Recipes

Here are some recipes I came across on allrecipies.com (canada)! Give them a try and let us know how they worked out!

Springtime Asparagus and Parmesan Sandwich

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus spears, trimmed and cut in half
1/3 cup water
12 slices French bread
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
12 Bibb lettuce leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions

Place the asparagus and 1/3 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave on High 1 minute, or just until tender. Rinse under cold water, and blot dry with paper towels.
Spread 1 side of 6 bread slices with 1/4 teaspoon butter and about 1 tablespoon mayonnaise each. Layer with asparagus, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place lettuce over the asparagus, season with pepper, and top with remaining 6 bread slices to form 6 sandwiches. Slice on a diagonal; this is a sandwich that exudes spring !

Fabulous Fried Pickled Beans!

Batter:
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 cup beer
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp black pepper

Dip pickled beans in batter and fry in oil until the pickle slices float to the top.

Crispy Prosciutto Wrapped Pickled Asparagus

Wrap one slice of prosciutto around each asparagus spear, starting at the bottom, and spiraling up to the tip. Place the wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet. (Adding cream cheese before wrapping the spear adds extra flavour!
*Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven (450) on olive oil lined sheet. Shake baking sheet and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender, and prosciutto is crisp. Serve immediately.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Have you ever gone to the grocery store, gotten out of your car, grabbed your wallet, gone to the back seat to grab your reusable grocery bags, and you look, and it is as if they have disappeared into thin air. Then you remember that while in a hurry to find your grocery list, you kept reminding yourself to grab the bags, and you ended up forgetting them at home as you rushed out the door.

Now as your attempt to try and be environmentally friendly is ruined, you now have to decide if you are both going to buy plastic, and still have to pay five cents a bag, or fork out an extra dollar per bag to replace the reusable ones that you forgot. It puts you in a tough spot, do you buy those terrible for the environment plastic bags, and try to remember your reusable ones next time, or do you replace them now.....and have a closet full when you get home?

Now because this situation has happened to me more times than not, I wanted to find a different alternative to those reusable bags from the grocery store, or any other type of self proclaimed “reusable” grocery bag that is just like all the others, and will just end up being left behind when I make another trip to the grocery store. I was introduced to the solution, which will stop the above scenario from happening again.

The solution, EZ Grocery Bag! Its website describes it as a new generation of grocery bag made from a high quality recycled PET fabric, which is made from 80% recycled plastic bottles. The EZ Grocery Bag is the only grocery bag that can roll up and seal with Velcro, and get this.... fit in your purse!! So are the days of forgetting your grocery bags at home, the EZ grocery bag will fold up into a neat, compact, and easy to fit into your purse pouch, so now once you finish unloading the groceries, you fold the bag up, and put it back in your purse for your next shopping trip.

Check out their website for all the other perks of EZ Grocery Bags. (http://www.ezgrocerybag.com/)

~ Pickle Blogger

Sound Off! Do you have an EZ Grocery Bag...does it live up to the hype?

``What is that!”

I`m sure at some point or another everyone has bought a product, or had one given to them to try at a family reunion, and you might have saw something funny looking on the product and thought `What is that! There is no way I am eating that!"

While handling some emails here at Sunshine Farms I did come across someone who had, had that exact reaction to some grey flecks in our pickled asparagus. Although they do seem to cause great concern, and in some cases disgust to some of our un-expectant customers who happen to come across these flecks, they actually cause no harm and can hold some benefits.

Those grey flecks are a protein build up called Rutin. More specifically Rutin is a citrus flavonoid glycoside. It is made up of two chemicals; quercetin and rutinose. Rutin is created within Pickled Asparagus when Asparagus is heated with an acid, such as Vinegar; like in the pickling process, and through this process Rutin, which is a bioflavinoid, is drawn out of the Asparagus plant. It then becomes insoluble in the vinegar and crystallizes on the Asparagus.

The Rutin that is produced is actually the opposite of what most people think when they see those flecks in their food; it can have some really great benefits. Rutin is a strong antioxidant which can be effective against inflammation, cell damage and blood circulation problems. As well Rutin works well together with Vitamin C to fend against easy bruising, thin skin and unsightly veins.

