Taipei, Feb. 8 (CNA) A random test late last year found 36 types of pesticide residue, 20 of which are considered "virulent," in freshproduce sold in stores, an environmental protection group saidWednesday.

The Taipei office of Greenpeace, an international environmental group, said it randomly checked 58 types of commonly consumed vegetables and fruit sold in eight retail and wholesale chains in December 2011, and found traces of 36 types of pesticide on the products.

Of the 36 types, 20 of them were considered to be virulently toxic or to have reproductive toxicity or negative effect on pollination, Greenpeace said. In addition, leeks sold in a Carrefour store in Yilan County were found to contain 2.7 ppm of carbendazim, a type of pesticide that carries reproductive toxicity, exceeding the legal limit of 1 ppm, it said.

Pesticide that is banned in Taiwan was found in produce sold in three stores, including leaf mustard sold in a Fe-amart outlet in Hualien, jujubes sold in a Sungching store in Taipei and leeks sold in a Wellcome outlet in Taipei, it added.

The group said Chinese cabbages sold in an RT-Mart in Taipei were found to contain six types of pesticide. Others that failed the test included grapes sold in a Sungching store in Taipei, lettuce sold in a Wellcome outlet in Taipei and wax apples in a Hualien Fe-amart outlet.

The stores said they had already removed substandard produce fromstore shelves and had told providers to show pesticide test reports before their products could be put back on shelves.

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Israel's winter rains are still going strong, and the trees are thrilled about it. The flowers are blooming, the fruit bursting through, and Israel is gearing up to celebrate Tu Bishvat, the Jewish Arbor Day.

Just like every Jewish holiday, Tu Bishvat is about food. It's traditional to hold a seder for this holiday – similar to the festive Passover meal - complete with the four cups of wine, but with a focus on the fruits and nuts native to Israel. Restaurants across Israel are already preparing to greet Tu Bishvat, which begins Tuesday at sundown, and many have whipped up a special feast just for the occasion. Here are a few of our favorite options.

All specials are being offered on Wednesday, February 8.

The Hataim Metukim (Sweet Sins) sweet shop, in the heart of Tel Aviv's Neve Tsedek neighborhood, will offer a Tu Bishvat-themed brunch every Friday over the course of February. Eat all you want at this hedonistic meal: heap your plate with a rich bulgur-wheat salad containing cranberries, walnuts, and dried fruit, or grab a taste of the cookies and pastries baked specially for this holiday (phyllo pastries with dates and nuts, apricot and fig cookies, and banana chocolate cake are just some of the sinful sweets available!)

Shabazi 67, Neve Tsedek, Tel Aviv

The bistro-bar CENA, on Tel Aviv's Montefiore Street, has cooked up a seven-course meal in honor of Tu Bishvat, with a menu based on the best local fruits, including apricots, figs, oranges, almonds, pears, and a bottomless pitcher of Sangria! Fill your belly on an herb salad with cashews and dried cranberries; bruschetta topped with spring chicken marinated in an apricot/chicken broth; the chicken liver tart with caramelized figs and goat cheese; shrimp steeped in orange butter and topped with flakes of Saint Mor cheese, almonds and croutons. Finish your meal off with chocolate-almonds muffins, or 'drunk' pear mixed with an assortment of nuts, or maybe the lavender cookies and a cup o' joe.

Montefiore 42, Tel Aviv

Montefiore 7, an acclaimed chef's restaurant also located on Tel Aviv's Montefiore Street, is offering a robust menu in honor of the holiday. Special dishes include cream of potato soup with purple carrot, served with a side of hot chestnuts for you to peel on the spot; seared red tuna with wild pansy blossoms and pistachios; beet meringue with a cream of lavender, lemon, endive, yogurt and dried figs; and the best of Israel's cheeses with dried fruit.
Montefiore 7, Tel Aviv

If you want to get out of the city, celebrate the holiday at Meshek Barzilay in Moshav Yarkona, and bring your kids, because this is the perfect chance for them to learn how to plant a tree and tour the blossoming green gardens and orchards. But first, you have to eat! Try the fruit and nut granola, the garden calzone, the spinach salad with citrus fruit and avocado, the root vegetable stew, beet carpaccio and more.

Moshav Yarkona

If you're in Jerusalem for the holiday, check out the kosher Scala restaurant, in the David Citadel Hotel. Order culinary delights from the regular menu, or try the array of special dishes cooked in the spirit of Tu Bishvat: Slow-cooked Lamb Osso Bucco, with pumpkin, black prunes and sweet spices; pan-seared chicken breast with thyme, onion marmalade and brandy, chestnuts and dates in a chicken stock; goose liver cutlet with caramelized green apples, chestnuts and moist dates; caramelized bananas with hazelnuts; and a chopped dried fruit salad in wine.

