Group Buy: Maple Syrup

This weekend I will be taking orders for organically produced Maple Syrup – Grade B, Unfiltered Grade B Maple Syrup, Maple Sugar and other products from Old State Farms in Northern Pennsylvania. I spoke with Joseph yesterday and he is finally ready for our order. It’s been an usually long winter for him. This is a seasonal product and we only order once a year!

My family easily goes through a gallon each year. This is a delicious nutrient dense traditional sweetener that has many uses besides a great pancake syrup. Use it in smoothies, glazes for salmon & chicken, marinades, yogurt & ice cream topping, maple butter, vinaigrettes, etc. and baking.

I also buy a gallon and put in pint and quart mason jars with a pretty ribbon to give as gifts. Add Lizzie’s whole grain pancake mix and you have a nutritious, non-GMO, pesticide free, healthy gift basket anyone would love to receive!

This maple syrup and other maple products are organically produced, no chemicals, formaldehyde-free, no sprays or fertilizers used on trees, evaporator is stainless steel (lead free) and they practice Low Impact Maple Production.

What is unfiltered maple syrup?
Maple Sap is tree’s the primary source for nutrients. When the tree’s root system begins pumping sap up the trunk to feed the tree in early spring it brings with it many nutrients and minerals (Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese & Selenium). Old State Farms collect the sap and boils off water until the syrup reaches the proper density (66.7brix). During the boiling process only the water evaporates. Not only does the sugar concentration increase, so does the mineral concentration. These minerals begin to collect to one another and form small granules (known to syrup makers as “sugar sand” or niter). This “sugar sand”, given this name because of its light blond color and slightly gritty texture, is then filtered out of the maple syrup. Unless you have asked for it specifically from a producer, any syrup you will find will be the filtered variety and look very clear.
In a nutshell unfiltered syrup is pure maple syrup with all the minerals and nutrients that were present when the sap was collected from the tree. It tastes the same and looks the same but will have a cloudy rather than clear appearance.

Joseph Burkett and his family has been producing maple syrup on their farm since 2001.

This is a pre-order and payment will be due at next week’s pick up or you can mail your check. Our order will take several weeks since Joseph is still tapping the trees. I will contact you as we get closer to a delivery date.

Farm Tour Date Change to Sunday, May 4th

I was recently contacted by Michele from Certified Naturally Grown and they would also like to partner with us. They are a group of local farmers and are at the farmers markets on Saturdays. Therefore, we’ve decided it would be best to move the farm tour to Sunday, May 4th.

Also, we’re adding a Pot Luck to the event. Feel free to bring your favorite covered dish using nutrient dense, (non-GMO, soy free, etc.) ingredients. Please bring a Recipe card due to food allergies and people can take pictures of it to make it on their own. Feel free to feature products you purchase on the co-op market! :-) I know the vendors/growers will appreciate it!

Join us on SUNDAY, May 4th for Farm Day Open House at BeeBerry Farms from 1:30 pm to 5 pm.

There will be guided tours from 2 pm to 4pm.

Pot Luck begins at 4pm. Feel free to bring your favorite covered dish using nutrient dense, (non-GMO, soy free, etc.) ingredients. Please bring a recipe card due to food allergies and people can take pictures of it to make it on their own. Feel free to feature products you purchase on the co-op market! I know the vendors/growers will appreciate it!

Come see the pastured hens that produce those beautiful BeeBerry eggs and the breathtaking gardens!

Also attending are other farmers and vendors from Suwanee Whole Life Co-op, Cumming Harvest and Certified Naturally Grown! This is a great opportunity to meet many of our growers. They will have tables and tents set up with demos, tastings and items for sale.

There will be face painting (non-toxic, lead free, of course) for the kids!

This is a free event sponsored by BeeBerry Farms, Suwanee Whole Life Co-op, The Cumming Harvest and Certified Naturally Grown.

BeeBerry Farms is family community Urban Farm and is a Certified Naturally Grown CNG) farm located at 5595 Ranch Drive Cumming, GA 30041

I will send out an Evite to RSVP and feel free to invite friends and family.

Looking forward to seeing you at the farm!

Molly’s Suds is Back in Stock!

Molly’s Suds (natural laundry powders and products)is stocked back up! They have also added a few new products- Dog Shampoo and Sports Laundry!

See some of their great stain tips on their website http://www.mollyssuds.com/stain-tips/

New items:
Dog Shampoo – Molly’s Suds Dog Shampoo Does your furry family member have dry, itchy or irritated skin? Have you tried “everything” and nothing has worked? Molly’s Suds was formulated for dry, itchy, sensitive or irritated skin and is great for all breeds with all fur and hair types! It’s only made from pure food grade ingredients and does not have foaming agents or toxins! Wet your dog thoroughly first, then apply from head to toe the Shampoo and then let it sit on your Dog for at least 5 minutes. It will dissolve the exoskeleton of fleas and their eggs will be destroyed! It is not a pesticide, so it will not continue to kill fleas. Ingredients: Ingredients: Proprietary blend of purified water and coconut oil, folic acid, minerals and enzymes from edible and seed bearing plants, essential oils of lavender and organic peppermint. NO GMO INGREDIENTS.

