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Some
years, Easter and Passover commemorations overlap
on the calendar, but not this year. If
you celebrate Easter -- either as a religious
holiday or a jolly family time -- we wish you
a beautiful and meaningful day.
A symbol inextricably
linked to Easter is eggs -- multi-hued, decorated,
waiting for discovery. We've
rounded up a crate full of interesting facts
for your amusement and enlightenment.
Enjoy!
Remember, we'd be pleased
to put a professional finish on your Easter
glad rags, or erase any festive mishaps.
See you soon,
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company |
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No
Egg-zageration!
One of
the symbols of Easter is the humble egg -- symbol
of new life. China
produces more eggs than any other country,
roughly 160 billion annually. The 250
million hens in the US generate a mere 65 billion
eggs each year. (Source:
Interesting
Egg Facts.) |
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Dressed
to the Nines COUPON!
Easter
brings out the prettiest dresses and the biggest
hats of the year. The tradition of dressing
up in your best on Easter is an old one, but
it needn't be a headache. This
week, have $15 in regular drycleaning done,
and we'll clean a dress at no charge.
Happy Easter!
(Include first page of this e-mail with
your order. Offer expires 4/2/05. Cannot be
combined with other offers.) |
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Egg-zactly!
You probably don't
think much about those glorious orbs of calcium-protected
protein in your refrigerator. They nestle in
their cute little carton and roll out when you
need them. But humble as the common egg may
seem, it's also pretty incredible. See what
you know -- and don't know -- about this naturally
pre-packaged food item.
Check
Your Egg-Q!
We consume a LOT of
eggs! The average
American eats just over 260 each year.
Some of those are included in packaged mixes
and other products, so even if you don't like
eggs, you're probably still consuming your share.
Eggs are the one
food that contains all the essential protein,
vitamins and minerals we need (with the exception
of Vitamin C). They've ridden
the nutritional rollercoaster with respect to
cholesterol, but recent reports have given better
news where they're concerned.
Fast
egg facts you may not know:
- The
world's smallest eggs are hummingbird eggs
(makes sense!) The
biggest are ostrich eggs -- which
are 2000 times the size of the hummingbird's!
(The extinct Elephant Bird
from Madagascar produced whopping big eggs
that were 7 times the size
of an ostrich egg. Read more:
Provincial
Museum of Alberta has a great page on
egg sizes and shapes.)
- White
eggs are laid by chickens who have white feathers
and white ear lobes (you thought
chickens didn't have ear lobes?)Brown
eggs are laid by chickens with red feathers
and red ear lobes. There
is no nutritional difference due to the color
of the egg. Brown eggs are
generally more expensive because the hens
are bigger, and cost more to feed (also because
people who insist on brown eggs are willing
to pay more!)
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- The
average hen produces about 19 dozen eggs a
year. Each egg takes 24 to
26 hours to produce, and she starts a new
one a half hour after each is done. As a hen
gets older, her eggs get bigger (hence the
Large, Extra Large, Jumbo and other designations
you see in the egg case at the market.)
- An
egg shell has up to 17,000 pores.
This enables the egg to circulate moisture
and carbon dioxide out of the egg and bring
in fresh air. The egg has a built-in protective
coating known as the cuticle (or bloom) which
prevents microbial contamination and keeps
the egg fresh. There are more pores at the
large end of an egg.
- Eggs
in their carton will last for weeks in the
refrigerator, but only about 7 days when cooked.
If you hard-boil them and take the shells
off, they should be consumed within 5 days.
Cooked eggs shouldn't be left out at room
temperature for more than 2 hours -- so consider
those dyed Easter eggs suspect and use them
as decorations, rather than food.
- You
can tell if an egg is raw or hard boiled by
spinning it. If it wobbles,
it's raw. Boiled eggs spin easily.
- Yuck! You dropped
an egg? No worries. Salt
the egg heavily and it will be much easier
to clean up. (What? You dropped
the whole dozen?? Good thing salt is cheap!)
Easter
Eggs and You
It's charming
watching little children hunt for dyed Easter
eggs, the baskets almost as big as they are,
as helpful adults "guarding" eggs to make it
easier. What could
possibly be wrong with this picture?
Plenty. First of all,
those eggs were
probably hidden more than an hour ago, and need
to be promptly refrigerated
if you're not going to use them for decoration
only. Also, check
over each egg for signs of cracking.
If it's cracked, the shell's natural protective
barrier has been breached and it's easy for
bacteria to invade.
Your
clothes may take a beating on Easter, too.
The dyes used on eggs are water-solulable, and
that means any dew on the grass, any sweat on
your hand, any toddler's put-everything-in-the-mouth
habit will transfer the dye to . . . well, to
anything, including your pretty clothes. Prompt
professional attention will remove most dyes
you pick up along with the eggs.
Read
more:
- Eggs.org
-- facts and info,
recipes, nutrition information, cooking and
storage information and much more.
- Egg
Safety --
Cornell Cooperative Extension has great information
on how to properly cook, store and even freeze
eggs.
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We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
Click on the symbol to the left if your
would like to send this and future newsletters
to a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
The
Iris City Cleaners Connection is
a weekly news letter dedicated to the interest
of fine garment care, restoration, and conservation.
It is published in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris
City Cleaners and is an extension of our services
described in www.iriscitycleaners.com
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