Soup Season

Happy Halloween! We hope that everyone will join us this Thursday for another tasteful Pathfinder Produce fresh fruits and vegetables market.  This week as part of our “21 Paths to Wellness,” our Vocational Staff will be serving up some Savory Butternut Squash Soup for our customers to try.  We’re open at the Village Commons from 2 to 5 p.m., and we hope to see you here! 

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Now that our weather is getting colder, there’s nothing like a big bowl of hot soup to take the chill off.  Homemade soup is another comfort food, and there’s no end to the different ingredients and flavors that can inspire a hearty impromptu meal.

This week at Pathfinder Produce, our healthy recipe of the week is for Savory Butternut Squash Soup, which uses winter squash and carrots, and is bursting with flavor and beta carotene.  It also adds a bit of flair by using a few apples and vegetable stock.  It takes some time to make, but there’s no reason you can’t start the process and tend to other chores or hobbies nearby while it is simmering. (The recipe was also modified to use almond milk as a lighter and healthier alternative to heavy cream).

Butternut is admittedly my favorite winter squash and it tastes great simply roasted or mashed.  Back in my youth, I remember my aunt, who offered afterschool cooking lessons for our local 4H Club members, showing us how to carefully split the squashes lengthwise, and baking them with a brown sugar glaze.

Somehow I’ve always thought that butternut was an “old time” variety, but according to the web blog, applecountryliving.com, the squash was developed in Massachusetts by a former life insurance company executive, Charles A. Leggett, in the 1940s.  Looking for a marketable crop, he crossbred gooseneck squashes with Hubbard squashes (which are really tough skinned), hoping to get something that was compactly shaped, medium-sized, and fairly easy to cut.  He was able to get both chefs and agronomists interested in this new variety, and it didn’t take long for it to become popular worldwide.

Growing butternut squash is relatively easy … you plant the seeds in well-tilled soil that is made into hills.  Squashes don’t do well if they have their roots disturbed, so it is best to directly plant the seeds once the threat of frost is past.  Once the seedlings are a few inches high, they do best if they get steady amounts of water, according to backyard vegetable gardening.com.  Other sites advocate mulching the young plants and indicate that the soil needs to be fertilized, as squashes tend to use lots of nutrients.  (As you may recall from an earlier post, the Native Americans would add several fish to the squash hills, and would plant beans, squash and corn all together as these plants “work together” for the benefit of each plant). 

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash; peeled, de-seeded, and cubed

2 carrots, cut in thick slices

1 medium onion, cubed

2 gala apples, peeled, cored, and cubed

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. of dried sage

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 cup almond milk

32 oz. vegetable stock, pre-made or from scratch

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss squash, carrots, onion, apples, and garlic in large bowl with olive oil and the dried herbs. Spread them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil. Roast in oven for about 40 minutes, or until squash is tender and lightly browned. Remove from oven and place the vegetable mixture into a large crock pot on high.  Add your vegetable stock, either homemade or store-bought as time permits.  Cook the soup for 1 hour in the crock put, then working in 2-3 batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth.  Add more vegetable stock if the soup is too thick. Stir in almond milk until thoroughly mixed and serve! 

Until next time, enjoy this recipe for squash soup, and be well.

Lori

The Power of Oats

We hope everyone will join us, this Thursday, October 23, for another healthy and delicious Pathfinder Produce fresh fruit and veggie market.  Stop by from 2 to 5 p.m. for the freshest tastes around!

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This week as part of our 21 Paths to Wellness to celebrate National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, we will feature a new healthy recipe, Slow-Cooker Overnight Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal, at our weekly Pathfinder Produce market on Thursday. This is a bit of a different tack for us at the market, because we don't sell the key ingredient in the recipe, but oats are such a nutritional powerhouse, how can you go wrong?

For me, oatmeal is a comfort food, and it was one of my favorite breakfasts growing up. I have dim memories of my mom cooking Maypo, for me very early on. I also have memories of the Maypo commercials, as do most people my age.  The slogan “I want my Maypo,” was apparently the inspiration for the campaign that introduced our generation to MTV in the 1980s. (“I want my MTV” is also a recurring refrain sung by Sting in the Dire Straits hit, “Money for Nothing.”)

Later, when I was able to fix my own breakfast, instant oatmeal became the hot cereal of choice, as it was easy, quick and kept me going through long days at school and sports practices. Nowadays, I don't eat oatmeal as often, but when I do I usually make it using old fashioned rolled oats. I still like to add a touch of real maple syrup too, but I really try to not make it overly sweet.

