Preserved Pumpkin

Preserved Pumpkin

Cut slices from a ripe pumpkin, and cut the slices into chips about the thickness of a quarter. Weigh them and allow to each pound of pumpkin equal to a pound of sugar. Cut 2 lemons in half, and squeeze the juice into a bowl along with the rind of one lemon.

Place the pumpkin into a large pan laying the sugar among it. Pour the lemon-juice over it, Cover the pan, and let the pumpkin, sugar and lemon-juice, place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Place the ingredients into a large pot, and boil (skimming it well) 30 minutes or until the pumpkin becomes clear and crisp, but not till it breaks. It should have the appearance of lemon-candy. You may if you choose, put some lemon-peel with it, cut in very small pieces. Put the pumpkin into large preserve jars and enjoy.

Speak Zulu

Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with well over 9 million speakers most of whom are in South Africa. Zulu is one of South Africa's eleven official languages since 1994.

Below are four easy Zulu words with their English phonetic pronunciation:

1. iGoli [e-goːli]- Soil
2. ihembe [e:him:mbe]- Bed
3. uju [ooːjew]- Jump
4. isibili [is:see:billːli]- Bead

 

Chekelea means Smile in Swahili

Why are some people happy, beloved, and successful, while others drag out a negative existence, of no use to themselves or anyone else? Except in a few cases the answer is to be found in a state of freedom from the troubles and finding happiness where you are in life.

Chekelea- Smile in Swahili 

The well soul radiates cheerfulness and serenity, while the ailing one repels with hopelessness. It is not necessary, however, to harbor aches and pains when you can find happiness in the little things in life.

Mkunjufu- A cheerful person in Swahili

 

How to store fresh vegetables

Endive	Store in a box or bed of moist sand in the cellar. Put roots in an upright position with the sand coming just to their tops. Water the sand occasionally. Sometimes a covering of straw is added to blanch the tender growth of shoots, which is the part used as food.	Late in the fall lift the roots out and carefully trim off the leaves without injury to the heart.
Beets	Must not be placed in too large piles in the cellar as they are inclined to mold. Can also be buried in pits in open ground.	Can remain in the ground until very cool weather; then should be pulled, the tops cut off and then stored in the cellar.
Parsnips	Can be stored just as salsify or be allowed to remain in the ground until wanted.	Those that are to be stored in the cellar can remain in in the garden until the weather is quite cool, then prepare and store like salsify.
Turnips	Must be stored where temperature is low or sprouting will result. Moderate freezing does no harm while in the storage pit but they must not be disturbed while frozen.	Pull; cut tops off and store in sand in cellars or caves, or in pits, or in tightly covered boxes or crocks.
Onions	Require a cool dry place. Attic excellent.	Before storing, cure them by exposing to the air for a few days in the shade. Dryness is absolutely essential. A well cured onion should be firm and not readily dented at the base of the tops by the tip of the thumb when held in the hand.
Cauliflower	Planted in shallow boxes of soil in light place in the cellar.	Must not be too mature.
Brussels Sprouts	Planted in soil in cellar.	Must not be too mature.
Ground Cherries or Husk Tomatoes Kohl-rabi, Winter Radishes, Rutabagas	May be stored for some weeks in the husk in their layers in a dry place free from frost. Best stored in sand in cellars, cares or pits.	Must be kept cold to prevent evaporation.
Horse-radish Pumpkins	May be kept in the ground where grown all winter. Must be kept frozen as thawing injures it. Best kept on shelves in a very dry place. Can be kept on shelves in furnace room.	Must be ripened and cured and free from bruises.
Squashes	Susceptible to cold and moisture, so store in a dry place where temperature will be between 50 and 60 degrees.	Care must be taken that stem is not broken.
Tomatoes	Cool cellar or cave; can be wrapped in any absorbent paper preferably without printing upon it, and laid upon shelves to ripen. The paper absorbs the moisture given off by the tomatoes and causes them to ripen uniformly. If cellar is dry or well ventilated, tomatoes can be kept a month or six weeks in this manner.	May be kept until Christmas if vines with the green tomatoes hanging on them are pulled and hung in the cellar. Pull the vines before they are frosted.
Parsley	Transplant into flower pots late in the fall.	Keep in windows where they will receive plenty of sunshine.
Garlic	Should be thoroughly cured as are onions.	Or it may be braided by the tops into strings which are hung up in dry places for curing and storing.
Head Lettuce	Rooted in earth in a cellar or cave.	Water occasionally.
Dry beans and peas	Stored where protected from weevils.	Should be fully ripened before shelling. Pick pods by hand as they ripen and spread pods to become thoroughly dry. May be shelled by spreading pods on a sheet and beating them with a stick. Can be cleaned by pouring them from a height of 4 or 5 ft. upon a sheet and allowing the wind to blow the particles of pod out of them as they fall.
Apples	Must be kept in a dry, cool place and so stored as to be in no danger of absorbing odors from vegetables stored nearby. Apples absorb odors from potatoes, onions, turnips and other strong vegetables.	Sort apples carefully removing and using at once all fruit that is bruised and shows signs of decay. The best results are obtained by wrapping each apple in half a sheet of newspaper and storing in barrels, boxes, crates or bins. The wrapping prevents apples from touching and thus prevents decay. It also protects apples from odors of vegetables stored nearby.

