A Guide To Buying Real Honey

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Using honey as a sweetener has all kinds of health benefits. Honey is a naturally produced, unrefined sugar that’s rich in antioxidants. It also has anti-bacterialand anti-inflammatory properties that can help heal wounds or burns, in addition to being a natural moisturizer.

However, products advertised as honey may contain large amounts of added sugars and a small amount of real honey. Ingredients like rice syrup, beet syrup, corn syrup or wheat syrup can be added to decrease costs while maintaining the honey’s sticky texture. Other products advertised as raw honey may have been heat treated to prevent it from crystalizing. It may also have been filtered, removing the beneficial qualities of authentic raw honey.

The FDA requires that honey labels list any additives in their products, but clever marketing can lead you to believe you’re buying a pure product. In some cases, imported honey bottlers are unaware their product contains added syrups or isn’t an authentic product.

If the honey you purchase isn’t pure honey or authentic raw honey, you will be missing out on the health benefits real honey offers. You could be paying extra for an inauthentic product with few benefits beyond use as a sweetener.

True Source Honey® is a company that gives honey producers a certification verifying their product is transparently sourced and pure honey. If a product receives the True Source Certified® sticker, you can be assured that it’s pure, authentic honey. They offer a voluntary certification system. Honey producers aren’t required to receive certification. For this reason, many local honey producers don’t seek out certification.

In order to avoid deceptive marketing and inauthentic products, you can take several steps to check if the honey you’re purchasing is pure.

  1. Check the ingredients label on your honey for added sugars. If the product is pure, it should only list honey as its ingredient.
  2. Purchase honey produced from your local area.
  3. If purchasing from a large commercial brand, check the jar or bottle for the True Source Certified® sticker.

If you’re still unsure about the authenticity of your honey, researching the brand can be a quick way to determine its quality. Using these tips, you can make sure you’re paying for the product you want and nothing you don’t.

 

Springtime and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

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Spring has finally sprung! Now is the time when garden beds and pots are being filled with fresh soil, compost, plant starts, and seeds. If you’re like me, maybe you’re growing more things from seeds this year than you have before. The process of growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers from seed can seem daunting, but it’s also an incredible experience. You get to watch something so small grow into food that you can put on your dinner table. I got all of my seeds for this year from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. We carry a large variety of their seeds at the Co-Op. Last year I had the privilege of visiting their headquarters in Mineral, Virginia. I learned about where their seeds come from and about their operation as a whole.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, as we know it today, was established in 1982. Their first catalogue only had 65seed varieties, but included some heirloom varieties that were interesting and uncommon. The term “heirloom” is tossed around a lot in the produce world, but it isn’t strictly defined like the way the term “organic” is. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange defines heirloom as “an open pollinated variety developed before 1940.” After 1940, most new plant varieties were bred for large-scale chemical agriculture and not small-scale farming. As a result, some varieties of seeds were lost. Growing, saving, selling, and trading heirloom seeds helps to preserve old-school varieties and diversifies the produce gene pool. From the conception of SESE, most of their seeds were grown by the founder and by members of a local seed saving group. This tradition continues today, with most of their seeds coming from a collection of 60 small farms in various parts of the USA. Many of their growers are located in Virginia or other states in southeast region of the country. Some varieties of seeds they grow are, cleaned, dried and packaged on their farm in Mineral, Virginia.

In addition to growing and acquiring seeds for their catalogue, they also partner with other local organizations, like Commonwealth Seed Growers, to do seed trials. They also conduct breed trials to test out varieties of crops in certain conditions and to develop new varieties with different qualities. When I visited their farm, I got to see two different breeding trials. One trial was with the South Anna Butternut and another was with pickling cucumbers. For both trials, they were trying to breed crops that were good quality and resistant to downy mildew. In breeding trials, the goal is to crossbreed the best plants and save the seeds. To learn more about different seed and breed trials, you can visit commonwealthseeds.com.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is not open to the public and they do not have a storefront, but they occasionally hold farm tours in the summer. Every year, they also help host the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello. This festival is a grassroots, volunteer-oriented event where local farmers, vendors, chefs, and educators come together to educate the public. They raise awareness about organic gardening, seed-saving, culinary techniques, history and more! Southern Exposure Seed Exchange helped to found this event. Each year, they grow and harvest many heirloom varieties of produce for the festival and offer tastings at the tasting tent. The late summer heirloom tomatoes are always a big hit! This year the festival is scheduled for October 3, 2020. For more information, visit https://www.heritageharvestfestival.com/.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange offers over 700 varieties of vegetable, flower, herb, grain, and cover crop seeds. Sixty percent of the seeds they carry are certified organic and many of their seeds are heirloom varieties. If you’re interested in learning more about the seed varieties they carry, you can visit their website at https://www.southernexposure.com/ or pick up a seed catalogue from our racks next time you’re in the Co-Op. Starting your garden from seed is such a rewarding experience, even if it’s just a few pots on your windowsill. Knowing where your seeds come from helps to bring things full circle and raises awareness around proper farming and gardening practices. Happy Spring and Happy Planting!

