Sweet Treat…

Choca_amsterdam500,000 million tons of cocoa beans enters the port of Amsterdam yearly, making it the largest end station of this commodity in the world. That’s 1/3 of the world production!

This year the first UTZ certified cocoa entered the country on Novermber 7, one of the reasons to start the Choca Festival on that date. This fest of the sweet dark stuff is not only celebrated at it’s center Amsterdam, but also in Zaanstad, Amstelveen and Weesp.

Coenraad Johannes van Houten [*1801, Amsterdam - + 1887, Weesp] was a Dutch chemist and chocolate maker known for the treatment of cocao with alkaline salts to remove the bitter taste and make cocoa powder more water-soluble; the resulting product is still called “Dutch process” chocolate.

I went to Amstelveen last Saturday not for the chocolate but for a Millner show, our colleagues from the Dutch Hat Guild had their yearly show at the Art Gallery Amstelveen [site in Dutch only] here you can borrow, and if you like it very much buy, art with a huge discount [it's subsidised].  I like to be on time for events like this, so I left home 2.5 hours in advance since you never know how long special transport for the handicapped need to get you there. It took them 1.5 hours, a straight drive would take 30 minutes [!]. So I had still an hour to kill. Next to the Art Gallery there’s a huge mall and there I saw this: CIMG1512

Or more closely:

CIMG1511

Yummie!!! So close and still so far away. I could smell the stuff but was not allowed to touch.

Even on my way back home, after the show, I didn’t stop at Martinez Chocolates or other choca addresses, still being intoxicated by the smell of that sweet treat.

Shots…

gunshotI like to be dramatic, once in a while, the shots I’m talking about are not gunshots! But flue shots.

The first shot against the ‘common’ flue I had 16 days ago, my PG and his assistant invited all their patients to show up on Saturday October 24 between 9 and 16 o’ clock, some 1,000 people got a flue-shot that day.

Last Saturday we got a shot [1 of 2] against the Mexican flue, the last one will be received on December 12. Normally I have no problems afterwards but last Saturday left me with a painfull arm, and later that day with the shivers. I wasn’t sick just cold, the indoor temperature was 23°C / 74°F which is a normal summer/winter temperature in this house, and I’ve not started the heating system yet.j0305696 With these indoor temperatures I’m not going to start them period. Why waste money when my nextdoor neighbours want to heat the place.

Tomorrow more on what I did last Saturday, I’ll give you a clue… it had to do with that sweet sticky dark brown stuff in the header.

Food Quote #8

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Did You Know?

beetrootBeetroot derives from a wild seashore plant, the sea beet, native to southern Europe and North Africa. It’s thought to have been brought to Britain by the Romans. Beetroot should be boiled in their skins to prevent the purple juices from leaking out. The leaves of the plant are also edible.

Night at the Museum…

N8_nlFor the 10th time the first Saturday of November is Museum Night or N8 [Nacht = Dutch for night]. In 42 museums in Amsterdam and 10 other spots around town over 200 extra performences will be held, as diverse as theater performences to specialised guide tours or behind the scene looks.

More information on the N8 site, text only in Dutch but there’s a translation link on this TTS site too.

BTW, I’m not going to attent it’s far too late for me.

International Pumpkin Recipes #2

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is native to the Mediterranean. The colour of the downy leaves and the flavour varies but, in essence, it's a very strong aromatic herb with a slight bitterness that can withstand long cooking times and still retain flavour. The strong flavour of sage means that a little goes a long way, especially if you're using dried sage, so use sparingly. It goes well with pork, beef, duck and chicken recipes, and fatty meats in particular. In Italy it's commonly served finely chopped in a butter sauce for pasta or gnocchi. It's also fried with liver or kidneys. Use a cocktail stick to pin a couple of sage leaves to a chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto for a herby flavour. Try dipping sage leaves in a light batter and deep-frying them as a vegetable or to eat as canapés with drinks.

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is native to the Mediterranean. The colour of the downy leaves and the flavour varies but, in essence, it's a very strong aromatic herb with a slight bitterness that can withstand long cooking times and still retain flavour. The strong flavour of sage means that a little goes a long way, especially if you're using dried sage, so use sparingly. It goes well with pork, beef, duck and chicken recipes, and fatty meats in particular. In Italy it's commonly served finely chopped in a butter sauce for pasta or gnocchi. It's also fried with liver or kidneys. Use a cocktail stick to pin a couple of sage leaves to a chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto for a herby flavour. Try dipping sage leaves in a light batter and deep-frying them as a vegetable or to eat as canapés with drinks.

