Blog
By Hunter • Saturday, May 25th, 2013
Healthy Living loves Shelburne Farms! Just a few miles down the road, Shelburne Farms is a first and foremost a nonprofit sustainability education center. Started in the late 19th century and designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, Shelburne Farms boasts 3800 acres total and 1400 of farmland. Organic is the name of the game; their commitment can be seen at O Bread, the amazing organic European-style bakery on the farm. Sustainability is practiced farm-wide and provides an educational model for students from Vermont, New England, and the world over.
Lucy, from our Cheese Department, at Shelburne Farms making Cheddar magic happen!
We especially love the farmhouse cheddars Shelburne Farms has to offer. Brown Swiss Cows who live and graze on the estate provide the milk that, every morning, is loaded into the vats that begin the labor-of-love “cheddaring” process. First, curds are formed; then, they’re pressed into large blocks and squeezed of excess whey. These dry loaves are then milled into crumbles, re-pressed, and aged for 6 months – 3 years. The different ages of the cheeses are apparent from first bite; the delicately mild creaminess of the 6 month stands in stark contrast to the nutty bold sharpness of the 3-year. Stop by the cheese counter and ask us for a slice- there’s a Shelburne Farms cheddar for everyone!
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By Hunter • Friday, May 24th, 2013
Gather round, honey fans! It’s time to learn how to make the most of your honey and get the texture you need for the dish you’re making. We’ve all experienced crystallized honey- once the sugar crystals start to form, they don’t stop until your lovely liquid gold is turned into a sparkly crystalline chunk. But fret not- there are ways to get your hard honey back to a luscious liquid.
Clockwise from Left: Liquid Raw, Crystallized Raw, and Creamed Honey
All honey crystallizes; raw honey tends to crystallize faster because it hasn’t been stabilized by heat. We love the crunchy little crystals that you’ll find at the bottom of your jar; they’re perfect for stirring in tea or eating with a spoon (try it…you’ll like it). But if you need a liquid for baking, glazing, or cooking, these shiny little buggers can get on your last nerve. Your saving grace? Just a little heat! Put your honey jar in hot water and watch it get all loosey-goosey before your very eyes. It’s like magic!
HINT: If you like honey crystals but want a more spreadable texture, go with Creamed Honey. It’s consciously crystallized, meaning all the crystals are of an equally tiny size and shape. It’s luxuriously spreadable and there’s no crunch- if you’re a honey-and-toast fan, look no further.
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By Saratoga Bread and Cheese Manager • Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
Do Highly Processed Breads Contribute to the Development Of Celiac Disease?
We get many questions about gluten and celiac disease in our Breads Department. Jedediah Mayer recently shared an article with us, written by Hannah Wallace, that was featured in the Health section of the April 8, 2013 bon appetite magazine entitled ”The Back-to-Basics Bakeries”. While by no means a final solution, we found this excerpt thought provoking and took us back to the way our breads were made before processed foods became the norm.
‘No one really knows why celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that’s caused by eating gluten, and gluten sensitivities are on the rise. But celiac disease researchers and plant geneticists have some solid theories, one of which is the abbreviated fermentation times used at industrial bakeries.
“Most of the plastic-wrap bread you find at grocery stores is made very quickly with yeast–it goes from flour to plastic-wrap in three hours or less,” says Stephen Jones, a wheat breeder who is the director of the Washington State University Research Center at Mount Vernon.
What that means is that gluten proteins don’t have time to break down as they would in a bread made by traditional methods, where fermentation takes place over 18 to 25 hours, and that makes it harder to digest. It’s possible, celiac experts theorize, that after years of eating highly processed bread, our guts are rejecting it.
Thankfully, there’s a resurgence of craft bakeries around the country that make bread the old-fashioned way. All of these bakeries ferment their dough with wild yeasts for at least 12-15 hours–often much longer. This not only improves the digestibility of the bread but also lowers its glycemic index. All of these bakers also use “whole-milled” whole wheat flour–that is, flour that’s been milled from its intact state. (To make white flour, industrial mills separate the endosperm from the more nutritious bran and germ. They add them back for whole wheat flour, but some craft bakers speculate that the germ, which goes rancid quickly when removed from the endosperm, is either not added back or is “denatured.”) Some of these bakers even mill their own whole wheat flour in-house.
And perhaps most important of all: These breads taste fantastic!
Read More http://http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2013/04/long-fermented-bread-bakeries.html
At our Saratoga Springs Healthy Living Market and Cafe we feature naturally leavened breads from Mrs. London’s and Rupert Rising Breads. Both are available at our full service breads case. We invite you to try these organic breads and taste the difference long fermentation provides.
Rupert Rising Breads, West Rupert, VT
Mrs. London’s, Saratoga Springs
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By John Murphy • Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
Swing by our espresso & juice bar for a couple of new juice blends!
Our Saratoga Tonic (a nod to our sister store in Saratoga Springs, NY), is a refreshing blend of cucumber, honeydew, lemon, spinach and ginger.
Our Green Fizz combines the powerful probiotics found in kombucha (by local kombucha gurus Aqua Vitea) with vitamins and minerals in spinach and honeydew. You’ll find a little ginger at the finish for a spicy kick. A real effervescent treat!
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By Saratoga Vitamins and Supplements Buyer • Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
Ch-Ch-Ch-CHIA!
