Blueberries: One of Nature's Superfoods

I have several summertime activities that I just love to do and one of those is going to pick blueberries. I will often go several times with a goal to pick at lease 4 gallons of blueberries to put up into the freezer.  You probably wonder what I do with all of them and you know what? that is a good question!  

First of all, we love blueberries!  They freeze well and four gallons will last us most of the year. Great for cooking, smoothies and incredible on cereal!  

The darker berries that appear to have a powder coating are really sweet & ripe

I go to a local "U-Pick" farmer to pick my berries.  Locally grown blueberries and are farm to the table fresh!  Locally grown foods, eaten over a period of time have much of the same health benefits as eating locally harvested honey.  These locally grown foods would include vegetables, fruit and meats. I will cover those benefits more at a later time in another blog post.  

Blueberries are also easy to grow yourself!  And two - three mature bushes should provide all the berries needed for your family and maybe, even your neighbors.  Birds do find them tasty as well.  So you will need to cover them with netting or an old lace tablecloth as they ripen.  

Blueberries Boost Brain Power!

Health Benefits of Blueberries

Not only are blueberries incredibly delicious, but they are also one of nature's top super foods.  The benefits of eating blueberries is amazing! Blueberries combat aging, boost the brain, fights cancer, supports digestion, promotes heart health, benefits the skin, aids in weight loss, maintains healthy bones, lowers blood pressure (by widening the arteries) & reduces LDL cholesterol.  All this packed in a 1/2 inch berry! 

One of the Highest Ranking Foods of Nutrients Per Calories

Packed full of nutrients, blueberries contain iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, manganese, zinc, copper, folate, beta-carotene, folate, choline, Vitamin A & Vitamin E.  

1 Cup of berries contains:

84 - calories

0 - cholestrerol

1.1g - protein

0.49g - fat

21g - carbohydrates 

3.6g - dietary fiber (14% of the daily requirement)

It also contains high levels of phenolic compounds: quercetin, kaempferol, myricentin & chlorogenic acid - antioxidants.  

My friend, Kim, who is my blueberry picking buddy

Picking Blueberries

It is always fun to go with a friend or family.  Children really love blueberry picking.  They pick one and put it in the bucket, they pick one and eat it and it is so fun to watch!  In fact, I eat quite a few when I pick as well. 😂 I always like to "test the bush" by sampling one berry just to make sure that bush produces a good sweet berry.  Flavor does vary from bush to bush.  

Blueberry season usually runs from the last week in June until the first or second week in August. Depending on your location and altitude. It is best to go early in the morning, before it gets too hot or early evening, as the sun is going down and it is getting cooler.  We live in the deep south and it can be 90 degrees Fahrenheit by 9:30 or 10:00 am in July. Our evenings are sometimes very warm as well.  I prefer the early mornings.  You will also need comfortable, closed toed shoes and plenty of water.  You can dehydrate quickly if it is a warm morning or evening.  

You can find "U-Pick" farms through Google or any search engine that you use or by going to your local Craigslist.  The farmers are nice, friendly and happy to have you come.  They may also have other "U-Pick" produce for you as well. The farmer I go to even has honey. I love locally produced honey! Most of the farmers have set hours that they are open for you to come and pick.  So be sure to contact them to see when they are "open".  

One plastic grocery bag will hold 1 gallon of fresh picked berries

We go through 4-6 gallons of berries a year.  I love making muffins, smoothies, pies, waffles and breads with the muffins that I pick.  We will also eat the berries straight out of the freezer (wash first) and we enjoy them on cereal or oatmeal.  They are so good picked fresh. Even when you have stored them in the freezer for a few months. The flavor is really different from store bought. I really think it is because you are enjoying the work of your hands and you have the opportunity of picking the berries at their peak.  Often times the berries you get at the store have been picked 1-2 weeks before making it to the produce shelf.  

Freezing Your Fresh Picked Blueberries

After picking your blueberries it is important to put them up right away.  They will tend to sweat and that will enable bacteria and fungi to set up causing the berries to ruin.  You will want to have some freezer bags handy.  Be sure to label them and include the date.  

Be sure to label your bags with item & date

It is not necessary to wash the blueberries before freezing.  In fact, if you wash them, it will take the natural protective coating off and when you freeze them, the skin will become tough and the flavor of the berries will not be as good.  

