ROOIBOS  TEA

Rooibos tea, also known as red bush tea, has been consumed in Africa for years. Traditionally it is enjoyed with a little milk, however many people around the world enjoy it without milk as well. You'll find it all over the globe, and is commonly served up as a detoxifying tea at spas in Asia. Rooibos is abundant in antioxidants called polyphenols. The tea is naturally caffeine-free and is ideal as substitute for tea drinkers who traditionally drink black tea. Rooibos contains alpha hydroxy acid and zince which both support healthy skin. It is also full of vitamins and trace minerals.

What rooibos tea related food item was served at the wedding of Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas?

• According to the South African Rooibos Council they served Rooibos flavored ice-cream.

What is the best thing about red rooibos?

• It is naturally caffeine free and a great source of antioxidants. In fact, aspalathin is the most active antioxidant in rooibos and it is not found anywhere else in nature.

You’ve heard of red velvet, but have you ever heard of red espresso?

• This trendy drink is made with red rooibos brewed in an espresso machine. The red latte is also popular as a twist on its coffee counterpart.

 

What is the difference between green rooibos and red rooibos?

• Red rooibos is harvested, cut and sprayed with water. The damp leaves are then allowed to ferment for 12 hours before being spread out and dried in the sun. This process gives it its distinctive amber hue and characteristic taste. Green rooibos is unfermented and is simply harvested, cut and then dried immediately. When served it has a lighter color and milder taste compared to the red rooibos tea.

Have any studies been conducted as to how much rooibos tea should be consumed every day?

• Studies are still being conducted as to the health benefits of rooibos tea. According to the South African Rooibos Council, a 2008 clinical trial conducted by Professor Jeanine Marnewick at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology showed that six cups of Rooibos per day holds definite health benefits, and specifically helps to reduce oxidative stress in the body and lower the risk of heart disease. The six cups of Rooibos should be spaced throughout the day to deliver optimum health benefits.*

What is the best way to enjoy rooibos tea?

• Rooibos tea can be enjoyed with or without sweeteners and with or without milk. It can be served hot or as an iced tea. There is no evidence that this will affect the health benefits of the rooibos tea.

These statements have not been approved by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose or treat any conditions. Please always follow your doctor's advice for any medical treatments.

 

Green Tea Claimed to Slow Prostate Cancer

A study that was presented at the conference of American Association for Cancer Research suggests that green tea may slow the progression of prostate cancer. Drinking six cups of brewed green tea was shown to lower the levels of some disease-associated inflammation. The study focused on 67 prostate patients scheduled for a type of surgery known as a prostatectomy, where the prostate is removed, and found that drinking tea in preceding weeks produced a noticeable drop in both serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations and PSA protein expression. Researchers explain that reduction in inflammation may be an indication that green tea may also inhibit tumor growth. The study builds on previous research that suggests that flavonoids may be associated with a lower risk of developing prostate cancer.

 

 

FRESH  PRODUCE  SHIPMENT

The CURIOSITY Shop has just received its shipment of organic produce and it looks great!

   CAULIFLOWER    3.25 EACH

   CELERY SLEEVED   2.75 / PACKAGE

   VEGETABLE MEDLEY   1.45 / PACKAGE 

   RUSSET POTATO 5# BAG   5.35 / BAG

   BUTTERNUT SQUASH  1.15 / POUND

   TOMATO GRAPE   3.15 / PINT

   GRANNY SMITH APPLES 3# BAG   5.45 / BAG

   GOLDEN PINEAPPLE   4.15 / EACH

   GALA APPLE 4x   4.50 / PACKAGE

   GREEN BEANS 12oz   3.35 / PACKAGE

   BROCCOLI BAGGED   3.35 / BAG

   CUCUMBER 2x   4.35 / PACKAGE

   RED ONION 2x   2.70 / PACKAGE

   YELLOW ONION 2x   2.70 / PACKAGE

   YELLOW SQUASH 2x   3.30 / PACKAGE

   ZUCCHINI 2x   3.30 / PACKAGE

NOBLE  PRODUCTS  ORGANIC

Back In Stock !

