Local Valencia Oranges

As the holidays approach, boost your immune system with local, farm fresh organic Valencia oranges from Sage Mountain Farm!

An amazing flu and cold remedy just in time for the holidays! This week in your Sage Mountain Farm CSA box you will find Valencia oranges perfect for juicing! Add on a jar of Sage Mountain Farm Honey, and mix together with fresh grated Ginger and Turmeric to super-charge your holiday go-power!

10 good reasons to eat an orange a day

Sweet and juicy to taste, orange is one of the most popular fruits in India as well as the world. Belonging to a group of citrus fruits called hesperedium, oranges have more health benefits than one. Here are the top 10 health benefits of the fruit.

1. Boosts your immunity

A single orange can meet more than 100% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. This vital nutrient helps improve your immunity, keeping you free from diseases and infections. Here are some more immunity boosting foods.

2. Good for your skin

As we grow older, our skin along with other body parts suffers from free radical damage. This process is similar to how metals rust after exposure to air.  Even though it is inevitable, oranges are packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C which slows down the process and makes you look younger than your age! Besides oranges, you can eat these fruits and vegetables for glowing skin!

3. Great for your eyes

Along with our skin, our eyes too suffers from damage as we grow older. Oranges are rich in nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and potassium which are great for your eyes. So, if you want your vision to be just as good as it is now, eat an orange every day!

4. Prevents heart disease

One of the reasons why people get heart disease is because their arteries are blocked due to unhealthy lifestyles and consumption of junk food. Oranges have flavonoids like hesperidin which reduces cholesterol and prevents your arteries from getting blocked. This, in turn protects you from heart attack and various other cardiovascular diseases. Alternatively, you could try these 8 natural cholesterol busters.

5. Helps in brain development

Folate and folic acid present in oranges promote brain development and keep the vital organ in mint condition. In fact, these nutrients also make orange a healthy fruit for pregnant woman as it prevents the baby from having neurological disorders later.

6. Prevents cancer

Having cancer can be a tough and harrowing experience for both the patient and the caregiver. Research has shown that a compound called D – limonene present in oranges can prevent various types of cancer like lung cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, etc. Additionally, the antioxidants and Vitamin C help promote the body’s immunity which helps in fighting cancer cells. Here are some food habits to keep cancer at bay.

7. Keeps you free from stomach ulcers

Oranges are a very good source of fiber which helps keep your stomach and intestines healthy. A diet rich in fiber will ensure that you are not affected with ailments like stomach ulcers and constipation.

8. Protects your vision

Oranges also contain very good levels of vitamin A, and other flavonoid antioxidants such as alpha and beta-carotenes, beta-cryptoxanthin, zea-xanthin and lutein. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. Consumption of natural fruits rich in flavonoids helps the body to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

9. Great for diabetics

People who have diabetes are unable to absorb glucose since the beta-cells present in their pancreas either fail to produce insulin or the body’s cells are unable to respond to the insulin produced. Oranges are high in fibre and have a high glycaemic index which makes it a good food option for diabetics. Also worth mentioning is that good oranges have a sweet taste, and since diabetics aren’t allowed to eat sweets or other sugary foods, they can eat oranges to tingle their taste buds.

10. Prevents hair loss

Orange has high Vitamin C content which is required for producing collagen which, in turn, is responsible for keeping the tissues in your hair together. Nobody likes bald patches on their head, and eating oranges can ensure that you do not have to part with your lovely hair as you grow older.

Source: TheHealthSite.com

At Sage Mountain Farm, we supply only the best nutrient rich produce grown in good healthy soil, mountain rich air using the cleanest natural volcanic spring water available to our local customers in San Diego County, Riverside and Palm Springs.

Let’s make small farms in our region stronger and profitable. 

NOW AVAILABLE!

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Thank you for visiting the Sage Mountain Farm BLOG!
Subscribe & follow
Comments, suggestions and questions?
Contact me directly: amy@sagemountainfarm.com
Visit www.sagemountainfarm.com & www.sagemountainbeef.com
for more information about our farm.
Together, let’s get healthy!

