamander. “We changed meat suppliers so our dry-aged ground beef is a little bit more intense — it has more funk on it. We wanted to accentuate that with a funkier American cheese.”

The result is a deliciously savory cheeseburger with an intense depth of flavor — a welcomed twist on an American classic, with, of course, daily made American cheese. “At the end of the day, nobody’s turning down American cheese,” Garrett said. “Anybody who says that is pretty much full of poop.”

So everyone ‘CHEESE’.

I Will Pay You on Tuesday for a Hamburger Today!

The hamburger is one of the world’s most popular foods, with nearly 50 billion served up annually in the United States alone. Although the humble beef-patty-on-a-bun is technically not much more than 100 years old, it’s part of a far greater lineage, linking American businessmen, World War II soldiers, German political refugees, medieval traders and Neolithic farmers.

Ground Beef Comes to America

The groundwork for the ground-beef sandwich was laid with the domestication of cattle (in Mesopotamia around 10,000 years ago), and with the growth of Hamburg, Germany, as an independent trading city in the 12th century, where beef delicacies were popular. 

Jump ahead to 1848, when political revolutions shook the 39 states of the German Confederation, spurring an increase in German immigration to the United States. With German people came German food: beer gardens flourished in American cities, while butchers offered a panoply of traditional meat preparations. Because Hamburg was known as an exporter of high-quality beef, restaurants began offering a “Hamburg-style” chopped steak.

In mid-19th-century America, preparations of raw beef that had been chopped, chipped, ground or scraped were a common prescription for digestive issues. After a New York doctor, James H. Salisbury suggested in 1867 that cooked beef patties might be just as healthy, cooks and physicians alike quickly adopted the “Salisbury Steak”. Around the same time, the first popular meat grinders for home use became widely available (Salisbury endorsed one called the American Chopper) setting the stage for an explosion of readily available ground beef.

The Hamburger Becomes a Fast Food Staple

The hamburger seems to have made its jump from plate to bun in the last decades of the 19th century, though the site of this transformation is highly contested. Lunch wagons, fair stands and roadside restaurants in Wisconsin, Connecticut, Ohio, New York and Texas have all been put forward as possible sites of the hamburger’s birth. Whatever its genesis, the burger-on-a-bun found its first wide audience at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, which also introduced millions of Americans to new foods ranging from waffle ice cream cones and cotton candy to peanut butter and iced tea.

Two years later, though, disaster struck in the form of Upton Sinclair’s journalistic novel The Jungle, which detailed the unsavory side of the American meatpacking industry. Industrial ground beef was easy to adulterate with fillers, preservatives and meat scraps, and the hamburger became a prime suspect.

The hamburger might have remained on the seamier margins of American cuisine were it not for the vision of Edgar “Billy” Ingram and Walter Anderson, who opened their first White Castle restaurant in Kansas in 1921. Sheathed inside and out in gleaming porcelain and stainless steel, White Castle countered hamburger meat’s low reputation by becoming bastions of cleanliness, health and hygiene (Ingram even commissioned a medical school study to show the health benefits of hamburgers). His system, which included on-premise meat grinding, worked well and was the inspiration for other national hamburger chains founded in the boom years after World War II: McDonald’s and In-N-Out Burger (both founded in 1948), Burger King (1954) and Wendy’s (1969).

Led by McDonald’s (and helped by the introduction abroad of U.S. hamburger culture by millions of members of the American armed services during World War II), the hamburger—and American-style franchised fast-food—soon spread globally.

History of the Hamburger – Facts and Types

Hamburger is basically a type of sandwich. It has a ground meat patty that is cooked and placed between two halves of a bun or two pieces of bread or toast. It often has some condiments inside, like: mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. Who precisely invented the hamburger, we don’t know for sure. We know that it appeared, in the shape that we know it today, in 19th or early 20th century and that it has predecessors that date to a 12th century.

