Thanks to all of our wonderful customers..you have been very supportive and we appreciate it very much. We now have over 350 names on our online co-op list. Thank you for forwarding our newsletter to your friends and family.

 

Yesterday was market day. We had planned on going today, but you bought so much over the weekend we didn’t have a choice. Pat and Eddie, Pat’s husband, made the trip this time. To  Eddie  it was no pleasure trip. It is to us because we are looking, shopping and buying..tell me that’s not a woman’s domain. We give ‘shop ‘til you drop’ a new meaning.

 

Pat found some very good produce for us. She got some things you have been asking for.

Organic Lemons

Organic Apples, bananas, celery, red lettuce, beets..we had customers waiting in line for beets. Some came back again today just to get beets. For those who may not know..you can juice the beet tops and also cook them. Some other special items were the Myers lemons, blood oranges (even better than last week’s), button mushrooms and some of the best avocado I have ever eaten. Pat and I have one every day, just to make sure they are as good as we thought they were. We take the avocado, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice and a little sea salt..mix together and enjoy..no need for chips

 

Since this is  major holiday week in the US we thought  EGGS would be the feature of  this week’s newsletter.

The famous question, “ Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” We all have our answers, but at my house we have eggs for breakfast and chicken for dinner..so I say the egg comes first. I must admit, I do get confused by my answer sometimes, because I may have left over chicken for breakfast and egg sandwich for supper. Buddy never gets confused. He will tell you in a heartbeat, “You don’t eat leftover chicken for breakfast.”
I don’t argue..I do other chores until about 11:30 and then give him leftover chicken with boiled eggs on a salad for lunch..more than one way to pluck a chicken.

Little EGG HISTORY..The egg was the first symbol for zero. It also represents the potential for life.
In the culinary world, EGGS were used as a way to keep score. The chef’s toque (the silly high hat seen on chefs in expensive restaurants (most of the chefs at the restaurants I eat, either wear a bandana or their caps backwards) is a symbol of the profession. It consists of an 8-10 fabric crown with lots of pleats. Each of the pleats is supposed to represent one way that the chef wearing the hat knows how to cook an egg..Legend says that a proper chef’s toque will have 100 pleats..boy, does he know how to cook eggs!!
 
Just a few EGG Q&A

Is there a difference between brown and white shelled eggs?

No. Shell color is determined by the breed of hen and is not related to quality, nutrients, flavor or cooking characteristics. Since brown egg layers are slightly larger birds and require more food, brown eggs are usually more expensive than white.

Is it safe to eat raw eggs?

 

Is it safe to eat raw eggs?

The risk of food poisoning from eggs is highest with raw and lightly-cooked dishes. It's best not to serve raw or lightly-cooked dishes made with eggs.

 

Are fertile eggs more nutritious?

Fertile eggs are not more nutritious than nonfertile eggs. They do not keep as well as nonfertile eggs and are more expensive to produce.

 

 

What is the best way to store eggs?

Store eggs in their carton because eggs can absorb refrigerator odors.

 

Why are some hard-cooked eggs difficult to peel?

Fresh eggs may be difficult to peel. Those which have been stored for a week to 10 days before cooking will usually peel more easily.

 

Why do some hard-cooked eggs have a greenish ring around the yolk?

The harmless greenish ring is due to an iron and sulfur compound which forms when eggs are overcooked or not cooled quickly.

 

MYTH: Eggs are not a healthy choice for most people.

Calorie for calorie, eggs are a nutrient dense food. Eggs are a good source of complete protein  as well as a variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. As a protein source, eggs are relatively inexpensive. They are also versatile and quick-to-fix and easy to chew and digest. Eggs fit into a healthful eating style. They can be an especially good choice for older people  who need nutrient-rich foods that are low-cost and easy to eat.

Should I avoid Eggs?

MYTH: Everyone should avoid eggs because of their cholesterol content.

FACT: The latest analysis of cholesterol content shows that the average egg yolk contains around 214 to 220 milligrams of cholesterol - less than previously thought. Current guidelines from the American Heart Association suggest that most people can enjoy an egg a day - without affecting their blood cholesterol levels. If you have high blood cholesterol,eating less saturated fat is probably more important than cutting back on cholesterol in food.

 ENOUGH!

