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FULL
O' HOPE NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1
October '06 www.hopesharvest.com (651) 345-3690 Hours: M-F 9-6 Sat. 9-5 Sun 10-5 HELP
HOPE'S HARVEST GROW TELL
A FRIEND, BRING A FRIEND to check us out! Hello
friends of Hope's Harvest Community Foods in beautiful Lake City, Minnesota!
We are celebrating ONE YEAR in operation and with that, the creation of a
WEBSITE, www.hopesharvest.com Hope's Harvest is a natural foods grocery offering high-quality
items focusing on organically grown, locally produced, less processed and
modestly packaged foods. We offer a wide range of body care and health
products, including vitamins and other nutritional supplements, as well as
natural cleaning products, local gifts and artisan works. Many of our foods can be purchased in bulk, to reduce
waste and provide bigger savings. We encourage sound ecological practices and promote
recycling; you may bring your own bags and containers for the many items carried
in bulk, or use containers we have on hand. FROM THE PROPRIETOR OF
SOL(e)...
My name is Susan Patricia
Draves and I opened Hope's Harvest
Community Foods September 1st, 2005. Hope is my six year old
daughter, and hope is also the best word in the English
language--in my humble opinion. After
tossing many names around with the local coffee clutch at Rhythm and Brew back
in August of '05, the name Hope's Harvest was born. My background is in Anthropology, and at age sixteen I began volunteering
at the Rochester Good Foods Store. I have time and time again returned to the
health food industry in various capacities as a worker, orderer, bookkeeper,
manager, and now owner. Why Lake
City? I moved to town July 1st,
2005 after 10 years living and working on an organic farm coordinating and
managing a store, music series and
community supported agriculture program. For
13 years prior, I was a coordinator at North Country Food Cooperative in
Minneapolis. The dream to open my
own store in Lake City had been lurking in my mind for quite some time. I sensed Lake City was ready
and
could hugely benefit from a local, in-town source for organic goods, year-round
organic produce, local meats, eggs, cheeses, gifts and quality supplements.
The support from the
community has been outstanding and appears to steadily grow both in volunteers
to help make the store work as well as a strong, local customer base. Folks from Lake City, Frontenac, Red Wing, Goodhue, Zumbrota,
Wabasha, Plainview, Rochester, all sorts of hamlets on the Wisconsin side of the
river and Minneapolis/St. Paul have
all been by to check out the store. Feedback
for what products to carry has been an essential aspect of making Hope's Harvest
work as has working with the local farmers and producers.
The Rhythm and Brew Clan next door have also been amazingly supportive on
all fronts--word-of-mouth advertising, exchange of goods, sharing of facilities
and advertising--we are now the TWISTED
LOCUST CORNER (three business
at the corner of Chestnut and Franklin--Rhythm and Brew, Hope's Harvest Foods
and Manzanita's Southwestern Cuisine), and providing good company and great
jokes to boot. What a journey this
past year has been. And it is only
just beginning. Each
issue of Hope's Harvest will feature an article on a health-related topic.