Nomadic Mongol’s of 12th century and their army were mostly cavalry and often, in their conquests, didn’t have time to stop for a meal. When they had to eat while riding they would place pieces of meat in skin and whole package under the saddle. Constant jogging minced the meat and the heat from the horse would cook it. This way of preparation came to Moscow with Mongols and was later named steak tartare. From there, minced meat came to the lands of today’s Germany through the port of Hamburg during the 17th century and became popular as a basis for their own dishes.

Hamburgh Sausage (which is made of minced meat and spices) appeared in 1763 in the cookbook with a name “Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy”. Jules Verne mentions steak tartare in 1875. During the 19th century Hamburg became one of the largest transatlantic ports in Europe and many northern European emigrants came to United States from this port. Hamburg steak appeared in the New York City in the 19th century. It was minced by hand, salted, smoked, and served raw with onions and bread crumbs and is considered precursor to the hamburger.

We don’t know who invented the hamburger because a little is written about it when it first appeared. Earliest text in a newspaper comes from Chicago Daily Tribune from July 5, 1896. The Library of Congress says that Louis Lassen sold the first hamburger in the United States in 1900. Charlie Nagreen claimed that he sold meatballs between two slices of bread at the Seymour Fair in 1885 and named them hamburgers after the Hamburg steak which was familiar to local German immigrants.

White Castle, a fast food chain, gives this honor to Otto Kuase who, in 1891, created a beef patty cooked in butter and topped with a fried egg which was later omitted. The family of Oscar Weber Bilby says that he invented the hamburger in 1891. Frank and Charles Menches claimed that they run out of pork sausages during the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York in 1885, and that they bought chopped up beef from a butcher. They started using it in their ground beef sandwiches. There is even menu from Delmonico’s in New York which listed hamburger in 1834 but it was just a patty without buns.

Many others claimed that they invented hamburger but we will probably never know who did it first. That doesn’t stop the hamburger to be the staple food of many fast food restaurants in the world.

Every One Still knows this little song…McDonalds Big Mac

The 1970s ushered in a new era in the long line of popular jingles delivered by the ubiquitous fast food chain McDonald’s. 1974 marked their first try at getting into the rap game with the Big Mac track “Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Onions on a Sesame Seed Bun.” Originally, the ingredients appeared as a one-word heading for a McDonald’s ad developed for college newspapers, but were eventually set to music created by Mark Vieha (who performed the original jingle). In cynical post-Watergate America, it gave young fast food lovers something to get excited about. The commercial showcases what a mouthful the slogan was for regular folks trying it out, and we’d bet it’s still not quite as easy to say today without cheating. Now I bet this will stick in your head for a while! 

This copycat Big Mac Sauce recipe is so close to the McDonald’s special sauce, you won’t be able to taste the difference! Use it to recreate your own homemade Big Macs, or as a topping and sauce for your favorite foods.

MCDONALD’S BIG MAC SAUCE (COPYCAT RECIPE)

This copycat Big Mac Sauce recipe is so close to the McDonald’s special sauce, you won’t be able to taste the difference! Use it to recreate your own homemade Big Macs, or as a topping and sauce for your favorite foods.

WHAT IS IT?

Big Mac Sauce has wonderfully creamy, tangy, and sweet. This flavor combination stands cuts through the richness of a fatty cheeseburger, making it a perfect burger topping. It is said to taste very similar to Thousand Island dressing, despite not being tomato-based.

Created by Jim Delligatti 1967, the original Big Mac wasn’t actually called a Big Mac. It first went by different names – “The Aristocrat” and the “Blue Ribbon Burger”, neither of which caught on with customers. The third name, “Big Mac” was created by Esther Glickstein Rose, a young corporate McDonald’s employee. This sandwich went on to worldwide fame, popularizing the iconic special sauce.

The earliest McDonald’s advertisements didn’t refer to Big Mac Sauce as we now know it, but rather, called it “secret sauce”. However, in 1974 a new advertising campaign came up with the famous jingle “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun.” It has been known as “special sauce” ever since!