 

 

NOBLE ORGANIC ORGANGE JUICE   1.98 / 12 FL OZ

 

NOBLE ORGANIC APPLE  JUICE   4.15 / 12 FL OZ

 

NOBLE  ORGANIC  LEMONADE   1.50 / 12 FL OZ 

 

 

 

 

We are adding new product all the time !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organic Food Isn't More Nutritious,

but That Isn't the Point

That doesn't mean it's not healthier. How our obsession with organics' "healthiness" led us away from the term's roots

 

 

Of all the food-related countercultural buzzwords that have gone mainstream in recent years, organic ranks among the most confusing. Like its cousins (cf. local, free-range, or worst of all, natural), the term's promotion by grocery stores everywhere has caused it to escape the strict definitions laid out by the USDA . But from Stanford University comes new research suggesting what we should have known all along: organic food isn't actually more nutritious than traditionally-farmed goods.

In a widely publicized and discussed analysis of more than 200 studies comparing organic to regular food products, researchers have found that organics don't have more vitamins or minerals (with the lone exception of phosphorus, which we all get in sufficient amounts anyway). Nor do they have an appreciable effect when it comes to heading off food-borne illness, although the germs found in conventional meat do have a higher chance of being drug-resistant (more on that in a bit).
That we needed a study to understand how nutritionally similar organic foods are to non-organics is a perfect example of the way we've lost sight of what the term really means. It's worth keeping in mind that organic refers only to a particular method of production; while switching to organic foods can be good for you insofar as doing so helps you avoid nasty things like chemicals and additives, there's nothing in the organic foods themselves that gives them an inherent nutritional advantage over non-organics. In other words, it's not wrong to say organic food is "healthier" than non-organics. It's just unrealistic to think that your organic diet is slowly turning you into Clark Kent.
(You laugh, but according to a Nielsen study cited by USA Today, a ton of people believe just that, or something close to it. Fifty-one percent of those surveyed said they bought organic food because they thought it was more nutritious.)
Still, there are important reasons beyond nutrition to choose organic foods. Let's start at the source: USDA rules prohibit food makers from labeling something organic unless it can prove that at least 95 percent of a product was made using organic processes, which are themselves defined as:

A production system that is managed in accordance with the Act and regulations in this part to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.
 

For all the attention devoted to the ways organic is better for you, we should remember that organic began chiefly as an argument about the environment. From the agency's perspective, to buy organic is to respect the land your food came from. It means taking pains to ensure that your farms remain bountiful and productive, even decades from now. The case is one part self-interest over the long term, and one part a statement of ethics. Not really what you'd expect from a mechanical bureaucratic institution.
Buying organic is also a statement about public health. Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of antibiotics. Conventional farms have been putting the stuff in animal feed for decades -- even though we've known since the 1970s about the health hazards that the animal use of antibiotics poses for humans. Reducing society's chances of inadvertently creating a superbug is a good reason to purchase organic foods.
There are the more immediate health benefits of buying organic: you'll avoid the chemicals, preservatives, and hormones that conventional farms often use to treat their foods. In the Stanford study, just 7 percent of organic foods were found to have traces of pesticides, compared to 38 percent of conventionally-farmed produce. Again, that doesn't mean organic foods will supercharge your health -- you'll just be at less risk of exposure to potentially harmful substances, for whatever that's worth to you. Quantifying that benefit is a contentious area and certainly worthy of more research.
And then there's the reason many people find most compelling of all: the health of workers in the field. For some consumers, buying organic is a human-rights issue. Reading Atlantic contributor Barry Estabrook's Tomatoland on the ruinous health problems of tomato planters and pickers in Florida because of the use of herbicides and pesticides is enough to make almost anyone choose organic over non-organic. Yes, there are safety rules in place for the use of these lethal chemicals, but as Estabrook's work and the the work of others shows, those rules are frequently not followed.
Even if organic foods may not be uniquely nutritionally fortified as many of us have grown accustomed to thinking, don't write them off just yet. They still mean a great deal. And besides -- it seems unfair to judge organic crops for failing to do something they never claimed to be capable of in the first place. They're simply the victims of our projection.