Hope's Harvest doesn't necessarily advocate the opinions expressed in
submitted articles. Instead, it is
the intention of Full o' Hope newsletter to promote and exchange and educate on
many, many topics related to health and nutrition by including articles written
by members of the local community. IN THE BUFF: THE PLEASURES OF RAW FOODS by
Emma Onawa When most people think of raw foods, what comes to mind are salads, veggie plates, fruits, and sprouts. These foods do provide a staple of a raw food diet and represent a simple and easy way to increase raw foods in your diet. Yet, a true raw food diet includes many of the dishes that normally would be cooked or otherwise processed, such as lasagna, crackers, ice cream, tacos, and cheese. Even meat can be made part of a raw food diet. Raw food diets are also called uncooked vegan diets, uncooked vegetable diets, and living foods diets. Although historically meat, meaning any animal flesh, was part of some raw food diets, most raw food advocates exclude meat from the modern raw food diet. Aside from other philosophical and health reasons, the modern use of antibiotics in many meats, conditions in slaughter houses, and the environmental toxins frequently found in fish and other sea foods, arguably preclude meats from a true raw food diet. Many raw foodists would also insist on only organic ingredients and no animal derived products. Dairy products are excluded, since most are processed and many raw foodists are vegans. The key word, of course, is uncooked. Why uncooked? Cooking here is defined as heating food above 118 degrees. It’s generally known that cooking foods reduces the nutritional value of food. What’s less well known is that cooking food causes far more damage than simply a reduction in nutritional value. It creates toxins that gradually accumulate in the body. Cooking destroys and denatures most of the protein in our foods, which renders it harder for our bodies to use and digest and it destroys essential amino acids. Up to 97% of vitamins and minerals are also lost. Pesticides break down into more toxic compounds, which are more easily assimilated into our bodies, and free radicals, mutagens, and carcinogens are produced. Cooking changes the structure of fats, which are incorporated into the cell wall and interfere with the respiration of the cell. Cooked food damages the fiber in food, suppresses the immune system, and takes much longer to move through the digestive tract, increasing the risk of putrefaction. After eating a cooked meal, the blood shows an immediate increase in white blood cells or immune system response, which occurs whenever the body detects a harmful substance. One of the most critical impacts of cooking food is on its enzyme content. Enzymes, metabolic and digestive, are the catalysts for every chemical reaction in the body, such as digestion, cellular division, energy production, immune reaction, and brain activity, in our bodies. Cooking food destroys these vital enzymes, requiring our bodies not only to produce the enzymes needed to digest our food, but also substantially reducing the intake of these vital enzymes. Our bodies produce only a finite lifetime supply of enzymes, and cooked food requires us to use more of these enzymes than necessary. The reduction of enzymes can also be called aging. Raw food advocates point to the absence of diseases such as heart and other arterial diseases, cancer, diabetes, and other dietary related diseases in both animal and early human (prior to the use of fire) populations to support the benefits of raw food diets. Pets that are fed cooked and otherwise processed or packaged foods suffer from human diseases that do not occur when these animals live in the wild. Eskimos, which means “one who eats raw”, developed no arteriosclerosis and virtual no incidence of heart disease, stroke, or high blood pressure when they lived on a diet of raw whale and seal blubber. People who change to raw food diets report weight loss, substantially increased energy levels and stamina, reduced need for and more restful sleep, better emotional health, greater concentration and sharper thinking, and fewer illnesses. Athletes on raw food diets report improved performance and greater strength and stamina. Although relatively few scientific studies, most of which have been done in Europe, have focused on the health effects of a raw food diet, those that are extant support many claims of better health. Uncooked vegan diets have been associated with substantial weight loss, a reduction in high blood pressure, and decreased serum total and LDL-cholesterol levels. Other studies have shown a decrease in fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. And, studies have shown healthier fecal mircoflora, cancer preventative factors, and improved biochemical and metabolic functioning. Two studies showed a decrease in vitamin B12 levels, recommending that raw foodists take a B12 supplement. Another study showed increased intake of fiber, vitamins A, B6, C and E, folate, copper and potassium, and decreased intake of all fats, cholesterol, protein, sodium, zinc, and phosphorous. Raw foods advocates do have their detractors, many of whom respond to the more purist and zealous advocates, who promote the diet is a panacea for all health promotion and problems or as good for everyone, regardless of individual circumstances. Others are concerned about specific nutritional deficiencies that have been found from exclusively raw food diets. Some vitamins and minerals, such a lycopene from tomatoes, can be obtained only by cooking the food. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that increasing raw, organic foods in the diet can provide great health benefits. So how you can get started on a raw foods diet? A simple step would be to increase your consumption of raw organic vegetables, salads, and fruits and to reduce your consumption of processed, cooked foods and meat. Even this step can help you to reap the benefits of a raw food diet. A more serious plunge into raw foods will require a small investment in basic equipment. This equipment includes: 1 A dehydrator – the preparation of raw crackers, cheeses, veggie burgers, and similar foods require dehydration –the only heat process used with raw foods; 2 A heavy duty blender, such as a Vitamix, to handle raw foods such as sweet potatoes; 3 A heavy duty juicer – such as the Champion, to handle foods such as nuts and hard fruits; 4 A larger food processor – used for the preparation of many raw food recipes. In addition, you will need to stock your pantry with variety of staples, such as grains and legumes, dried fruits and seaweeds, oils, seasonings, and raw nuts. There are numerous raw food recipe books available. The transition from a cooked to a raw food diet can involve a detoxification process that can cause temporarily unpleasant symptoms, such as fatigue, skin breakouts, diarrhea, and sinus congestion. It’s your body natural process of shedding toxins it has carried. A gradual change to raw foods may lesson these effects. To sample a raw dish that goes beyond a salad, try the attached recipes. The lasagna is delicious and satisfying. The cacao sauce will make chocolate lovers and non lover alike feel like they’ve died and entered nirvana. And, if you didn’t know the ice cream was made solely from frozen bananas, you’d swear is the real fat and dairy filled thing. Or, check out the raw food restaurant in South Minneapolis to have a variety of foods to sample: Ecopolitan, 2409 S. Lyndale Ave, (612) 874-7336 Who eats raw? Woody Harrelson Demi Moore Sting Donna Karan, fashion designer Carol Alt, model Sources and For Further Information: http://www.rawfoods.com/ Offers detailed information on raw foods and their benefits, recipes: http://www.rawfood.com/ One source of high quality supplies, books, and organic foods from experts: http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Food_and_Drink/Eating_Practices/Raw_and_Living_Foods/ A directory listing several raw food websites, recipes: http://www.rawguru.com/ Offers detailed information on raw foods and their
benefits, recipes: The Complete Book of Raw Food, Lori Baird, ed., Hatherleigh Press, New York, 2004 A very complete guide to raw foods with over 350 recipes, basics, and tables of resources, raw food chefs, and services and suppliers. Raw, Charlie Trotter & Roxanne Klein, Ten Speed Press, Canada, pub date? A beautifully illustrated guide with full page color photos of foods and dishes The UNcook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life, Juliano (Brotman), Harper Collins, New York, 1999 Color photos with unique recipes and information on basics Feasting on Raw Foods, Charles Gerras, Rodale Press, Pennsylvania, 1980 An early work by Rodale Press, well before raw foods became
a fad Alive and Well
Lasagna The Sauce (use organic ingredients whenever possible) 2-3 small dates, soaked for 4 hours, or 2 tbsp. raw agave or maple syrup, or raw honey 1-1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for two hours 1-1/2 cup tomato of choice, halved & seeded (roma or other paste tomato is good) 1 tbsp lemon juice 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or part flax oil to get omegas) 1 tsp chopped shallots 1 tsp minced garlic 2 tbsp nama shoyu (raw soy sauce) ½ tsp Celtic or Himalayan salt 1 cup fresh basil (or mixed with other herbs such as oregano, parsley, rosemary) In a blender pulse sun-dried tomatoes till reduced to small
pieces. Add all other
ingredients except herbs and process till smooth. Add herbs and pulse until
herbs are chopped The Veggie Blend 1 bunch fresh spinach or kale, stems removed Small amounts of olive oil, lemon juice and salt Chop in a blender The Noodles 3 medium zucchini (8-10 inches long) Lemon juice, salt, and olive oil Slice lengthwise very thinly with a mandoline or by hand.
Marinate for hour or so in lemon juice, salt, and olive The Cheese 3 cups pine nuts or cashews Juice from ½ lemon 1-2 tbsp raw tahini or other nut/seed butter 1-2 gloves garlic 2 tbsp nama shoyu Blend in food processor or blender till smooth and dehydrate for four hours It will still work great if you don’t have a dehydrator The Assembly In a glass pan, place a layer of marinated zucchini on the bottom Follow by a layer of cheese Then a layer of veggie blend Then the sauce and repeat till all ingredients are used and
serve BANANA
“ICE CREAM” WITH Cacao SAUCE The “ice cream” Freeze several peeled bananas till frozen Puree frozen bananas in a heavy duty juicer (You need a Champion to get the smoothest texture) The sauce ½ cup ground raw cacao ¼ cup agave nectar or pure maple syrup (grade B) ½ cup raw almond butter 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter ½ tsp vanilla extract Almond milk Blend all ingredients in a food processor till smooth.