Based on McDonald’s ingredient list, you will need sweet relish (not dill pickle relish), mayo, vinegar, American yellow mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to make homemade Big Mac sauce. That sounds a lot more reasonable, doesn’t it?  Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

This recipe makes about a half-cup of sauce.

Ingredients

1/4 cup real mayonnaise

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons ketchup

1 tablespoon finely diced yellow onion

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

1/4 teaspoon white vinegar

Pinch of paprika for color (adjust to taste and color)

Tiny pinch cayenne pepper (if you want a little kick)

Instructions

Step 1: Mix the first three ingredients

Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup and diced onion together in a small bowl.

Step 2: Add the pickle relish

Squeeze the excess liquid from the sweet pickle relish, then add the relish to the bowl.

Step 3: Stir

Next, add the remaining ingredients and stir everything well to make a creamy sauce. This is where you add the paprika for color, be sure to taste as you add at this last step.

Use the sauce immediately or refrigerate it to let the flavors deepen. Store your Big Mac sauce covered air tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Homemade Big Macs – To make McDonald’s Big Mac, lightly toast a sesame seed bun, and grab an extra bottom bun to use as the middle piece. Spread the special sauce on the bottom bun, sprinkle with diced onion, shredded lettuce, and top with a slice of American cheese. Place one thin burger patty on the cheese, then add the middle bun, top with more sauce, lettuce, and add pickles. Finally add the second burger patty, top with the crown of the bun and enjoy!

Here you are so enjoy! 

Guess who is Coming for Dinner? Squirrel stew, jelly beans & hoecakes: The Presidents’ favorite foods!

Presidents of the United States have had some eccentric choices for favorite foods. So take heed this is what was served for dinner if one wanted to impress the President who happened to coming over for dinner.

From squirrel stew to cheeseburger pizza, these commanders in chief didn’t let their time at America’s most famous address change their tastes.

Presidents have hundreds of staff members to cater to their every whim during their time in the White House.

Though the Executive Mansion hosts some of the country’s most exclusive and upscale dinners, each president has different tastes for their everyday fuel.

The recorded favorites of each president seem to stem from choices made by first ladies, food trends at the time, and comfort food to stay consistent through a rocky administration.

From squirrel stew to cheeseburger pizza, here are all 44 presidents’ favorite foods.

Here are the favorite foods of all 44 presidents:

George Washington: The first president loved hoecakes topped with honey, an early version of an American breakfast classic that originated as a Native American recipe.

John Adams: Adams picked up the habit of drinking a morning “gill” of hard cider while attending Harvard and later wrote that he would “… never forget how refreshing and salubrious” he found the beverage in college.

Thomas Jefferson: Jefferson discovered macaroni during his European travels and is credited with popularizing the food in the US after he brought a machine for making the pasta back from Naples, Italy. One of my favorites too I might add, Thank you Mr. Jefferson.

James Madison: While it’s hard to pin down one favorite food for Madison, first lady Dolly Madison popularized the frozen treat during her time in the White House and the president was one of its top consumers.

James Monroe: Monroe stayed true to his native Virginia by snacking on spoon bread, which is similar to a bread pudding.

John Quincy Adams: Adams is credited with a simple and healthy favorite of fresh fruit.

Andrew Jackson: Leather britches was Jackson’s favorite dish has nothing to do with sturdy pants but is a term for green beans cooked with bacon.

Martin van Buren: Oysters on the half-shell snack was just one of van Buren’s favorite foods, in addition to doughnuts, raisins, figs, and meat.

William Henry Harrison: Squirrel stew was Harrison’s proclivity for nature might have contributed to his taste for squirrel, which was a common protein at the time in a variety of dishes.

John Tyler: Indian pudding, this cozy dish with spice and ice cream is similar to popular English desserts flavored with raisins and currants.

James Polk: Cornbread was a tribute to Polk’s Tennessee roots during his time in the White House, much of which was spent entertaining alongside his wife, Sarah.