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For banana fans, our taste.com.au website has constant traffic checking out recipes for the humble fruit. Banana bread and banana cake are both in the top 10 searches just about all year round. Sally Pearson is one such fan. The Olympic sprinter has been a banana-lover since she was a toddler and recalls coming home famished from her gym class.

"I used to do gymnastics, from when I was four years old until I was about eight, and I used to have really hard sessions and I'd come home and I'd eat about five bananas in a row, straight up," she says. "I'm not exaggerating at all."Since then, bananas have been on the menu for the Olympic gold medal winner.

"My coach says they are the athlete's food because they are the best things for us in between (meals) and in between training," she says. "They are one of the best foods because it is so good for you and easily digestible."

Sally sticks to a healthy diet that includes banana on cereals or in smoothies or straight out of their skin. At the moment she has a constant supply of banana bread, baked by a friend.

Mission Beach banana growers Naomi Brownrigg and her sister, Linda Sellers, are leading the pack in bringing bananas back after Cyclone Yasi wiped out 75 per cent of Australia's total supplies and have begun harvesting their first crop, which took 12 months to recover from the cyclone.

"They are fantastic for you. They are easy to eat. They are good for young people and old people and all the way through. A lot of people eat a banana a day for their heart because of the potassium. For babies it's a first food," Naomi says from the packing shed of the Sellers' 24ha property.

While harvest continues the whole year, prices at the end of 2012 should be great for consumers, says Banana Growers Council chairman and second-generation grower Doug Phillips.

"The first bunch of bananas I got back after Cyclone Larry, I ripened them up and got them in and my son was only about six or seven and he ate 11 bananas on the first day. It slowed him down after that," he says.
--

Shop Wise
THE most common banana varieties grown in Australia are the cavendish the Eco with its red-waxed tip is an organic form of cavendish and the lady finger.

Cavendish account for 90-95 per cent of the market and 80 per cent of that is grown in tropical Far North Queensland, where they grow big and fast. The remainder come from South-East Queensland, the NSW North Coast and Carnarvon in Western Australia.

Due to the cooler climate of the subtropics, bananas grow slower, develop a fuller sweeter flavour and tend to be smaller than those from the tropics. In a typical year, 23 million cartons of bananas are produced at 13kg a carton.

Coles has sold 5,513,923kg more than 5500 tonnes of bananas since Boxing Day and estimates have Australians eating 100 bananas a person each year.

Bananas are at their best in summer and autumn. Look closely for firm fruit that has unblemished skin. Store them at room temperature and keep out of direct sunlight. Keep bananas away from avocados, apples and other fruits that release ethylene gas, which accelerates ripening of other nearby fruits.

Bananas are high in natural fruit sugars, vitamins B6 and C, and potassium, and are fat-free.
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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe: Michelle Southan, Gemma Purcell
Serves 8
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Skills needed: Basic

You will need:

Melted butter, to grease
125g butter, at room temperature
315g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
1 1/4 cups mashed overripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
100ml buttermilk
225g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 banana, extra, to decorate
Fresh lemon juice, to brush
Cream-cheese frosting
125g cream cheese, at room temperature
50g unsalted butter
230g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar mixture
1 1/2 tsp buttermilk
--
 
Preheat oven to 180C. Brush a round 20cm (base measure-ment) cake pan with melted butter to grease.
Line the base and side of the pan with non-stick baking paper.
Place the butter, sugar, banana, eggs and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor, and process for 2 minutes or until well combined.
Add the buttermilk and process until combined.
Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda, and process until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Shake the pan to settle the mixture.
Bake in oven for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes to cool slightly, before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the cream cheese frosting, use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl until well combined.
Add the icing sugar and beat until well combined. Add the buttermilk and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy.
Place the cake on a serving plate. Spread the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake.
Peel and thinly slice the extra banana.
Lightly brush 1 side of each slice of banana with lemon juice.
Arrange the banana slices, lemon juice side up, around the edge of the frosting to serve.
--
Blueberry Banana Bread

Serves 12 Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Skills needed: Basic-intermediate

You will need:

Melted butter, to grease
265g (1 3/4 cups) self-raising flour
40g ( 1/4 cup) plain flour
140g ( 2/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
195g ( 3/4 cup) mashed overripe banana
125ml ( 1/2 cup) reduced-fat milk
2 eggs, lightly whisked
50g butter, melted, cooled
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 x 125g punnets blueberries
--