If mixture is too dry, add almond milk till moistened to desired texture WHAT'S
New and Exciting AT HOPE'S HARVEST?--POMEGRANATES RULE AS AN
ANTIOXIDANT AND THEY HAVE ARRIVED--FRESH
ONES ARE FANTASTIC IN SALAD OR WITH HERB GOAT CHEVRE AS AN APPETIZER ON
CRACKERS--yum! Available in the
produce section at Hope's Harvest. GLUTINO GLUTEN-FREE
PRETZELS GLUTEN-FREE PANTRY
FAVORITE SANDWICH BREAD MIX CHLORELLA by
Pure Planet is a new supplement. Premium
quality Chlorella is nature's richest source of chlorophyll, is rich in Omega 3
Fatty acids, aides in detoxification, helps balance the thyroid gland and has
been Japan's #1 health supplement for over 10 years.
These little green pills have been known to aid the body in the
elimination of heavy metals and other toxins such as PCBs, DDT, mercury, cadmium
and lead. HAPPY PMS CREAM AND
ADAM'S PROSTATE CARE Two
effective creams have just been added to the health and body care section of
Hope's Harvest. Susan' s favorite natural Progesterone (Mexican wild yam)
Cream, Happy PMS, has been found to be the most effective in bringing
women' progesterone levels in balance with their estrogen levels.
Applied 3 weeks out of the month, Happy PMS seems to be amazingly
successful in reducing PMS and menopausal symptoms.
Adam's Prostate Care is a
unique herbal balancing cream for men and aids in hormone balancing, is great
for preventative care of prostate cancer or the first signs of prostate problems
which occur generally in men over the age of 45. Men that have used Adam's
Prostate Care have reported relief from frequent urination, high blood pressure,
high blood sugar, enlarged prostate, high PSA count, and low libido.
So there you have it, another source of grease for our machines! Coming soon!
Everything from synopses of
the benefits of grapefruit seed extract as a household cleaner, to hawthorn berries and black cherry juice for promoting heart health, to flax seed and fish
oil as sources for increased amounts of omega 3's and antioxidants.
We are continuously looking
for all sorts of essential information related to health and nutrition.
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT, after all! Please
bring in any interesting tidbits you come across! VIRGIN COCONUT OIL
Notes from Debbie
Rankin Certified Organic
Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is great smelling and the taste is superb.
Its health benefits are endless and it help with such things as: ·
weight loss and maintaining
an already healthy weight ·
lowers cholesterol ·
improves conditions in those
with diabetes and chronic fatigue syndrome ·
improves crohns, IBS and
other digestive disorders ·
increases metabolism and
promotes healthy thyroid function ·
boosts your daily energy ·
rejuvenate your skin and
prevents wrinkles ·
rich in lauric acid, a
nutrient that supports the body's immune system.
Debbie has personally
switched over to VCO and uses it to bake or fry or for wok dishes.
She puts a tablespoon in hot tea and finds VCO very soothing for a sore
throat. We have copies of Virgin
Coconut Oil by Brian and Marianita Jader Shilhavy available at Hope's
Harvest. VCO is a fantastic
stable oil with a 2 year shelf life and continues to maintain its medicinal
qualities whether heated or cooled. It
is available in quarts, gallons or in bulk if you bring your own container in.
Currently, Hope's Harvest
is bountifully stocked with PASTURE-RAISED lamb, pork, beef, chicken, AND ...
Buffalo roasts, buffalo burger, buffalo summer sausage, buffalo stix, buffalo
brats, buffalo steaks from two different local producers grown with out growth
hormones or antibiotics, AND pasture-raised. Did you know that Buffalo have never had cancer, are the preferred meat to most
Native Americans over beef and are nicknamed 'the sweet beef'?
Bison is not gamey tasting, but rather rich and flavorful.
The roasts are mouth-watering...I can attest because I cooked one the
other day and the boneless roast after 8 hours in the crock pot with chopped
onions, garlic, carrots, and spuds was mouthwatering and tender! Try some.... When cooking grass-fed
meat keep these tips in mind. Excerpt from Pasture Perfect, by Jo
Robinson. "Most grass-fed
meat, however requires special cooking techniques---especially the leaner cuts.
Fat serves as an insulator. When meat has little fat, heat is conducted more
quickly and can toughen the protein. To keep grass-fed meat tender, cook it more
slowly and at lower temperatures. If you're broiling a grass-fed steak, for
instance, place it farther away from the heating element or coals for a longer
period of time. But don't cook it too long! Even the most tender cut of meat
will become dry and tough if you over do it." pp. 65 Recipes,
Recipes, Recipes--please
submit your favorites here! Everything--well
almost every ingredient is available at Hope's Harvest Foods and if it is not,
we can most likely order it. Just let us know!