Zachary Taylor: Calas (later known as Beignets) was Taylor’s taste for Southern and Creole food led him to calas, which are similar to the treats consisting of fried dough covered in powdered sugar now known as beignets.

Millard Fillmore: Soup was what  Fillmore was a fan of hearty foods, including beef stew, mock turtle soup, fish, ham with macaroni, duck, chicken, pigeon, and larded sweetbreads.

Franklin Pierce: Fried clams was Pierce’s taste in food was true to his New England roots and included fried clams, clam chowder, and apple pie.

James Buchanan: Cabbage may be a surprise for you. Buchanan had a taste for finer cuisine, including French dishes that had just arrived in America. However, he also counted cabbage among his consistent favorites.

Abraham Lincoln: Bacon is good with everything. Lincoln also cited gingerbread cookies among one of his closely held favorites, but was a reliably hearty eater and fond of bacon.

Andrew Johnson: Hoppin’ John is a true southern tradition to be served at New Years! Southerner Johnson’s comfort-food favorite is made with black-eyed peas, rice, chopped onion, sliced bacon, and salt.

Ulysses S. Grant: Rice pudding a very overlook food. Ulysses S. Grant kept things simple with his favorite — rice pudding.

Rutherford B. Hayes: Hayes enjoyed this simple but hearty dish during his presidency and his wife’s recipe for these Civil War-era pancakes has been preserved for diners of today. Bring on the cornmeal pancakes!

James Garfield: Squirrel soup for this president.  Garfield was the second president to count squirrel as one of his favorite meals, which is nearly unheard of today. So Corn and Squirrel are leading the pack in favorite foods.

Chester Arthur: Mutton chops now this is funny. Arthur’s meal of choice matched his facial hair style, as both were known as mutton chops.

Grover Cleveland: Pickled herring one never know does one.  Cleveland was a bachelor when he entered the White House in 1884 and told a friend he wished he could pass up the luxurious meals for “a pickled herring, a Swiss cheese, and a chop instead of the French stuff.”

Benjamin Harrison: Corn was a favorite food again. Harrison’s beginnings in Ohio and Indiana put him in the middle of the country’s main corn production region and shaped his favorite foods for years to come.

William McKinley: Meat and fish stick to the ribs kind of food. It was written that McKinley and his wife were simple but hearty eaters, and “liked plain food, in substantial quantities.”

Theodore Roosevelt: Steak and gravy down home food from Mom’s table. Roosevelt was an adventurous eater and ate as one would expect a hunter would, counting wild game and steak among his favorites.

William Taft: Steak and potatoes, moving up the favorite list. Taft, who came to be known as the heaviest US president in history, was a hearty and classic eater, relying on favorite staples of steak and potatoes.

Woodrow Wilson: Chicken salad made the list.  Wilson was a simple eater, and the only stand-out favorite a former housekeeper could recall beyond classic breakfast foods was chicken salad.

Warren G. Harding: Chicken pot pie a comfort to most. Harding’s rollercoaster presidency might have pushed him toward the comfort-food favorite of a chicken pot pie that points back to his roots in the Midwest.

Calvin Coolidge: Apple pie as American as one can get. Coolidge was a casual but adventurous eater, counting Vermont country pickles, Mrs. Coolidge’s Chicken Chop Suey, chicken chow Mein, and apple pie made with pork among his favorite recipes.

Herbert Hoover: Sweet potatoes with marshmallows not just for the holidays. Hoover’s favorite has stood the test of time, as sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows can still be found on dinner tables across the country come Thanksgiving.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Grilled cheese, now we are talking. According to Henrietta Nesbitt, Roosevelt’s White House housekeeper, FDR loved grilled cheese sandwiches in addition to other classic American foods, including scrambled eggs, fish chowder, hot dogs, and fruitcake.

Harry Truman: Well-done steak, oh no not well done! Truman was specific that his steak was to be cooked well-done.

