court yard and fabulous types of gardens…

In the North African land of Morocco, every dar-dwelling, religious institution, or commercial building is organized around an interior… walled courtyard that provides privacy from the bustle of urban streets and an outdoor space for social interaction and tranquil meditation. Over the course of centuries, ornamental schemes have evolved to incorporate not only native plant life but also intricate water features and patterned tile work known as zellij, all of central significance to the Moroccan culture and climate.

Vitally important for providing shade and catching breezes in an arid landscape, Moroccan gardens are designed and cultivated with vibrant color and aromatic plants. Court yards and the gardens, author Achva Benzinberg Stein explores the three main types of gardens—the simple and elegant paved patio form of the ouest ed-dar, the more elaborately planted riyad, and the agdal, an open, cultivated landscape. Striking color photographs, including numerous aerial views, show gardens and courtyards in Marrakech, Fez, and elsewhere.

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INVESTIGATING “EGUSI”

Solomon Giwa, Luqman Chuah Abdullah and Nor Mariah Adam (Universiti Putra Malaysia) have published a paper investigating the potential of Egusi seed oil as a potential biodiesel feedstock.
Biodiesel’s acceptance as a substitute for fossil-derived diesel has grown the world over. However, the food-fuel debate over conventional vegetable oils has rekindled research interest in exploring lesser known and minor oil crops. In this work, egusi melon seed oil was studied for the first time as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. Crude egusi melon seed oil was transesterified using sodium methoxide as the catalyst at 60 °C and an oil/methanol ratio of 1:6 to produce its corresponding methyl esters. Egusi melon oil methyl ester (EMOME) yield was 82%. Gas chromatographic analysis of EMOME showed that it was composed mainly of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic esters, which is similar to the profile of sunflower, soybean and safflower oil. All the measured fuel properties of EMOME satisfied both the ASTM D6751 and the EN 14214 biodiesel standards. Fuel properties of EMOME were essentially identical with those of soybean, safflower and sunflower biodiesel. Remarkably, the kinematic viscosity of EMOME was measured to be 3.83 mm2/s, a value lower than most biodiesel fuels reported in the literature. The potential of egusi melon seed oil as a biodiesel feedstock is clearly presented in this study.
The major sources of the world’s energy needs are petroleum, coal and natural gases which are fossil-derived and non renewable. The world, at large, depends on petroleum as the energy source for the transportation sector. Scarcity of traditional petroleum fuels, its over-dependence by nations, increasing emissions of combustion-generated pollutants and their increasing costs have made renewable energy sources more attractive. The world petroleum reserves are finite in nature and declining fast, the production of oil will eventually slow down and plateau.
For over a century now, the use of vegetable oils such as soybean, palm, sunflower, peanut and olive oil as fuel substitutes for fossil-based diesel has been around, with the inventor of the diesel engine Rudolph Diesel being the first to test peanut oil in his compression ignition engine. Biodiesel, defined as the mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids obtained from renewable feedstock, such as vegetable oil or animal fats, for use in compression ignition engines . Recently, biodiesel has become more attractive because it is environmentally friendly, derived from renewable resources, biodegradable and non-toxic in nature. It can also be produced from any material that contains fatty acids, either linked to other molecules or present as free fatty acids. Thus, various vegetable fats and oils, animal fats, waste greases, and edible oil processing wastes can all be used as feedstocks for biodiesel production. Biodiesel which has been accepted as a possible substitute of conventional diesel fuel is produced from triglycerides by transesterification with methanol/ethanol and mainly in the presence of a catalyst.
Owing to their availability, various oils have been in use in different countries as feedstocks for biodiesel production. Rapeseed and sunflower oils in Europe, soybean oil in U.S., palm oil in Malaysia and Indonesia and coconut oil in Philippines are being used for biodiesel production. Also, the jatropha tree (Jatropha curcas), karanja (Pongamia pinnata) and mahua (M. indica) are used as major biodiesel fuel sources in India. In spite of this, biodiesel production from conventional vegetable oils (soybean, sunflower, safflower, palm, rapeseed etc.) has progressively stressed food uses, price, production and availability of these oils. Consequently, this has ignited the search for additional regional biodiesel raw materials. With 350 oil-bearing crops having been identified, recent studies on biodiesel from less common or unconventional oils include Moringa oleifera [4], Michelia champaca and Garcinia indica, pumpkin, sea mango and desert date oils.
Cucurbitaceae is a large plant family which consists of nearly 100 genera and 750 species. This plant family is known for its great genetic diversity and widespread adaptation which includes tropical and subtropical regions, arid deserts and temperate locations. Curcubits are known for their high protein and oil content. Seeds of cucurbits are sources of oils and protein with about 50% oil and up to 35 % protein [11]. Specifically for these reasons they are cultivated and consumed world over. “Egusi” (Citrullus colocynthis L.) belongs to the species of the genus Citrullus of cucurbitaceae family, which usually consists of a large number of varieties that are generally known as melons. Egusi (Citrullus colocynthis L.) is among the 300 species of melon found in tropical Africa and it is cultivated for its seeds, which are rich in oil (53%) and protein (28%). The regions of its cultivation are Middle East, West African (Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin) and other African countries for the food in the seeds and as a crop inter-planted with maize, cassava and yam. In Nigeria only, ‘‘egusi’’ is cultivated over an area of 361,000 ha with a production figure of 347,000 tonnes (as seeds) in 2002. It is used both as condiment and thickener in Nigerian local soup, and the industrial scale production of the oil yet to be utilized despite the huge potential. Various studies have reported predominantly high linoleic fatty acid content in egusi melon seed oils. Due to the unsaturated fatty acid composition of its oil, it was reported to resemble that of safflower, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, soybean and sesame oil.
Throughout this study, “egusi” (Citrullus colocynthis L.) has been referred to as “egusi melon” for proper identification and consistency with the literature. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the use of egusi melon seed oil (EMSO) as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. The fuel properties of the egusi melon oil methyl ester (EMOME) were determined and compared with biodiesel fuels from conventional vegetable oils.