Featured in our Wellness Department this month are some awesome seeds you might remember from childhood as “pet plants”. I am happy to share that Chia seeds are more than a great gift for your favorite horticulturist- they are a tiny superfood that offer a slew of health benefits when eaten.
Chia seeds are high in Omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, they are one of the richest plant-based sources of Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). These amazing Omega-3s can assist in reducing inflammation and triglycerides, and enhance cognitive functioning.
Chia seeds are also high in fiber, antioxidants, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese. These little seeds even have a satiating effect when mixed with liquids. This, combined with the protein and fat content, can decrease cravings and contribute to weight loss.
Luckily, Spectrum Chia Seeds are on sale in the Wellness department for the rest of May for the fabulous price of $4.99/ 12 oz.
Add Chia seeds to smoothies, kombucha, soups, sprinkle on salad, or make it into pudding. Stop by and share your favorite Chia recipes, or ask our Wellness staff for some great tips!
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By Nicole • Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
butter LONDON Nail Products are now at Healthy Living Market!
Famed for pioneering carcinogen-free nail care and creating exceptional nail lacquer colors each season alongside the world’s top fashion designers, butter LONDON is the “go-to” brand for high-fashion beauty. The butter LONDON product line includes nail lacquers, hand and nail treatments, and a pedicure collection by way of high-quality, carcinogen-free formulas that are fashion-forward and created for the runway. At Healthy Living, we have 42 colors perfect for summer fun..and 5 nail treatments to keep your nails healthy and strong. Come check them out!
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By Nicole • Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Whole Health Nutrition, LLC bases their practice philosophies around a term that we have coined ‘PharmaFoodie’. Food, the nutrients in food specifically, is information – information that talks to every cell in the body. A question our nutritionists often ask their clients is, “When you look down at your plate, what story do you hear?” This is a figurative question, but an important one to ask. Our bodies respond to the foods we eat as biochemical messengers of information that supports health when we choose well. Our PharmaFoodie cooking class series makes use of this science. Each month we explore a health condition and learn which foods are the best choices for managing that condition or minimizing the risk of developing that condition. The recipes are delicious, fun, and easy to make at home! We call the PharmaFoodie series the power of nutrition meeting the pleasure of eating.
Our June PharmaFoodie class will explore the use of Salt. Healthy foods and tasty food can and should sit on the same plate. Moderation and balance are important keys to successfully navigating delicious foods in a healthy way. It is no secret that the key to unlocking good flavor in both the sweet and the savory is a pinch of salt. This class will explore different types of salt and when and how to use them to bring out the perfect flavor and bring on health. The right salt, in the right amount can make a very sexy meal. We will explore some of the health values and culinary uses of alder smoked sea salt, Himalayan pink sea salt, and togarashi salt! (I would use a version of this second paragraph, pared down, for the actual newsletter).
Togarashi Salt
(from Angelo Sosa’s Flavor Exposed )
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 1⁄4 cup red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried orange peel
- 3 sheets nori seaweed
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon sansho or Szechuan peppercorns
- 3⁄4 cup kosher salt
In a small dry sauté pan over medium heat, lightly toast the sesame seeds, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Put the sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, orange peel, seaweed, ginger, and peppercorns in a spice grinder and blend until fine. Mix the spices with the kosher salt in a small bowl and set aside.
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By Outreach Coordinator • Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Since late January, Healthy Living has teamed up with the Green Mountain Animal Defenders to collect pet food for families in need.
The drop off bin is just inside the exit doors next to the bin for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.
A huge thank goes out to all to our amazing customers who have donated this year and helped up collect over 200 pounds of pet food in 2013!
The pet food drive will continue. All donations will go to helping a hungry pet.
We love pets and keeping them happy and healthy!
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By Nicole • Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Crisp summer lettuce, hearty butternut squash, spicy radishes, festive basil, and farm fresh eggs are just a few of the products Rockville Market Farm offers! Located in the beautiful hills of Starksboro, Vermont, this family farm encompasses 108 acres of preserved land.
Healthy Living and Rockville Market Farm are working together to bring you the freshest local eggs, Eric’s Eggs, named after the farm’s owner. The hens at the Rockville Farm Market lead the good life and live outdoors with unlimited access to pasture for most of the year. In the colder months, they pass their days laying eggs, scratching and fertilizing the greenhouse. The farm raises 3000 laying hens that live in mobile chicken coops on pasture. The eggs are sold fresh and ungraded.
Similar to our beliefs here at Healthy Living, Eric says, “We are transparent. We want people to be connected to their food. To eat seasonally, and know the growers by their first name.”
You can find Eric’s Eggs exclusively in our coolers for the low price of $4.99 a dozen and other delicious products from Rockville Market Farm throughout our store!
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By Nicole • Monday, May 20th, 2013
Zorbas Natural Foods Humma~Humma~Hummus is made with fresh chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon, spices, and sea salt.
Humma~Humma~Hummus has a smooth, creamy texture with loads of flavor. There is nothing bland or boring about it. The taste will leave you speechless!
Flavors:
- Traditional
- Chipotle
- Horseradish~ Vegan Bacon
- Sweet Potato~Ginger
- Edamane~Lemon~Lime
- Sweet Heat
Pick some up at Healthy Living today!
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