• No more strawberries from Littons Berries and Produce, but they still are offering asparagus, spring onions and red beets.
• South Mountain Coffee Roasters is back to provide your coffee needs!
• Sweet Farm Sauerkraut is not offering this time around but look for them for the next order with special offerings for the 4th of July!

Please volunteer to sort this Tuesday evening, June 18th, or at Pickup Thursday, June 20th. We are now offering childcare at the church so Moms and Dads can volunteer. Sign up online for Order Sorting or Pickup day time slots at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/pickup2.

Members: Go to VCShop to Order (Opens 6/13 at 6 pm; closes Monday 6/17, at 9 p.m.)
Not a member? See How to Join Valley Co-op as a member.
New to ordering? Visit our How to Order page.
Help out and Volunteer: What’s Needed and Signup
or contact Jane (janenbussard47@gmail.com or 301-302-5262)
Have questions about ordering? Email:  orders@valleycoop.org
Not receiving our YahooGroups emails? Email: info@valleycoop.org

Visit our website (www.valleycoop.org) for other Co-op news and info on upcoming events.

Some juicing critics say that it’s best to eat whole fruits and vegetables, which also contain fiber. True, but according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one-third of American adults consume enough fruit, and only one-quarter eat the recommended amount of vegetables. While I try to get my daily requirement of fresh produce, I consider my morning juice more like a vitamin-mineral cocktail. Without the fiber, the nutrients are more readily absorbed and don’t need to be digested in the same way that whole fruits and vegetables do.

Juicers come in two forms: centrifugal juicers, which grate and spin the produce quickly, separating the pulp from the juice; and masticating juicers, which press out the pulp and juice. Generally, it’s best to find a juicer that is easy to clean and has a hardy motor (0.3 to 1 horsepower) to stand up to frequent use. The more heavy-duty models tend to extract more juice per fruit or vegetable.

Produce from VC suppliers, as well as my own garden, have provided a steady supply of juice ingredients. From apples to zucchini and pretty much everything in between, I’ve just about tried them all in one combination or another. Most fruits and vegetables can be juiced, except for bananas. Some of my typical juice ingredients include:

• Carrots
• Green leafy veggies  such as spinach, kale, cabbage and lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Beets (root and tops)
• Apples (pippin or granny smith have the lowest sugar content)
• Citrus fruits, such as lemon or lime
• Herbs, such as parsley, cilantro or mint
• Ginger root

Here’s my Top 10 Tips:

• Drink your juice first thing in the morning to break your fast. This will help ensure that the nutrients are going directly to your digestive tract without any other food to block it.

• Drink your juice immediately. Fresh juices oxidize very quickly, losing precious nutrient content. If you want to save your juice for later, squeeze a lemon into it or add ½ tsp. powdered Vitamin C to counteract the oxidizing effect. Refrigerate the juice in a closed container.

• Wash your produce thoroughly and chop it up before you get started. If you need to peel your produce, try to remove as little possible to preserve the nutrients.

• Aim for a ratio of 3 vegetables to 1 fruit. Too much fruit can cause your blood sugar to spike since the fiber from the fruit is no longer there to help regulate how quickly it is digested. Starchy vegetables like carrots and beets also tend to be high in sugar.

• Juicing is a great way to recycle! Got some lettuce or spinach that’s a bit past its prime? Juice it! Getting rid of the inner core of the pineapple you just cut? Juice it! Not sure what to do the beet greens? Juice them!

• Include a citrus fruit with your juice, such half a lemon or a lime. It helps to brighten up the flavor of the juice.

• Ginger goes a LONG way! Start with a 1-inch knob and increase or decrease from there.

• Pour a little water through the juicer after you have put the fruits and veggies through the chute. You can catch every precious drop that way!

• Add the pulp to soups, stews, muffins or quick breads!

• Get into the habit of cleaning your juicer as soon as you have used it! Otherwise, the pulp leaves behind a mess and can discolor your equipment.

