More nuts and seeds - on sale now! But going fast...

Heads up! Nut prices are set to rise according to a recent Globe and Mail article. I admit the battle over Canadian potash (so vital to worldwide conventional farming) as the Australia mega-giant BHP Billiton tries to monopolize this vital commodity has me regularly trolling the businesses pages. Interestingly food issues show up quite regularly. In this past week there was this extensive article on nut prices being driven up by growing demand in Asia. While wholesale prices have already gone up 40%, we Canucks (as well as Americans) have been protected by the purchase contracts already in place under older pricing. Now these contracts are up and prices are soaring. Pecans are apparently the target crop but almonds and walnuts (those much touted healthy nuts) are set to follow as well as cashews, pistachios, peanuts, macdamias, pine nuts and brazils the prices for which are already up by 70%. All that to say you might want to buy in bulk now. In fact, if you're in Saint John at least I noticed that the organic nuts were marked down by quite a bit yesterday at the Super Store (they may be getting to the end of their shelf life - but presumably you can freeze them?) In any case, check out the nuts and seeds in the organic section at the Super Store for some good deals. Otherwise you can get organic nuts at Aura in Fredericton I know. And you can order some organic seeds (including those pumpkin seeds!) from Speerville Flour Mill

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds - Recipes - Food - Canadian Living

And here's how!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds - Recipes - Food - Canadian Living

Apparently you can also add maple syrup for a lovely nutty sweet flavour.

Pumpkin seeds and the Top 10 superfoods: Goji berries, cinnamon, turmeric and more - Nutrition - Canadian Living

And here's why you "should" roast the pumpkin seeds as you prepare for Halloween!

Top 10 superfoods: Goji berries, cinnamon, turmeric and more - Nutrition - Canadian Living

Just say no to GMO

A friend sent me this video link that's just too fun not to share....

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Happy Belated Organic Week

Well hopefully you all were more on top of it than I was last week, but apparently it was "National Organic Week". A Globe and Mail insert was devoted to organics on the 14th so it has prompted me to at least remind you all that in this fall harvest season organic produce can still be had direct from NB farms. Indeed, I was chatting to one of the folks from Jemseg River farms, who are at the Fredericton Market each Saturday (and their blog is here on blogspot: Jemseg River Farms , and she told me that not only do they have a nice fall harvest of things like kale and squash but they still have salad greens. So don't let the fall weather fool you into thinking you're forced back to the grocery store. And there is also traditional fall produce available from organic farms, like Hutlo's organic apples (I picked some up at True Foods in F'ton). You can contact Hutlo Acres to find out where else their apples can be found. Their website is: Hutlo Acres And there's more information on them here: Organic Centre
including an audio file of farmer Michael Hutton talking about the farm.

A search of ACORN's database (remember, it's at ACORN where you can search for all organic farms and retailers in Atlantic Canada by clicking on the "find organic produce: button) shows *four* - count 'em, four! - organic cranberry producers here in NB and one in NS and another in PEI. Just think, a completely organic/free range Thanksgiving (or Xmas) dinner is easily had here in the Maritimes. Free range turkeys are being raised by a number of organic farms and all the "fixings" are easily had from local and organic sources including cranberries, squash, potatoes, greens, even the ingredients for stuffing. And pumpkin! My source at Jemseg River Farms also taught me how to "deal" with pumpkins (as long as you get the right kind, not the ones made for jack-o-lantern carving but the pie variety). You just cut them in half, scoop out the innards and throw 'em in the oven to bake like any normal squash. Then scoop out the flesh when they're done. She bags the cooked pumpkin up in one cup scoopfuls and tosses them in the freezer for soups, stews, and of course pies. Brilliant. Who knew how easy it was? In fact while I was in Australia they put pumpkin in everything - curries, stews, soups, casseroles - and I wondered why Canadian cooks didn't use this lovely squash more. Maybe we're intimidated. Well, fear the Great Pumpkin no more!