Sweet Delicious Blueberries 

Using a large spoon, gently scoop the berries and fill the bag.  Best to leave a little room at the top so that the bags will store flatter as you stack them in the freezer.  (See bottom photo.)

Start scooping gently with a large spoon

Blueberries freeze so well. You can take from the bag what you need, reseal the bag and return to the freezer and the remaining berries will be fine.  Be sure to wash the berries before eating or using in cooking, smoothies or salads.  

2 gallons will make 6 pints and 4 quarts of delicious, sweet berries that will last all year!

The berries will taste best the first 6-9 months after freezing.  After 9 months they will still be great for cooking or smoothies.  I have discovered a bag that got lost in the freezer that was put up a couple of years before. The berries were fine for cooking.  

Blueberries are one of nature's finest foods. Packed with nutrients, antioxidants, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.  They freeze well so that you and your family can enjoy their wonderful sweet flavor and health benefits all year long.  

And blueberries are one of those...

...Little Things in Life

Hugs,

Missy!

Fresh Produce Co-op Haul

Do you like fresh produce?  

Have you noticed how expensive it is?  Have you wondered how long it has taken for the produce to get from the farm to the store then to your table?  I have.  I have noticed that when I purchase produce from a grocery store that I really need to prepare that produce right away or it will be spoiled within the day, even when I store it in the refrigerator.

Almost 2 (two) years ago, we were invited to join a neighborhood co-op.  March - November we have bi-monthly baskets and it is $15.  December - February we get only 1 (one) basket and it is $20. For us, a family of 3, it is gracious a plenty.  Often times, more than what we need.  I rarely supplement from the store.  And only for $15!!!  It really helps me to stretch my $$ further and keeps me from overbuying.

A Local Co-op Provides a Variety of Seasonal Produce

There are different types of co-ops.  Some incorporated and run like a business such as a farm or a grocery store.  And there are others that are unincorporated being run by churches, community organization or, like ours, a handful or neighbors.  Some of these co-ops are organic and some are not.  Organic co-ops are always going to be more expensive because organics, even locally grown, are more expensive.

 Today's Co-op Haul

In today's post, I am going to discuss the simple neighborhood co-op like the one that we belong to. We are so fortunate to be here in Central Alabama where we have the Birmingham Farmers Market. Farmers come in from all the nearby counties to sell their produce.  And in a co-op, we have some buying power that allows us to bargain.  My husband was suspect about the whole program when we first joined.  Then it became our turn to shop and he was so shocked at what we were able to buy. And of course, the experience really revealed to him the markup on produce sold in the grocery stores.  

What do you need to start a co-op?

• Participants - About 10 families for a decent haul. You will max out at 30. (LOL!  you don't want to have to hire a semi to get the produce to the home where it will be distributed!) 
• Baskets - Each participant will need to provide a sturdy laundry basket that is labeled with their name
• Distribution Center - One of the families will need to volunteer a their patio or carport to be the collection and distribution center.  The space will need to be big enough that the baskets can be spread out and produce sorted
• Organizers/Managers - It is nice to have a couple of people who will "be in charge" so to speak. That is administrate a Facebook group page and coordinated a text messaging & email system. That is be willing to send out the reminders and make up the shopping schedule.  We have 2 great ladies who do this for us.  They are also the founders of our co-op.  
• Find a place to do the shopping - a farmers market, a wholesale produce distributor 
• Determine $$ amount of each basket
• Participant shopping schedule
• Establish some parameters-What I mean is, keep in mind that peanut allergies seem to be on the rise so you may want to request that no one buy peanuts.  Also, keep in mind that you are spending other peoples money.  Everyone loves and want's watermelon, but if the best price is $5 a watermelon, might be best to pass as that is 1/3 of what every participant has paid.  So it is important that you have some parameters set up for everyone to follow.  

A neighborhood/community co-op is really simple to operate and in time, almost runs itself.  Every time we have shopped for our group we have had 23-25 participating families.  That makes for a great haul!  We have 2 civics and 1 accord and all 3 cars are packed with the produce haul.  We leave early o'clock.  Way before the sun, it order to get the best deals and the freshest produce.  We go to all the vendors and farmers to check their prices.  Then I find a quite place to work all the math.  Then my husband, daughter & I take our cars around and start filling them up with all the produce as I make the purchases.  If we collect $315 from all of the participants, we spend $315.  Once I had to spend $2 out of my pocket.  But when a farmer or wholesaler knows you are short just a few dollars, they usually just let that go.  By the way, in our particular group, the shopper does not pay for their basket.  Their time spend shopping and sorting for the group is payment enough! 😊 It is fun and very educational for children & youth.