One of the best things about juicing is that you don’t have to be precise. Feel free to follow a recipe, or if you’re like me, just dig right into your produce bin or fruit bowl and come up with your own unique concoctions. Here’s a general recipe I use:

• 3 carrots
• 1 celery stick
• 1 apple
• 1 inch ginger root
• ½ cucumber
• 1 lime

Happy juicing!

The farm was originally planned out and planted by Hank Dubin several  years ago, developing it into a local favorite picking spot for a large variety of wholesome blueberries.    One of many fans was Jen Mills, who lived on a suburban cul-de-sac in Frederick, MD.  Jen, along with her sister, would bring their children up to “the blueberry patch” for the experience of getting out to the country and harvesting as many fresh blueberries they could.  Jen fell in love with the peacefulness of the farm and she would tell her sister:  “If Frog Eye would ever go up for sale, I’m buying it.”  I am sure they chuckled at her statement.

Hank knew though that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which would slowly rob him of his memory and ability to care for his beloved blueberry farm. The 37-acre farm went up for sale.  Jen made the phone call to her husband, Dan, who had never been to the farm.  I can imagine her holding her breath to hear his response.    The rest is history, and certainly not an uneventful one.  Jen and Dan could write a book, or even a movie (!) of their successes and failures, moving their children away from life in suburbia and buying the farm.  They went in nearly blind, with some therapeutic guidance from Hank as he could.  The blueberry business is a family affair, including Jen’s sister & Dan’s parents.  Jen says they shed many tears and worked very hard during their first growing and selling season last year.  They were “fried” by the end of the season, but she and Dan just love “the patch.”

The Frog Eye Farm blueberry patch consists of 2200 bushes of 20 intermingled varieties that range in berry size and sweetness.  Hank and the Mills never spray chemicals; they encourage visitors to freely taste the berries off the bush before they choose which ones to harvest from.   The patch is not certified organic due to the expense of going through the certification process, but you can be sure that the farm uses only organic practices, relying on hand weeding , mowing, irrigation, and trimming to care for the bushes.   To ensure thorough pollination of the bushes, beehives are rented and supplied by Fred Smith of F&S Apiaries, another Valley Co-op supplier (F&S 2010 VC newsletter article ).

The 2013 blueberry season is almost upon us, with the farm opening to pickers in just a few weeks.  Jen encourages visitors to bring their own containers for picking and to come early in the day to avoid bugs and heat.   The farm will try to offer pre-picked blueberries if you are unable to pick as many as you would like.

Jen and Dan are looking for interested persons to be hired as pickers this season in order to fulfill sales at local farmers markets, the Valley Co-op and on-site sales.   They are also hoping to offer frozen blueberries during the off-season, so that requires a LOT of picking!  To learn more about the picking jobs, contact Jen at:  (301) 799-8645 or info@frogeyefarm.com.

Frog Eye will be hosting a blueberry picking fundraiser to support the Boonsboro Band Boosters on Sunday, June 23^rd.  For every pound of blueberries picked and sold, the farm will donate $1 to the band!

To learn more about Frog Eye, visit their website http://www.frogeyefarm.com/.

• To start off the month we will shift the 7/4 pickup date two days earlier to Tuesday 7/2.  This will require the order cycle to close early on Sunday evening rather than Monday evening.
• The remainder of the month we will be testing out weekly deliveries in order to accommodate the local growers’ produce season.

Please refer to the table below for details on each July order cycle.  With the increased number of pickups, we will need more members to help with ordering, deliveries and pickup efforts at the church.  Please sign up on our online signup so we know we can count on you.  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/pickup2

Cashiers providing checkout in the front lobby

Last week, we moved our checkout area to the front lobby of the church to help ease congestion in the social hall.  It seemed to be an improvement and we had positive feedback on this move.