Many blessings to you and yours!

Apples!

You’ve probably heard the expression, “you are what you eat,” but what exactly does that mean? Put simply, food is fuel, and the kinds of foods and drinks we consume determine the types of nutrients in our system and impact how well mind and body are able to function, Mental Health America reports.

It’s not surprising that eating a daily intake of fruits and vegetables makes us more likely to have a longer life expectancy than those who don’t. When you look at all the available research, it becomes perfectly clear that “Food is Medicine” and consuming a little everyday is vitally important to over-all good health.

The benefits of eating an organic apple a day:

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Apples are a wonderful source of tasty essential vitamins & minerals
like magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C.

1. Weight loss and Obesity

• Apples are filling, without costing you a lot of calories. “When healthy adults consumed one medium-sized apple approximately 15 minutes before a meal, their caloric intake at that meal decreased by an average of 15%.”
• The magic of apples comes from its two types of fiber!
• The apple’s peel, containing most of its fiber boosts calorie burn and increases muscle and brown fat, lowering the risk of obesity. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important for keeping your blood pressure at a safe level.

2. Cholesterol & Cardiovascular Health

• An apple a day can lower cholesterol by 40%, as reported in a study at Ohio State University. Researchers at the University of Oxford calculated what would happen if 70 percent of people over age 50 ate an apple daily, and compared that with putting that same group of people on statin drugs. They estimated that out of 17.6 million people 8,500 deaths would be avoided annually because of the apples, and 9,400 due to statins.
• Pectin works with the phenolics in its skin to lower your plasma cholesterol and triglycerides. This aids the body’s absorption of cholesterol more effectively and leaves less cholesterol to accumulate in the arteries.

3.  Healthy Lungs

• Apples are tremendous anti-inflammatory agents. Five or more whole organic apples consumed a week; with their skin provide better lung function.
• The decreased risk of lung cancer and anti-asthma benefits of apples has surprised health researchers. In one study, apples showed better risk reduction for asthma than total fruit-plus-vegetable intake combined!

4. Cancer Fighting

• Apples are high in antioxidants and prevent cell damage. They show a distinct and undeniable capacity to reduce lung cancer and slow its spread. Apples prevent colon cancer, while fighting against liver, colon, prostate and breast cancers.

5. Gut Bacteria & Digestion

• The important health benefits of apples may stem from their impact on gut bacteria. After apple is consumed, bacterial changes in the large intestine provide more available fuel to the large intestine cells, according to whfoods.com.

6. Decrease Risk of Diabetes

• Apples have been shown to lessen absorption of glucose from the digestive tract, making it easier for you to regulate your blood sugar.
• Sugar (fructose) in fruit, has a very different effect on our biochemistries than other sugars. Sugar that comes in the form of a whole food (like an apple) is absorbed slowly because it takes more time to digest, and this helps insulin levels to stay steadier.
• Eating apples on a regular basis might reduce insulin resistance, which should lead to lower blood sugar levels. The polyphenols in apples, which are found primarily in the skin, stimulate your pancreas to release insulin and help your cells take in sugar, according to healthline.com.

7. Brain Food

• Apples increase acetylcholine, which is linked to concentration, problem-solving, and memory. Apples stop the gradual breakdown of dopamine-producing nerve cells, which can be an underlying cause of Parkinson’s disease and also prevents Alzheimer’s.

8. Atrophy – Muscle Weakness

• Apples prevent muscle atrophy; the loss of muscle mass due to natural aging. Researchers from the University of Iowa have found a compound in tomatoes and apples can turn off a protein responsible for aging muscles. After consuming both daily for two months, muscle mass increased by 10 percent and muscle strength by 30 percent, according to medicaldaily.com.

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Whole Apples Are Best

To get all the benefits from apples, eat them whole. In addition to both kinds of fiber, pectin works with the phenolics in its skin to lower your plasma cholesterol and triglycerides. This aids the body’s absorption of cholesterol more effectively and leaves less cholesterol to accumulate in the arteries.

