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Banana snack industry goes stale

Not so long ago, the Central Java town of Majenang was famous for being the home of sale pisang, a unique snack made with bananas, but recently the market changed and the local snack industry faded to a fraction of its former success. Majenang, one of 23 districts in Cilacap regency in the far west of the province - bordering with Banjar and Ciamis regencies in West Java - has about 30 small factories producing the snack. Before the 1998 economic crisis, there were around 100 such producers, leading Cilacap administration to come up with the idea of making the snack the icon of Majenang. But with the crisis, the plan hit snags and many cottage industries were forced out of business. More than a decade later, the situation has yet to improve. "Before the crisis I could sell 2 or 3 tons of fried banana sweets to Jakarta. But things are difficult now," Yayat, a 61-year-old sale pisang business owner, told The Jakarta Post in Majenang. Today, Yayat produces only about 200 kilograms of sale pisang a month, and 99 percent of this is sold in Majenang. The snacks are sold in 250-gram packages, each costing around Rp 25,000 (US$2). Another snack producer, Juremi, said that before the crisis she could send 2 tons of sale pisang to Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya each month. "Now we only sell sale pisang for the local market," the 60-year-old said. Juremi said most of the snack producers were struggling to survive. "What's important is that business survives. If there are buyers in the city, that's enough. Sometimes we get an order from outside the city, but this is unreliable," she said. "Once, a distributor from outside the city wanted to place an order, but the price he offered was too low to cover our production costs. Rather than suffering losses, we preferred not to take it." Making sale pisang does not take long. Ripe bananas are cut into slices and dried in the sun. "If the sun is bright, the bananas will dry out in two days. But in a rainy season like this, it takes about four days," Juremi said. The dried bananas are then smeared with flour and deep-fried. After being drained, the banana chips are ready to be packaged and sold. The sale pisang business has supported many, including farmers and traders who sell raw bananas to cottage industries in Majenang, as well as banana snack makers such as Juremi and Yayat, and the vendors. Majenang district head, Heru Susedyo, said he was aware of the stagnant business situation. "Sale pisang was once so popular that the Cilacap administration planned to make it the icon of Majenang city, but the plan could not be realized because sales keep decreasing." http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/06/

Thursday, 1 January 2009

how to make banana bread

When cooking gourmet coffee, it is important to combine several factors that will make your cup of coffee a dreamy blend of flavor. Gurme coffee and of itself beautiful, but even better when made a certain way.

Before starting, be sure to select only the best gourmet coffee beans. Look for your favorite coffee or marks sample of several new types of coffee. If you visit the online gourmet coffee retailers, you can try many types of coffee beans imported from places in the world, South America, Central America, Africa, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and northern Scotland. You can also save money by finding an online store that offers high quality discount coffee beans. Determine how you coffee - whether you want ground or whole bean coffee selections. Many retailers allow you to order gourmet coffee two ways.

Still entitled Method of Water

The type of water you use to cook gourmet coffee can make all the difference in their flavor. Tap water, which is a strong, unpleasant smell or taste may adversely affect coffee flavor. Remember that your taste buds will be more sensitive when drinking a hot drink like coffee, so you'll be able to detect any unpleasant kind, caused by water. Refusal of bottled water instead, but to avoid distilled water as it does not have an adequate level of dissolved minerals that are necessary to give fresh coffee taste.

Even with the right quality of water, be sure to appreciate the coffee / water ratio in an appropriate manner. For optimal results, use a tablespoon ground two hours coffee six hours ounces water (or 3 / 4 cup water). This ratio produces a strong, rich gourmet coffee while using only one spoonful will produce weak coffee. Another way to reduce the power of coffee is a dilution of coffee with a little water after it was produced.

Order of fresh coffee beans

Whether gourmet coffee ordering online or purchase in a store nearby, make sure the coffee is fresh roasted. Absolutely the best time for the production of coffee is within 12 to 24 hours of being roasted. Some Internet coffee roasters will ship your coffee beans the same day are baked beans, giving you the ultimate freshness. If you plan to grind your own beans, be sure to wait until just before you plan to brew coffee. Freshness of coffee beans will start to decline after coffee beans were ground.

Gurme grind your own coffee beans

How to grind coffee beans will also make a difference in coffee processing. It is important to know what type of grinding, you'll need, whether fine or coarser grind. Fine grind works best with drip method of brewing a coarse grind works well if you use a French press. If you want a fine grind, then a common inexpensive blade grinder would be enough. In the French press brewing, use a burr grinder.

Gurme coffee also best when guests produced by clean technique. Coffee makers can build minerals, fats and balances over time. They will dissolve coffee flavor and power and hinder how well the equipment functions. Look brushes to clean and safe solutions for your coffee maker and clean it often if you cook often.

When shopping online gourmet coffee, do not forget to try all the roaster has to offer. There are many flavored coffees today, including blends chocolate, hazelnut, banana nut fudge, pecan, almond raspberry, cinnamon, vanilla, biscuits and cream, creme brulee, English caramel, ginger bread, English toffee, etc. You can also try Some espresso blends such as Italian espresso, Italian espresso, and Vienna roast blend. Go online today to find coffee, gourmet who excites your taste buds. You will never return to ulterior coffee you have tasted the best!

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