Italian Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter

Serves: 10-12 as a starter, 4-6 as a main course [makes about 10-12 large ravioli]

Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes [or 1 hour if using ready-made wonton wrappers] To Cook: 50 minutes

Shopping List:
For this recipe, you can make your own pasta dough, as below, or you can use frozen ready-made wonton wrappers

For the filling

  • 1 kg or 2 lb 3 oz wedge of pumpkin
  • 3 tbsp light olive oil
  • 75 gr or 2½ oz shiitake mushrooms
  • 150 gr or 5 oz oyster mushrooms
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 200 gr 7 oz ricotta
  • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

For the pasta dough

  • 250 gr or 8¾ oz ‘00′ flour, plus extra for dusting*
  • 250 gr or 8¾ oz fine semolina*
  • 7 medium eggs

For the sage butter

  • pumpkin seeds [reserved from the pumpkin wedge]
  • 1 small bunch sage leaves
  • 175 gr or 6 oz unsalted butter
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

  • large bag rocket leaves
  • parmesan shavings, to taste
  • You’ll need two fluted pastry cutters, one 5 cm or 2 in, the other 11.5 cm or 4½ in, or similar sized cutters

*available in most supermarkets and in Italian speciality stores

TO MAKE:

  1. For the filling, cut the wedge of pumpkin flesh into four large pieces. Remove the seeds and reserve.
  2. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the pumpkin pieces and nicely brown on both sides, for about 10-15 minutes on each side. When cooked, the flesh will be fairly soft, but still firm when pierced with a knife.
  3. Slice the shiitake mushrooms into thick slices, removing any tough stalks. Tear the oyster mushrooms into slices. Heat the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the mushrooms and cook for a minute or two, stirring. Roughly chop the garlic and add it to the pan, along with the butter, towards the end of cooking time.
  4. Place the cooked mushrooms in a bowl to cool.
  5. When the pumpkin is cooked, separate the skin from the flesh using a spoon, discarding the skin. Mash gently and place in the bowl with the cooked mushrooms.
  6. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix thoroughly. Allow to cool. When cool, add the ricotta, mix together thoroughly and check seasoning.
  7. If making your own pasta, place the ‘00′ flour in a large clean bowl. Add the semolina and mix together with your hands. Make a well in the centre of the flour.
  8. Lightly beat the eggs and pour into the centre of the flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon until the eggs are incorporated into the flour.
  9. Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured work surface. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic (about 10-15 minutes). Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour.
  10. Roll the dough out thinly on a clean, floured work surface with a rolling pin. Cut out large pieces of dough roughly 14cm/5½in square. [You can store any leftover pasta dough in the fridge for up three days.]
  11. Place the smaller of the two fluted pastry cutters in the centre of each pasta square.
  12. Place a tablespoon or so of the pumpkin filling inside the cutter and then remove. Using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg and water over the pasta square, around the filling. Lay another square on top, carefully working out any air that’s inside with your fingers.
  13. Use the larger cutter to cut out the ravioli. Repeat this process with the remaining pastry squares. You can store the ravioli in the fridge for a few hours on well-floured greaseproof paper.
  14. Cook the ravioli in a large pan of simmering water, for 4-6 minutes, turning over once during the cooking time. Remove with a slotted spoon when cooked.
  15. For the sage butter, remove any flesh from reserved the pumpkin seeds. Heat a small frying pan (without oil) and, when hot, add the pumpkin seeds and toast until lightly browned.
  16. Chop 5-6 sage leaves into thin strips, reserving some whole leaves to garnish. Add the butter to the pan with the pumpkin seeds, then add the sage and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow the butter to brown slightly, then take off the heat.
  17. To serve, place a small mound of rocket on each plate. Place a single ravioli or several ravioli on top of the rocket and top with a sage leaf or two. Shave over some parmesan and spoon over the sage butter.
  18. Serve

ENJOY !

