JUNE 2009 - Thanks to everyone who came to the open house!!

  • This month has meant a lot of weeding on the farm - with the few days of warmer weather, these grew along with the crops!  Thanks to all of you for praying for warm, sunny days - it seems to have helped!
  • All the calves and kids have been born and are thriving nicely in their pastures
  • We are expecting our 2 week old turkey chicks soon - these are what will fill the Thanksgiving meat share baskets!
  • All the crops have been planted, with the exception of the later crops such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.  These will be planted later this week in time for the late summer and fall harvest
  • The corn maze has been planted and the pathways for our 2009 design featuring Dina and Kevin from BT (Breakfast Television) have been cut!  Now we just have to wait for the warmer weather and sunshine to coax the corn up out of the ground so we can get an aerial photo.
  • As well, we are getting ready to cut the hay for the animals
  • Our first delivery of the CSA baskets kicked off on the 17th and the first pick up on the 18th - we're really excited about the new boxes which look really great! 

Remember to look at the "Recipes" section of the website to see some old favourites, as well as recipes and nutritional information written by Holistic Nutritionist Brandi McCarthy-Keays.  She welcomes all food-related questions and each week will be providing nutritional information on some of the foods in your baskets, as well as healthy recipes you can try out at home!

Let me take a moment to introduce myself! My name is Brandi McCarthy and I’m a Holistic Nutritionist in the Mount Albert area. I have studied fitness and health for over 10 years and am also certified as a personal trainer and a nutrition and wellness specialist. I met up with Steve and Lisa Cooper 3 seasons ago when my husband and I moved to the area. I have always been passionate about healthy food and supporting local businesses and Steve and Lisa truly bring those two concepts together with their CSA! I will be writing a “mini article” on a particular food in your basket each week so that you have some info on just why that food is so great for you (besides how great it tastes)! I’ll also be providing some recipes so that you know what the heck to do with it! Hopefully this will help you try out something new and maybe discover a favorite food you never even knew you had! In addition I will occasionally include links to great websites and general articles of interest. If you have any questions about nutrition, health or fitness, my contact information is below. I’d love to hear from you! And now…..onto the spinach!

Spinach
Calorie for calorie, leafy green vegetables like spinach provide more nutrients than any other food. We all know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach, but you may be surprised to learn that he may also have been protecting himself against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time.
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K, a fat soluble vitamin responsible for maintaining proper bone health and a great source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, both of which are powerful antioxidants! This super team of antioxidant helps to prevent cholesterol from being oxidized in the body. Oxidized cholesterol causes the cholesterol to become “sticky” and can then build up in artery walls leading to heart disease and high blood pressure. Spinach is also a great source of Folate which can help prevent heart attacks and stokes, and Magnesium which can help lower blood pressure, contributes to bone health and can reduce your risk of heart disease as well! All of these antioxidants go a long way for protecting against cancer as well; studies have shown that people who eat foods high in Vitamin C, Beta-Carotene, and/or Folate are at a much lower risk of getting colon cancer than those who don't.
If that wasn’t enough reason to eat spinach……it tastes great, and because it’s low in calories yet high in fiber and nutrients it can also promote healthy weight loss! Try switching form your usual “just lettuce” salad and mix in a handful of spinach leaves, or try just a spinach salad with mushrooms, sugar snap peas and toasted almonds! An easy way to enjoy even more spinach is to steam it and add it to an omelette, what a great way to get your veggies in the morning!
Below are some great dressing recipes you can try to mix up your salads! Remember, many of the healthful nutrients in spinach are fat soluble, so you need some healthy fat in your dressing to reap health benefits!  Stay tuned for lots more on healthy fats in future newsletters!!

Brandi McCarthy-Keays                   647-988-3625                   brandi.mccarthy@hotmail.com