Stewed Ox Tongue

Stewed Ox Tongue

Ingredients:

One cleaned medium ox tongue

2 glasses of good wine

6 cups of water

4 large diced carrots

1 medium diced onion

10 pearl onions

4 medium diced tomatoes

2 sprigs thyme

2 whole bay leafs

Directions:

In a large coved pot braise a tongue with two glasses of wine, 1 cup carrot, 1 cup onion, thyme, bay-leaf, for two hours on low. Take tomatoes, carrots, pearl onions, and braise them all together, add salt and pepper. Braised tongue eats very well with spinach and carrots.

Of the Pretty Stranger who Killed the King

Mbotu was a very famous king of Old Town, Calabar. He was frequently at war, and was always successful, as he was a most skillful leader. All the prisoners he took were made slaves. He therefore became very rich, but, on the other hand, he had many enemies. The people of Itu in particular were very angry with him and wanted to kill him, but they were not strong enough to beat Mbotu in a battle, so they had to resort to sneakiness.

The Itu people had an old woman who was a witch and could turn herself into whatever she pleased, and when she offered to kill Mbotu, the people were very glad, and promised her plenty of money and cloth if she succeeded in ridding them of their worst enemy.

The witch then turned herself into a young and pretty girl, and having armed herself with a very sharp knife, which she concealed in her bosom, she went to Old Town, Calabar, to seek the king. It happened that when she arrived there was a big play being held in the town, and all the people from the surrounding country had come in to dance and feast.

Oyaikan, the witch, went to the play, and walked about so that everyone could see her. Directly she appeared the people all marveled at her beauty, and said that she was as beautiful as the setting sun. Word was quickly brought to king Mbotu, who, it was well known, was fond of pretty girls, and he sent for her at once, all the people agreeing that she was quite worthy of being the king's wife.

 When she appeared before him he fancied her so much, that he told her he would marry her that very day. Oyaikan was very pleased at this, as she had never expected to get her opportunity so quickly. She therefore prepared a meal for the king, into which she placed a strong medicine to make the king sleep, and then went down to the river to wash. When she  finished it was getting dark, so she went to the king's compound, carrying her dish on her head, and was at once shown in to the king, who embraced her affectionately. She then offered him the food, which she said, quite truly, she had prepared with her own hands. The king ate the whole dish, and immediately began to feel very sleepy, as the medicine was strong and took effect quickly.

They retired to the king's chamber, and the king went to sleep at once. About midnight, when all the town was quiet, Oyaikan drew her knife from her bosom and cut the king's head off. She put the head in a bag and went out very softly, shutting and barring the door behind her. Then she walked through the town without anyone observing her, and went straight to Itu, where she placed king Mbotu's head before her own king. When the people heard that the witch was successful and that their enemy was dead, there was great rejoicing, and the king of Itu at once made up his mind to attack Old Town, Calabar. He therefore got his fighting men together and took them in canoes by the creeks to Old Town, taking care that no one carried word to Calabar that he was coming.

The morning following the murder of Mbotu his people were rather surprised that he did not appear at his usual time, so his head wife knocked at his door. Not receiving any answer she called the household together, and they broke open the door. When they entered the room they found the king lying dead on his bed covered in blood, but his head was missing. At this a great shout went up, and the whole town mourned. Although they missed the pretty stranger, they never connected her in their minds with the death of their king, and were quite unsuspicious of any danger, and were unprepared for fighting.

In the middle of the mourning, while they were all dancing, crying, and drinking palm wine, the King of Itu with all his soldiers attacked Old Town, taking them quite by surprise, and as their leader was dead, the Calabar people were very soon defeated, and many killed and taken prisoners.

The Man Who Never Lied

Once upon a time there lived a wise man by the name of Mamad. He never lied. All the people in the land, even the ones who lived twenty days away, knew about him.

The king heard about Mamad and ordered his subjects to bring him to the palace. He looked at the wise man and asked:

" Mamad, is it true, that you have never lied?"

" It's true."

"And you will never lie in your life?"

" I'm sure in that."

"Okay, tell the truth, but be careful! The lie is cunning and it gets on your tongue easily."

Several days passed and the king called Mamad once again. There was a big crowd: the king was about to go hunting. The king held his horse by the mane, his left foot was already on the stirrup. He ordered Mamad:

"Go to my summer palace and tell the queen I will be with her for lunch. Tell her to prepare a big feast. You will have lunch with me then."

Mamad bowed down and went to the queen. Then the king laughed and said:

"We won't go hunting and now Mamad will lie to the queen. Tomorrow we will laugh on his behalf."

But the wise Mamad went to the palace and said:

"Maybe you should prepare a big feast for lunch tomorrow, and maybe you shouldn't. Maybe the king will come by noon, and maybe he won't."

"Tell me will he come, or won't he?" - asked the queen.

"I don't know, he put his right foot on the stirrup, or he put his left foot on the ground after I left."

Everybody waited for the king. He came the next day and said to the queen:

"The wise Mamad, who never lies, lied to you yesterday."

But the queen told him about the words of Mamad. And the king realized, that the wise man never lies, and says only that, which he saw with his own eyes.

http://www.worldoftales.com/African_folktales/African_Folktale_2.html