Siri Ved will share from her wealth of knowledge about the yogic diet, healing qualities of foods, the Kundalini Yogi’s approach to preparing food, and stories from. Sea urchin is the common name for various spiky echinoderms within the class Echinoidea, characterized by pentamerous radial symmetry; a hard calcareous shell, or. The effect of contact with a sea urchin. Sea urchins are a gastronomic delight when prepared properly, but a cutaneous torture when stepped on unprepared.
How to Eat Jack Fruit. Last weekend at the Asia market I spied huge wedges of jack fruit on display. I’ve seen jack fruit in markets, and I’ve enjoyed jack fruit desserts in restaurants, but had never tackled eating it fresh before. I’ve been a little intimidated by its ginormous size and hard spiky shell, something reminiscent of a poisonous gigantic sea urchin or some kind of alien landmine. But, already cut in quarters, and sealed in plastic wrap, it looked a little bit like a very elongated pineapple and actually a little friendly. I popped a nice one, about 2. The checkout lady somehow figured out (was I that obvious a novice?) that I’d never handled this fruit before, and gave me a few tips. Mainly, to oil my hands or wear gloves when handling it. Not because of the spikes, but because the inside of the fruit, especially the white fibrous part and core, is very sticky and resinous, and this stickiness does not wash off easily even with soap. She said these were ripe and perfect to eat. The skin was brownish (unlike the green one in the photo above), indicating its ripeness, and it smelled lusciously sweet. The Banded Longspine Urchin, also known as the Longspined Urchin or Hatpin Urchin, has a black central body with long, sharp spines, sometimes reaching 9 inches in. The green ones shouldn’t be eaten raw, and must be cooked. This way they are laxative and tasty, but raw will cause stomach upset. Also, she reminded me, the spiky skin of a jack fruit softens when they are ripe and there is no discomfort handling them (she was right). Jack fruit varies in shape and size, depending on where in the “tropics” it’s grown, ranging from round to oblong, and from a few pounds to as much as 5. Jack fruit trees are also prolific, bearing anywhere form 5. The next morning I excitedly tackled Jack, first giving my hands a generous coating of coconut oil. Since it was already cut open, all I had to do in order to remove the core was take a sharp paring knife and run it down at an angle along each side of the spine, and it pulled right out. The core is pretty solid and woody, easily identified, and came out in one long piece. The next task was to separate the fruit pods from the white fibrous stuff separating them. These mostly pulled free easily just giving a gentle tug with my fingers. With some I used my paring knife to loosen it up, then pulling off any remaining white stringy parts. This was also a pretty easy task. By the way, here are a few nutritional facts about jack fruit. While it is full of fiber (and known to help maintain good digestion) it is not fibrous. The texture is similar to papaya. Jackfruit is high in anti- oxidants/vitamin C, B- complex vitamins, potassium, calcium and iron. Inside each fruit pod you will find a seed. Some were already exposed because I’d purchased a pre- cut quarter of jack fruit, and the seeds were easy to pop out. For the others, I could either squeeze out the sides or use my knife to cut open the flesh a little to pop it out. Just a little time consuming. I think with a little practice I will develop better technique and it would go more quickly. The jack fruit’s seeds are edible too, if cooked, and can be used similar to how you would use chestnuts. They are high in protein too. I took all the seeds and boiled them for about 2. The skins split and turned sort of whitish. When they were cooled, I peeled off the outer layer and they looked sort of remotely like, well, chestnuts. See the nice all- brown one below. They are pretty bland and starchy tasting. I did not feel like experimenting further at this point, since my mind was really on eating the jack fruit, not the seeds. But I think these would go great in a holiday type stuffing (you can freeze the cooked seeds, or dry the raw seeds to cook later), in curry, a soup or stew. I’ll bet you could also roast them, and use them in recipes that way, or try spicing them up a little and making a sort of munchy snack. Next time I buy jack fruit (and there will be a next time) I’m going to save the seeds and have fun playing with possibilities. But, back to eating the fruit! I thought the leftover and non- edible parts of the jack fruit looked beautiful. I also thought the edible part looked so good I couldn’t wait another minute. After eating at least 5 or 6 pods on the sly, I decided it was time for breakfast. My husband and I each enjoyed a bowlful of jack fruit with a sprinkling of blueberries and homemade yogurt. Simple, and simply delicious! The fruit is very sweet, with its flavor somewhere between pineapple and ripe banana. There was enough leftover for later, so I put those in an