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craftsman sewing basket

craftsman sewing basket esparto grass weaver from Spain
 
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Copyright: holbox

Keywords:
aged, antique, arrange, artisan, basket, basketry, beige, brown, closeup, craft, craftsman, culture, decor, design, detail, enea, esparto, fabric, fiber, fix, golden, grass, handcraft, handmade, hands, man, material, mending, natural, old, organic, pattern, people, rattan, reed, retro, rural, rustic, sewing, spain, straw, textile, texture, traditional, vegetal, vintage, wallpaper, weave, working, woven


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BALEARIC ISLANDS

BALEARIC ISLANDS

We put at your disposal very exclusive design baskets manufactured with esparto grass, rush, willow, scotch broom, pine cones, European fan palm, chestnut… which we’ve been creating in our Workshops during more than 60 years, including our know-how and experience in every product.

Eivissa (28.09.2009) Until the late 1970s the islet of S’Espartar was the source of the fibre, and where Ibizans went to gather this plant at the end of the summer, to make espardenyes (esparto-soled sandals), ropes, senalles senallons (esparto grass baskets), slings and all kinds of everyday utensils. The Institute of Ibizan Studies has organised an esparto grass workshop to be held on 3rd and 10th October to teach people about this traditional task. The first part of the workshop consists of a boat trip to the islet of S’Espartar, and the second one will be devoted to the manufacture of esparto products and learning the technique for making llata, the plaited base used for working with this product. 

native plant for morocco

native plant for morocco




White Goosefoot
White goosefoot (Chenopodium album L.) grows in the high altitude areas in Morocco and throughout Africa. An annual flowering plant that grows more than 1 meter tall, the young plants and its leaves are boiled and eaten as vegetables. Its seeds are dried and ground into flour for bread-making or boiled to make hot cereal. Other names include lamb's quarters and pigweed.

The egusi melon (Citrullus lanatus)

The egusi melon (Citrullus lanatus) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family--the same family of all the melons, squashes and gourds. Egusi melon grows in Morocco and throughout west, central, east and South Africa. The fruit ranges from bitter to sweet in taste and the seeds are roasted and eaten as a snack, brewed as a coffee substitute, ground into a thickening powder or pressed for its oil. Egusi melon is also called West African watermelon, egusi watermelon and desert watermelon.

Crambe

An annual herb that grows more than 1 meter in height and produces many fine branches, Crambe (Crambe hispanica) naturally grows in Morocco, throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Its main cultivation is for the harvesting of its seed oil used in industrial lubricants and products, as stated by Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA). The leaves are consumable, and its seeds have topical medicinal properties. Its other common names include colewort, Abyssinian mustard and Abyssinian kale.

Esparto Grass

Esparto grass (Macrochloa tenacissima) grows in Morocco and the Mediterranean area and its fibers are harvested to make paper, ropes and baskets. One of Morocco's famous cultural expressions is seen through their art of basket weaving. As stated by the USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network, some of its common names include halfa, alfa and flechilha.

Bay Laurel

This is the tree that yields the flavorful bay leaves used in culinary dishes. Native to Morocco and the Mediterranean, the aromatic evergreen Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) grows to a towering 40 feet tall. Its leaves in dried or fresh form are used as spice, tea, for natural medicinal remedies, and its essential oil is used in soap-making and as an insect repellent. Bay Laurel is also called laurel, sweet bay and bay.




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takchita 2012

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Teaching English in Morocco

Teaching English in Morocco

Located at the juncture of two continents and two cultures, Morocco blends neighboring customs and traditions to create a unique identity all its own.

Thanks primarily to its unique history and location, Morocco is a profoundly multi-lingual nation. Although Arabic is Morocco’s official language, and French the unofficial second language, the importance of English is rapidly growing in business sectors and also in the nation as a whole. In public schools, in fact, English language instruction now begins in fourth grade.

As an EFL teacher in Morocco, you can help school-aged students improve their ability to communicate in English, or teach academic English to young adults studying at universities. There are also teaching opportunities among professionals looking to enhance their career prospects. Moroccan students are arguably some of the best learners—many are willing to make an effort, enjoy participating, and are motivated to succeed. And since many already speak more than one language, learning another is a familiar challenge.


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