Next pickup you will find we have spread out a bit more at the church.  During the off-week, volunteers moved all of our dry storage and refrigerators across the hallway into two rooms which were formerly Sunday School rooms for the Greenbrier Baptist Church (GBC).  GBC realized the need for a larger social hall so they have planned to remove the walls and partitions allowing for the church (& us!) to spread out in the hall.

You will find a new flow for picking up your order, so watch for signs and volunteers to help direct you to new locations.  As always, we appreciate everyone’s cooperation in making our Co-op successful.  Keep the ideas for improvement coming; send them to info@valleycoop.org

But have you heard that your skin can benefit from the “super powers” that berries posses as well?  The website “Skin Care and Aging” reports that using berries on your skin can:

• reduce wrinkles
• exfoliate skin, and
• remove acne (http://www.skincareandaging.com/reveal-younger-skin-with-berries/)

Organic Gardening magazine also document the benefits of using berries for skin care because of their pigment: Anthocyanin, antioxidant: Ellagic acid, Essential fatty acids, & Vitamin C. Read the full article here:  http://www.organicgardening.com/living/berries-for-beauty

Many skin care products are available that include berries in the ingredients, but you can make your own with DIY recipes provided by Organic Gardening:

• Anti-aging mask: Mash up a handful of raspberries with a spoonful of honey and apply the mask to clean skin for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Cranberry face scrub: In a bowl, blend 1⁄4 cup cornmeal, 2 tablespoons freshly crushed cranberries, 1 tablespoon buttermilk, and 2 teaspoons honey with a fork. Massage onto your face and neck for 2 or 3 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water. Apply to clean, damp skin once or twice a week.
• Three-berry antioxidant hand and foot mask: Mix 3⁄4 cup each of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries with 1⁄2 cup kefir in a blender. Apply to your hands and feet. Wash off after 10 to 15 minutes.

Do you have a favorite recipe that uses berries for your skin?  Forward it to to share!

One of the co-op suppliers, Wilderness Family Naturals, sells a powder called Green Food Feast.   This is a supplement that includes many dehydrated (not heated which destroys the fragile nutrients) greens and super foods to help replenish some of the nutrients that our bodies may be lacking.  Here are some of the ingredients found in the mix:

Spirulina, chlorella, alfalfa leaf, nettles leaf, dandelion leaf, cilantro leaf, bladderwrack, kelp, irish moss, wheat grass, barley grass, oat grass, rose hips, broccoli, kale, spinach, red clover blossoms, bee pollen, acerola berry extract, cranberries, licorice root, ginger root.

The two main ingredients in Green Food Feast are Spirulina and Chlorella.  Both are powerhouse super foods that are highly sought after by athletes and trainers.  Spirulina is a one-celled alga that protects and nourishes your body.  It has been indicated in test tubes to eradicate herpes, influenza, and HIV.  Studies are still being tested in humans but many people have found positive effects from its use even without official studies. It has also been indicated to help cure some forms of cancer, liver disorders, and re-balance gut bacteria damaged by antibiotic use.

Chlorella is also a one-celled alga which has a sturdier cell wall than Spirulina making it more like a plant.  Although both supplements work similarly, Chlorella is helpful in binding to heavy metals that build up in our bodies from the environment and amalgam fillings, then releases the toxins through stool elimination.  Without something to bind to heavy metals they often build up and cause various health problems later in life.  Early signs of heavy metal toxicity is unexplained fatigue.  Chlorella is a fantastic supplement to return health and vitality to your life.

Other greens and veggies in concentrated form are also added to the Green Food Feast that help you to easily add the nutrients to your diet that otherwise might be missing.  And we all know the importance of eating plenty of greens and veggies, right?

