New Grower: Sweet Pea Garden

I am very excited to welcome Mel Brannen of Sweet Pea Garden to our family of growers! Mel is a master gardener and her beautiful property is right here in Suwanee! She has an assortment of seasonal flowers, fruits, herbs and veggies that will be available on the market weekly. Below are the items that are on the market tomorrow. You will enjoy their beautiful, fresh local produce grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides!!

On the market:
Chives
Dill – Fernleaf
Flowers – Pansies Nosegay
Flowers – Roses Nosegay
Flowers – Spring Bouquet
Flowers – Spring Bouquet – Small
Herbs – Bay Leaves
Kale
Lettuce – Mesclun Mix
Lettuce – Radicchio
Lettuce – Salad Mix
Lettuce Bowl
Mushroom – Shitake Inoculated Log
Mushroom – Shitake Inoculated Log
Radish – Mixed Bunch
Swiss Chard – Bright Lights

New Grower: Burr Stone Milling Company

Please welcome Paul Foster of Burr Stone Milling Company to our family of growers and producers! Paul will be offering Certified Organic Corn Grits, Meal and Flour. Paul stone grounds the corn the old fashioned way on his antique vertical mill. The corn is from a trusted farmer in Illinois that grows clean, non-GMO corn raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. All of Burr Stone Milling Company’s products are certified organic and are naturally gluten free. He will be offering both white and yellow corn varieties.

How are these grits, corn meal and corn flour different that what I can get in the grocery store?

This is whole grain certified organic , non-gmo corn that is slowly ground in a traditional stone mill, so it retains all of the natural oils found in the germ (heart of the corn). Unfortunately most milled corn products in the grocery store are highly refined just like wheat products. When these stone ground grits are cooked they are smooth, creamy, delicious, and full of that rich natural flavor. There is no chemical processing, no fungicides, nothing added, nothing taken away. There’s nothing that compares to real stone stone ground grits. These products are made the old fashion way!

Here’s a link on how to soak corn meal for better digestion if you have problems digesting whole grains.
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-soak-corn-meal-for-better-digestion

Whole Corn meal uses- The fine texture of the corn meal makes a great breader for seafood, chicken and vegetables. Also can be used to make corn pancakes and cornbreads.

Whole Grain Corn Flour is from whole yellow or white corn kernels with all the natural nutrients intact—the germ, bran and endosperm. It’s high in fiber and digests slowly, making you feel fuller longer and helping supply your body with a steady stream of energy. Can be used make tortillas and baked goods.

I have included some links to recipes using whole grain corn flour, corn meal and grits.

Recipe using whole grain corn flour:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/26/recipe-easy-whole-grain-corn-tortillas/

Recipes using whole grain corn meal:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/11/15/recipe-whole-grain-cornbread/
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/cornmeal-pancakes-recipe-zmrz13djzmat.aspx#axzz319Mqk9DP

Recipes using whole grain corn grits:
http://www.realfoodgirlunmodified.com/real-easy-shrimp-n-grits/
http://naturalchow.com/2013/12/prepare-stone-ground-yellow-grits-recipe/

Group Buy This Weekend: Great Lakes Collagen & Gelatin

This weekend we will be taking orders for Great Lakes Gelatin (the Green can) Collagen Hydrolysate (beef kosher) Unflavored

I have been so happy to hear that many of you have seen the benefits of this product! My own husband swears by it! He’s suffered from joint pain in his shoulders and knees for several years. He started taking collagen daily and has no more pain or inflammation.

Here’s more info on these amazing products:

Gelatin (also known as cooked collagen) has wonderful anti-inflammatory and anti-aging qualities, as it helps to fill in the missing amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) in the standard American diet. This is a completely different from the jiggly gelatin product most of us grew up eating as kids.

Homemade bone broth is chock full of gelatin and very nutrient dense but Great Lakes Gelatin- Collagen is a convenient way to get gelatin consistently into your diet.

What is Collagen Hydrolysate?

Hydrolyzed Collagen is the unique combination of amino acids in concentrated levels that promotes rapid re-production of blood cells for healing and conditioning over other proteins especially for bone and joint health care. This low molecular weight protein is easily digested for healthy enrichment in minutes after ingestion. It will not congeal because it has been hydrolyzed for quick assimilation and improved hydration to the connective tissue. Collagen is important to nitrogen balance, now considered an anti-aging product as it supports age related cartilage damage, and collagen loss. source: http://greatlakesgelatin.com/)

How do I use this product?
You can mix it in drinks, shakes, smoothies, or add a tablespoon to your favorite recipe to give it an anti-inflammatory protein boost. It will dissolve in cold liquids very easily.

How Much Do You Need?
According to Catherine Crow, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner at Butter Nutrition, individual needs will vary, but most people can start off with about ½ -1 tablespoon per day of collagen hydrolysate, and increase by 1 tablespoon every two weeks or so as tolerated.

Important Note: Remember not to get too carried away with gelatin. Adding too much too quickly can cause digestive issues: bloating, loss of appetite, stomach ache are just a few side effects.

It’s important to remember that more gelatin is not always better, especially if you are adding it to your diet for the first time.

Gelatin should be used in addition to a nutrient dense diet and not to replace real food like homemade bone broths and grass fed meats.
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Additional links and sources:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/gelatin-and-collagen-hydrolysate-whats-the-difference/#sthash.lGTNErFi.dpuf

http://butternutrition.com/what-you-dont-know-about-gelatin-may-hurt-you-5-things-you-need-to-know/

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/gelatin-and-collagen-hydrolysate-whats-the-difference/

http://paleoparents.com/2014/gelatin-why-we-love-it-and-60-delicious-family-friendly-recipes-using-it/

We’re MOVING Soon!

Soon we’ll be moving 5 miles north of our current pick up location. Alan and Kristie O’Rouke from KCO Audio_ www.kcoav.com have graciously allowed us to use space in their warehouse for co-op pick up!

Our first pick up at the new location will be Tuesday, May 27th. The address is 4942 Austin Park Avenue, Buford 30518.

For the next 2 weeks we will continue to have pick up at our current location in Suwanee.

We are in need of a couple of volunteers for the move. We need a couple of strong backs and pick up trucks to help move the refrigerators out of my garage. If you can help please let me know! My husband thanks you in advance :-)

We also still need a couple refrigerators, so if you have one the co-op can use please contact me.

Thank you all for your words of support and encouragement as we make this endeavor!

Upcoming Group Buys

Below is a list of upcoming co-op group buys to help with planning and budgeting. All dates are subject to change.

Great Lakes Gelatin – Grass fed collagen and gelatin – 5/9/14 – 5/11/14

Mountain Valley Farm – Grass Fed Butter 5/9/14 – 5/11/14

Muddy Pond- Sorghum Syrups – TBD Spring 2014

Green Pasture- Fermented Cod Liver Oil- 5/30/14 – 6/1/14

Wilderness Family Naturals – Organic Coconut Oils and pantry items – 6/13/14 – 6/15/14

Nuts.com – Bulk Organic Raw Nuts – 6/13/14