Preheat oven to 180C. Brush a 20 x 10cm (base measurement) loaf pan with melted butter to lightly grease.
Line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
Sift the combined flour into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar. Combine the banana, milk,
egg, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl.
Add the banana mixture and blueberries to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
Bake in oven, covering with foil if necessary to prevent overbrowning, for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Set aside in the pan for 5 minutes to cool before turning on to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cut into slices and toast, if desired. Serve with lemon curd.
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taste.com.au's Facebook friends share their favourite ways of cooking with bananas:

Anything with banana  it is my favourite herb masquerading as a fruit.
Banoffee pie is great, choc, hazlenut and banana meringue. banana pancakes.
Or choco-coated frozen bananas
Rachel Summers

Bacon, banana and cheese open toasted sangas!
- Kylie Williams
 
Banana Surprise. Banana cut lengthways, Mars Bar in between, wrapped in foil, cook on campfire coals, and eat with a fork. So good.
- Nikki Paff

Dumplings, in an orange caramel sauce, in a deep frypan  I experimented one night &
it was a HIT!! A dollop of whipped vanilla cream doesn't go astray either.
- Vince Koster
 
Banana and chocolate spring rolls with vanilla ice cream.
- Silvana Gutierrez

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Watermelons are more useful than they might seem at first glance. You can even use them to stimulate your erection. Watermelon has always been known as a fruit which improves the immune system. Now scientists even claim that ingredients in watermelon have the same basic effect as the magical pill for men – Viagra.

Watermelon instead of Viagra
According to the latest studies, watermelon has more beneficial effects than it was first thought by scientists. Dr. Patel, director of the Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Centre in Texas, said the following about studying watermelons: “The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in providing natural enhancers to the human body. We`ve always known that watermelon is good for you, but the list of its very important health benefits grows longer with each study.”

What are the similarities between watermelon and Viagra?
Watermelon and other fruits and vegetables are known for containing high concentrations of phyto-nutrients that are able to react with the human body to trigger healthy reactions. Citrulline is one of the numerous nutrients in watermelon. Its beneficial effects have not yet been fully studied, but it can relax blood vessels, much like Viagra does, and thus treat or maybe even prevent erectile dysfunction. Citrulline is converted to an amino acid called arginine which is known for improving heart health, blood circulation and the immune system. While there are many psychological problems that can cause impotence, arginine helps those who need increased blood flow.

Watermelon is not as effective as Viagra, but it is definitely a great way to relax blood vessels without any side effects. However, these are not its only advantages. It is also a great way to treat problems with passing urine because it helps remove ammoniac and other toxins from our body.

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KARACHI: Following massive upward revision in the rates of diesel and petroleum related products announced by the government, an increase ranging from 25 to 30 percent is likely in prices of all kinds of vegetables and fruits in the wholesale and retail markets of Karachi during the next few days.

Vegetables and fruits consumption of around 20 million population of Karachi is catered through supply from Sindh nterior, Balochistan and areas of Punjab province bordering Sindh.

Approximately around 14 to 15 thousand tonnes of fruits and vegetables arrive Karachi Subzi Mandi, on Super Highway via 700 to 800 truckloads providing around 100,000 of the population to earn their livelihood through this trade.

However, the unjustified upward revision in the prices of petroleum products especially diesel, which is used by majority of transporters, may spell adverse consequences as far as rates of all vegetables and fruits are concerned.

Rates of onion, garlic, ginger, green chilies were already on higher side and with the latest surge in prices of petroleum products without any significant increase in their rates in the international markets, may spell serious financial hardship for poor segment of the population.

Haji Shahjahan, President Wholesale Vegetable Welfare Association, Subzi Mandi Karachi termed the increase in fruit and vegetable prices as a sequel of upward revision in prices of petroleum products.

There would be double edge increase for consumers of Karachi as not only transporters from across the country would enhance their transportation charges but the owners of Suzuki and other modes of transport which carry vegetables and fruits from Subzi Mandi to different areas of Karachi would pursue the similar line of action.

Owners of heavy trawlers and trucks which carry large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables from across the country to Karachi would now charge 20 to 25 percent higher rates which would only add to the already high prices of vegetables and fruits.

He claimed after persistent higher rates of onion in the wholesale markets which was available to consumers at exorbitant price of Rs 35 to Rs 40 per kg and at retail level Rs 45 to Rs 50 per kg, there were hopes that its prices would dip from the first week of February in the wake of large scale import from India.