By changing what you eat, you can help decrease the risk of numerous chronic diseases, stabilize your mood, improve your focus, and boost your brain health, all while trimming your tummy. Come by the farm stand today and pick up some local organic, farm fresh apples!

Dehydrated Apples Recipe

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Did you know that dehydrating food keeps most of their vital nutrients intact? My Dad got me a dehydrator last year for my birthday and I love making healthy snacks for when I’m on the go! Sage Mountain Farm has included the sweetest, most delicious varieties of farm fresh apples this year!

Now offering Red delicious, Gala, Golden delicious and Granny Smith apples hand picked locally by our neighboring small farm in Garner Valley! Sage Mountain Farm loves that it has been able to inspire many others in our community to peruse their dreams of small farming. Sage Mountain Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program allows us to help farmers who don’t otherwise have a way or means to distribute their nutrient rich treasures by including them in our CSA.

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Using local organic apples, fresh squeezed organic lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, make Dehydrated Apple Rings:

1. Wash and dry apples.
2. Mix 2 tbsp fresh squeezed organic lemon juice in 2 qts water to prevent browning.
3. Mix 1 teaspoon of each cinnamon, nutmeg and freshly ground ginger into a bowl.
4. Peel & Core Apples.
5. Slice apples 1/4 or 1/2 in. thick.
6. Place fruit fresh in water mixture, then dip in your spices.
7. Arrange on dehydrator tray & top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
8. Set dehydrator to fruit & veggie setting (135-145 F).
9. Run dehydrator until apples are chewy (about 12-18 hours).
10. Store in an air tight container; I like to use mason jars but a Ziploc baggie will do. If you have any condensation they haven’t fully dehydrated.

Savor the delicious sweet smell of cinnamon apples through-out your home while you prepare these healthy snacks even your kids will enjoy!

Tip: Make a batch before entertaining house guests to create a comforting fall aromatic atmosphere that will enhance the festivities. You could include a delicious apple crisp that would be the perfect compliment to any dinner party favorite!

Give thanks… and enjoy!

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We supply only the best nutrient rich produce grown in good healthy soil, mountain rich air using the cleanest natural volcanic spring water available to our local customers in San Diego County, Riverside, San Bernadino and Palm Springs.

Let’s make small farms in our region stronger and more profitable!

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Thank you for visiting the Sage Mountain Farm BLOG!
Subscribe & follow
Comments, suggestions and questions?
Visit www.sagemountainfarm.com for more information about our farm.
Contact me directly: amy@sagemountainfarm.com

Together, let’s get healthy!

The Mighty Onion Prepared with Acorn Squash and Yogurt

It’s hard to pinpoint just one reason to love the onion!

Eating onions gives more to our lives than simply flavor to our food. Incorporating onions into our diet can alter the course of major disease, such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and most forms of cancer. Beneficially effecting a staggering multitude of other diseases and disorders including cataracts, cardiovascular disease as well as cancer of the breast, colon, ovarian, gastric, lung, and bladder while helping to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease and stroke. You can see that the onion is mighty, in deed!

The richest dietary source of quercitin, onion holds a powerful antioxidant flavonoid that has been shown to thin the blood, lower cholesterol, ward off blood clots, and fight asthma, chronic bronchitis, hay fever, diabetes, atherosclerosis and infections. Onions antioxidants and amino acids allow your body to function optimally, help prevent damage and are used in virtually every vital function in the body. Oh that’s all? No, there’s more.

“Onions are excellent at killing cancer cells.” Published recently in Food Research International, “Onions activate pathways that encourage cancer cells to undergo cell death. They promote an unfavorable environment for cancer cells and inhibit growth by disrupting communication between cancer cells.”