To complete our history of eggs, we shouldn’t forget the Humpty Dumpty..maybe he was looking for answers when he fell off the wall. According to Beth Flaherty, chef/owner of Coriander’s Fine Foods and Catering, here is her version of  the poem.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s Horse’s and all the King’s men
Came and ate scrambled eggs again.

We have lots of eggs. We get our eggs from a farm in Bolivia. SassyFrass Farms. His girls have the privilege to roam around grounds that have not had any harmful sprays or chemical fertilizer used (why would you need a chemical fertilizer when you have 200 hens taking care of that job?) in many years. They are feed food that contains no meat by-products or chemicals. The only meat they get is what they scratch from the ground and leaves.  They are given no hormones or antibiotics.  They lay their eggs in coops. Scott, Annette, and daughter Christa collect, clean and package in egg cartons and date.
Everyone that eats them, tell us how good they are. We sell an average of about 36 dozen a week. So believe me, they are always fresh.

 

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*We also came across some other information that we would like to share. It is from a newsletter that I get from Dr. Janet Hull. *

janethull.com/newsletter/0309/
March 2009

Eat Like A Child

From Dr. Janet Starr Hull's Healthy Newsletter

http://www. Good evening all,

Eat Like A Child

The other day, my editor and I were eating at a French restaurant. I noticed a mother and her young daughter (about six years old, I presumed) dining at a nearby table. I was impressed that the mother chose a quality restaurant to take her young daughter to, as opposed to taking her to a fast food chain most kids sulk to go to. Then I started watching the little one eat her lunch.

She was eating a turkey sandwich on a fresh baked 7-grain roll, packed with lettuce and tomatoes and garnished with orange slices. There were no French fries, no cola (she was drinking a glass of water with a lemon wedge floating in it), and no white bread smothered with some sort of secret sauce.

Then I noticed something very interesting, and proceeded to watch the little girl eat her lunch, trying NOT to look like I was staring. The young girl took the top piece of bread off of the sandwich and placed it carefully off to the side. She then reached over her glass plate and ate the orange slice, peel and all. After that, she proceeded to pick the meat and veggies from her sandwich and eat those in small nibbles. She laughed and chatted with her mother as she slowly fingered her meal, piece by piece. She picked out pieces of her bread with her fingertips, slowly eating the whole grains in tiny wheat balls and popping them into her smiling mouth like popcorn. When they finished their lunch, she had eaten the freshest food selections, leaving the majority of the bread.

I was totally entertained, to say the least, and highly impressed that the instincts of this young child (and good parenting and mentoring from her mother), are what eating is really all about.

We should eat to live, not live to eat!

This innocent, and very well behaved child, reminded me that the human instinct of basic survival really does make healthy eating habits important for human beings. Children that have not been exposed to the mass marketing of junk foods (filled with fake chemicals) will activate their natural instincts to provide their bodies with fresh foods that secure survival. They will select healthy foods to feed their minds and bodies. Natural foods void of fake fats, chemical sugar substitutes, toxic food colorings, and unnecessary fake fillers typically make you feel bad - they result in indigestion, bloating, headaches, body aches, and irritability. Healthy foods make you feel good. Children are innocent enough to know this by instinct! Adults need to eat like a child.

I have chosen an excerpt from my book, The Richardson Cancer Prevention Diet, to make a point here. Good nutrition is simple. Basic nutrition doesn't need to be as complicated as food manufacturers and crafty advertisers make it out to be. Fat-free this and sugar-free that, low-carb this and no-carb that...This is NOT simple nutrition. (Sorry, but popping a meal in the microwave is simple, I know, but its nutritional value is arguable.)

We human animals have wandered far from the common sense of eating; especially modern-day adults and children. The old nutrition books from years ago are great to read because they kept nutrition simple; they kept health simple. My grandparents lived in their own home until they were over 100 years old. Over 82 years of marriage, they ate fresh churned butter, drank organic whole milk, enjoyed homemade biscuits with the butter that was fresh churned, used natural honey, drank strained natural teas and coffee, had daily deserts with unprocessed sugars, and grandmommy cooked with lard. They worked in the garden, they walked more than they drove (They had one of the first Model Ts and one of the first telephones - I just threw that in for FYI.), they watched television only at night (plus one afternoon soap opera), they drank no alcohol, ate no artificial food products or diet sweeteners, and drank well water. They were NEVER sick, and they peacefully died at home of old age at 101 and 102 years, respectively.