Recipe: Paul Merrett

Public Tile Project

With the NY400 celebrations coming to a close, there are still projects running in New York and the Hudson Valley. One of them is the Public Tile Project.
Public Tile Project in Peekskill NY
The Public Tile Project, lead by the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art [HVCCA], unites the students of the Hudson Valley with their Dutch heritage. In 2009 the Hudson Valley will be celebrating the Quadricentennial marking the 400th anniversary of the Dutch settlement along the Hudson River. The project calls upon 2000 students to design tiles for a trail from the Peekskill Train Station to the HVCCA. The project is the brainchild of Dr. Livia Straus, and artists Sarah Haviland and Jo-Ann Brody.

The thirty participating school districts received a curriculum from HVCCA and reading sources on the history of the Hudson Valley. These materials link the students to the history of both Peekskill and the Hudson Valley and inspires them to design tiles reflecting their own artistic, cultural, geographic, social and political heritage. The students’ art works are then transferred onto tiles, glazed, fired, and sited throughout the city marking a one and a half mile path delineating the art/historic trail, originating from the Train Station at the waterfront, following River Street, up Central Avenue, left on Division Street, right onto Main Street to the HVCCA. There will also be special areas where larger groups of tiles will be strategically placed such as at the train station, the waterfront and at HVCCA.

The tiles will be embedded every 10 feet alternating with Dutch tiles. By alternating the student made tiles with original historic and contemporary Dutch tiles the linkage is made between the founding of Peekskill and the region by the Dutch and the events that have followed over the ensuing 400 years. In total some 2000 tiles will be used; 1500 with student art works alternating with 500 Dutch tiles acting as enduring symbols of history, cooperation, innovation and civic respect.

Location
Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art
1701 Main Street, Peekskill, NY 10566

Please join the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in celebrating the Opening of the Public Tile Project November 8, 1-3pm.

The Public Tile Project features over 2,000 tiles created by students from across the Hudson Valley and displayed along a 1½ mile trail and on benches along the trail.

1 – 2.30pm Family and Student Craft Activities
Create your own Dutch ware and Dutch flag, straw weaving, kaleidoscope making, decorative paper cutting and treasure hunt and tour through the Double Dutch exhibition

2.30 – 3pm Tile Trail Walk
Join us as we walk along the 1½ mile trail from HVCCA to the Peekskill Waterfront hot chocolate, cider and donuts will be served!

All events are FREE and open to the public!

Source: NY400.org

What Meme

damnWhat is on your Desktop Wallpaper?
A view of a misty Cades Cove [Smoky Mountains] in the morning.

What is your favorite zoo animal?
You would think a Chimpansee or Elephant but it’s a Giraffe. They look so graceful and elegant… and nice! You never hear stories about giraffes going wild and attacking people.

What was your favorite toy as a child?
LEGO, building your own fantasy.

What food do you eat too much of?
Knäckebröd

What kind of hairstyle do you have?
Short but not military-style.

What was your favorite gymclass activity?
Next?!

What is on the shirt you are wearing right now?
It’s a dress shirt with pinstripes

What is the nearest picture to you of?
Three water colours by August Macke, depicting houses and gardens.

What kind of salad dressing do you like?
I like Blue Cheese but it all depends on what is in the bowl as a salad or is it used as a condiment to put it on a bun.

What is your least favorite food?
Insects even when they are full of protein.

What do you do on a Sunday night?
As little as possible.

If you could use only one condiment on your food the rest of your life, what would it be?

Mustard, any kind of mustard, I have like 5 different kinds in cupboard right now.

What color are your bedsheets?
Cream colored, finest cotton.

How big is your computer display?
Well, they are still measured diagonally, then mine is a 15″ display on the laptop and 19” on the PC.

What pair of shoes do you wear most often?
Black made-to-measure “clogs”. Due to the disfiguration of my feet I can’t wear normal shoes. I’m very glad my health insurance pays 95% of them and can have new pair made every year.

What is your favorite game?
Scrabble, I don’t play it often and I’m not always a winner, but it’s the game and playing that counts. Winning is just an extra.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving Food?
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the Netherlands.

What is your favorite Pizza topping?
A classic pizza with sausage and salami

What time do you plan on waking up tomorrow?
Since I have an appointment in town I’ll get up at 7.30, same as almost every other day.

What is your favorite day of the year?
Midnight on December 31, another year gone…

Food Quote #7

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Quote

Quote_06

If these were my stocks… I would sell!