Green Smoothie with Fruit

1. Put all ingredients into a blender:
2. 1 cup fresh or frozen fruits and/or vegetables (I use berries)
3. 1 Tablespoon Green Food Feast
4. 1 avocado or 1-2 bananas
5. Add liquid to cover (This can be milk, a milk substitute such as almond or coconut milk, coconut water, fruit juice, broth or just purified water)
6. Add lemon, spices or all natural sweetener to taste
7. Blend and drink
8. OPTIONAL: Add some melted cold-pressed coconut oil at the end while blending to blend in a coconut taste.  The oil not only adds flavor but it adds fat that allows the fat soluble vitamins to be better absorbed by the body.  Do not add coconut oil in the beginning as it will freeze to the frozen fruit and you will have chunky pieces of coconut oil.

Hollandaise Sauce with GFF

1. Add all the following to a blender (I use a stick blender):
2. 4 egg yolks
3. 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
4. juice of one lemon (more or less to taste)
5. pinch of salt
6. 1 tablespoon Green Food Feast
7. 1/4 – 1/2 cup melted butter (to taste, but the more you make the thicker the sauce, especially when refrigerated)
8. Blend and add to egg or meat dishes as a sauce
9. Refrigerate any leftover sauce

Add Green Food Feast to Other Sauces

Experiment with adding Green Food Feast with other sauces.  When a sauce has a stronger flavor profile such as a sweet or tart citrus flavor the powder is often not detectable.  You can start by adding a little at a time and work your way up to adding more as you adjust to the taste.  Your family will never even know that they are eating their vegetables. 

• We have a ton of off-the-shelf inventory at the church. Although you can’t pre-purchase it in your online shopping basket, please take some time to look over what we have and make a shopping list.  We don’t want the dry goods to get stale or items to go out of date. THANKS!
• Litton’s Berries and Produce is offering strawberries and asparagus this cycle.
• Trickling Springs Creamery ice cream flavor of the month is: SALTED DARK CHOCOLOATE CHUNK, featuring Salazon salted dark chocolate (www.salazonchoc.com).  The seasonal flavor is:  BLUEBERRY.
• Mulberry Farms & South Mountain Coffee Roasters are both on vacation and will not be offering products this cycle.

Please volunteer to sort this Tuesday evening, June 4th, or Pickup Thursday, June 6th. We are now offering childcare at the church so Moms and Dads can volunteer. Sign up online for Order Sorting or Pickup day time slots at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/pickup2

Members: Go to VCShop to Order (Opens 5/30 at 6 pm; closes Monday 6/3, at 9 p.m.)
Not a member? See How to Join Valley Co-op as a member.
New to ordering? Visit our How to Order page.
Help out and Volunteer: What’s Needed and Signup
or contact Jane (janenbussard47@gmail.com or 301-302-5262)
Have questions about ordering? Email:  orders@valleycoop.org
Not receiving our YahooGroups emails? Email: info@valleycoop.org

Visit our website (www.valleycoop.org) for other Co-op news and info on upcoming events.

JB in the trees

As a favor to Greenbrier Baptist Church, Valley Co-op is removing a grove of trees where the church plans to build a pavilion.  Numerous trees were felled by volunteer JB, and then members and friends hauled away the wood for firewood.  We rented a chipper for a half day a few weekends ago and the last of the firewood was just removed. There is still a ton of branches to be burned at the church.  Although two trees remain we will wait to bring those down until a later date.

This Sunday (6/2) Valley Co-op will be finalizing the tree clearing work for the church by hosting a bonfire work party.  Starting a 2 p.m. we will need volunteers to set up the hose, start the fire and feed near the back of the church.  We will continue to need volunteers to keep an eye on the fire from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. as it dies down.  We will hose it down after that time so we can all go home.

Bring your pruners/lopers, gloves, lawn chairs, drinks, marshmallows and campfire forks.  Yes – that’s right, you can log volunteer time, by watching the fire and relaxing.

Remember – “many hands make light work”and this is a great time to fill in your volunteer requirement. Of course this activity is weather dependent.  Stay posted to your email for any postponement.

Please contact Susan to let her know you are coming so we can ensure we have people to handle the responsibilities of the event (crickhollowmd@gmail.com).