The FruitGuys Almanac
June 7, 2011
HEALTH
Soda Free Summer!
By Jeff Koelemay
Summer days mean beaches, barbeques, and more outdoor activities. We all know the importance of staying hydrated on hot days—it’s our bodies’ natural response to reach for a cold drink. But not all beverage choices are created equal. The cola wars are over, and it turns out everyone lost. Soda is the number one source of sugar in the American diet. Why not try to make this a soda-free summer?
NUTRITION
To B6 or not to B4
Vitamin B Family Essential and Plentiful in Food
By Rebecca Taggart
Vitamin B is not just a vitamin, it’s a whole family of vitamins with numerous variations and all the little subscripts, such as B3 or B12. Scientists originally thought the eight B vitamins were a single B vitamin critical for cell metabolism. As subsequent research showed there were many related compounds, scientists labeled each discovery with a subscript. Read about the importance of B vitamins and which foods to get them from here.
FOOD
Corn The Vegetable
Food Frames Summer Memories
By Heidi Lewis
Sweet corn epitomizes summer, and for many it encapsulates a sensual memory from childhood. Do you recall corn picked at its peak, cooked, and brought to the table in steaming heaps? Maybe you were wiggling in your seat from anticipation — or to keep your sunburned legs from sticking to the chair. Was there a method to your butter application? Or did you eat it left to right like a Looney Tunes chicken with a typewriter bell at the end of row? As an adult, corn can be, well, so much more political. The corn that’s the “heavy” in controversial energy (ethanol) and food policies is Corn the Grain. Delicious sweet corn eaten around the barbeque is Corn the Vegetable.
FARM STEWARD
The FruitGuys Donated Owl Boxes to E & M Farm
Owls Help with Rodent Control
By Karla Milosevich and Rebecca North
Rodents, such as gophers and voles, eat the roots of the fruit trees which can damage or kill the trees, so rodent control is a big issue for farmers. Owls are predators that can control rodent populations in orchards naturally without the use of pesticides and chemicals. So how do farmers sign up owls for the job? Install owl boxes. As part of The FruitGuys Farm Steward program, we donated owl boxes to an east coast and west coast farm to encourage owl residency. Here is a video we made of the installation of an owl box at E & M Farm in Vernalis California, an organic white peach and white nectarine farm, with farmer Ed Magee and his family. The owl boxes were made by the woodworking department of a local school. See how to set up an owl box here.
FARMS
Q&A: Far West Fungi
Mythical Mycologists Bare All
By Heidi Lewis
The Garrone family has been growing specialty mushrooms for more than 25 years. They chose the cool, fog-dampened central California coast to locate the massive mushroom lab for their company Far West Fungi. The 60,000 square foot facility at Moss Landing (Monterey County) uses a variety of modern and traditional techniques to grow a prized collection of organic shrooms, including Shitake, Oyster, Lion’s Mane, Maitake, and King Oyster, year round. The FruitGuys spoke with Ian and Kyle Garrone about their mycological pursuits.
Recipe of the Week: Roasted New Potatoes
Free Recipe: Roasted New Potatoes
Try The FruitGuys TakeHome case and you’ll receive organic fruits and veggies delivered to you at work to take home, or directly to your house. The easy-to-carry case includes two free recipes each week, such as this simple and easy side dish, courtesy of Capay Valley Farm Shop.
Support your local farmers. We buy 100% organic produce sourced from local farms to the extent possible. Our TakeHome case provides food that is good for your family, good for the farmers, and good for the planet. Delivery at your office to TakeHome or right to your home.
FITNESS
Greeting the Sun
Sun Salutation is a Perfect Office Pick-Me-Up
By Rebecca Taggart
June is the perfect month to thank the sun for its warmth and light as we near the longest day of the year, with the traditional yoga posture sequence Surya Namaskar, or the Sun Salutation. The sun salute is a vigorous yoga sequence with origins in the ancient Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. The sun, as the source of light and life on earth, serves as a symbol for inner illumination. The salutation is generally practiced as a physical meditation. Find out how to do a sun salutation here.
KITCHENLIFE
Summer Salad
Fresh Berries and Thyme Make a Roman Favorite
By Pia Hinckle
Once upon a time, B.C. (Before Children), I lived in Rome, in the early nineties. Besides fresh pizza bianca from the Fornaio at Campo de’ Fiori, one of my favorite food memories is a summer salad made by my friend Francesca on her family’s rooftop terrace.
Read more and get the recipe for Roman Strawberry Salad here.
FRUITLIFE
Ode to the Apricot
By Chris Mittelstaedt
I was recently given a copy of Robert Palter’s The Duchess of Malfi’s Apricots, and Other Literary Fruits. It’s a great reference book if you like those moments of clarity when writers unravel the human condition in simple observations of nature, like the blush of an apricot or the fragrant night-flowering of a plum tree. Fruit is part of our being. Its measure and mystery is found in mythologies, religions, and history. Its seed and flesh are both true sustenance and symbols for our existence. It’s with this spirit in mind that we celebrate The Apricot.
FIELD TRIPS
EAST
Culinary Historians: Food of Spain
June 8
New York, NY
CENTRAL
Father's Day Overnight on the Farm
June 18
Caledonia, IL
WEST
Nachochan Gathering - Native American Learning
June 23
Beverly Hills, CA
More fun local events in June here.
The FruitGuys Featured on WHYY's Friday Arts in Philadelphia
The Art of Food
The FruitGuys & Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution!
The FruitGuys will be featured in season two of JAMIE OLIVER’S FOOD REVOLUTION, an Emmy-winning series on ABC that attacks the problems of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in America. Jamie Oliver, British chef, food activist, and best-selling author, invites viewers to take a stand and change the way America feeds itself at home, in schools and on Main Street. In Season Two, Jamie brings the Food Revolution to one of America's biggest cities, Los Angeles. The FruitGuys is participating in this new season by donating a year’s supply of fresh produce to three families living in the “food deserts” of L.A. – an area where healthy, affordable food is hard to obtain. Tune in Fridays at 8/7c to watch!
WHAT'S IN SEASON?
We work with local growers in multiple areas of the United States and our fruit mixes vary by region. Mixes can change quickly due to weather and other farm circumstances. To find out exactly what's available, go to our mix page and select your delivery region and box variety. Check what's in season for your office, or for yourself and your family.
Enjoy and be fruitful!
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