Dwight Eisenhower: The first lady’s Million-Dollar Fudge was a winner. Though Eisenhower liked cooking as a stress-reliever, he didn’t mind Mamie’s Million Dollar Fudge made for him with chocolate, marshmallow, and nuts.

John F. Kennedy: Creamy clam chowder, second time on the hit parade. Kennedy ate like a true New Englander, preferring the creamy clam chowder to Manhattan-style tomato based.

Lyndon B. Johnson: Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, I can deal with this. In addition to Mexican food, corn bread, and grits, Texan Johnson tucked into hearty chicken-fried steak.

Richard Nixon: Cottage cheese and ketchup, this seems very bizarre. Nixon’s unusual favorite of cottage cheese and ketchup would raise eyebrows any time of day, but the president especially liked it for breakfast.

Gerald Ford: Pot roast was Ford’s favorite. Ford would follow his classic American dinner of choice with butter pecan ice cream.

Jimmy Carter: Grits, how I love me some grits. Though he was known for his background in farming peanuts, Carter stuck to the Southern favorite, which also served as the family dog’s name.

Ronald Reagan: Jelly beans, yes this snack is a keeper. Reagan was obsessed with the colorful snack, and at one point reportedly ordered more than 300,000 to be placed around the Capitol, White House, and other federal buildings each month.

George H.W. Bush: Pork rinds, I keep a bag or 2 in my pantry all the time. The president reportedly caused sales of the snack to skyrocket while he was on the campaign trail and identified them as his favorite, particularly when they were topped with Tabasco.

Bill Clinton: Cheeseburgers, the all-time favorite of many. Clinton chased his favorite fast foods including jalapeno cheeseburgers, chicken enchiladas, barbecue, cinnamon rolls, and pies on the presidential campaign trail, years before he would experiment with veganism for his health.

George W. Bush: Cheeseburger pizza, which I might add I have eaten and enjoyed a few. Former White House Chef Cristeta Comerford told reporters after the president left office that Bush loved what staff called “home-made ‘cheeseburger pizzas’ because every ingredient of a cheeseburger is on top of a marguerite pizza.”

Barack Obama: Nachos, my husband would be right there eating them with Mr Obama.  The former president told comedian Jerry Seinfeld that nachos were one of his greatest vices. “That’s one of those where I have to have it taken away,” Obama said. “I’ll have guacamole coming out of my eyeballs.”

Donald Trump: Fast food, the America’s guilty pleasure. Trump has a well-documented affection for fast food. From serving it in the White House to getting it delivered to his private plane, the president has said Burger King and McDonald’s are among his favorites because they promise a standard of cleanliness that’s hard to verify at other restaurants.

Dose any of these Presidential favorites make your mouth water or is on your favorite list?  ENJOY!

Till there was Yew: The Yew Tree

The yew (Taxus) genus represents many varieties of evergreen trees and shrubs that are easy to care for and can tolerate a wide range of growing conditions. These plants are highly adaptable for landscaping and make a nice addition to a garden border or when used in a mass planting. Yew, with its contrasting red berries, predates the tradition of the Christmas tree and is strongly associated with Christianity. That’s why you may find yew trees growing in many churchyards. For the holiday, sprigs are commonly cut and used like holly in natural Christmas decorations.

Yew is a conifer, producing cones instead of flowers, and it features evergreen needles that vary widely in size and shape. Yew bark, needles, and fruit are toxic to humans, dogs, cats, and pets.  Even still, yew poisoning is a rare occurrence and does not deter most gardeners from using this very popular landscape feature.

Common Name: Yew bush, yew tree, yew shrub

Botanical Name: Taxus

Family: Taxaceaev

Plant Type: Perennial

Mature Size:  4 to 60 feet tall, 4 to 20 feet wide, depending on the variety

Sun Exposure: Full, partial, shade

Soil Type: Loamy, moist, well-drained

Soil pH: Neutral (5.0 to 7.0)

Bloom Time: Nonflowering

Flower Color:  Nonflowering

Hardiness Zones: Zones 2 to 10 (USDA)

Native Areas: Europe, Africa, Asia

Toxicity: Toxic to people and pets

Yew Care

In landscaping, yew often serves as a foundation plant placed in front of houses. It is also commonly used in hedges and topiaries. The varieties used for privacy hedges are typically much taller than they are wide, as you need the extra height for screening. By contrast, yews with a low profile are more suitable for use as foundation plants or short decorative hedges.