 

Guest Blogger: Friendly City Food Co-op Assistant Team Leader, Produce 
Mackenzie Jenkins

 

 

Building a Grain Bowl

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Are you stuck thinking about what to make for dinner tonight?

Try whipping up an easy, delicious meal from your pantry by following this no-nonsense grain bowl guide.

Easy as 1, 2, 3… 4!

 

A Guide to Vegan Cheese

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Eating a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to miss out on cheese. That ooey-gooey grilled cheese or a snack of sharp cheese on a cracker are still in reach with the plant-based alternatives offered at the Co-Op. Vegan cheeses are available in so many flavors and textures, perfect for anyone from a cheddar lover to a mozzarella maniac! They even come in all shapes and sizes like blocks, sauces, slices, shreds and spreads. There are plant-based versions of soft cheeses like ricotta and cream cheese, perfect for weeknight lasagnas or your morning bagel. You’ll find them in the dairy section, where there are lots of different brands available for you to try and enjoy.

 

Some non-dairy brands are vegan, but others incorporate some other ingredients that are potential allergens. For our customers with certain allergies or dietary needs, picking the right type of plant-based cheese is important.

 

Many of the cheese alternatives are oil-based cheeses. Brands like Daiya®, Follow Your Heart®, Chao® and Toffutti® use different oils as the main ingredient to recreate that classic, cheesy goodness. Many of them use coconut oil or soy as their main ingredient to flavor the cheese and give it the right texture. These cheeses are creamy and melt well in any recipe, but give them a little extra time and use lower heat to get the best result. For customers with soy allergies or coconut allergies, we recommend checking the ingredients in your cheese before purchasing.

 

Some plant-based cheeses use nuts as their main ingredient. Brands like Miyoko’s® use cashews to achieve their creamy texture. Kite Hill® and Lisanatti® use almonds as the base of their cheesy creations. Lisanatti is plant based cheese, but is not vegan. It is almond based, but contains the milk protein casein, making it unsuitable for vegans and those with certain dairy allergies. For our lactose-intolerant customers, it is a great cheese alternative. Some of these come in softer varieties that are similar to cream cheese or brie, and they spread easily on crackers or toast. Others have a solid texture that’s similar to the oil-based cheese alternatives. These cheeses are delicious, but not recommended for customers with nut allergies.

 

So don’t feel blue if you find yourself missing cheese on a plant-based diet or due to dairy allergies. You can find the perfect plant-based cheese for all your cheesy cravings.

Asian Quinoa Salad

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This recipe is from our Friendly City Deli Department! It’s a packaged salad that appears in our deli case rotation. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Quinoa
2 1/2 cups Water
1 cup Edamame
1 Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 cup Shredded Carrot
1 cup Chopped Red Cabbage
1/2 Bunch Green Onion, sliced thinly
1/2 Bunch Cilantro, minced

Dressing
(Dressing recipe makes more than you need. Use extra on noodles or slaw)

3/4 cup Tamari
3 T Sesame Oil
3 T Rice Vinegar
3 T Sesame Seeds
1 tsp. Grated Ginger
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp. Salt

Instructions

Boil quinoa in water until all water is absorbed. Once cooked, spread quinoa on a sheet pan to cool. Combine edamame, bell pepper, carrot, cabbage, green onion and cilantro in large bowl. Add cooled quinoa. Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour (about half the total amount) over salad to combine, adding more dressing if desired. Serve and refrigerate leftovers.

 

 

Creamy Mushroom Pasta (Vegan)

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Makes 2 servings

This creamy mushroom pasta combines shiitake and white button mushrooms with a simple cream sauce to make one delicious dish. The Co-op carries a variety of fresh mushrooms and I was eager to create a recipe with them. Shiitake mushrooms have a smoky, earthy flavor, which pairs well with the mild flavor of the button mushrooms. I love cooking with mushrooms because they are versatile, hearty, and have a savory umami flavor. The cream sauce for this pasta is so simple to make and is made out of vegan butter, whole wheat flour, and soymilk. The silky sauce pairs perfectly with the savory mushrooms and tender pasta. If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy mushrooms, I recommend giving this recipe a try!

 

Ingredients:

2 ½ tbsp. vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Original)
12 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
4 oz. shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 ½ tbsp. whole wheat flour
2 cups unsweetened soymilk
Salt and Pepper to taste
8 oz. dried spaghetti
¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

 

Directions:

  1. In a large pan, sauté sliced mushrooms in 1 tbsp. of butter over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until mushrooms become golden brown
  2. Season the mushrooms with dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Transfer sautéed mushrooms to a bowl.
  3. To the same pan, melt 1½ tbsp. butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add in whole wheat flour
  4. Whisk the flour and butter mixture for one minute. Add in soymilk and turn heat to high. Continue to whisk the cream sauce. Once boiled, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Whisk occasionally.
  5. While the cream sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to boil. Once water is boiled, add in spaghetti. Cook spaghetti for 12 minutes until noodles are tender.
  6. Add the mushrooms to the cream sauce and mix. Next, add in the spaghetti and mix. Transfer the pasta to bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy!