.About a month ago, a customer gifted us with a fantastic book, Full
Moon Feast--Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice. (Chelsea
Green Publishing, 2006) Full Moon Feast outlines Prentice's coined term, LOCAVORE
(eating what is grown in your locale), while discussing the importance of
eating locally grown, humanely raised foods and utilizing traditional cooking
methods in food preparation. The
entire book, not only features savory and creative recipes, but does it all by
following the thirteen lunar cycles of an agrarian year. She lists thirteen
plant foods (p.13) that 'can be grown successfully anywhere in the continental
US, and so can be eaten locally and in season without any need for importation:
' 1)
apples 2)
lettuce 3)
carrots 4)
potatoes 5)
onions 6)
tomatoes 7)
strawberries 8)
corn 9)
peppers 10)
raspberries and blackberries 11)
greens (kale, collards, Swiss chard) 12)
herbs (thyme, sage, oregano, basil
13) root vegetables (beets, turnips, rutabagas) WHAT ABOUT
SQUASH???????????????????? I can't
believe she didn't list squash.... Cream of Butternut
Squash Soup (Reprinted from Full
Moon Feast (This is a fantastic book--see proceeding blurb) Serves 3-4 2 T butter or olive oil 2-3 leeks, sliced into
rounds 1 fresh in season
butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks Organic Chicken Stock or
filtered water to cover 1 bouquet garni (a
classic element in French cookery: a
bundle of herbs tied together that is removed before pureeing or serving-- You
can use bay leaf, parsley stems with most leaves removed, thyme (stems with or
without leaves attached), sage (leaves and/or stems), or also oregano stems with
or without leaves attached, marjoram stems with or without leaves attached, and
rosemary stems (needles removed--rosemary is best used in chicken or beef stews
or soups.) 1/2 c. cream or yogurt or
half and half salt and pepper to taste yogurt or crème for
garnish finely minced rosemary,
thyme, sage or parsley leaves; or a grating of nutmeg, or a grind of black
pepper, for garnish 1)
Heat the butter or oil in a medium-sized soup pot.
Add the leeks and sauté until soft. 2)
Add the butternut squash, then add stock or filtered water to cover the
vegetables by about 1/2 inch. Add
the bouquet garni and bring the pot to a boil. 3)
Reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is soft. 4)
Turn off the heat and remove the bouquet garni. 5)
Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a standard blender, adding
the yogurt or other dairy, and plenty of salt and pepper as you blend.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings--adding more salt and pepper if
it's too bland. 6)
Serve in a shallow bowl with a dollop of crème or yogurt and a
sprinkling
of herbs, nutmeg or pepper. HEART HEALTHY BUFFALO STEW The
Latest Nutritional Updates--According
to the last AARP newsletter, the 5 top foods for high nutritional value are: 1)
spirulina 2)
cranberries, blueberries, blackberries 3)
kale 4)
almonds, walnuts
5) flax seed All of these lovelies can
be purchased at Hope's Harvest!!! And more from AARP:
The 'Antioxidant Boost for the Day' Do this to help with cell
rebuilding and immune system boosting; enjoy once a day: Blend the following:
1/2 c, yogurt, 1 T. of almond butter or a handful of almonds, 1/2 T of
spirulina powder, 1 t. freshly ground flax seed, 1 c. blueberries....DRINK UP!!! Health and nutritional
facts abound at the purple clothed table with brochures, articles, books, etc. and internet access to hunt down product information is always available.
Magazines can be FIELD TRIP FIELD TRIP
FIELD TRIP--Join us! You are invited to
Susan's Monthly Restaurant Field Trip....The first Friday or Saturday of every
month, either for lunch or dinner, we will be checking out the cuisine at one of
the many lovely eateries on either side of the river and the metro area. This month the trip
will be on Saturday, October 14th at noon.
We'll be making the trek (car pooling) across the river to Wisconsin to
eat at Nortons, a highly recommended establishment that features local produce
in their entrees. Sign up thru
email or at the store... Feedback corner--Share
your ideas, suggestions, comments on how to make this store a community gathering place.
Interested in writing an article for Hope's Harvest?
Please talk to Susan...we're accepting articles on a wide range of health
topics.
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