New Scenes, Healthy Habits

Hello!  It’s hard to believe that Labor Day is just around the corner, and we’ll all be busy with our fall routines -- school, sports and more!  Isn’t it great to know that Pathfinder Produce is here and ready to help with healthy snacks and meal ingredients to help keep your family well-fed and fueled up?  Visit us this Thursday, August 29, from noon to 5 p.m. for the freshest fruits and veggies around..  Pathfinder Produce … we’re rooted in community!

Join us at the Pavilion for our last concert this Saturday night at 7 p.m. with the Dirt Road Express, one of our very favorite country bands. Our thanks go to our Summer Concert series partners at the Chenango County Arts Council. The Summer Concert Series is a Decentralization Program.  These programs are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, which is administered by the Chenango County Council of the Arts, with support from Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.  The series is also made possible with funds from private donors, Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Program, and WGY’s Christmas Wish.

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This past week we dropped our son off at college. While many parents are overwhelmed by the flight of their fledgling, I’ve been trying to keep it in perspective.  We’ve raised our children to be independent and responsible; when it’s time to go to college, the military or enter the workforce, our young adults are where they’re supposed to be and are advancing to a new stage of life. It’s as it should be. 

Plus, with today’s tech, if he wants to text or talk via video chat, it’s just a few swipes on the phone, and we’re connected. I’m here when he needs a sounding board or just wants to see what’s going on at home. This is a far different world from when I was an undergrad, saving change for weekly calls on the payphone at the end of the hall.

All that said, I do worry about his health.  He is facing new choices and is self-managing his daily activities. I know how easy it is for college students to take on too much too soon: Going from a small high school to a major university presents a smorgasbord of options. Being overtired, not eating the right foods, coupled with new routines and expectations can be stressful.

So far, he’s focused on having consistent routines as he adjusts to college life. In his first week, he’s:

• Going to bed and getting up at set times, hours before his first class, so he’s ready and on-time. 
• Eating a varied diet that includes salads and other vegetables. By not eating a lot of meat-rich dishes he’s also saving money.
• Watching how many sweets or carb-rich foods he eats.
• Drinking water instead of sodas or sweetened teas: His university has new filtered water fountains in his dorm that accommodate reusable water bottles (no extra plastic to recycle).
• Going to the gym for planned workouts several times a week.
• Joining the running club to socialize, and taking walks to explore the campus and de-stress.
• Connecting socially by trying new activities and meeting people with different interests. He went to a bonfire held by one of the faith-based organizations the other evening and enjoyed it.

We are all creatures of habit, so it’s smart to develop sound health habits as we enter new phases of our lives. Even if we aren’t making huge transitions, we can become more conscious of the decisions we make in our daily routines and adjust our habits to support our health better.

Until next time, eat well, be well,

Lori

Banana Update

Greetings, and welcome to another busy week!  We hope you’ll stop by Pathfinder Produce at the Village Commons this Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. to get the freshest produce around.  We now have a wonderful selection of Pathfinder’s hoop house produce – fresh greens, herbs, onions, tomatoes, and more.  It just doesn’t get any fresher!

We are rounding out summer at the Village with the final two concerts of another memorable music season at the Pavilion, August 24 & 31 at 7 p.m.  Come and enjoy these last few summer flings that will feature the music of Atomic Rewind, a new band to our concert series, and Dirt Road Express, one of our very favorite country bands.

Our thanks go to our Summer Concert series partners at the Chenango County Arts Council. The Summer Concert Series is a Decentralization Program.  These programs are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, which is administered by the Chenango County Council of the Arts, with support from Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.  The series is also made possible with funds from private donors, Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Program, and WGY’s Christmas Wish.

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Lately, I’ve been trying to eat more bananas to get a healthy daily dose of beneficial dietary fiber and minerals. But while listening to my local NPR station recently, I heard some disturbing news on Science Friday about this tasty tropical treat that is the world’s fourth most valuable crop.

It seems there is a fungus, Fusarium or Panama Disease, that is now attacking the world’s crop, and it has migrated from Asian plantations to those in Africa, Australia, South- and Central America. While this may not be cataclysmic and quarantine measures are being taken, the fungus is insidious. It is transferred easily and there are no known treatments to kill the fungus which chokes the plants’ vascular systems. Spores can live in the soil of infected farms for decades.

This is not the first time that the banana crop has been decimated by Fusarium: In the 1950s, banana producers exclusively shipped one type, the Gros Michel (Big Mike) banana, to U.S. and European markets. Another strain of the fungus, the TR1, effectively eradicated that crop. Growers then switched over to the more resistant Cavendish banana, which is what most of us now think of when we say “banana.”  You can learn more about the remarkable history of bananas through a National Geographic video at this link.)

The new strain of the fungus, TR4, attacks the Cavendish and most other varieties; its dangers were known as far back as 1985 when it showed up in Southeastern Asia. Horticulturalists in Central America are now trying to develop resistant strains and use genetic modifications to beat back the infection. But it’s an uphill task, and the industry has been slow to act.

