Learning about Low-Carbs

We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween tonight … it’s really hard to believe that it’s November already! I know many students are now transitioning from fall to winter sports: Even if you aren’t a member of an organized team, there are many ways to stay active and fit during the cold months of the year. 

We hope to see all our friends and neighbors at Pathfinder Produce this week; please help us spread the word about our well-stocked and competitively-priced market.  If you know of others who would like to get onto our regular weekly produce price email list, please just let me know at lgrace@pathfindervillage.org.  As usual, our Edmeston market will be open on Thursday afternoons, at Pathfinder’s Village Commons, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Below, my colleague Martha Spiegel recounts her recent visit to her parents, who live in sunny Arizona.

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My parents have been on a low-carbohydrate diet for several months. They are doing well with it now, and have even figured out what they can order at their favorite restaurants and still stay on track. At first it was difficult, however, for a couple of reasons. First, they didn’t realize how many of their favorite non-starchy foods were actually full of carbs. My dad has always had a glass of orange juice and a banana with his breakfast. He had stopped eating cereal, potatoes, bread, etc., but still was not losing weight. He mentioned this to his doctor, who told him that the juice and bananas were very carb-heavy. Dad made the switch to coffee and eggs for breakfast and has begun to lose some pounds.

The second difficulty they had was boredom. They quickly tired of plain meat and plain vegetables for dinner. Mom got busy researching in various cookbooks and online and found that low-carb did not have to mean low-taste. One evening while I was visiting, Mom and I made Transylvanian Goulash (very similar to this recipe). It was very flavorful and stayed well within the guidelines of their diet plan.

For dessert, Mom ran some frozen strawberries and blueberries through a food processor until it was the consistency of a sorbet. It was very tasty and refreshing! (You can do the same thing with frozen bananas for a low-cal but not low-carb treat.)

Other foods that they enjoy are spaghetti squash with a variety of sauces, riced cauliflower—by itself or in combination with other chopped veggies—and fajitas (minus the tortillas, of course). Another recipe that I didn’t get to try while I was there, but intend to is an Italian Cabbage Stir-Fry. 

Now that they have found ways to eat food that they enjoy without feeling deprived, they are making good progress toward their goal weights, as recommended by their doctors. It is important to remember that weight loss should be steady but gradual, and done in consultation with your health care provider, especially if you have other health concerns.

Until next time, eat and be well!

Martha (and Lori)

Soccer Seasons

We hope that everyone will visit our next tasty Pathfinder Produce market at the Pathfinder Village Commons, this Thursday, October 26, from 1 to 5 p.m.  We’re working hard with our suppliers to bring the very best market produce to our customers, plus we’re offering our tempting and oh-so-fresh Hoop House items. 

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Last night as I was leaving work, the youth soccer players were practicing at Grant’s Field.  It does my heart good to see youngsters nearly every evening, kicking the ball around, running and enjoying time with their team mates.  The addition of Grant’s Field here at the Village five years ago has opened a window for activity and laughter, fitness and sportsmanship for youth players in our region.

Tonight at home at 3:30 p.m., the girls’ varsity team at my son’s school, Unadilla Valley, will be facing Elmira-Notre Dame in their Round 3 Sectionals Game (MAC League).  Of course, everyone is cheering on the Storm, and many of us remember that it wasn’t too long ago that these gifted players were “little ones” cutting their teeth in community soccer leagues.

Soccer is a great activity for kids, as it gets them unplugged, gets them outside in the fresh air, gets them moving, and has so many benefits for growing bodies.  Livestrong adds that it also helps build social skills and helps kids’ build positive self-images. 

According to the website of healthfitnessrevolution.com and other websites, soccer specifically helps growing bodies by:

·       Increasing Aerobic Capacity

·       Improving Cardiovascular Health

·       Improving Pulmonary Health

·       Lowering Body Fat

·       Improving Muscle Tone and Strength

·       Increasing Bone Strength

·       Improving Coordination

·       Increasing Brain Function

It’s no wonder that soccer is the most popular sport around the world.  It can be played in nearly any flat, open, non-littered area, with a minimal of equipment.  You don’t have to be huge to excel either – arguably the world’s most gifted player, Lionel Mesi is 5’7” and weighs about 160 lbs. and suffered from growth hormone deficiencies as a boy. Just look up some of his highlight films on Youtube.  (My soccer-playing nephew, Dan, who is actually very good, is also small in stature – he absolutely worships “The Flea”).

Until next time, keep moving, enjoy the remaining days of soccer, and eat well!

Lori

Stay Healthy This Autumn!

We hope everyone will come down to Pathfinder Village this Thursday, October 19, to get in on the freshest, tastiest fruit and veggies around.  Pathfinder Produce is open from 1 to 5 p.m., and with such a friendly staff and well-stocked market, who could ask for anything more? 