airtight container in the fridge. They were just as spectacular the next day! Sea urchin - New World Encyclopedia. Sea urchin is the common name for various spiky echinoderms within the class Echinoidea, characterized by pentamerous radial symmetry; a hard calcareous shell, or test, made of regularly arranged, tightly fused plates through which rows of slender, extensible tube feet extend; movable spines covering the shell; and a mouth on the lower side, facing the substratum, with a complex chewing structure composed of five jaws (Aristotle's lantern). In a more general sense of the term, sea urchin sometimes is used as the common name for all members of Echinoidea. However, more specifically, it is used to refer to the . The term sea urchin, thus, does not normally include the pencil urchins in subclass Perishoechinoidea, nor the . The later tend to be characterized by a secondary bilateral symmetry and a more flattened and oval test, with very short spines, and with the anus either posterior or on the oral surface. Sea urchins are found in oceans all over the world. They play an important role in marine food chains, consuming algae and various invertebrates, and being consumed by crabs, sea stars, fishes, mammals, and birds. When predators such as sea otters disappear from the ecosystem, the unchecked sea urchins can devastate their environment, making an . Their roe and gonads are frequently consumed raw, or briefly cooked, with species such as the red sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus francis- canus), green urchin (S. They are a frequent model organism for developmental and immunological studies. Overview and description. Sea urchins are members of the phylum Echinodermata, which also includes starfish, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, and crinoids. Like other echinoderms they have fivefold symmetry (called pentamerism) and move by means of hundreds of tiny, transparent, adhesive . It is divided into two subclasses: Perischoechnoidea, which includes the pencil urchins (or slate- pencil urchins, with very thick, blunt spines), and Euechinoidea, which are the . The true echinoids, in term, are divided into two groups: Regular echinoids (or regular urchins), which contain the sea urchins, and irregular echinoids (irregular urchins), which contain the heart urchins, sand dollars, and sea biscuits. All of these have fivefold radial symmetry (pentamerism), but the irregular urchins have secondary bilateral symmetry, with a front and back as well as a top and bottom. Also, while in the regular echinoids the anus is located in the center of the aboral surface (opposite to the mouth, on the dorsal surface), in the irregular echinoids the anus is either posterior or on the oral surface (Follo and Fautin 2. Freeman 2. 00. 4). Sea urchins tend to be small, globular, and have their soft internal organs protected by a hard, internal, calcite shell, or test, made of plates (calcitic ossicles) fitting closely together and located under the skin. Their test is round and spiny, typically from 3 to 1. It tends to be arched on the aboral side (dorsal) and flat or concave on the oral side (ventral). Common colors include black and dull shades of green, olive, brown, purple, and red. All sea urchins (indeed all echinoids) are covered by movable spines. These spines are attached to regularly arranged tubercles, which in turn are attached to the test. The spines, which in some species are long and sharp, serve to protect the urchin from predators and aid the tube feet in locomotion and digging. The spines can inflict a painful wound on a human who steps on one, but they are not seriously dangerous, and it is not clear that the spines are truly venomous. Typical sea urchins have spines that are 1 to 3 centimeters in length, 1 to 2 millimeters thick, and not terribly sharp. Diadema antillarum, familiar in the Caribbean, has thin, potentially dangerous spines that can be 1. Some sea urchins also have pedicellariae between the spines, which are tiny, pincer- like structures that also can be used in defense, or for removal of unwanted parasites, detritus, or microorganisms (Freeman 2. In some species the pedicellaria are venomous. The test of sea urchins are pierced by pores through which extend tube feet, which are connected to the water- vascular system. These are known primarily for locomotion, but also are used to trap food, adhere to the substrate, and on the aboral side for respiration and sensation. The tube feet are slender, often sucker- tipped, and extensible. On the oral surface of the sea urchin, facing the substratum, is a centrally located mouth made up of five united calcium carbonate teeth or jaws, with a fleshy tongue- like structure within. The entire chewing organ is known as Aristotle's lantern, which name comes from Aristotle's accurate description in his History of Animals. The urchin has, also, five hollow teeth inside, and in the middle of these teeth a fleshy substance serving the office of a tongue. Next to this comes the esophagus, and then the stomach, divided into five parts, and filled with excretion, all