Diseases have plagued mankind for centuries. In the 1940s, diseases were directly traced to the lack of one or more vitamins in the diet; not to the multitude of artificial, manmade chemicals polluting our foods and our bodies. All vitamins contribute to health and general wellbeing. Each vitamin functions in a highly specialized way to secure human health, a natural miracle. The complications of modern nourishment have set aside the simple basics of yesteryear. Food has become more complicated, and disease has become equally as complicated.

Morale Food

Generally when I'm researching a book, I seek out the oldest, most prized books I can find because they are replete with "wisdom from the ages." Flipping the worn and stained pages of a nutrition cookbook my mom had in her kitchen since the 1940s, I abruptly stopped turning when the words "Morale Food" caught my eye. "Morale Food?" Oh, this information is going to be good....

Foods that promote a feeling of general well being and increased vigor were called "morale foods" 60+ years ago. "Naturally, vitamins are found in foods in minute amounts," I read, "but they influence vital body processes in enormous ways. Vitamin rich foods can promote a positive mental attitude."

Now there's a simple thought, but one that isn't emphasized enough these days! Human bodies operate the same today as they did 10,000 years ago, but our foods and diseases aren't the same. Here is a connection to the cause of many diseases.

At least nine vitamins are crucial to human nutrition, but if your diet provides merely vitamins A, B, (especially B1), C, and G (riboflavin, more modernly referred to as B2) chances are the other vitamins will be found in adequate amounts in the same food sources. Are these vitamins in natural foods, like the little girl selected at the restaurant? YES! Do these natural vitamins remain after food processing and manufacturing? NO! Are these vitamins found in diet sweeteners or fake fats? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Eat like a child; follow your instincts for healthy survival. Eat to live - don't live to eat. And by all means, teach your children the basic natural, nutrition habits to secure that they live long and healthy lives.

 

 

 

 

GARDEN  GATE FARM FRESH PRODUCE BASKET LIST

This week our Basket will have a Garden Theme with EGGS, of course.The basket will contain the following ORGANIC items.

Red Leaf Lettuce
Celery
Carrots with tops (which you can juice the whole thing)..what you don’t eat should you have a pet bunny like Don does..they would love the scraps..and don’t forget the chickens
Easter Egg Radish..that’s  right..with tops..multi-colored radish. You can also juice the tops..or clean very well, tear into pieces and put into your salad..and Bunny will love and don’t forget the chickens.
Oranges..Bunny nor chicken care for orange scraps..your garden will..helps keep the bugs away

 CONVENTIONAL

EGGplant
Kiwi..because they look like an egg
Baking Potatoes
Red Grapes..look bird eggs maybe
Broccoli for Bunny and don’t forget the chickens…cut the stalks into small slices and stir-fry with some leek or green onions and garlic..serve over your baked potato
Cucumber
Cabbage..Bunny will like but my Dixie Chicks never cared for it.
Myers Lemons..a cross between a lemon and Mandarin Orange..Please treat as lemon, don’t try to eat like an orange.
Vidalia Spring Onions…Only we like those..don’t feed to Bunny or Chickens
Blueberries..don’t share those with anyone
EGGS.. our treat of the week..a dozen of  our wonderful eggs..please don’t feed to the chickens..unless you wash and dry the eggshell and mix with some flaxseed and sunflower seed..my girls always like that ..oh, the ground eggshell are also good for your dogs and for your tomato plants.

If you find some hidden items in your basket, it is simply because I didn’t bring the list home with me and I am trying to remember what we were putting in our GARDEN Basket this week.
Speaking of baskets, please return.

Cal l(910.231.1155) or email if you would like to pick up for Thursday after 1pm. You can get a basket at any time, but some of the items might not be available..all items will be available on Thursday.

Please remember the 3 R’s..ReDuce..ReUse..and ReCycle. Thanks for the plastic bags..we need more.  

I’d like to mention a new item. We now have homemade Doggie Treats in our Kane’s Korner. They are made with all natural and organic ingredients..pretty tasty..nooooo..even though tempted, I did not try one..peanut butter was calling my name though..Jocco, Jewel, Baby Ruff and Kane told me how good they were.

Enjoy the rest of your week..eat like a child..act like a child and live to be a 100 or more..even then we can still chase each other around with the aid of our Scooter..

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well,

Barbara and Pat

Garden Gate Farm Fresh Produce
222 Country Club Drive
OKI, NC 28465
910.231.1155