 

 

By Tiffany Wu / Guest Blogger

Tiffany is a graduate of JMU, and majored in dietetics. Her family owned a Chinese restaurant when she was growing up, so her passion for food and cooking began at an early age. She especially likes creating delicious and healthy plant-based recipes.

 

 

 

Golden Beet and Lentil Curry

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Beautifully colored and even better tasting vegetables are the star of this delightful soup. This is the perfect dish to cozy up to on a cold evening. It is full of flavor and will fill up your home with the warm and savory aroma. Serve it over rice, with bread, or all alone, either way you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients

  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 5 oz can coconut milk
  • 1 yellow onion (diced)
  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 4 cups rainbow chard (chopped into 1 in. pieces)
  • 3 beets (approximately 1 cup, diced into ½ in. pieces)
  • 2 cups multi-colored carrots (approximately 7, diced into ½ in. pieces)
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 ½ tsp green curry paste
  • 2 ½ tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp harissa puree
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp sriracha
  • 3 tbsp fresh mint (cut in thin ribbons)
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in a large stock pot.
  2. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, curry paste, salt, and pepper to the pot and sauté for 3 minutes until the onions are slightly translucent.
  3. Add the lentils, beets, and carrots to the pot and sauté for 3 minutes.
  4. To the pot, add the broth, coconut milk, harissa puree, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
  5. Add the chard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sriracha. Cook for 2 minutes.
  6. Just before serving, top with fresh mint, season with salt and pepper then enjoy!

 

Guest Blogger: James Madison Dietetics
Emily Salvaggio

How to Store Produce

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There’s nothing worse than opening your produce drawer and finding a wilting, rubbery, stalk of something that used to be celery. We’ve all done it, and now more than ever, we want to be conscious of how much food we waste. And besides, who likes throwing money down the compost bin?!

The Produce Storage Guide is a great reference for storing your produce, so it will stay fresh and nutritious as long as possible for you. Aside from overall good practices, there is a listing of over 80 fruits and vegetables with specific instructions on how to best store each. There is also a ripeness guide listing what produce should be eaten first and what keeps longer.

No more wilted watercress!

Easy Weeknight Gnocchi with Vegetables

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This is a super easy recipe to whip up on a weeknight that looks and tastes as if it took you all day. It is healthy and satisfying and with one easy alteration can be made vegetarian if you so desire! So, relax, make use of leftover vegetables you have in your fridge, and cuddle up to this delicious and filling meal.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz package of frozen gnocchi (kept frozen until placed on sheet)
  • 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
  • 1-pint cherry tomatoes, whole
  • 1 ½ cup asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 green pepper, cubed
  • ½ yellow onion, slivered
  • 1 ½ cup bacon, chopped (can be withheld if vegetarian)
  • 5 oz package whole basil leaves, torn
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F
  2. Line a large baking sheet with foil
  3. Place the prepared vegetables and frozen gnocchi onto the baking sheet. (*Note: if the pan is overcrowded, feel free to spread it out onto more than one baking sheet as I did. * )
  4. Coat the vegetables with an even layer of olive oil, and add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix to coat evenly.
  5. Place the chopped bacon around the tray on top of the vegetables.
  6. Cut the four tablespoons of butter into ¼ inch cubes and spread it evenly on top of the sheet tray. (This is important. The butter is needed to ensure the gnocchi does not dry out.)
  7. Place the tray or trays into the oven for 25-30 minutes until vegetables are cooked and the bacon is crispy.
  8. Remove from the oven, top with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

Guest Blogger: James Madison Dietetics
Emily Salvaggio

 

Honey-Sriracha Chicken

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This is the perfect dish to make for weekday lunches or indulge in the evening for dinner. It is a well-rounded nutritious meal that is sure to satisfy. Perfect to make when craving your favorite take-out, but not wanting the guilt!

 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cubed chicken (1 inch)
  • 1 cup forbidden rice (you can use whatever rice you prefer)
  • 1 ¾ cups vegetable broth
  • 1 ½ cups slivered yellow onion
  • 1 ½ cups snap peas
  • 2 cups chopped bok choy
  • 8 oz can water chestnuts
  • 2/3 cup sriracha
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh chives (reserve extra for garnish at the end)
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • Salt and pepper
  • Optional: in a dry pan, toast sesame seeds and chopped peanuts for added crunch

Directions

  1. In a small pot, add the rice, vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and allow to cook for 30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
  2. In a large bowl, add the sriracha, honey, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, chives, and lime. Stir to combine and add the chopped chicken. Set aside.
  3. Coat a large skillet with olive oil. Add the onions, salt and pepper, and sauté on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add the snap peas and bok choy and sauté for 3 minutes.
  5. To the pan, add the chicken and all of the sauce. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, approximately 10-14 minutes.
  6. Just before the chicken is done, add the water chestnuts to the pan.
  7. Once the chicken has reached its proper doneness, it is time to eat! Add a serving of the chicken and vegetables over the beautiful fluffy rice. Top with garnish and extra chives and enjoy!

 

Guest Blogger: James Madison Dietetics
Emily Salvaggio