Passover is a time of great significance to our Jewish customers, and we are saluting it this week with a brief explanation of the holiday. One feature of Passover is that Jewish families try to remove all yeast or leaven from their homes. What does yeast do... and how does it do it? Learn a little, and appreciate this microscopic wonder as never before. See you soon! Ed and Mary Longanecker Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company Uniformed Professionals COUPON! Uniforms distinguish people from each other and help us identify who works for a company and who does not. If you wear a uniform, you know that no matter how proudly you wear it, it gets dirty. This week, we're saluting uniformed professionals of all stripes! Have $10 in regular drycleaning done and we'll clean and professionally finish your uniform -- shirt with a logo, outfit, judge's robe, whatever -- for half price. (Include first page of this newsletter with your order. Offer expires April 30, 2005. Cannot be combined with other offers.) Yeast What it is, what it does. One of the true blessings of living in the age in which we do is that we can take some things for granted. We go to the store and grab a loaf of bread off the shelf. We buy fermented drinks like beer or wine and never give a second thought to how they got into their containers. But that doesn't make the miracle of yeast any less amazing. What it is. Yeast is a tiny microorganism. It's everywhere, even though we don't realize it. It's so tiny that it floats in the air, as well as existing in the soil, unnoticed. However, its tiny size is no determinant of its power. The yeast we buy in little packets at the supermarket is actually produced by a single yeast cell -- that entire package and many, many more. A healthy yeast cell is selected under a microscope and put into a test tube with nutrients to grow. It multiplies like crazy, eventually reproducing itself from a single cell to tons of yeast. The yeast is processed and packaged in different ways, depending on its intended use. What it does. The tiny yeast microorganisms eat starch, which generates sugar and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. When making a loaf of bread, the yeast is mixed with flour, sugar and salt in warm water. The production of the carbon dioxide stretches the gluten strands in the dough, forming the air pockets that give bread it's light, airy feeling. Though the alcohol is burned off in the baking process, it leaves behind a flavor that enhances the bread. All yeast is not the same. We enjoy the convenience of dry yeast packets today, but in earlier times yeast was kept alive and productive on the counter in a "starter" -- this is how sourdough bread is still made. Since there is yeast in the air, you can mix flour and water in a crock with a loose lid and leave it on the counter and the yeast will find its way to the attractive starch meal you've put out. After 24 hours, the water is poured off and replace, and within a few days the mixture becomes frothy. That's yeast at work. Though the mixture may not smell "nice", it won't rot because starch discourages the growth of bacteria, and the alcohol and other byproducts of the yeast also kill it off. (See links below for instructions how to get your "starter" started.) It is by this "wild yeast" method that people created starters for bread before the days of handy packets. In essence, this keeps the yeast alive and ready for use (when properly fed and watered daily) as opposed to the store-bought packets, in which the yeast is in suspended animation until brought back to life with warm water and starch to feed on. Some starters have been passed down among families literally for generations without a break in the life of the yeast. Learning Links Learn more about yeast and how to make bread or beer using our handy links below. How Yeast Works -- from the "How Stuff Works" website, excellent information in an entertaining format. How Sourdough Bread Works -- includes recipe and instructionsfor "starter" and bread recipe links. All about Yeast -- who better to tell you that story than Fleischmann? Brew Your Own Beer -- an excellent site with plenty of info to get your mind brewing on the possibilities. The Feast without Yeast Passover begins at sundown on April 23 this year, and ends at sundown on April 30. This 8-day observance commemorates the escape of the Hebrews from Egypt after Moses confronted the Pharaoh, and 10 plagues finally convinced him to let them go. The name "Passover" (Pesach) is a reminder of how God passed over the homes of the Hebrews who put the blood of a lamb over their doors, and thus escaped the final plague in which the oldest son in each Egyptian family died. The highlight of Passover is the Seder, a special meal that gathers the family together, includes the retelling of the biblical story, and has numerous symbolic items and gestures to keep the story memorable. One aspect of this celebration is the removal of all chometz" (anything with leavening in it or that has touched it) from the house prior to the Seder. Only the dry, cracker-like Matzoh is permitted as bread, reminding participants of the hurry in which the Hebrews left Egypt, and the "cooking" of the unleavened dough with the sun during the escape. Removing all chometz from a home can mean extraordinary effort on the part of a Jewish family, including: The use of utensils and table wear specific only to Passover. Rigorous house cleaning and searching for unsuspected items possibly containing yeast -- such as milk (additives may have been used), vegetables with wax coating (may have been made from soy proteins), frozen vegetables (may have been packaged on the same equipment used for pastas and similar items), even balloons (which have a coating of powder on them that could contain corn syrup) or bug traps (might use grain-based substance in the lure.) Pots cleaned inside and out by boiling water in them, then putting in a hot brick to cause the bubbling water to cascade over the outside of the pot and clean it. Appliances like sinks, stoves, refrigerators scoured and left unused for 24 hours prior to the beginning of Passover. "Selling" all items that contain leavens/yeasts or items that came in contact with them to non-Jewish friends (for redemption after the holiday is over.) Though it may sound as if much effort is put into removing something that can never totally be eradicated, the purpose is to focus the family's heart and mind on the Passover and the way they've been commanded to behave. As with any faithful act, the heart is the key to its significance and success. 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        Info@iriscitycleaners.com 211 W Washington St. Mount Pleasant, IA 52641-2147 phone: (319) 385-9707 Privacy Policy/Terms of Service Copyright 2000-2005 by Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company.. You must obtain written permission to use any content on this page.