“Altering dietary habits may be a practical and cost-effective means of reducing cancer risk and modifying tumor behavior. Approximately 30–40% of cancers are preventable by appropriate food and nutrition, physical activity, and maintenance of healthy body weight.” Said in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health research article: ‘Garlic and onions: Their cancer prevention properties’ published in 2015. Summarizing that, “Mechanistic studies provide compelling evidence that garlic, onions, and their (stinky) sulfur components alter the biological behavior of tumors, tumor microenvironments, or precancerous cells, and decrease cancer risk.”

Do you smell breakthrough? Onions pungent smelling sulfur compounds are actually a powerful detox element which help the body to release toxins, especially from the liver. Foods naturally high in sulfur also help the body detox itself of heavy metals and other dangerous toxins. Damage to DNA caused by environmental toxins is thought to be the cause of most cancer. Eating organic, local sustainable food never sounded better!

“Organic conditions boost flavonoids and antioxidant activity in onions” said the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in a study published on June 14, 2017. They went on to say, “organic foods contain more health-benefiting phytochemicals.” Now, researchers have found that flavonoid levels and antioxidant activity in organic onions are higher than in conventional onions. Their investigation, in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, is the longest-running study to address the issue.

An organic onion a day? A study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that eating a teaspoon of fresh garlic and a half cup of onions per day increases the levels of a key enzyme for removing toxins in the blood cells. As told by FOX News, “eating onions can get your blood sugar-and your weight-on the right track. So here is a simple, powerful health-enhancing recommendation: Eat an onion every day. One medium-sized onion equals approximately one cup of onion when chopped.”

In addition, other factors including the gut microbiome, may also influence responses, giving last weeks blog post about gut-boosting Okra something more to think about.

You see, organic onions are an essential ingredient, to the flavor of wellness through-out our life.  The taste of a good life, absent from disease is the most savored quality offered up in the onion. So next time you start to cry over an onion, let them be tears of joy! Breakthrough is yours.

“It’s hard to imagine civilization without onions.”
— Julia Child

Acorn Squash with Onions and Yogurt

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash, halved, seeded and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• ½ cup Aris plain sheep’s milk yogurt
• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 375. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss squash and onion with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until squash is tender, 30-35 minutes.
   
2. In a small bowl, combine yogurt and lemon juice. Transfer squash and onion to a serving plate. Top with yogurt and mint.
   
3. Serve with a refreshing glass of mint green tea or lemon water..

Give thanks… and enjoy!

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Onion Preparation & Storage TIPS:

Preparation:

Onions are healthy raw & cooked, though raw onions have higher levels of organic sulfur compounds that provide many benefits, according to the BBC. A 2005 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that there is a high concentration of flavonoids in the outer layers of onion flesh, so you’ll want to be careful to remove as little of the edible part of the onion as possible when peeling it. Never microwave your antioxidant-rich foods since the process decreases the antioxidant content by more than 75% in just one minute.

Storage:

Best not to leave an onion cut open in the fridge because it will absorb bacteria. Either use the whole onion, or buy a variety of small, medium and large onions to have on hand; and use accordingly.  Sage Mountain Farm CSA box shares typically include a variety of sizes in a season, seeing to it that in my kitchen, an onion never goes to waste. However, once an onion is in a salad in a sealed container, it is safe and can be eaten at a later time.

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Thank you for visiting Sage Mountain Farm BLOG!
Subscribe & follow. Posts weekly. Stay connected.
Comments, suggestions and questions?
Contact me directly: amy@sagemountainfarm.com
Visit www.sagemountainfarm.com for more information about our farm.

Together, let’s get healthy!

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To be engaged in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), offers you a chance to share in a sustainable small farm’s hand picked, certified organic seasonal daily harvest.  There truly is a difference in taste, quality and variety! 

Let’s make small farms in our region stronger and profitable, for theirs is a labor of love. Support your local small farm and become a CSA member today!

Gut Renewing Farm Fresh Stewed Tomatoes with Okra & Candy Onion

This week’s farm share includes an abundant variety of colorful, organic produce. The first thing to catch my eye was a bright and cheerful medley of baby bell peppers and the most succulent, vibrantly deep purple plums. I love summer and the wealth of fresh local, organic, sustainable food that is available.