By Brian Fung - Brian Fung is an associate editor at The Atlantic. He has written previously for Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, and Talking Points Memo.

Sep 4 2012

 

 

 

New Reasons to Drink More Tea

The top researchers in the tea-health field (yes, it's a field -- a glorious one) propose tea as part of the approach to weight loss, heart health, and bone/muscle strength.

"It's really important to remember that tea is a plant," Jeffrey Blumberg told me at the 5th International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health, located at the D.C. headquarters of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
We don't typically think of tea as the type of green, leafy vegetable typically promoted by the USDA, but Blumberg, the meeting chair and a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science at Tufts University, pointed out that the flavonoids extracted from tea leaves are similar to the beneficial phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables. If we can't get Americans to eat the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, he suggests, why not let tea count as one or two servings?
The benefits may go beyond those gained from adding more plant food to your diet. The research presented at the symposium covered the gamut of health benefits attributed to tea -- from reduced risks of gastrointestinal cancers to improved mental acuity in older adults. And new studies suggest that tea could play an important role in three major public health issues:
Weight Loss
In green tea, the combination of caffeine and catechins -- the stuff that gives it its bitterness and astringency -- may promote weight loss. Dr. Rick Hursel of Maastricht University in the Netherlands explained that in a meta-analysis of experimental trials, drinking green tea was associated with an increase in energy expenditure equivalent to burning about 100 extra calories in a 24-hour period. This, combined with an increase in blood fat oxidation, might explain why subjects in a related review lost an average of 2.9 pounds over a 12 week period.
These effects were slightly more prominent in subjects who weren't habitual caffeine users, and Asian subjects lost twice as much weight as Caucasian participants, suggesting that both lifestyle and genetic factors play a role in green tea's effects.
Hursel recommends 2-3 cups of green tea a day in those looking for weight loss benefits. Meanwhile, fried green tea ice cream remains best avoided.
Heart Health
If you can't stay away from fatty foods, Dr. Claudio Ferri of the University L'Aquila in Italy suggests following up your Big Mac with a cup of black tea. After observing tea's potent ability to dilate the arteries of lab rats, thus reducing their blood pressure, Ferri tested its effects in hypertensive human subjects. He found, somewhat incredibly, that tea consumption counteracted the meal's negative effects on blood pressure and arterial blood flow.
Blumberg jumped in, at that point, to clarify that the symposium was endorsing tea as part of a healthy diet.
But as Ferri pointed out, it can be difficult to get patients to give up their eating habits and switch over to his preferred Mediterranean diet. These results led him to conclude that preventing cardiovascular disease doesn't only have to be about sacrifice.
And, in a meta-analysis of over half a million normal individuals, drinking one cup of tea per day for a year was associated with a reduction in blood pressure equivalent to a 8-10 percent reduction in stroke risk.
Bone and Muscle Strength
From the Texas Tech University Health Science Center came a take on traditional Chinese medicine. Postmenopausal women -- who are at an extreme risk of osteoporosis -- were prescribed regimes of green tea and Tai Chi. Six months later, and with a high compliance rate, those who had consumed 4 to 6 cups of green tea daily, with or without the Tai Chi, had "improved markers for bone formation, reduced markers of inflammation, and increased muscle strength."
Dr. Leslie Chen explained that while osteoporosis in incurable, the flavonoids and antioxidants found in green tea may work to mitigate its effects and reduce the risk for fractures. And even though it took a lot of tea, no adverse side effects were measured.
Further study is probably warranted in all of these areas. "But the bottom line is tea contains zero calories," said Blumberg. "And when you translate all of this data, a little increase in bone strength, a decrease in blood pressure, across a whole population, little changes make a big difference."

By Lindsay Abrams - Lindsay Abrams is an editorial fellow with The Atlantic Health channel. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times.

Sep 20 2012

ROUTE  11   POTATO  CHIPS

Chipping away since 1992. Made in limited quantities but in unlimited quality. In 1992, they fired up their first little cooker and started making chips in an old feedstore in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Their original quest was to pay tribute to the most popular snack food in the USA, just by trying to make an excellent potato chip. Their recipe is simple: good potatoes, high quality oil and unusually delicious seasonings. It's amazing that something so simple can be so good. Relative to the rest of the snack world, they are still small potatoes. And that's exactly how they like it. This small size affords a chipper attention to detail, turning what it usually mass produced by machines, into a fine art. Try the chips and see for yourself.
Wheat Free & Gluten Free.

