Diggin' the Drupes!

Oh, those great tastes of summer fruits and veggies are rolling out at Pathfinder Produce!  Stop by this week at our friendly, convenient market that is open each Thursday afternoon at the Village Commons from 1 to 5 p.m.  We’ve always got something fresh and exciting to share with your family!

As a reminder to everyone, Pathfinder Village will host its annual summer American Red Cross Blood Drive on Tuesday, August 9, and we encourage everyone who is eligible to consider donating in their home communities.  Blood supplies are vital to those undergoing surgery, fighting cancer, or who have suffered injuries and trauma.  Donating is safe, doesn’t take long, and a one pint donation can help up to three individuals requiring assistance.  To make an appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit the American Red Cross blood donation website.

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I consider myself to have a good vocabulary, but this week I came across a word I’d not encountered before – “drupe.”  I get excited about new words, probably because I use words a lot at my job.  Or maybe it’s because learning new words is similar to brain exercises, like Sudoku or the puzzles that are popular through various websites.  (Read this article from Scientific American to learn more about how training your brain is beneficial).

Anyhow, “drupe” is a perfect word for Scrabble, which is a game my family loves to play when we’re relaxing and making an effort to turn off the screens.  We typically pack our game when we go on vacation, and it’s just something we do on those lazy summer nights when the fog is rolling in, the peepers are singing, and the fireflies are flashing.  (We have a version with a board that has a built-in turntable, which makes the game easier to play).

So what’s a drupe?  There’s a very specific botanical definition, which indicates that it’s a type of fruit that doesn’t split to release its seeds, that has an outer fleshy body, and has a hardened stone in the center that has a seed inside.  More commonly, it’s used to describe some of my favorite fruits, like plums, peaches, cherries and nectarines.  It also includes things like coffee beans, avocadoes, mangoes, olives, and apricots.

Apparently there’s more to drupes, and they are classified into three main subsets -- there are freestone drupes, where the stones are easily extracted from the fruit; clingstone, a self-explanatory term that once commonly was used in describing peaches; and tryma (another new Scrabble word!) which refers to nut-like drupes that are difficult to categorize, like hickory nuts and walnuts.

August is the month when many drupes mature and are harvested.  Nutritionally, drupes are great, providing a host of different nutrients, phytonutrients, and healthy fats.  Many also have dietary fiber and are low in calories, so they’re the perfect addition to your summer meals or as healthy snacks.

Until next time, dig those drupes and train that brain!

Lori

Stay on Track with the Latest Pinterest Sensation!

Summer is just flying by, and as incredible as that is, the sting is lessened by knowing that Pathfinder Produce offers the best summer flavors at its weekly fresh fruits and veggies market, each Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Village Commons at Pathfinder Village.  Stop by this week to purchase healthy items that can make your summer fun even better!

Our two new hoop houses have been ordered, and we’re grateful for the partnerships that we’ve forged with regional foundations that will allow us to expand on our growing capabilities here at Pathfinder.  Stay tuned for more information on our hoop houses and agriculture programs.

This week’s blog is from Maura Iorio, our Director of Education at Pathfinder School, who guides our students each day in making healthy choices and keeping fit.  As a busy educator, and an even busier community volunteer and mom, she offers some advice on staying organized!

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With smartphones taking over our daily lives, there seems to be an app for just about everything, especially when it comes to your health. Counting calories? Try MyFitnessPal. Want to log your weekly workouts? Give Runkeeper or Map My Run a spin! But with technology becoming so ingrained in our culture, there are many who find it more satisfying to take a step back and track things the old fashioned way (with a modern twist)—Bullet Journaling.

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, it is a quick and easy way to organize your life, track your goals, and remain motivated. The best part? Your journal can become as creative as you want it to be! Check out this article for beginners to see how to get started:

(Think of it as a more efficient way of keeping a ‘to do list’ that uses specific symbols and organizational strategies so that you may more efficiently track your progress through events and chores).

Although this type of journaling was designed with your whole life in mind, many people have used it for meal planning, weight loss goals, and fitting workouts throughout a busy week.  Have you been wanting to eat more fruits and veggies? Do you want to run a 5K for the first time? Creating a chart in a Bullet Journal can help you stay on track and accomplish your health goals! Check out the page ideas below for some inspiration, and there are many websites that offer insights into this great tool!

Happy Journaling!

Maura (and Lori)

Blueberry Happiness

It’s the height of summer, and our friendly market has some great produce to share with you, including lots of Pathfinder grown items directly from our Hoop House.  We hope to see you at Pathfinder Produce at the Village Commons, this Thursday, from 1 to 5 p.m. 

Also, we extend our heartiest congratulations to all our regional athletes who competed this past weekend in the Gus Macker Tournament in Norwich, and the Boilermaker road race in Utica.  Way to go, everyone!

