We
hope that everyone will come down to our next delicious Pathfinder Produce
market, this Thursday, June 9, from 1 to 5 p.m. for the freshest fruits and
veggies around. There’s always something
new to try, and our friendly staff is always here to assist you with your
purchases.
****
It’s
been a while since I’ve listened to kids’ songs, but recently, I was reminded
of the ditty
featuring that unfortunate peanut:
A peanut sat on a railroad
track,
His heart was all
a-flutter.
The five-fifteen came
rushing by--
Toot toot! Peanut butter!
Peanut
butter is one of those staples we were all raised on, and the summer days of my
youth were punctuated with PB&Js for lunch.
Even today, we go through a lot (and I mean a lot) of peanut butter at
my house. We typically grab a quick
sandwich for lunch on the weekends between chores, and my son eats a PB&J
on whole wheat each day at school.
We
buy the natural brands -- those in which the oil separates -- and have two
basic ingredients, peanuts and salt. We
find that once you open the container and really stir in the peanut oil (which
admittedly is messy) it stays well-stirred when the container is kept in the
fridge.
At
Pathfinder Produce, we offer Zimmerman’s no-salt natural
peanut butter, which, according to the manufacturer, is ground from Virginia #2
dry roasted peanuts (and) contains no artificial sweeteners, and no added oils.
Based in Penbrook, Pennsylvania, the company is 101 years old and makes its
peanut butter “exactly as it was made” when it was first started by John S. Zimmerman
in 1915. The peanut butter line was actually
an add-on to Zimmerman’s coffee roasting business, but in the 1950s, the peanut
butter sales really took off, according to Lee Zimmerman, the founder’s
grandson.
Many
of today’s commercial, non-separating peanut butter brands typically add
mixtures of partially hydrogenated
oils, preservatives, and extra sugars (which aren’t needed if you are
pairing the peanut butter with something like jelly). My family tries to avoid all partially/fully hydrogenated
oils and trans fats – these lipids are whipped with hydrogen molecules during
manufacturing to extend product shelf life.
Researchers have linked hydrogenated
oils to higher bad cholesterol levels, inflammation throughout the body,
and they are believed to contribute to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other
chronic diseases.
I
always thought that George
Washington Carver, the famed Tuskegee University researcher, invented
peanut butter as part of his work in expanding agricultural opportunities for
southern farmers in the 1920s and 30s.
But apparently, we’ve been making peanut butter since the time of the Aztecs, and it was a
Canadian pharmacist, Marcus Gilmore
Edson, who received the U.S. Patent for peanut butter in 1884. Edson wanted to provide a nutritious food for
people who could not chew solid foods. I
would speculate that before
the age of modern dental care, many people suffered from tooth loss and periodontal
disease, did not have access to dentures, and there was a real need for soft
foods.
According
to Prevention
magazine, even though unrefined or natural peanut butter contains lots of fat,
it contains heart-healthy monosaturated fat.
And, because it also contains lots of fiber (2 g per serving) and
protein (8 g per serving), peanut butter can make you feel full, which helps
you eat less. A serving of peanut butter
also has vitamins E and B6, magnesium, and potassium, and one study
in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that one ounce of
peanut butter five days a week can significantly help lower the risk for
developing diabetes.
So,
as we get into the fun days of summer, revisit your youth and enjoy those
PB&Js!
PB&Js!
Lori