He said from now on almost all fresh vegetables would be available to consumers at such rates, which would be a burden on their pockets compelling them to divert their income earmarked for other expenditures.

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Want to stave off bowel cancer? Make sure that your daily diet is packed with fruit and vegetables, recommends a new study. This is because researchers in South Korea say that a potent super-nutrient found in a range of everyday healthy foods can block the way cancer cells communicate and instruct cells to grow and spread.

They have found that the flavonoid, called luteolin, found in foods such as celery, green pepper, thyme, chamomile tea, carrots, olive oil, peppermint, rosemary, navel oranges and oregano, can halt cancer spread, the 'Daily Express' said.

The findings show that luteolin inhibits the activity of cell signal pathways which lead to the growth of colon cancer cells. And, according to the researchers, this could pave the way for development of new treatments to tackle bowel cancer.

Luteolin has been shown in laboratory tests to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. Previous studies looking at the causes of cancer had failed to pick up the positive effect luteolin can give. But, now researchers have discovered that the flavonoid is able to stop the colon cancer cells secreting a so-called pathway receptor.

Professor Jung Han Yoon Park, who led the study, said: "Blocking these pathways stops cancer cells from dividing and leads to cell death. Our study, showing that luteolin interferes with cell signalling in colon cancer cells, is a step forward in understanding how this flavonoid works."Experts have welcomed the findings published in the 'BMC Gastroenterology' journal.

Dr Joanna Owens, science information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "This study is a really early exploratory step towards finding chemicals that could be used to develop cancer-preventing drugs. Fruits and vegetables contain many compounds that could help protect against cancer." PTI MOT

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A vital nutrient found in fruits and vegetables could help protect against colon cancer, which is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths in the western world. Luteolin is a flavonoid commonly found in fruit and vegetables. This compound has been shown in laboratory conditions to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties but results from epidemiological studies have been less certain.

New research showed that luteolin is able to inhibit the activity of cell signaling pathways (IGF and PI3K) important for the growth of cancer in colon cancer cells. Colon cancer cells have elevated levels of IGF-II compared to normal colon tissues. It is thought that this is part of the mechanism driving uncontrolled cell division and cancer growth.

Researchers from Korea showed that luteolin was able to block the secretion of IGF-II by colon cancer cells and within two hours decreased the amount of receptor (IGF-IR) precursor protein. Luteolin also reduced the amount of active receptor (measured by IGF-I dependent phosphorylation).

Luteolin inhibited the growth stimulatory effect of IGF-I and the team led by Prof Jung Han Yoon Park found that luteolin affected cell signaling pathways which are activated by IGF-I in cancer. “Luteolin reduced IGF-I-dependent activation of the cell signaling pathways PI3K, Akt, and ERK1/2 and CDC25c. Blocking these pathways stops cancer cells from dividing and leads to cell death,” Prof Jung Han Yoon Park said. “Our study, showing that luteolin interferes with cell signaling in colon cancer cells, is a step forward in understanding how this flavonoid works.

“A fuller understanding of the in vivo results is essential to determine how it might be developed into an effective chemopreventive agent,” Prof Park added. The study has been published in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Gastroenterology.

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South Woods Elementary School kindergarten students of Allyson (Ally) Baker have developed a love affair with fruit.

They’re also learning to eat healthy, exercise and be comfortable with who they are — values which paid off in a big way earlier this month when Del Monte Fresh Produce announced that Baker and her students were winners in the cash and fresh fruit international online contest, the “2nd Annual Teacher Monday: Cash for Classroom.”

The top prize included $750 in cash and $250 worth of fresh Del Monte fruit for her classroom. In addition, Baker reports Del Monte told her that a Third World Country school in either Asia or Africa receives a $1,000 cash prize.

The award is not only big for the school, but a personal triumph for Baker, who describes herself as “a proud survivor of anorexia nervosa.”South Woods won as the result of both Baker’s essay on how she would incorporate healthy eating messages into classroom lesson plans and through online votes from fans.

“I really feel that God’s put this on my heart, and I really wanted to enter this contest,” she said during a phone interview just after Del Monte’s announcement. She did admit to being nervous, because as a Title I school she didn’t know how the school would get enough votes. “But it really took off.”

Baker’s message was simple and to the point. “I am very passionate about Del Monte’s Teacher Monday program,” she wrote in her essay to Del Monte and “I am a firm believer in teaching students at a young age to love themselves, enjoy healthy food, love exercise and to love sweets in moderation.”

