Arabic Agriculturalists Tried but Were Not Successful… the Proof is in the Coffee

You cannot blame Arabic agriculturalists for trying to maintain their hold on the coffee trade. During the medieval era there was a tremendous amount of botanical espionage and thievery. Delicious Arabian coffee from Mocha, with its stimulating effect, must have brought a good price, and lust from European countries who wanted in on the lucrative crop. But Arab coffee growers did their best to prevent competition. They dipped coffee seeds into boiling water to prevent them from germinating. But one day, the Dutch got their hands on some untampered seeds and began their own coffee plantations. The rest is history.  Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns. Find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Acorns-Eatem-How–Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1491288973

Giving Up Caffeine

You’d laugh if you saw the miniscule amount of caffeine I’ve been consuming. After black tea proved too acidic, I was drinking weak coffee, which was really a cup of hot water with a coffee taste. In the early 90’s, when coffee houses were springing up everywhere, I very much enjoyed cups of black brew but I developed anxiety and stomach aches and had no idea it was the coffee. To combat the anxiety, I was using the herb valerian. Ironically I was putting a bit of the powdered herb into my coffee. When that didn’t work, I finally realized… Oh… it’s the coffee.

Habitual patterns come and go but memories of a time when I was calmer and a bit more peaceful, gave me strength to believe I didn’t need the “hurriedness” that caffeine imposed on my body. I’ve always been a bit “high strung” but omitting the caffeine has me returning to a calmer disposition, one I remember fondly.  Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns. Find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Acorns-Eatem-How–Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1491288973