Excellent soil drainage is the key to successfully growing yew, as soggy conditions make this plant susceptible to fungal infections.  But generally speaking, the plant is low-maintenance, only needing water occasionally and fertilizing and pruning annually.

Light

Yew can be grown in full sun, partial shade, and even full shade. For healthy and lush growth, however, opt for a spot that gets several hours of sunshine each day. Too much shade can cause thin and floppy growth.

Soil

Yew tolerates several soil types, as long as the soil has good drainage. It thrives in rich, loamy soil with a neutral to slightly alkaline soil pH of 5.0 to 8.0. It also does well, surprisingly, in heavy clay. However, any planting site that traps water may result in root rot.

Water

Yew prefers a moderate amount of soil moisture, yet it tolerates short periods of drought or overwatering, as long as the roots are not left standing in water. When establishing yew during the first year, water it weekly to maintain even soil moisture. After that, weekly watering are only needed during drought periods when natural rainfall will not provide enough moisture.

Temperature and Humidity

The hardiness zones for yew vary by species. In general, the plant does not tolerate prolonged extreme temperatures—hot or cold—and prefers to be planted in a site that’s sheltered from strong winter winds. Humidity typically isn’t a problem for yew, though it can struggle in extremely hot and humid summer weather.

Fertilizer

Fertilize your yew in the early spring, beginning one year after planting. Enrich the soil by spreading a 1-inch layer of mulch or compost starting a foot away from the plant’s trunk and extending out to its drip line (where rain falls from the outermost branches). You can also use a granular, high-nitrogen fertilizer raked into the soil starting a foot away from the trunk and extending out to the drip line. Please refer to the product directions for the amount of fertilizer to use, noting that using slightly under the recommendation will prevent over-fertilization.

Types of Yew

There are over 400 cultivars of yew, many of which are derived from Taxus baccata (European yew) or Taxus cuspidata (Japanese yew). The types most popular for landscape use include:

Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’, which grows roughly 2 to 4 feet high by 12 to 15 feet wide and is used for foundation plantings or as short hedges.

Known as Canadian yew, Taxus canadensis has a spreading growth habit and reaches around 4 feet high by 7 feet wide.

Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ is pillar-shaped and grows 15 to 30 feet high and 4 to 8 feet wide. It’s often used for privacy hedges.

The Taxus cuspidata ‘Monloo’ variety grows to a mature height of 3 feet and spreads 8 to 10 feet wide. This cultivar is commonly used for foundation plantings or short hedges.

Taxus × media ‘Hicksii’ is another variety used for privacy hedges. It is column-shaped and grows 15 feet high by 20 feet wide.

Pruning

Overgrown yew can be rejuvenated with a good pruning, while shaping it to your preference. It’s not essential to prune yew annually, but it can be a helpful ritual, one that promotes lush growth. Prune yew in the early spring before any new foliage appears. Use hand pruners or branch loppers to cut branches back to their joints. Remove dead, damaged, or diseased branches as you spot them.

Propagating Yew

The best way to propagate yew is through cuttings. While this method takes time, it is still faster than propagating yew from seed (which can take several years to germinate). Propagating by cuttings also yields offspring that look exactly like the parent. So, if you’d like to extend a hedge or foundation cutting, this is the way to go.

Here’s how to propagate yew by cuttings:

Gather pruning scissors, rooting hormone powder, pots, sand, and potting soil.

Take 4- to 6-inch cuttings from your yew plant in the late summer or early fall. Make sure you’re cutting from the softwood portion of the bush. (Softwood is the stage between “new growth” and “hardwood,” when the plant’s stem is just beginning to toughen.) Choose strong, upright shoots.