The goal was to create a chip hot enough to satisfy most chileheads, yet still be accepted by the public in general. Mama Zuma's Revenge is a fiery blend of a habanero mash and our classic barbeque. True to the nature of the habanero, with your first crunch there's a delay that allows you to taste the delicious flavors. But within seconds, the incendiary habanero backdraft will light you up! Gluten Free. 

 

Route 11 Potato Chips . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25

 

 

POPCHIPS

Think popped! Never fried, Never baked. All the flavour, where's the fat? Think popped!

Lately all this low-fat health talk has been taking the fun right out of snacking. Not to mention the flavour. So Popchip found a new way to put it back into an all natural chip like you've never tasted before. Never fried. Never baked: They don't fry them (unhealthy). They don't bake them (undelicious). They take wholesome potatoes, apply heat and pressure and POP! It's a chip. Then they season them with the finest ingredients for a snack so tasty, crispy and dip-able, you won't even notice that it's healthy.

All natural, no preservatives, no artificial colours or flavours, no cholesterol, no saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POPCHIPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.10

 

 

 

 

LEMON  CURD

What is it?

Lemon curd is a solid, spongy and smooth, spreadable cream with a magnificent tart yet sweet flavour. The most excellent lemon curd is that with the tint of the sun, it adds a sweet-sharp leak to pancakes, scones, or a slice of toast.

Lemon Curd was invented in the 1930s by Australian chef, Herbert Sachse.

Lemon Curds Available from The CURIOSITY Shop:

 

 

Lemon curd is luscious, thick & tart. Great on the traditional scone, also recommend as a filling for cakes, pies & cookies, too!

We grow our own potatoes and turn them into great tasting, crunchy potato chips.

 

Hand cooked English Potato Chips!

 

 

Here at Tyrrells, we’re English (you may have gathered). As English as warm beer, cricket and queuing in the rain. And we love our chips!

 

In Stock NOW at The CURIOSITY Shop

 

Lightly Sea Salted Chips ..... 4.25

Cider Vinegar & Sea Salt ..... 4.25

Mature Cheddar & Chive ..... 4.25

Chili & Red Pepper ..... 4.25

Sea Salt & Black Pepper ..... 4.25

Mixed Root Vegetable ..... 5.25

 

Imported from England

Rory & Amy Williams are no more . . .

Now we know what happens.

It was a good episode and tied things up rather nicely I think.  Now on to the Christmas Special and a new companion.  I always hate to see companions go - but its like changing Doctors, there just comes a time.  We still have Melody Pond (but we've seen her ending) and a new companion on the horizon.

 

Much of Amy and Rory’s story in Doctor Who Season 7 has been centered around pulling the Williams’ away from the Doctor, through relationship problems and/or a busier, more demanding life than traveling with the Doctor can allow. Fortunately, the highly-anticipated, long-awaited mid-season finale proves to be one of Steven Moffat’s most successful episodes of recent, mixing the terrifying suspense of his most famed episode, “Blink,” with that of his most emotionally nuanced, “The Girl in the Fireplace.”
Amy and Rory’s final episode finds them taking in the sights of New York City, through various moments in time, thanks to the Weeping Angels. Though the Weeping Angels have returned since their introduction in Moffat’s aforementioned opus, this is the first time since that moment where their involvement was an integral, active, element of the story, rather than a species looking to rescue itself using time energy.

For Amy and Rory’s farewell, most of the  Williams family is brought in on the action, giving an update to Professor River Song (still working on that doctorate eh) and her frequent legal issues (which seem to have disappeared along with The Doctors history). Song isn’t used to her full potential in the episode, but since it is a story centered around Amy and Rory, her inclusion as a supportive character brings some emotionally rich, often painfully dark, moments to the episode.


On to bigger and better things. And a new companion to find in the past or the future.