Oats are a grain crop that grow well on marginal soils, and were being grown by European farmers by the Bronze Age, between 3200–600 BC. (The crop developed earlier in the Fertile Crescent). Oats do not require as much heat to ripen as do other cereal plants, and they are able to tolerate cool, wet summers.  Along with being used in our diets, oats were relied on as animal fodder, especially in the days of horse-drawn implements to provide draft animals extra energy to work. Additionally, oats are grown as a green fertilizer, used for animal bedding, and were even used as a beer ingredient in England, according to Wikipedia. 

The World's Healthiest Foods website offers many good reasons why we should all try to eat more oatmeal. According to WHF, “Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fiber known as beta-glucan.  Since 1963, study after study has proven the beneficial effects of this special fiber on cholesterol levels. Studies show that in individuals with high cholesterol (above 220 mg/dl), consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day (an amount found in one bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%. This is highly significant since each 1% drop in serum cholesterol translates to a 2% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease.”

WHF adds that newer research from Tufts University suggests that oats may offer unique compounds, avenanthramides, which serve to protect LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized by free radicals, which makes this “bad cholesterol” even more dangerous by causing artery damage. Another study by Harvard researchers also found that men taking part in a Physicians Health Study for almost 20 years significantly reduced their likelihood of heart failure by 29% if they had one bowl a day of whole grain oatmeal.

Oats other benefits include boosting the immune system's response to infection, leveling out blood sugar levels, lowering one's risk for Type 2 diabetes, and providing significant protection against breast cancer for women.  Oats are also appear to be well-tolerated by those who have celiac disease, according to a recent double blind study involving 116 children recently diagnosed with this autoimmune disorder.

Here’s our recipe for this week, and we hope you’ll stop by Pathfinder Produce to try a sample:

Overnight Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal (from the blog, Chocolate Broccoli)

Non-stick cooking spray

2 large tart apples (such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady), chopped
1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup whole grain oats
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar (this can be reduced if too sweet)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon (more or less to your taste)
2 tablespoons milled/ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

Additional Toppings:

1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans)

Spray a 3-1/2 quart or larger slow cooker (crock-pot) with non-stick cooking spray. Combine chopped apples, milk, water, oats, sugar, butter, and flax, stirring to combine. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (overnight). Stir in 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt into the oatmeal just before serving.  If desired, serve with additional toppings (1 tablespoon dried fruit and 1 tablespoon chopped nuts, each)

Yield: 4 one-cup servings.
Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 321; Fat: 13 g; Carbohydrate: 46 g; Fiber: 6 g; Protein: 7 g
 
Until next time, eat hearty and be well!

Lori

"When the frost is on the punkin..."

We hope everyone will join us this week for another great Pathfinder Produce fresh fruits and vegetable market.   This week, as part of our “21 Paths to Wellness,” we’ll be featuring Slow Cooker Pumpkin Granola.  Join us this Thursday at the Village Commons, from 2 to 5 p.m.

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The sights, sounds and smells of autumn always take me back to memories of jumping in leaves, soccer and football games, and going to our local pumpkin farm to pick out our Halloween jack o’ lanterns.  And as the weather got colder, we’d spend more time indoors, typically reading.  As kids, my sisters and I loved the “Little House on the Prairie” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her books always had colorful and instructive descriptions of 19^th century rural life on the Great Plains.

I’m not sure if kids still read these books (they should!); they were popular during the 1970s through the NBC TV show and a “looking back” phase that coincided with the nation’s bicentennial.  Most of the series covers Laura’s own childhood, but one book, “Farmer Boy,” details her husband’s growing up in Malone, New York, up near the Canadian border.

One of the stories from “Farmer Boy” that has stayed with me describes how young Almanzo Wilder grew an enormous pumpkin to enter into the county fair.  Carefully, as the squash was growing, he slit a stem feeding the plant, inserted a wick, and placed the other end into a pan of milk.  Through capillary action, I guess, the pumpkin drank the milk, and the boy would check to see that the pumpkin was well fed.  His diligence and know-how resulted in a robust specimen that won the blue ribbon, even beating entries from older, more experienced farmers.  More information on this method can be found at Steve Spangler’s Science blog.

Back in those days, pumpkin was stewed and served similar to mashed potatoes, garnished with some butter, salt and pepper.  Of course, housewives would also make pies:  Americans always used stewed pumpkin for their pies, but according to one cookbook English cooks would use sliced pumpkin, creating something more like an apple pie.  Pumpkins were also used as animal feed.