Our Hauls Feed 3-4 People for 2 Weeks!

Co-ops are the best way to get variety & freshness in your produce.  It is also a great way to stretch your shopping $$$!  If you are interested in a co-op, ask around your community and see if there is one that you can offer to be a substitute for.  It is a great way to try and see if you would like being a part of one.  If there is not one in your area, check with your neighbors and see if they will be interested in starting one.  Everyone is looking for ways to save money and have a healthier lifestyle and a produce co-op is a great way to that end.

And before I forget, I have a video on YouTube of today's co-op haul.  If you have time, go look at it.
Today's Co-op Haul

Another one of those little things in life that we enjoy!

Missy

Delicious Old Fashion Lemonade

So what do you do with Lemons?  

Make lemonade of course!  

We are going into the hot days of summer and I can think of nothing better than an ice cold glass of fresh lemonade.  When I was growing up, this was a real treat for us.  That is, homemade, fresh squeezed lemonade. My mom would cook it on the stove, let it cool then add ice and water and it would be so good! And so much better than the store bought frozen concentrate or the powdered kind.  

Delicious & refreshing on a hot summer day.  

Here in the deep south, we really do like the summers and there is nothing better than sitting outside on the porch or next to the pool on an afternoon drinking a nice iced cold tall glass of lemonade.  Nothing better to cool you off make you feel refreshed!  

This lemonade is great to make ahead, take to an outing such as a family reunion or a picnic.  And it is wonderful to have on hand to serve friends and guests at your next BBQ! 

Below I have included the recipe.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!  If you do make it, let me know.  I would love to know how you liked it.  😊

Old Fashion Lemonade

• 2 cups of freshly squeezed lemons (seeds removed)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups of sugar (I like mine sweeter)
• slices of lemon and/or fresh mint for garnish
• 2 quarts of ice in a 1 gallon wide mouth plastic container

Pour water and sugar into a 2 quart pan and bring to a soft boil, stirring constantly.  (This is to make simple sugar water.)  After the sugar is dissolved, add the 2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Bring back up to a soft boil and continue to stir for 1 minute.  Pour over ice in plastic or glass container, stir and add water and more ice to make one gallon.  Serve in glasses over ice and garnish with fresh sliced lemons or sprigs of mint.

Makes 1 gallon of delicious lemonade.

Enjoy!

I thought I would also include a print/downloadable copy for you as well.  Just click on the link Old Fashion Lemonade Recipe.  

Remember, time flies!  Be sure to enjoy

The little things in life!

Missy

Fat is Still Fat!

Have you been as confused (and may still be) about "fat" as I have been?  When I was growing up, my grandmother lived with us.  Every morning she made lard biscuits.  She would also have a big platter of fried bacon and scrambled eggs (sometimes scrambled eggs and pig brains, yes, you read that right!).  By the way, those eggs were fried up in bacon grease. There would be a stick of real butter on the table, a glass of ice cold, whole milk at each plate, cream or lite cream (we now call that half and half) for coffee or just to pour over cornflakes.  My grandma would often have the box of corn flakes sitting on the table as well just in case we were still hungry.  And that would all be topped off with a jar of homemade jam, jelly or fruit butter.  I can still smell and taste it all!  My grandma believed in a hardy breakfast to start the day and hated it when all we wanted or ate was a bowl of cereal and milk.  Nowadays we would gasp at all the animal fat, carbs and sugar that was in that breakfast! 😱😱😱

So Many Kinds of Fats!