This week, I apologize for taking a veggie blog break as I’m a little under the weather.  As I was all set to get my annual flu shot this week, of course Murphy’s Law would have it that I got a humdinger of a cold last week.  But we’re on the mend, with lots of fluids, bed rest, and TLC!

As we are moving into flu season, I really hope everyone avoids getting sick.  Here’s a brief write-up from the CDC on ways to keep you and your family flu-free during the weeks ahead.  If you’d like to revisit some of the topics that Maura, Martha and I have covered in our prior posts, please visit our veggie blog site at http://pathfinderproduce.blogspot.com.

Until next time, eat and be well!

Lori

Pumpkin Picking!

We are sailing through autumn, and enjoying all the great flavors of the season.  We hope you can make it out to our next delicious Pathfinder Produce fresh fruits and veggie market at the Village Commons this Thursday, between 1 and 5 p.m.  We’ve got some great New York State grown produce, including our Pathfinder Hoop House items, that you may share with your family.

At this time of year, many folks visit our area apple orchards and pumpkin farms as fun outings.  These excursions build lots of great memories for the kids when they are older, and it’s a great way to enjoy time outside.  In her blog entry below, Maura Iorio, our Senior Director of Education at Pathfinder School, recalls a fun day her class spent on the farm.

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Last week, Mrs. Iorio's and Mrs. Moffitt's class went on a pumpkin picking adventure! Although it's always sad to say so long to summer, there's no denying the magic of fall. Colorful leaves, crisp and cool weather, and of course--pumpkins galore! 

The great thing about having Hoop Houses on campus, where we grow our very own organic produce, is that our students can practice important skills before heading out into the community. Our class harvested pumpkins from our Pathfinder pumpkin patch and delivered them to our Enrichment Department to be used as decorations around the Village! 

Once we got the hang of finding and picking the best pumpkins, we headed to Cullen Pumpkin Farm in nearby Richfield Springs. We hiked through the “U-Pick” fields to find pumpkins that were perfect for carving, painting, and pies! As a bonus we got to explore the corn maze and enjoy the interactive play area. It was the perfect autumn outing! 

Our class can't wait to work on fine motor skills while carving, engaging in sensory play while scooping out the gooey seeds, and trying some new and healthy pumpkin treats made from the pumpkins we picked! 

Happy October! 

Maura (and Lori)

Hot Wires and Cool Storage

We hope everyone will join us this Thursday, October 5, at Pathfinder Produce for all the great fresh tastes of autumn. Although some of our available items may change because of the hurricane's impact on growing areas in the south, our market staff is dedicated to bringing a rich variety of produce items to our customers. Plus, with our Pathfinder Hoop House Harvest in full swing, there are many locally grown tastes to try … and it doesn't get any fresher!

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Last weekend, the power went out at our house as a vehicle had hit an electrical pole. Our ever-vigilant local crews -- emergency and electrical – came to the scene to handle the downed wires, and power was restored quickly. But for the few hours we were out, it made us think about what life was like before electricity was available at every rural home.

In some areas of New York State, some areas are served by municipal power, and many villages had their own hydro-power stations in the early 1900s.  It took outlying areas longer to get power, and under FDR's 1930s rural electrification programs, these areas were served through the establishment of electrical cooperatives – membership-based organizations that are still active today.  In New York, there are four cooperatives – Otsego, Oneida-Madison, Delaware, and Steuben.  To learn more about municipal power and cooperatives, visit the New York Association of Public Power website. 

I remember my grandparents’ stories about living in days before electricity at their Sullivan County farm. They would use kerosene lamps at night, and would preserve food by canning or using a root cellar for storage. I think it was a high cause for celebration when my grandmother got her first chest freezer in the 1950s, as it meant an easier time of preserving the vegetables and meat they raised at their “Happy Angus Farm.”  (You can learn more about Clarence Birdseye and the advent of frozen food at the Living History Farm website).

Anyhow, I digress – back to root cellars.  Typically, it was at this time of year that root cellars would be thoroughly cleaned, white-washed, and then packed full of just-harvested root vegetables that were raised by rural families to last through the year.  Dusty Old Thing shares some great pictures and root cellar facts, and indicates how essential they were even up through WWII.

Most homes these days don't have root cellars, of course, but there are people who still store root crops using this traditional method.  This write-up from Morningchores.com shares a number of ways to develop cool, dry storage for your garden produce. Some are built into an existing cellar and use modern insulation; others are dug into hillsides or rely on tires and earth bags to create earth mounds.  Root cellars rely on the premise that below the frost line, ground temperatures remain relatively constant at 45 or 50-degrees F.  (Refrigerators are just slightly cooler than that, at about 35 F).

Until next time, enjoy the freshness of the harvest, and be well!

Lori