the five parts uniting at the anal vent, where the shell is perforated for an outlet. D'Arcy Thompson). Sea urchins have five pairs of gonads, whereas the irregular echinoids have between two and five (Freeman 2. The name urchin is an old name for the round spiny hedgehogs that sea urchins resemble. Behavior, diet, and ecology. Sea urchins move slowly, with many species feeding mostly on algae. At first glance, a sea urchin often appears sessile, in other words, incapable of moving. Sometimes the most visible sign of life is the spines, which are attached at their bases to ball- and- socket joints and can be pointed in any direction. In most urchins, a light touch elicits a prompt and visible reaction from the spines, which converge toward the point that has been touched. A sea urchin has no visible eyes, legs, or means of propulsion, but it can move freely over surfaces by means of its adhesive tube feet, working in conjunction with its spines. Sea urchins feed on algae, sea grasses, seaweeds, and a wide range of invertebrates, such as mussels, sponges, brittle stars and crinoids. Sea urchins are eaten by crabs, lobsters, sea stars, fish, birds, otters, and other mammals (Folo and Fautin 2. Sea urchin is one of the favorite foods of sea otters and are also the main source of nutrition for wolf eels. Left unchecked, urchins will devastate their environment, creating what biologists call an urchin barren, devoid of macroalgae and associated fauna. Where sea otters have been re- introduced into British Columbia, the health of the coastal ecosystem has improved dramatically (FOC 2. Geologic history. The earliest known echinoids are found in the rock of the upper part of the Ordovician period (c 4. MYA), and they have survived to the present day, where they are a successful and diverse group of organisms. In well- preserved specimens, the spines may be present, but usually only the test is found. Sometimes isolated spines are common as fossils. Some echinoids (such as Tylocidaris clavigera, which is found in the Cretaceous period Chalk Formation of England) had very heavy club- shaped spines that would be difficult for an attacking predator to break through and make the echinoid awkward to handle. Such spines are also good for walking on the soft sea- floor. Complete fossil echinoids from the Paleozoic era are generally rare, usually consisting of isolated spines and small clusters of scattered plates from crushed individuals. Most specimens occur in rocks from the Devonian and Carboniferous periods. The shallow water limestones from the Ordovician and Silurian periods of Estonia are famous for the echinoids found there. The Paleozoic echinoids probably inhabited relatively quiet waters. Because of their thin test, they would certainly not have survived in the turbulent wave- battered coastal waters inhabited by many modern echinoids today. During the upper part of the Carboniferous period, there was a marked decline in echinoid diversity, and this trend continued into the Permian period. They neared extinction at the end of the Paleozoic era, with just six species known from the Permian period. Only two separate lineages survived the massive extinction of this period and into the Triassic: The genus Miocidaris, which gave rise to the modern cidaroids (pencil urchins), and the ancestor that gave rise to the euechinoids. By the upper part of the Triassic period, their numbers began to increase again. The cidaroids have changed very little since their modern design was established in the Late Triassic and are today considered more or less as living fossils. From them emerged the first irregular echinoids (superorder Atelostomata) during the early Jurassic, and when including the other superorder (Gnathostomata) or irregular urchins which evolved independently later, they now represent 4. During the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, the echinoids flourished. While most echinoid fossils are restricted to certain localities and formations, where they do occur, they are quite often abundant. An example of this is Enallaster, which may be collected by the thousands in certain outcrops of limestone from the Cretaceous period in Texas. Many fossils of the Late Jurassic. Plesiocidaris still have the spines attached. Some echinoids, such as Micraster which is found in the Cretaceous period Chalk Formation of England and France, serve as zone or index fossils. Because they evolved rapidly over time, such fossils are useful in enabling geologists to date the rocks in which they are found. However, most echinoids are not abundant enough and may be too limited in their geographic distribution to serve as zone fossils. In the early Tertiary (c. MYA), sand dollars (order Clypeasteroida) arose. Their distinctive flattened test and tiny spines were adapted to life on or under loose sand. They form the newest branch on the echinoid tree. Model organism. Sea urchins are one of the traditional model organisms in developmental biology. The use of sea urchins in this context originates from the 1.
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