Well, you know from my last post that there is something very special about Granny Smith Apples.  Enjoy them for sure as you enjoy the other wonderful varieties of apples too.  However, here’s a big caution  –  when it comes to apples, organic really matters!  Really!!

There are so many ways to look at the whole “organic” issue. It is a topic that is important and, with good reason, the organic trend is growing year after year.  The fact that organic produce is grown without the use of any chemicals, and must be non-GMO to even qualify for organic status, should be important to us!  No one claims that eating insectides and other pesticides is good for us.  Some claim that they are probably not that bad for us.  Oh really …

Have you heard of the “Dirty Dozen”?  This is an annual list from the Environmental Working Group  of the 12 foods that contain the highest amounts of pesticide residue . Over the last 20 years, the EWG has earned high regard as a premier watchdog for toxic chemical exposures and human health.   The dirty dozen list represents the 12 worst victims of pesticide residue from a total of 48 popular fruits and vegetables taken from data released by the USDA and the FDA on pesticide residue. Published information from the U.S. government!!  Want to guess  which item tops the list as the worst?  Yup …. you’re right … the highest amount of pesticide residue is found in our apples!!  Oh gosh … sad huh?

Look, I love apples and I bet you do too.  In our home, we always buy organic apples.  I bought my first organic apple in 1970 in a small, all organic shop in New York City.  Now, organic apples are available at every supermarket I go into.   Today, the United States is the #1 organic apple producer in the world!  And, my state, Washington, produces over 80% of those organic apples.

Organic Apples:
●  are higher in health promoting micronutrient values than non-organic
●  avoid chemical contamination for the apple consumer (me and you)
●  improve the lives of people living near, or working in, the orchards since there is no exposure to the pesticide spray that is used in non-organic apple orchards.

So, with apples, organic really does matter.  In general, organic will be healthier for you ….  containing higher nutrient value and lessening your exposure to endocrine disruptor chemicals like pesticides.  Apples are good for you.  Pesticides aren’t.   Organic apples are the best!

Additional Resources:

THE Dirty Dozen

Complete List of the 48 Fruits & Veggies  for Pesticide Content

Excerpt  from The Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology (NIH – National Institute of Health)

More about growing organic apples

There are few scents as familiar and alluring as that of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, and few food items that elicit such a universal response. In fact, chocolate chip cookies rank up next to apple pie for their all-American appeal.

These baked goods are so popular, in fact, that varying experts prescribe them across a host of situations: realtors suggest the scent can improve offers made on your property, marketers have demonstrated the scent may encourage spending (by increasing feelings of happiness), aroma therapists point to the association of baking and mom, highlighting feelings of warmth and security, and some point out that the chocolate component makes these an effective aphrodisiac.

One of the most customizable confections going, bakers of all stripes have long argued over what makes the best chocolate chip cookie; I myself have engaged in some debates about the ideal ratio between chip and cookie, the benefits of a still-warm cookie vs. the crispness of a cooled one, etc. This debate continues, with many claiming to have cracked the cookie code and discovered the perfect recipe or cooking method.

Beyond the popularity and seemingly endless permutations and applications, the chocolate chip cookie also comes with a charming history. First created in the 1930’s by Ruth Wakefield, chef and co-owner of Toll House Restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts, the chocolate chip cookie was originally intended as a pairing for ice cream. (Ice cream and cookies, oh happy day). While we have long known this part of the cookies’ past, the versions of exactly how the cookie came into being vary.

Theories ranged from it being an accidental discovery, due to a quick-thinking substitution for nuts or bakers chocolate, the sort of magical thinking we attribute to many great inventions (Newton’s apple, anyone?). As explained by Carolyn Wyman, however, Ruth Wakefield was a meticulous and impressive woman whose acumen was a likelier culprit than chance. (Click through the link above for Wyman’s excellent article, and here to read more on the topic in the New Yorker, including the cookies’ role in WWII).

Whichever way you prefer your chocolate chip cookies, however experimental you may get (Oats? Ginger? Sweet or semi sweet chips?), as the 76^th anniversary approaches in December, let’s take a moment and raise a glass of milk to this uniquely American invention, and the woman who gave it to us all.

