The FruitGuys Almanac
September 7, 2011
FOOD
The Love Apple
Tomatoes Inspire and Nourish
By Heidi Lewis
The French called the tomato the pomme d'amour, or The Love Apple, for their belief that the exotic tomato had aphrodisiac powers. Tomatoes might not be responsible for romance in people, but eating tomatoes does seem to spark a lust for more tomatoes. Tomato lore and history here.
NEWS
Irene Hits Farms
Wind and Water Hurts Crops
By Pia Hinckle
While damage varied from state to state and even within the same county, Tropical Storm Irene hit many farms from North Carolina to Vermont hard. Growers reported everything from flooded fields and broken trees to collapsed sheds and damaged fruit. Unrepaired roads, washed out bridges and power outages still occurring in some areas made it difficult to fully assess the damage. Hurricane Irene damage reports from FruitGuys farms here.
NUTRITION
Tomatoes: In Season and In Health
Lycopene is Super Antioxidant
By Rebecca Taggart
With the richness of tomatoes’ colors, flavors, and history, do they really need any other selling point? For tomato lovers, clearly not; yet tomatoes also offer some of the best health benefits around. Blending a large variety of nutrients, fiber, anti-oxidants and other health-promoting compounds, tomatoes are not only great on the palate, but numerous studies have found them to also be beneficial against cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, and have important anti-inflammatory properties. Best known of tomato’s health-promoting cornucopia is lycopene. Read about the health benefits of lycopene here.
FARMS
Coco Ranch
Sweet Little Farm Grows It All
By Pia Hinckle
Coco Ranch is a labor of love for the House Family. Jennifer and Greg House met at the University of California Davis where they were both studying agriculture. Their certified organic farm grows apples, cherries, apricots, peaches, and other delights such as flowers and tomatoes. Greg named his favorite tomato “Coco’s Little Sweet Pear” for Jennifer. Check out their special tomato, the House family, and their interesting projects at Coco Ranch here.
FITNESS
P.M. Yoga
Afternoon Stretches Can Ease Computer Kinks
By Rebecca Taggart
Back at the computer after lunch, and starting to feel sleepy? Are your neck and shoulders stiffening up? Does sitting hunched over feel uncomfortable? Instead of reaching for coffee or M&Ms for a little pick-me-up, this is the time of day for releasing your upper back while opening your chest to let in more oxygen. Here are three stretches can be done anywhere, at any time.
KITCHENLIFE
Now and Latah Tomatahs
Fresh or frozen, tomatoes make great sauce!
By Gretchen Bay
Roasting tomatoes works great for serving them right away (they’re delicious tossed in pasta or in egg dishes) or for freezing and using later. It’s best for smaller tomatoes, such as Early Girls, Romas, or even cherry tomatoes, and you can experiment with tomatoes in various stages of ripeness as well as the items you add to your roasting pan (I’m thinking shallots and rosemary, but the possibilities are endless). Here's how to freeze a bumper bag of tomatoes to make sauce later.
RECIPES
Pino’s Pasta
By Pia Hinckle
My Calabrian friend Pino made this dish during a visit to California in 1999. This is a traditional southern Italian pasta made with fresh tomatoes, olives, capers, and basil. Now I make it every summer during the height of tomatoes season. Free Recipe: Pino's Pasta.
Support MANNA, a Philadelphia non-profit that provides meal and nutrition services to the needy, by purchasing a box of farm fresh produce in September. The FruitGuys GoodWorks program will send 10% of any new TakeHome orders and 20% of any new office fruit crate orders to MANNA to help support their mission to provide home-delivered, medically-appropriate meals and nutrition counseling and education. The FruitGuys supports MANNA’s goal of neighbors nourishing neighbors and their positive impact on the community. Order your box of farm-fresh produce during September and support MANNA. To learn more, visit fruitguys.com/manna or mannapa.org.
HEALTH
Foods that Cool
Eat to Fight the Heat
By Nicole Laverty, Registered Dietician
Courtesy of mannapa.org
What you eat and drink can make a big difference in regulating body temperature and make the difference from feeling hot and bothered to cool and comfortable. It is imperative to drink plenty of fluids and eat cooling foods to help hydrate your muscles and skin in order to maintain a safe internal body temperature. And instead of focusing on cooling the air around you to cool your body, here are some foods that will help to cool your body temperature from the inside out.
FRUITLIFE
Getting Back Up
By Chris Mittelstaedt
I’ve always been a pretty active person—something that made coming down with a random medical condition all the more humbling. About a month ago I had an acute onset of achalasia, an uncommon disorder in which the muscles around the lower esophagus clamp down like a boa constrictor and restrict food and liquid from getting into the stomach. A FruitGuy without the ability to get nutrition— life is pretty ironic. Doctors suspect the condition is caused by a virus that attacks the nerves, but they really don’t know why it happens. I had an operation and am now on the mend and trying to get back into my exercise routine. The importance of getting up again after being knocked down here.
ASK THE FRUITGUYS
FruitGuys Customer Service Manager Nicole Wagner answers some commonly asked questions.
Q: If I want to know what's in my box but I don't know what kind of box I have, how can I figure it out?
A: On your box there is a white tag that has the account name and address, plus "Item description," which is the type of box, such as "Harvest Flyer Horn." This means you have a Harvest Flyer box. At www.fruitguys.com go to the "What's in the Mix?" ladybug icon, and enter your zip code, then click on your box type. The list shows you a picture of each kind of fruit, its name and description, and the farm it came from.
Or just give us a call at 1-800-FRUIT-ME (877-378-4863.) A real person always answers and we love to respond to your questions!
FIELD TRIPS
EAST
Night Hike & Campfire for Adults
Sep 16
Philadelphia, PA
WEST
Butterflies and Bulldozers - film screening
Sep 28
San Francisco, CA
SOUTHWEST
Slow Food $5 Challenge
Sep 17
Phoenix, AZ
CENTRAL
TomatoFest Potluck @ Honey Co-op
Sep 24
Chicago, IL
Get out and have fun! More things to do here.
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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