Dip each cutting into rooting powder and place it into a pot filled with moist sand. Keep the sand wet until roots form. Relocate the pots to an area of bright light.

Once several weeks have passed, examine the bottom of the cuttings to see if they’ve formed roots.

Next, fill pots with potting soil, water them, and place the newly rooted cuttings into the soil, taking care to fully bury the roots. Let the baby plants grow in pots until they are big enough to be transplanted into the ground in the spring. (This may take several seasons.)

How to Grow Yew from Seed

Growing yew from seed is an exact science and a process that takes many years to complete. It involves storing seeds in a potting medium in the freezer for 10 months to several years, and then checking on them periodically to see if they’ve sprouted. Once sprouted, the seeds can be planted and tended to as seedlings, but the process of growing the plant big enough to be transplanted outside can take years. Hence, many gardeners prefer to buy starts at the nursery or take cuttings from their existing plants.

Potting and Repotting Yew

Similar to most evergreens, yew looks great in containers and, in some climates, can be kept outside in pots year-round. Yew tends to grow slowly in containers, making it a good choice for gardeners who want to use it as an entryway statement or along a walkway. Plant yew in a clay or terracotta pot that has good drainage and keep it regularly watered, but not continuously wet, year-round. Come fall, relocate your yew to an area of partial shade, as warm day temperatures and plummeting night temperatures can be stressful on the plant. After a few years in a container, your yew will need to be transplanted into the ground.

Overwintering

In most climates, the Yew can tolerate cold winter temperatures without protection. To prevent issues and help retain needles, water yew frequently in the fall up until the soil is frozen. Planting yew on the north-facing side of a building will prevent winter needle burn, a condition that results from the needles heating up in the day, and then freezing come nightfall.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Yew can fall victim to several evergreen sapsuckers, including mealybugs and scale. Both bugs overwinter as nymphs, and then emerge in the spring to feed, as they hatch and mature. Infestation can result in needle loss, yellowing branches, dieback, and mold issues.

Mealybugs and scale are hard to control with insecticides, as they have grown resistant to most chemicals. To control infestation, remove the insects with a forcible spray from the garden hose, while also removing the “grandmother” (older) plants that have deteriorated. Additionally, you can spot treat with a 70 percent diluted solution of isopropyl alcohol, testing it first for plant burn and applying it once a week until the infestation clears.

Common plant diseases rarely affect yew.

Common Problems with the Yew

Root rot or “wet feet” is a common problem with yew plants. This plant is notorious for dying if it sits in soil that is waterlogged. That said, too little watering can also cause similar issues. Sticking to strict watering protocols will help you avoid both root rot and yellowing branches and needles.

Heavy snows can result in winter damage, like broken branches, and browning needles. After a big snowfall, make sure to remove any lingering snow buildup to prevent this problem. Late summer pruning can also help a yew plant or tree avoid breakage during storms.

Common Questions about the Yew: 

What is the average lifespan of a yew tree?

Yew hedges and trees have incredibly long lives if properly maintained. Some European English yew trees have lived to an age of 1,500 to 3,000 years old. Yew trees and hedges have the ability to renew themselves, and their bending branches can even re-root. For this reason, yew has become a symbol of immortality.

Why do yew trees bleed?

Yew trees often bleed their blood-red sap if the tree has been injured by breakage or winter damage. This is usually not an issue of concern, as bleeding yew trees scar very easily. Ancient legends associate this bleeding to the tree’s sympathy with Jesus after his death on the cross.

What is yew wood used for?

Handcrafted wooden bows are commonly built from a combination of sapwood and heartwood from mature yew trees. The sapwood (the white wood that is on the outside of the tree, just below the bark) forms the back of the bow and excels under tension, making it the perfect material for this hunting tool.

Well, Folks I am going to get myself some Yew and have my husband plant them for me!