Personal chefs aren’t just for celebrities and superstars! You can treat yourself, and free up valuable time during the busy week for things in life you love and need to get done, by being your own personal chef.

Cooking is caring. When you cook, you are an artist, and have freedom to use ingredients that you prefer.

Here is a personal chef method to get you started:

1. Purchase reusable food containers that suit your storage needs. I prefer glass ones, but BPA-free plastic will do just fine. That way, you are not creating a lot of waste with throw away containers.
2. Plan a healthy weekly menu that suits your personal dietary needs. Keep in mind dates during the week when you won’t be eating at home and factor them into your planning.
3. Make a grocery list to take to the store. This will help you stay on track and prevent you from overspending while shopping. There’s an app for this!
4. Set aside the time you need to prepare your meals. Schedule this time for yourself like any other important appointment. Sundays and Thursdays work best for me; Sundays are a relaxing day to spend the afternoon in the kitchen, and Thursdays work well if you will be home over the weekend.
5. Cook your heart out! Invite family members and friends to join you in the kitchen. Put on some fun tunes, and throw a cooking party! Or, use this as an opportunity for a little solo time.

Next, enjoy your delicious, personalized meal creations!

When it comes to losing weight, it can be a struggle to find solutions that offer long-term success. Instead of counting calories, try counting all the preservatives, artificial flavors and chemicals in your food and focusing on simple ingredients. Chemicals in food can cause a host of problems including weight gain. Here are some helpful natural products to help you count chemicals and not calories to lose weight and feel your best.

PlantFusion
When it comes to losing weight we often hear about cutting calories and fat, but what about feeding our bodies with vital nutrients to help encourage weight loss? With PlantFusion, you’re able to get the equivalent of about 4 whole eggs worth of protein nutrition in just 120 calories. It tends to be the protein (not carbs or fat) that signals your brain that you’re full, reducing your appetite. Most shakes are made from dairy, whey or soy and these ingredients can cause common digestion complaints such as gas and bloating. PlantFusion has no dairy, soy, or any other allergens such as gluten. Instead, you’ll find whole grains (like quinoa), legumes (like peas), and vegetables (like artichoke) that are recognized as having tremendous nutritional, and even medicinal, value. www.plantfusion.net

Spice it Up
One common complaint when it comes to eating food without chemical food enhancers is that it doesn’t taste as good. Thankfully, there are natural steps you can take to dress up your fruits and veggies so that they taste fantastic. First, find a great all-purpose organic seasoning like Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Italian Seasoning or Braggs Organic Sprinkle to add some flavor to your veggies. Try dousing veggies with a little olive oil, sprinkling with seasoning and then putting on the grill. Easy and delicious! Next, skip the unhealthy salad dressing loaded with chemicals and opt for something simple, light and tasty one that can double as an easy marinade. Finally, try adding some fresh herbs like mint, basil and chives to your dishes to enhance the flavor and pump up nutrition.

Go Nuts
Did you know that plain ol’ nuts support weight loss? Studies show those who eat nuts as a regular part of their diet tend to have a lower BMI and are able to lose weight despite the higher caloric intake — if the intake comes from nuts. Plus, it’s easy to add more nuts to your diet. Try putting together a trail mix that you can snack on during the day or check out a nutritious spread. Super delicious nut spreads contain various nutrient dense nuts and seeds and can be a high source of ALA Omega 3.

Poparuba
Have you ever heard of a rich dessert that is actually good for you? Not only are Poparuba desserts reminiscent of ones that are typically a diet no-no, they are actually good for you, too. They magically meld health with decadence allowing the enjoyment of foods that look, taste and feel indulgent, but without the sugar, artificial ingredients or gluten. With Poparuba, you’ll find indulgence with real nutritional benefits. www.poparuba.com

I have a serious case of pumpkin mania. Every year, usually around the end of August, I start dreaming about the arrival of pumpkin season. I haunt the internet looking for new ways to cook pumpkin, new ways to use them in decorations.  I research new varieties that will be available, so I can be on the lookout for them at the farm stand down the street.