Referring in her essay to dealing with anorexia nervosa, she wrote that “the battle with this illness almost took my life, and I am so thankful to now be living healthy, whole and happy. As a result of struggling with this illness from a young age, I am very passionate about teaching kids to fall in love with WHO they are and to fall in love with healthy food.”

Success!

Her plan is working.

“I had never seen a whole pineapple,” student Hannah Roberts says. “Ms. Baker let me hold it, and it was heavy and pokey. And then Ms. Baker cut it up. We ate it in small square pieces!”

“I love fruit so much that I keep asking Ms. Baker to put some in the prize box,” was the response from Ja’Ki Singleton, and Alex Warring has decided: “Eating fruit is really fun. It helps my brain think better.”

The students discovered the joys of fruit in many ways, says their teacher. Beginning each day with time to wake up brain and body the students then go about learning. A mid-morning healthy snack allows them to recharge, and they so look forward to healthy snacks that “the students are often yelling ‘Is it snack time yet?’” Baker wrote in her essay to Del Monte.

Classroom instruction has included learning all about apples. “We have become apple experts,” Baker wrote. “I can blindfold any student in the class and put an apple in their hand, and they can figure out the color just by touch! We can also tell by the smell and the taste.”

Pumpkins were another topic during the fall, along with other healthy foods which were used to make Thanksgiving treats. The whole experience has been “really fun,” Baker said in her phone interview. “Every Friday for snack we do Fruity Friday,” with pineapple, grapes, nectarines. “It’s been really fun. Every Friday they beg ‘can I please have another?’”

Via her program Baker has accomplished just what the Del Monte program is all about.

It’s a program, Del Monte spokesperson Joanne Forster noted in a press release announcing the selection of South Woods “to help get school children across North America to make healthier eating choices. The program rewards kindergarten through 12th grade school teachers with cash to purchase school supplies and fresh fruit for classroom snacks. Over six weeks this fall, 60 teachers across the U.S. and Canada won.”

The fruit will continue to arrive at South Wood until May. Baker’s students have some wonderful ideas on ways to spend their $750 cash prize, adds Baker.

“They’re a whole list of funny things they want to buy,” Baker says, and some serious purchases. “We talked about a really big class world map,” The map would be especially helpful when the students learn what Third World Country is receiving the $1,000.

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This year's mild winter could lead to smaller crops of fruits in the autumn, potentially pushing up prices, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) warned today. The RHS said most hardy fruit plants need a period of cold weather during winter to encourage flowering and evidence from previous years suggests that without a "chilling period" crops are reduced. Blackcurrants, cherries and some types of apple have a particularly strong requirement for a cold period.

The society also warned that without a prolonged winter period plants will start growing earlier and could flower early, putting them at a greater risk from late frosts in April and early May. If they flower early, there may also be fewer pollinating insects to set the flowers, reducing the crop.

A mild winter could lead to rising prices of fruits next summer as the horticulture industry sees lower yields, the RHS suggested. Last year saw bumper crops of fruits such as apples, as a cold winter was followed by a spring with no late frosts and a warm summer which helped fruits develop.

Experts at the RHS said the current cold snap may help, but a colder and longer period of chilly weather stretching to a number of weeks would be better to prevent plants growing and flowering too early.

Jim Arbury, RHS fruit and trials specialist at the society's gardens at Wisley, Surrey, said: "We have already seen buds on the trees beginning to swell. "I noticed yesterday that two of our autumn-fruiting raspberries were flowering. This shouldn't be a problem as the canes will be cut to ground level in February.

"More worrying is that our blackberry cultivar 'Silvan' is also flowering and is therefore likely to have a reduced crop."And he said: "If gardeners have only one or two fruit brushes that have started filling their buds, these can be covered with some horticultural fleece or an old curtain if it looks like there is going to be frost overnight.

"But changing weather conditions is the challenge of gardening that gardeners have to accept. "No matter how much we tend our plants and control pests and diseases, we are still so dependent on the weather for abundant crops.

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Sunrise, Florida-based toy manufacturer Jazwares, which holds licenses for kids TV IP like Ben 10 and Beyblade, has turned to the apps space, picking up the master toy license for Fruit Ninja, the bestselling app from Australian developer Halfbrick Studios.

The deal will see Jazwares produce fruit figures, plush featuring ‘splat’ sound effects and slicing features, as well as bandanas and electronics with Fruit Ninja-themed headphones and speakers. The products will hit retail stores this spring.

Since debuting in April 2010 on the iPod Touch and iPhone platforms, Fruit Ninja has amassed more than 100 million downloads to date and was recently named one of the top 50 apps of 2011 by TIME. It’s currently available on five platforms including Xbox Kinect and Facebook.

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