Laundry – Molly’s Suds All Sport
All Sport is an amazing liquid for your laundry that really gets the stains and stink out of your laundry! It is geared towards smaller load sizes, stinky uniforms and athletic apparel, and for delicates. It can be used as a stand alone laundry detergent, a spot treatment, stain remover, or as a laundry booster. It is made with all food grade ingredients, is antibacterial and safe for septic and HE machines! 32 loads per bottle! Ingredients: Ingredients: proprietary blend of purified water and plant derived ingredients: coconut oil, organic alcohol (in processing), folic acid (in processing), minerals and enzymes derived solely from edible and seed bearing plants, organic sweet orange essential oil. All of our ingredients are on the FDA’s GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe List) and are food grade.

Look for these and other great products from Molly’s Suds tomorrow on the co-op market!

RESTART Sugar Detox Program – New Session starting soon!

If you missed the first round of the RESTART Sugar Detox program, you’re in luck! The next class starts Saturday, April 26th at 1pm @ Vitality Method Pilates Studio in Duluth (off Peachtree Industrial Blvd)

Are you addicted to sugar and not sure where to start in order to take control of your health? Dealing with irresistible sugar cravings is not easy and you don’t have to deal with them alone! You must first understand that sugar cravings are not caused by a lack of willpower, they are caused by imbalances in the body. Sugar cravings occur when the following are present: stress, poor nutrition, toxins, poor digestion and immune challenges to name a few!

And there is something you CAN do to start reversing the ill-effects of sugar! I’m teaching this 5-week Sugar Detox class to help you give your body a break from the sugar spikes & sugar crashes that are damaging your organs, your health & your vitality.

As a group we will go through a gentle detox, and as we heal we will share our experiences and celebrate the small victories along the way! Here’s what others who have completed the program have said:
“I never thought I could do this, but with all the information and support, it went by really fast and I feel great! You have changed my life and I thank you for that!”

“Since I did the RSD I’m off of two medications; one for asthma and the other for acid reflux. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this!”

During our 5 weeks together, you will learn how to prepare for the detox, how digestion is supposed to work and ways to help yours, the different stages of sugar imbalance and ways to address those, the importance of Fat in the diet and how to proceed after the sugar detox. Are you ready to take the first step?

Register today @ http://nutretewellness.com/?p=2989 & bust those sugar cravings!
See you in class, Melissa.

Call Melissa @ 404-941-6069 with any questions or concerns.
Melissa is a local Nutritional Therapist & Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant.

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.

Old State Farms- Unrefined Maple Syrup- THIS WEEKEND! 4/18/14 – 4/20/14

Green Pasture- Fermented Cod Liver Oil-4/25/14 – 4/27/14

ReCap- Jar Pour Lids – 5/2/14 – 5/4/14

Great Lakes Gelatin – Grass fed collagen and gelatin – 5/2/14 – 5/4/14

Muddy Pond- Sorghum Syrups – TBD Spring 2014

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

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

To Contact Us

The Cumming Harvest
thecummingharvest@live.com
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Market News

Happy Easter! The market has some traditional Easter foods offered this week. *Farm Fresh Foods has a Easter Lamb Cake and Italian Easter Bread. My Daily Bread has their very popular Challah, which many enjoy as French Toast.*

Heritage Farm and Wholesome Country Farm has Lamb offered on the market this week in many cuts or whole.

I’m interviewing a dairy farmer in Dawsonville tomorrow and hope to have milk offered very soon.

Molly’s Suds will be back with us in a few weeks. If you don’t remember them, Monica Leonard sold with us when we first opened. She was just starting her business out of her home in Suwanee. She relocated to Florida and her company has grown to be mentioned on some popular websites and even “Food Babe”. Molly’s Suds sells laundry soap, Wool Dryer Balls, All Sport Laundry and Dog Shampoo. Her soap included a proprietary blend of: sodium carbonate sourced from the Green River Basin in Wyoming, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium sulfate (heptahydrate), unrefined sea salt, organic peppermint (menthe piperita) oil. No fillers. Contains no anti-caking or any free-flowing additives or conditioners. No optical brighteners. No GMO ingredients. Enzyme Free Formula. Gluten-Free. Safe for High Efficiency Washers. Perfume and Dye free. Peppermint oil can be omitted per request.

The market is open and ready for you to place orders online. You may pay here or when you pick up with either cash, check or a credit card. A 3% convenience fee is added to all credit card payments.

Green Pasture The orders are in from Green Pasture. You can pick up on Saturday and these items can be added to your market order.

FARM TOUR
Join us on Sunday, May 4th for Farm Day Open House at BeeBerry Farms from 1 pm to 5 pm. There will be guided tours on the hour starting at 1 pm. Last tour will be at 4 pm. Come see the pastured hens that produce those beautiful BeeBerry eggs and the breathtaking gardens!

This is a free event sponsored by The Cumming Harvest, Suwanee Whole Life Co-op, Certified Naturally Grown and BeeBerry Farms.

BeeBerry Farms is family community Urban Farm and is a Certified Naturally Grown CNG farm located at 5595 Ranch Drive Cumming, GA 30041

Looking forward to seeing you at the farm!

April 23 – Planting a cut flower garden – 11am-1pm – Lunch N Learn Series at the Farm Learn how to design and plant a cut flower garden to give you flowers for your house and to share throughout the summer and fall season. You will go home with ideas and some flower transplants to get you started. A light vegetarian lunch will be served.

LOCATION
Building 106, Colony Park Dr. in the Basement of Suite 100, Cumming, GA 30040. Pick up every Saturday between 10-12pm.
Google Map

To view the harvest today and tomorrow till 8pm, visit “The Market” page on our website, The Cumming Harvest