My husband calls it pathological.

Pumpkins herald the arrival of autumn, certainly, but with them also come Halloween parties, sweaters, hayrides, toasty fires and reminders that Thanksgiving — my second favorite holiday — is just around the corner.

I confess, I have nearly a dozen cookbooks dedicated to my favorite squash. I drag them out each year, forcing hubby and all others who cross my threshold to endure pumpkin overload of every variety.

I take pumpkin soup to potlucks.  I bake pumpkin bars for Sunday School gatherings.  I bring pumpkin tamales to my Bunco group, and my Bridge group gets a roasted pumpkin salad.  And this doesn’t even include the painted pumpkins, hollowed-out pumpkin vases, carved pumpkins, glitter pumpkin votives and tiny-wee pumpkin garlands that adorn my house and are wantonly gifted to my friends and family.

Oh, what a wonderful time of year!

I’m on a mission, I guess, to elevate the humble pumpkin to its rightful place.  Some people reduce the pumpkin to an icon of fall, thinking only in terms of jack-o-lanterns and pumpkin pie.  Yet the pumpkin is a truly extraordinary vegetable.

Think of the size to which it can grow!  It can easily reach 200 lbs.  Think of how versatile it is.  It is one of the few foods that can delight the palate in many different ways, both sweet and savory.  It can be soup, salad, main course or side dish. And let’s not forget the desserts. Oh, such dreamy desserts!

Pumpkins are a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, the same family that includes gourds, melons, cucumbers, and all squashes. And pumpkin is one of the oldest known cultivated vegetables, with seeds dating back to 7000 B.C.

Cooked pumpkin is a healthy choice, too.  It has a high water content and only about 75 calories per cooked cup.  It’s high in fiber, vitamin A, C, and potassium, and pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein, zinc, and iron.

The word pumpkin originated from the Greek word pepon, which means “large melon.”  Later, the French used the word pompon to describe the unusually large squash, and the English eventually termed it pumpion or pompion.  Not a big leap to “punkin”, especially here in the U.S.

Conquistadors who explored the New World introduced pumpkin to Europe in the 16th century, although they, like many Americans today, didn’t see much value in it.  It was used mostly as animal fodder until Native Americans taught Plymouth settlers how to cook a pumpkin by filling the hollowed-out shell with milk, honey and spices, and then baking it in hot ashes. A pumpkin pie with crust would have been impossible at that time since ovens in which to bake pies were unavailable.

The pumpkin continued to be mostly unnoticed until French poet Charles Perrault created the story of Cinderella in the 17th century, and choose to change the lowly pumpkin into a fantastic carriage of gold and crystal.  Maybe it was the size of the pumpkin that sparked his imagination, or its globe-like shape, with ridges and central stem that caught his eye.  Maybe the cascading leaves and tendrils reminded him of ornate carvings or horse’s reins.  Who knows?  But we can surely thank him for an enduring and fanciful childhood memory.

Halloween is even more closely associated with the pumpkin than Thanksgiving.  Its use as scary prop goes back more than 2000 years and may have originated with the Celts. The history of Halloween is forever linked to pumpkins, with night-fires burning, and spooky carvings emitting mysterious orange flame-like phosphorescence, which gave rise to the name Jack-O-Lantern.

Pumpkin pie, a late comer, didn’t make the scene until about 1653 when Francois Pierre la Varenne, a famous French chef wrote Le Vrai Cuisinier Francois (The True French Cook). It was later translated and published in England and includes the first recipe for a pumpkin dessert that included pastry.

All in all, the pumpkin is a marvel of versatility and beauty.  Think of its spectacular orange color, think of all the ways it can be used and enjoyed — food, decoration, container, frightening Halloween specter and Thanksgiving cornucopia of splendor.  The pumpkin has it all, in one neat, if unusually large, package.

All hail the pumpkin!  As its appearance ushers in fall, let’s give this amber darling the kudos it deserves.