Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac:
Published Friday November 28th, 2008
What is St. John's bread?
Dec. 1, Monday — St. Andrew. Conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon. The temperature at Kipp, Montana, rose 80 degrees over the course of the day, 1896.
Dec. 2, Tuesday — St. Viviana. Moon at ascending node. A late-season tornado killed four people in Illinois, 1950. Tennis player Monica Seles born, 1973.
Dec. 3, Wednesday — Conjunction of Neptune and the Moon. Oberlin College, the first college to admit women, founded in Oberlin, Ohio, 1833.
Dec. 4, Thursday — First television appearance of Marcel Marceau, 1955. Musician Frank Zappa died, 1993. Lending money to a man causes him to lose his memory.
Dec. 5, Friday — First quarter Moon. Conjunction of Mars and the Sun. The American League for Physical Culture formed, 1929.
Dec. 6, Saturday — St. Nicholas. Moon on equator. Conjunction of Uranus and the Moon. Actress Agnes Moorehead born, 1906.
Dec. 7, Sunday — Second Sunday of Advent. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Baseball player Johnny Bench born, 1947.
Better than chocolate?
Q: Have you ever heard of St. John's bread? I think it's a chocolate substitute.
— M.M., Eugene, Oreg.
A: Better known as carob, St. John's bread is the dried, roasted pulp that comes from the tropical carob tree, native to the Mediterranean. The tree is a relative of the pea family, and bears leguminous fruits. You may also hear it called locust bean, in reference to the long pods that dangle from the tree. Carob is a dried powder, ground from the roasted pulp, but you may find it (in health food or specialty food stores) shaped into "chocolate" chips for ease of use. It's commonly substituted for chocolate, or sometimes even for the coffee bean, and it's considered healthier than either because it has no caffeine, is naturally sweet, and is low in fat.
No one would argue that carob actually tastes like either good coffee or good chocolate. It lacks the characteristic bitterness, and some people complain that it has a "dusty," almost stale aftertaste. For a touch of melted sweet chip in your oatmeal cookie, however, it offers a respectable alternative, as long as you're not anticipating the real thing.
As a natural remedy for diarrhea, carob powder is often suggested as a mild first step. A teaspoon of the powdered form can be mixed with apple juice or apple sauce for children, or given to pets in their food, and continued at each meal until symptoms abate. Too much carob, however, can cause constipation. As always, it's best to check with your health practitioner about any condition that persists or worsens.
Hot flashes
Q: Are there any natural remedies for hot flashes?
— H.S., Topeka, Kans.
A: Hot flashes, experienced by about 80 per cent of women entering menopause, can be triggered by various stresses, including caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, an overly warm room or other factors. Relaxation techniques are sometimes helpful (yoga, deep breathing, etc.), aromatherapy can be effective, or a physical routine of wearing layered, cotton or linen clothing can be helpful in a strictly practical way.
Some women find that vitamin E (about 800/mg a day is often the recommended dose), soy products, or black cohosh can be helpful. Each of these has some natural hormone replacement ability. An herbalist or trained naturopath can help guide you.
Hummingbird eggs
Q: What color are hummingbird eggs?
— J. D., Orlando, Fla.
A: The eggs of the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) are white. Out of the 500 or so hummingbird species that range from Argentina to Canada, the ruby-throated is the only one found east of the Mississippi River. They generally lay two white eggs in a nest built from soft materials such as mosses and spider webs. You have to have keen eyes to spot the nest, however — it's about the size of a walnut shell. The bird is the smallest in North America and flies at speeds clocked at up to 60 miles per hour. In its hovering mode, the hummer's wings beat up to 55 times a second — almost too fast to believe, and more vibration than flap.
Often the best way to spot hummingbirds is to listen for them. The rapid beating of their wings makes an unmistakable buzz, louder than the noise of the largest bee. Hummingbird wings move so fast, all you can see is a blur of motion. Some observers have been tricked into thinking the hummer has two sets of wings, instead of just one. Like a helicopter, hummingbirds can hover, seemingly effortlessly, and they delight in flying forward or backward with equal agility. A rare treat is to observe a hummingbird at play, flying in trapeze-like pendulum swings for no apparent reason. Courtship? Self-defense? Or sheer aeronautical delight?
The Old Farmer's Almanac Weekly Riddle
Q: Where do fish sleep?
A: In a riverbed.
Send your questions to: Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac, P.O. Box 520, Dublin, NH 03444. Visit our "Question of the Day" section at Almanac.com for more advice.
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