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Blueberry Happiness  

"I found my thrill, on blueberry hill .... " kept rolling through my head this Saturday as I put up 20 pounds of fresh blueberries.  It’s an annual tradition in my family to freeze berries, so that we may enjoy muffins, pancakes, and other treats in the depths of winter.  Although food preservation is work, it's satisfying work, and I always enjoy a few delicious berries as I sort out the "smushies, softies, splitties and stems."

Blueberries have gotten a lot of positive press over the past few years, as they are a great source of antioxidants, those compounds that help fight oxidative stress in the body caused by free radicals.  According to the American Heritage Dictionary, free radicals are groups of atoms that have unpaired electrons, are highly reactive, cause cell damage, and accelerate the progress of cancer, cardiovascular disease and age-related/inflammatory diseases.

According to the World’s Healthiest Foods, blueberries contain antioxidant substances called phytonutrients, which stop damaging chain reactions, reduce inflammation, and protect many body systems.  Blueberries are considered a super food, as they are one of the best sources (and best tasting sources) for antioxidants.

Of course, after putting all those berries in the freezer, I felt accomplished, but even while I was washing, and sorting berries, I was feeling fine, as I knew my family would enjoy the berries.  Being engaged in tasks and being socially connected is important, and researchers have been studying how cultivating happiness may make us healthier, according to an article in the latest The New Yorker.

Writer Will Storr discusses the work of Psychologist Brian R. Little at Cambridge, who studies the projects that all of us pursue during our daily lives (purposeful puttering).  Little has found that “in order to bring us happiness, a project must have two qualities: it must be meaningful in some way, and we must have efficacy over it.”  Little’s work relates to Aristotle’s concept of eudemonia, through which the philosopher theorized that happiness is realized through activity, and exhibiting virtue or excellence in accordance with reason.

Storr also shares some interesting human genome research on how happiness affects our body chemistries. Back in 2007, John Cacioppo, (University of Chicago), and Steve Cole, (University of California, Los Angeles), found that people who are lonely exhibit higher indicators for inflammatory diseases in blood samples.  Cole and Barbara Fredrickson (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), went on in 2013 to show that people who are engaged socially and lead purpose-driven lives exhibit fewer signs of inflammation and have stronger immune systems than those who suffer from isolation.

So, in a way, scientific research is bearing out what we’ve always known -- keeping busy, “finding meaning” and being socially engaged are all part of attaining lasting happiness and keeping healthy.  So, whether it’s freezing blueberries for your loved ones, volunteering for a non-profit, or pursuing a hobby that allows you to meet others with similar interests, you are improving your health.

Until next time, stay connected, get busy, and be well,

Lori

Independence Day Thoughts

Our growing season is in full swing, and our Pathfinder Hoop House is increasing its production each week.  We recently have been successful in obtaining several grants from our Foundation and Community Service Partners, and plans are in the works to install two new hoop houses soon.  We’re looking forward to growing more and greater varieties of terrific veggies to put on sale.

Come on down to Pathfinder Produce at the Village Commons this Thursday, July 7, from 1 to 5 p.m. to this week, to see all our great fresh fruit and veggie items.  We’ll be looking for you!

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Happy belated Independence Day!

This past weekend went by in a whirl, with my niece’s graduation party, and a gathering with my folks for July 4^th fireworks.  There was lots of great food, including different fresh fruit and veggie dishes – we tried a non-mayo German potato salad recipe and grilled asparagus this weekend.  The potato salad was zesty, and I can’t say enough about the asparagus, which had a slight smoky flavor … I highly recommend it!

Despite all the social fun, I also worked in the garden and finished my lawn clean-up project -- the unruly pile of soil has been conquered.  As one works in the soil, it’s easy to reflect on the agricultural past (especially as I found an old horseshoe), and I've been reading more history too.  I'm re-visiting David McCullough’s "1776," and I'm up to July, when Washington's army first hears the “Declaration of Independence.”  That moment 240 years ago brought the colonists’ fight into sharper focus and solidified the idea of America as a somewhat cohesive, sovereign nation.

Of course, that means in just a decade, our nation will be celebrating 250 years of independence.  I remember the year-long Bicentennial celebration, with its specially minted coins, the red, white and blue everything, the great fireworks displays, and the tall ships sailing into New York harbor.  Groups are already gearing up for July 4, 2026, including USA250.

I think that you can play on the red, white, and blue theme anytime, and it’s always fun to dress up your food for picnics and parties all summer long.  Here are a few ideas from around the internet for patriotic flair.

•        Red, White & Blue Potato Salad
•        Grilled Chicken with Red-Blueberry Salsa
•        Red, White & Blue Salad
•        Summer Fruit Salad with Mint & Almonds  (I’d probably reduce the sugar for this).
•        Red, White & Blue Fruit Kababs

Until next time, enjoy these great days of summer!

Lori