So next time you see a grey fleck in your Pickled Asparagus, not to worry, it won`t be a hinder, it might actually be a help.

~Pickle Blogger

Sound Off! Let Us know what you think!

Additives, Preservatives and Fillers

In our society over the last few years it seems that there has been some sort of a Health Food Craze, and for good reason. With all the diseases that seem to be appearing, and with everyone knowing at least one person who has cancer, it seems there are more discoveries of these cancers being linked to chemicals that have been added to the foods that we eat.

Additives, Preservatives and Fillers, three forms of chemicals that are added to our foods for multiple purposes, that for the most part, we don’t even realize could be harmful to us.

Additives are added to foods to preserve flavour or improve its taste and appearance. As stated by Health Canada, any chemical substance that is added to food during preparation or storage and either becomes a part of the food or affects its characteristics, for the purpose of achieving a particular technical affect, is considered an additive.

``Preservatives can be natural or synthetic substances, chemicals that are added to food to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesired chemical changes, as well, to avoid spoilage during transportation time.``(http://www.foodadditivesworld.com/preservatives.html)

``Fillers are additives that help bulk up the weight of food with less expensive ingredients which helps keep the price down. `` (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/food-fillers-101.htm)

``Some of the immediate effects of chemicals and additives in your food may cause headaches or alter your energy level, or they may affect your mental concentration, behaviour, or immune response. Those with long-term effects could increase your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and other degenerative conditions. Avoiding additives in your diet is an important step toward enhancing your health and lowering your risk of disease. `` Says Eve V. Allen, Ph.D., N.D.c in her article ``How Food Additives Affect our Health. ``

Some of the worst food additives include: Aspartame –which may cause brain damage in phenylketonurics; may cause central nervous system disturbances, menstrual difficulties; may affect brain development in an unborn fetus. As well as; Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils - associated with heart disease, breast and colon cancer, atherosclerosis, elevated cholesterol. (For a Full List check out: http://www.healthyeatingadvisor.com/food-labels.html)

As a student intern at Sunshine Farms I was surprised to learn that all their pickles are Additive, Preservative and Filler free! Who would have thought there could actually be food in existence with such credentials? The first time I tried the products, it felt nice knowing that I was eating a product that was good for me, and didn’t contain harmful chemicals. It was a product I felt safe giving to my family, if only there were more products like it.

~ Pickle Blogger

Sound Off! What are your thoughts on all the additives that are in our foods today? Have you found other products that are Additive, Preservative and Filler free?

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” ~ Jim Davis

Wouldn`t it be wonderful if just by eating a slice of carrot cake suddenly you were enriched with all the wonderful benefits of carrots; their antioxidants and rich display of vitamin A. Instead we get the sugar high and an extra five pounds. So it seems we need to drop the cake and eat the carrots bare.

This may be a totally depressing fact to some (I know it is to me) as a self proclaimed Dessert Connoisseur it hurts no one more then me to say bye to my favourite desserts and say hello to carrot sticks. But, what got me through my slump was a little research.

Since the beginning of my internship, I have been introduced to the world of farming here at Sunshine Farms, and am surrounded by yummy, delicious Asparagus; A family favourite in my house! So that got me thinking, what are some of the best foods that you can eat? And, what kind of benefits are they providing you?

What I discovered was that the Asparagus I eat so much of is full of absolutely wonderful benefits, like Vitamin K and Folate, Folate in particular is excellent for maintaining a Healthy Cardiovascular System. (Check out the rest of the benefits of Asparagus here: www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=12)

So not only did I discover the benefits of one of my favourite foods, I also
discovered a list of 51 other foods that are good for your health.

Another personal favourite produce item of mine; the pineapple, made the list as well. The Bromelain contained in pineapple can aid as an anti-inflammatory and digestive aid. As well, as the old saying goes “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” seems to not be a lie; apples contain cardio-protective fibers. (Find all 51 foods and their benefits here: http://www.diethealthclub.com/51-power-packed-foods-healthy-diet.html)

So with my new found knowledge, I walk away from my research a little less of a Dessert Queen and a newbie to the world of extraordinarily healthy food. So, hopefully next time I am tempted with raspberry cheesecake, I can just settle for the raspberries.

~Pickle Blogger

Sound Off! What are your favourite foods, and their benefits?