Presently, pumpkin is showing up in many convenience foods and beverages, and regular pumpkin canned puree can be the basis of any number of delectable treats.  For a healthy snack as part of Pathfinder’s 21 Paths to Wellness in celebration of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, this week at the produce market we’ll be sharing the pumpkin granola recipe below from blogger Stephanie O’Dea.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Granola
5 cups of rolled oats

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 to 3/4 cup honey (or agave if you prefer)

1 cup whole almonds or toasted pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup dried cranberries/raisins or mixture (add last hour)

Use a large slow cooker (aka ‘crock pot’), holding about 6.5 quarts.  No additional butter or oil is needed, as the pumpkin coats the oats and provides enough moisture to keep the mix from burning.  The honey provides enough sweetness and serves as a binder.  (According to The Prepper Journal, if you don’t have a crock pot that large, you could use a Dutch oven in the oven at 325 degrees F – just be sure to check it often as it will cook in about half the time.  A thin coating of oil in the pot may be advisable).

Stir everything but the dried fruit in. The honey will be ‘gloppy,’ just stir everything as well as you can. Cover and cook in a vented slow cooker (prop the lid open with chopstick or wooden spoon) on high for 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. Add dried fruit the last 30-minutes to an hour. (Stephanie advises that when you're happy with the texture and the consistency, it's done!)

Let cool completely; the oats will get a harder and crispier after cooling.  You can spread it all out on layers of foil or parchment paper on the counter to speed up the process. Store in an airtight container in either the fridge or the freezer.

Until next time, be well and enjoy the fall weather!

Lori

Happy Belated National Kale Day

We hope that everyone will be able to join us this Thursday, October 9, for our next delicious Pathfinder Produce market at the Village Commons, between 2 and 5 p.m.  Our 21 Paths to Wellness Recipe of the Week will be featured as part of our celebration of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

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As our gardening season is winding down, I was wondering if there was a way we could continue to grow greens for fresh tasting salads during the winter months.  Earlier in the year, I had learned about kale being a cool weather crop--one that our forbearers would turn to as it grew quickly in the spring and actually improved in taste with the colder temperatures.

One of my “go to” websites is Treehugger, and they recently highlighted a kick-starter campaign for a firm that manufactures some nifty in-window growing trays.  In the video, they show that by growing kale sprouts, families are able to add concentrated nutrients to their diets.  I would think that someone who is innovative would be able to grow a similar window garden with readily available and recycled items, and seeds purchased through any number of internet sources, like Johnny Seeds, High Mowing Seeds, or even on Amazon.   (I think a field trip to Page’s Seeds in Greene, NY, is in order soon … they have been in the seed business in nearby Chenango County for over 100 years and I’ve always found their seeds to be top notch.)

Another set-up I’ve found at the website Well and Good and at Mother Nature Network, uses hydroponics and pumps nutrient rich water through to plants growing in what appear to be recycled soda or water bottles arranged in a vertical layout.  A commercially manufactured setup is for sale at windowfarms; a graphic is provided that gives one a better idea on how the system works.

Another site that is worth exploring is inhabitat.com, which if you follow various threads, talks about the vertical hydroponic garden (powered by solar powered pumps), and other methods of indoor gardening.  The key thing with any indoor garden is to place it where it will receive adequate sunlight and be warm (south facing windows are best), and to make sure it won’t damage anything if there are spills or messy plant accidents.  You also need to build time into your schedule to monitor your plants.

This week, as part of our 21 Paths to Wellness to celebrate National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, we’ll be preparing a Waldorf Inspired Kale Slaw, which uses fully matured kale leaves.  More kale menu ideas may be found at Real Simple (sorry for their excessive pop-up ads), and at the website for National Kale Day (who knew?), which we missed on October 1.  The website and the day celebrate “kale’s incredible health benefits, highlights kale’s culinary versatility, and promotes eating, growing and sharing kale throughout America.”

Waldorf Inspired Kale Slaw

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain Greek non-fat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups broccoli slaw mix
• 4 cups chopped kale (tightly packed)
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Gala apples

1. To make the dressing: combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and agave nectar. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine broccoli slaw, kale, carrot, celery and apple. Toss dressing over vegetables and mix to combine. Salad can be served right away or stored in the fridge. Salad is best eaten the day it is made.

Until next time, be well (and enjoy your kale!)

Lori