Views month october 2009

Alas, these are just the statistics of monthly visits to this site. When I had 11,000 plus visitors in November 2007 I thought that would be hard to top. It took me almost two years to reach over 12,000 visitors [September 2009] and another 8,500 to get to over 20,340 last night.

Most of these extra visitors were generated by two words, or actually three: “pumpkin soup” and “planets “which refer to Pumpkin Soup [It's the season] a post from october 2007 and Earth Day 2009. The first generated almost 4,000 hits and the second was good for 3,800 hits last month alone. If we look further back like the last quarter, then Earth Day or planets was visited 14,856 times and the Pumpkin Soup was only 8,802 times dished out.

To all of you who visited, a big THANK YOU!

Now where can I cash my stock?

Revenge of the…

I not only like to you give recipes, I like to read them too. One of the websites in my RSS feed is Craving for… which directed me to this one.

Enjoy the Revenge of the Brussels Sprouts! Spooky!!!brussel_sprouts

Happy Hallowe’en!

 

Sevens_heaven_20091030

Fellatio keeps male fruit bats keen

Female short-nosed fruit bats have been observed performing fellatio on their partners during copulation. Mating pairs spent more time copulating if the female did so.

Read full article and see the clip [NSFW] at New Scientist

Cartoon by Sevens Heaven for NU.NL

Did You Know?

pumpkinsIn France, due to the low cost of pumpkins, their flesh was originally used to bulk out the dough in pumpkin bread. Nowadays, with speciality breads in vogue, customers pay through the nose for the same dish, called pain de courge. It is eaten in the morning, with coffee, or as a mid-afternoon snack, like brioche.

International Pumpkin Recipes #1

Pumpkins and squashes are used in many countries. In North American they bake pumpkin pies during Thanksgiving while the Italians adore using them in risottos. Further east, in India, the popular Kaddoo [or West Indian pumpkin] is the favoured variety mainly used in braises and curries. The Vietnamese and Chinese use squashes in soups, the latter often using the [increasingly available] winter gourd, with its pure white flesh that boils down to a melting consistency.

Austria is famed for their fragrant pumpkin seed oil – often nicknamed ‘black gold’, this dark green oil is often whipped into soft cheeses or drizzled over salads to imbue food with its sweet, nutty flavour. In the Middle East, pumpkin is routinely stuffed with meat, rice and spices, and made into soups and preserves.

In the coming weeks you’ll find some International Pumpkin Recipes on Thursday.

A spice that comes from the rhizome (a thick underground stem) of the Zingiber officinale plant. Ginger can be used fresh (often called root ginger or ginger root) or dried and ground to a powder. Ginger adds a touch of heat to both sweet and savoury dishes and is used in cuisines throughout Asia and Europe. In South-east Asia and the Indian subcontinent, fresh ginger is frequently added to curry pastes and it's often cooked with fish dishes in China. In Europe, dried ginger is more frequently used in baking. It can also be used in drinks, as in ginger 'tea' and ginger beer, and can be preserved in sweet syrup (known as stem ginger). When buying fresh ginger, look for plump rhizomes that are not wrinkled and store in the fridge.

A spice that comes from the rhizome (a thick underground stem) of the Zingiber officinale plant. Ginger can be used fresh (often called root ginger or ginger root) or dried and ground to a powder. Ginger adds a touch of heat to both sweet and savoury dishes and is used in cuisines throughout Asia and Europe. In South-east Asia and the Indian subcontinent, fresh ginger is frequently added to curry pastes and it's often cooked with fish dishes in China. In Europe, dried ginger is more frequently used in baking. It can also be used in drinks, as in ginger 'tea' and ginger beer, and can be preserved in sweet syrup (known as stem ginger). When buying fresh ginger, look for plump rhizomes that are not wrinkled and store in the fridge.

Japanese Pumpkin Salad

Makes 4 servings

Shopping List:

  • 1 small pumpkin or butternut squash, seeded and quartered
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil for basting
  • 250 gr or 8¾ oz frozen chestnuts
  • 1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
  • 2-3 sticks celery, sliced
  • 150 gr or 5¼ oz cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/3 cucumber, diced

For the dressing

  • 3 cm or 1.5 in fresh ginger, grated
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp dark soy sauce

TO MAKE:

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C or 425°F.
  2. Roast the pumpkin, sprinkled with salt and pepper and drizzled with oil, for 20 minutes, then add the frozen chestnuts and roast for a further 15 minutes.
  3. Leave to cool.
  4. If using butternut squash, roast for 30 minutes before adding the nuts.
  5. Scoop or chop the pumpkin or butternut squash into bite-sized pieces.
  6. Mix with the chestnuts and the remaining prepared vegetables.
  7. For the dressing, whisk the dressing ingredients together, pour over the salad and toss well before serving.