In our Sage Mountain Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share box this week is a farm fresh local organic sustainable variety of fruits & vegetables that include: a richly sweet Sharlyn melon… which, I must say, if you haven’t smelled or tasted this heirloom variety of melon yet, you should and soon! Fleshly harvested and hand picked Valencia oranges, green apples, grapefruit Star Ruby, nectarines, melt in your mouth dangerously delicious dates Medjool, Candy yellow onions, tomatillo de Milpa, okra, salad mix and acorn squash (reminding me that fall is near).

While picking up my CSA box at Sage Mountain Farm in Anza, I ran into a long time CSA subscriber who shared with me the desire to see recipes in our blog for the lesser known produce items. When I got home and started unpacking my CSA box, I found the okra staring back at me, inviting me into a new relationship.

I began researching okra and in exploring the wonders of this mystery veggie, discovered it is at the core of disease prevention and stabilizing mental health. Who knew!? A potent natural remedy used in ancient medicine for improved health and vitality needed in our modern day society. Okra boasts a powerhouse of energy, and in addition to its nutritional properties, is a micro flora booster! Micro flora, or good bugs, help our bodies digest and absorb nutrients, rally against intruders, boost our immune system and send messages to our brain to regulate mood and metabolism.

To quote Hippocrates, “All disease begins in the gut” and the study of our gut micro flora is at the forefront of scientific research for good reason. In order to effectively prevent disease and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, we must continually grow a diverse micro flora and improve the integrity of our gut cells. Taking probiotic supplements in partnership with a diet strong in prebiotic and probiotic food is essential. Making onion and okra the stars of this week’s BLOG!

I found a recipe that withdrawls all the values of okras mucilage & nutrients in tasty compliment to other farm fresh veggies included in our current CSA seasonal harvest. This okra recipe has the taste of southern fried okra without the heaviness and on the contrary, will stabilize blood sugar levels and leave you feeling energized!

Since ninety percent of our cells are microbial cells and our diet influences our microbes, it’s true: We really are what we eat. Bon appetite!

Gut Renewing Farm Fresh Stewed Tomatoes
with Okra & Candy Onion Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped farm fresh, certified organic okra
2-3 medium certified organic, farm fresh tomatoes (peeled)
1 medium certified organic, farm fresh Candy yellow onion
4 certified organic, farm fresh baby bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, green)
1 small certified organic, farm fresh Anaheim pepper (chopped very small) *if you like spicy, otherwise leave this one out
3 cloves of garlic
1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup water
5 sprigs of fresh Thyme
3 tsp sweet or hot paprika
Himalayan salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

*If you love meat, this recipe would be excellent prepared with high quality, best tasting, local, fresh, clean Sage Mountain Farm Beef!

Directions:

1. Peel your farm fresh organic tomatoes by soaking them in boiling water for one minute followed by an ice bath for 5 minutes.
2. Dice onions, tomatoes and pepper medley.
3. Transfer diced tomatoes and their juice to a bowl.
4. Give 5 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves a good chop and add them to tomatoes; along with freshly minced garlic, paprika, and 2 turns of freshly ground Himalayan salt & pepper.
5. Heat olive oil in the skillet and add onions.
6. Cook onions until they start to turn translucent.
7. Add in the chopped okra and water, cover.
8. Cook for about 10 minutes.
9. Add in seasoned tomatoes and pepper medley.
10. Cover and simmer an additional 20 minutes or until okra is cooked through.
11. Plate alone or serve over rice.

Give thanks… and enjoy!

To be engaged in Community Supported Agriculture, offers you a chance to share in the farms hand picked, certified organic seasonal daily harvest. There truly is a difference in taste, quality and variety.

Let’s make small farms in our region stronger and profitable, for theirs is a labor of love. Support your local small farm and become a CSA member today!

Comments, suggestions and questions?
Contact me directly: amy@sagemountainfarm.com
Visit www.sagemountainfarm.com for more information about our farm.
Together, let’s get healthy!