Author Dan Koeppel writes in his 2008 op-ed piece, “In recent years, American consumers have begun seeing the benefits — to health, to the economy, and to the environment — of buying foods that are grown close to our homes. Getting used to life without bananas will take some adjustment…. But bananas have always been an emblem of a long-distance food chain. Perhaps it’s time we recognize bananas for what they are: an exotic fruit that, someday soon, may slip beyond our reach.”

I really hope it won’t come to that, but I also hope that agribusinesses take this lesson about monocultures and bananas to heart for all farm products.

Until next time, celebrate bio-diversity and “go local.”

Lori 

Delicious August!

Hello and welcome to another busy week! School students are transitioning to fall sports meetings and practices, and college students are heading to the halls of higher learning for their next big adventure. With so much activity, isn’t it handy to have a fresh and affordable produce market right next door? Stop by this Thursday at the Village Commons for Pathfinder Produce from noon to 5 p.m. – our friendly staff is looking forward to serving you!

On the calendar this week, we have our friends from NYCM and Empire Toyota teaming up to host the second annual CRUISE-IN on Thursday, August 15, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. All are welcome to enjoy this free event featuring great classic cars and the #18 Busch NASCAR show car, courtesy of Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s a fun night out for the entire family!

This is indeed a busy month when it comes to harvesting and enjoying fresh produce. Below, my colleague Martha Spiegel talks about her seasonal favorites.

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August is a fantastic month for produce! So much is in season and readily available. We stopped by a farm stand this weekend and found cantaloupes as big as basketballs! They were so sweet and delicious and made our car smell really nice on the way home too.

Some of my other favorite fruits that are plentiful right now are peaches, plums, and nectarines. Peaches are great on the grill, but mostly I tend to eat them right away, juice dripping down my chin and fingers. Being a proud Jersey girl, I also can’t get enough blueberries. (Hammonton, NJ, is the blueberry capital of the world!) They are the perfect size for snacking, and of course amazing in pancakes and muffins.

As far as vegetables go, I love salads with fresh lettuce and carrots, and maybe some chopped zucchini. We grill a lot of zucchini and summer squash—just throw it on the grill and brush with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Quick and easy!

But my very favorite summer veggie is corn-on-the-cob, another NJ staple! There are a lot of cooking methods for corn, more than I ever imagined. When the corn is fresh and sweet, I don’t even add butter or salt. We eat these deliciously sweet ears at least once a week when it’s at its peak season.

Enjoy the amazing flavors of August!

Martha (and Lori)

Mighty Mushrooms

It’s the height of summer, with county fairs, parades, days at the lake, camps, and other seasonal fun.  With all this activity, isn’t it good to know that Pathfinder Produce is here, offering convenience, great prices, and the friendliest staff ever?  Come on down this Thursday, August 8, from noon to 5 p.m. for your produce needs and experience how our market is “rooted in community.”

Thanks to all who have signed up to donate and help with Tuesday’s American Red Cross blood drive. If you didn’t get to sign up, there are other area drives in our area; click here to make your appointment today.  It only takes a short time out of your day to make a big difference to a patient who needs a life-saving donation.

Looking ahead, we still have plenty of Saturday evening concerts at Pathfinder, and on Thursday, Aug. 15, the employees of NYCM Insurance will host their second annual Cruise-In at the Pavilion from 5:30 to 7 p.m.  We’re eager to see the #18 M&Ms car (Thank you Empire Toyota!) along with all the great restored classic and vintage vehicles our friends and neighbors will bring. 

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This past few weeks, my family has been enjoying delicious grilled mushrooms … I’m hooked!  Scientifically speaking, mushrooms are considered saprophytes, fungi that are neither animal nor plant. They are part of nature’s clean-up crew and metabolize non-living organic matter for the nutrients they need to grow. They produce filaments, have no leaves or roots, produce spores, and don’t perform photosynthesis as plants do.

Nutritionally, the USDA considers mushrooms to be vegetables because they offer many of the same nutritional attributes of vegetables. According to the National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, mushrooms are rich in dietary fiber and provide nutrients that are also found in produce, meats, and grains. They are a source of essential vitamins and minerals, including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, selenium, copper, potassium, vitamin D and calcium.

According to the Food Revolution blog, mushrooms have more antioxidants than some vegetables, plus are low-fat and low-carb to boot.  As you may recall from other blog posts, antioxidants are beneficial as they help fight a host of inflammatory diseases, including cancers, heart disease, autoimmune conditions, etc.

Mushrooms are also prebiotic, which means they nourish the good bacteria in your gut, and they balance the microbiome’s beneficial bacteria, such as Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium. Eating more mushrooms may help you lose weight and feel healthier: In one study, researchers substituted mushrooms and cut back on servings of meat. After one year, the subjects felt better, lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol, and lessened their risk for diabetes.

All of this has me wanting to try other recipes featuring portobellos; below are some links to explore.

• Garlic Butter Portobello Mushrooms
• Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Tomatoes & Mozzarella
• Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Although some people are experienced in harvesting wild mushrooms, it requires training and a thorough knowledge of different species to do this safely (DO NOT eat wild mushrooms if you are a novice).  It is, however, possible to safely grow edible mushrooms by following the instructions from Better Homes & Gardens.

Until next time, eat well and be well,

Lori