Wow. It’s hard to believe that we are rounding out
another year at Pathfinder Produce. We
hope everyone will join us this Thursday, Dec. 18, for our last produce market
of 2014. Our market will be closed on
Christmas and New Year’s Day so our staff may spend time with their
families. We hope to see you on January
8, 2015 at our next fresh produce market.
***
This
past weekend, after being out in the cold for several hours, I was hungry. Really hungry. I was also really busy, and couldn’t wait
around for something to cook. I didn’t
want to reach for junk food, so instead I grabbed a handful of raisins and
nuts, and was pleasantly surprised on how these natural treats got me through
until I could make something more substantial.
Raisins
are a staple at my house, and we eat them a lot with cereal, in baked goods, or
just by the handful. Sweet and
delicious, these dried fruits are a concentrated source of iron, potassium, B
vitamins, carbohydrates and fiber.
Raisins are sun- or air-dried table grapes, which of course, are
delicious and satisfying as well. To
learn more about how raisins and other dried fruits are grown and processed,
the Sun-Maid Company offers a comprehensive free downloadable book that they
published for the company’s 100th anniversary back in 2012.
(Yes,
the Sun-Maid Girl was an actual person – her name was Lorraine
Collett Petersen. She was one
several Sun-Maid reps who handed out raisins at the 1915 Panama Pacific
International Exposition in San Francisco; she was later selected by the
company president as the model for the company logo. Mrs. Petersen went on to be a nursing home
nurse, and made public appearances as the original Sun-Maid girl until her
death in 1983).
Grapes
are technically berries, and are comprised mostly of water. One cup of table grapes, with about 100
calories, provides more than a fourth of the recommended values of vitamins K
and C. Grape seeds are also rich in antioxidants. According to organicfacts.net, grapes are helpful in treating
or preventing many health issues, including digestion problems, asthma, migraines,
heart disease, fatigue, kidney disorders, and eye conditions. And because they are rich in flavonoids,
grapes help reduce cellular oxidation damage, which is linked to cancers,
Alzheimer’s, and other diseases.
According to the World’s
Healthiest Foods, phytonutrients in grapes are also thought to help you
live longer: Resveratrol (found mostly
in the skins and seeds) “has recently been shown to increase expression of
three genes (SirT1s, Fox0s, and PBEFs) all related to longevity. (Maybe Mrs. Petersen’s endorsement of raisins
helped her live to age 90). WHF adds
that grapes also have a low glycemic index, which helps prevent type 2 diabetes
by maintaining proper insulin reactions and blood sugar levels. (A British Medical Journal study in
2013 found that eating whole fruits -- blueberries, grapes, and apples --
reduces the risk for type 2 diabetes, but drinking fruit juices – which have
more sugar -- increases the risk for diabetes).
The
Sun-Maid free book has many different raisin recipes, and there are many dishes
featuring grapes on the web that you may add to your winter menus. Here are a few to try:
From
all of us at Pathfinder Produce and Pathfinder Village, we wish you and yours a
happy, festive holiday season and thank you for your tremendous support for the
“little market that could.”
Be
well!
Lori