A few years later bacon grease, lard, butter and whole milk became taboo and we began to replace everything with vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, something called margarine and low fat milk, etc. That was "healthy".  I do not recall anyone talking about "quantity". Then as a young adult much of your vegetable fats and margarine was being tossed out the window and I started hearing about all the different kinds of fat. Your animal fats, your vegetable fats, saturated fat, trans fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, fat from calories, low fat, high fat, good fats, bad fats, cholesterol, how our bodies metabolized fat...  It was enough to blow your mind! 😲😲😲

Follow the Money

In my younger days reports stated how bad animal fat is for you and the trend was to use margarine, shortening and cooking oil for everything.  10-15 years ago the reports stated our bodies were designed to metabolize butter, but not margarine.... And then there was a huge trend to start using olive oil.  More recently avocado oil, coconut oil, flax-seed oil and several others have become popular in food preparation.  A month ago I heard in the news that coconut oil has been deemed bad for us. That sounded odd to me.  While high in fat, coconut oil has many health benefits so why the bad "report card"?  (This report was put out by an organization that I have given a lot of support to in the last 6-7 years.) I made a mental note to be sure to research this, because it just didn't "sound right".  A couple of days later I get notification that Dani Spies of Clean and Delicious had just put up a new video on her YouTube channel titled "Is Coconut Oil Really Healthy?"  She had done the research (which I have since confirmed) and was willing to pass the information along to us, plus educate us on the healthy benefits of coconut oil.  Click on the above links to see the video and to visit her website.  (For more information on coconut oil you might want to check out her video "Coconut Oil 101".)  

Do your own research on the report(s) and follow the money.  And when ever you hear a news report on a particular product or food item, you might want to do your own research.  You may also find a case of "follow the money".  

So What About Good Fats and Bad Fats?

We have good fats and we have bad fats, but fat is still fat!  To give you an example, several years ago I was having a dinner party.  I had made up a couple of small dishes of olive oil (a good fat) with some herbs and garlic to be used for dipping french bread.  One of my guests exclaimed, with much excitement, "Olive oil!  It's a good fat! It's healthy for you!" and proceeded to consume one complete container (a little over 1/4 cup) with the bread.  Below is a photo of a label attached to a bottle of extra virgin olive oil I currently have in my cupboard:  

From my estimate, since there are 4 Tablespoons in 1/4 of a cup and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon, she consumed 56 grams of.... "good fat". (More math here... that is 480 calories in fat!) And that folks is when "good fat" becomes "bad fat" because fat is still fat! For an example, let's say I have a lite active lifestyle and only need about 1800 calories a day to maintain. 30% of those calories can and need to come from fat.  That equates to 60 grams a day. (That would be a total of 540 calories a day in fat.) Some of those grams can come from lean meat, etc, but a portion of those fats need to come from essential fatty acids (EFA): your omega 3's and omega 6's for cellular growth, repair and joint & brain health. When you eat more than what your body needs, it gets stored in your adipose (fat) cells. We also need protein to build, maintain & repair muscle. For an 1800 calorie diet you need about 136 grams of protein, ruffly 30% of your caloric intake.  Most of those calories will come from foods that contain what is considered your "bad fats". That would be your meats and dairy. Try to stay away from the fatty meats, chose instead the lean cuts. And enjoy dairy only in very small portions or as treats.  Nuts contain your "good fats" and protein.  Be sure to read your labels and be aware of your serving sizes and what those serving sizes contain.  More importantly, stick to a serving size portion.  😊

Avoid trans fats altogether.  They would be in shortening, margarine, fried foods, processed snacks & baked goods. Really watch your fat intake.  Read your labels.  Keep a chart or a log of what and how much you eat.  When you chart it, you will be amazed at how much fat you really consume.    

Essential fatty acids (EFA) have wonderful health benefits and are necessary for good health.  In moderation they will lower LDL (the bad cholesterol) and raise HDL (the good cholesterol), lower the risk of heart disease, aid in cellular growth & repair, aid in fat burning, and the list can go on. Our bodies need these fats! And they are good for us.  However, be sensible.  Know your numbers. Limit your fat intake to 30% of your total caloric intake per day.  Fill up that 30% with as many EFAs as you can and remember to avoid trans fats.  Moderation is key!  Good fat can become bad fat if you get more than your body needs, because fat is still fat! 

I hope that you found this post beneficial and somewhat entertaining. I am amazed at all the research that is on the world wide web on a little thing like "fat". So much of it is scientific, but sometimes we just need to know the basics such as keeping your fat intake to 30% of your calories and avoid the foods with trans fats. That way we will be healthier and around longer to enjoy...

The Little Things in Life

Missy