ENJOY !

Recipe: Rosemary Moon

Food Quote #6

Food_Quote_06

Did You Know?

Mixed_MushroomsMushrooms are not universally adored. Some people are not keen on the taste or texture of funghi, while others suffer from an irrational fear of mushrooms, called mycophobia.

Perhaps the fear isn’t so irrational – although fatal poisoning from mushrooms is rare, some of the most poisonous and most delicious species belong to the same genus.

Letter From The Editor…

1000 posts

I could tell you a tale of how all turned up here, but with the help of WordPress, a screen and a keyboard and a lot of thinking, researching, reading, ‘borrowing’ and typing it just happened.

Enough said.

Hey, how are you?

daysoffIt’s been a long time but I’m back at Peter’s place for a long weekend. My keepers are away for the weekend, Peter hoped I would stay in Amsterdam so he could take care of me. And that he does, four times or more a day we go for walkies, he rubs my belly when I a want to and sometimes when I don’t, there are cookies and and other snacks specially for me. He even asked if I would go with him on a trip tomorrow to ’s-Graveland, where two friends of his live with their dog. I only hope its not some “young thing” I’m over 14 and running around is not my forte.

Paw_Julius

Woof to you later!

History Is Just Around The Corner… #2

Willem_BarentszRemember when I was driving through Van Diemenstraat and the last wall painting was of… Willem Barentsz [1550-1597], he was a Dutch navigator and explorer, a leader of early expeditions to the far north. [In English his name is mostly written as Barents].
A cartographer by trade, Barentsz sailed to Spain and the Mediterranean to complete an atlas of the Mediterranean region, which he co-published with Petrus Plancius.

His career as an explorer was spent searching for the Northeast passage, which he reasoned must exist as clear, open water north of Siberia since the sun shone 24 hours a day, which he believed would have melted any potential ice.

In June 1594 Barentsz left the island of Texel aboard the small ship Mercury, as part of a group of three ships sent out in separate directions to try and enter the Kara Sea, with the hopes of finding the Northeast passage above Siberia.

On July 9, the crew encountered a polar bear for the first time. After shooting it with a musket when it tried to climb aboard the ship, the seamen decided to capture it with the hope of bringing it back to Holland. Once leashed and brought aboard the ship however, the bear rampaged and had to be killed. This occurred in Bear Creek, Williams Island.
Upon discovering the Orange Islands, the crew came across a herd of approximately 200 walruses and tried to kill them with hatchets and pikes. Finding the task more difficult than they imagined, they left with only a few ivory tusks.

Barentsz reached the west coast of Novaya Zemlya [in Dutch Nova Zembla], and followed it northward before being forced to turn back in the face of large icebergs. Although they did not reach their ultimate goal, the trip was considered a success.

The following year, Prince Maurice of Orange was filled with “the most exaggerated hopes” on hearing of Barentsz’ previous voyage, and named him Chief Pilot and Conductor of a new expedition, which was accompanied by six ships loaded with merchant wares that the Dutch hoped to trade with China.

Setting out on June 2, 1595, the voyage went between the Siberian coast and Vaygach Island. On August 30, the party came across approximately 20 Samoyed “wilde men” with whom they were able to speak, due to a crewmember speaking their language. On September 4, a small crew was sent to States Island to search for a type of crystal that had been noticed earlier. The party was attacked by a polar bear, and two sailors were killed.

Eventually, the expedition turned back upon discovering that unexpected weather had left the Kara Sea frozen. This expedition was largely considered to be a failure.

In 1596, disappointed by the failure of previous expeditions, the States-General announced they would no longer subsidize similar voyages – but instead offered a high reward for anybody who successfully navigated the Northeast Passage. The Town Council of Amsterdam purchased and outfitted two small ships, captained by Jan Rijp and Jacob van Heemskerk, to search for the elusive channel under the command of Barentsz. They set off on mid May, and on June 9, they discovered Bear Island. Eight days later they discovered Spitsbergen, sighting its northwest coast.

On June 20, they saw the entrance of a large bay, later called Raudfjorden. On June 21, they anchored between Cloven Cliff and Vogelsang, where they “set up a post with the arms of the Dutch upon it.” Later in June they entered Magdalenefjorden, which they named Tusk Bay, in light of the walrus tusks they found there. The following day they sailed into the northern entrance of Forlandsundet, which they simply called Keerwyck, but were forced to turn back because of a shoal. On June 28, they rounded the northern point of Prins Karls Forland, which they named Vogelhoek, on account of the large number of birds they saw there. They sailed south, passing Isfjorden and Bellsund, which were labelled on Barentsz’s chart as Grooten Inwyck and Inwyck.

The ships once again found themselves at Bear Island on July 1, which led to a disagreement between Barentsz and Van Heemskerk on one side and Rijp on the other. They agreed to part ways, with Barentsz continuing northeast, while Rijp headed due north. Barentsz reached Novaya Zemlya on July 17. Anxious to avoid becoming entrapped in the surrounding ice, he intended to head for the Vaigatch Strait, but became stuck within the many icebergs and floes.

Het Behouden Huys

Stranded, the 16-man crew was forced to spend the winter on the ice, along with their young cabin boy. After a failed attempt to melt the permafrost, the crew used lumber from their ship to build a 7.8 by 5.5 metre lodge they called Het Behouden Huys (The Kept House).

Dealing with extreme cold, the crew realised that their socks would burn before their feet could even feel the warmth of a fire – and took to sleeping with warmed stones and cannonballs. In addition, they used the merchant fabrics aboard the ship to make additional blankets and clothing.

The ship bore salted beef, butter, cheese, bread, barley, peas, beans, groats, flour, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, beer, wine, brandy, hardtack, smoked bacon, ham and fish. Much of the beer froze, bursting the casks. By November 8, Gerrit de Veer, the ships carpenter who kept a diary, reported a shortage of beer and bread, with wine being rationed four days later.

In January 1597, De Veer became the first person to witness and record the atmospheric anomaly known as the Novaya Zemlya effect.

The Novaya Zemlya effect is a polar mirage caused by high refraction of sunlight between atmospheric thermoclines. The Novaya Zemlya effect will give the impression that the sun is rising earlier than it actually should (astronomically speaking) and depending on the meteorological situation the effect will present the sun as a line or a square (which is sometimes referred to as the “rectangular sun”), made up of flattened hourglass shapes. The mirage requires rays of sunlight to have an inversion layer for hundreds of kilometres (at least 400 km). The mirage depends on the inversion layer’s temperature gradient. The sunlight must bend to the Earth’s curvature at least 400 km to allow an elevation rise of 5 degrees for sight of the sun disk.

Proving successful at hunting, the group caught 26 arctic foxes in primitive traps, as well as killing a number of polar bears.

When June arrived, and the ice had still not loosened its grip on the ship, the scurvy-ridden survivors took two small boats out into the sea on June 13. Barentsz died at sea on June 20, 1597, while studying charts only seven days after starting out. It is not known whether Barentsz was buried on the northern island of Novaya Zemlya, or at sea. It took seven more weeks for the boats to reach Kola where they were rescued by a Russian merchant vessel, and by that time only 12 crewmen remained. Ultimately, they did not reach Amsterdam until 1 November. Sources differ on whether two men died on the ice floe and three in the boats, or three on the ice floe and two in the boats. The young cabin boy had died during the winter months in the shelter.

Behouden Finds

The wooden lodge where Barentsz’ crew sheltered was found undisturbed by Norwegian seal hunter Elling Carlsen in 1871. Making a sketch of the lodge’s construction, Carlsen recorded finding two copper cooking pots, a barrel, a tool chest, clock, crowbar, flute, clothing, two empty chests, a cooking tripod and a number of pictures. Captain Gunderson landed at the site on August 17, 1875 and collected a grappling iron, two maps and a handwritten translation of Pet and Jackman’s voyages. The following year, Charles L.W. Gardiner also visited the site at the end of July where he collected 112 more objects, including the message by Barentsz and Heemskerck describing their settlement to future visitors. All of these objects eventually ended up in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, after some had initially been held in The Hague.

The Barents Sea, Barentsburg and Barents Region were all named after him. Even a small part of a fruit fly is named Barents.

Source: City Archives Amsterdam