Hello 2023!
Here at Cow-op, we’re super excited to jump into a fresh new year, and a big part of that excitement is the fresh start we can all make when it comes to our health–mind, body, and soul. And since we’re all about sharing good-quality local food, having fun, and helping our community, we thought we’d kick off the new year right by sharing some fun, simple, and creative ways to boost your health AND your happiness in 2023.
Drink Green Juice To Boost Energy, Mood, & Vibrancy
Juicing is the process of extracting highly nutrient-dense liquid from fresh produce by separating the juice from the plant using a juicer. In addition to enjoying your fresh, nutritious local fruits and vegetables in their whole form, juicing is a great way to infuse more nutrition into your cells, which is accomplished just 20 minutes after drinking your juice!
For maximum health benefits, when creating your juice, start with a base of one or several leafy green vegetables such as kale, chard, or spinach. Next, get creative and add any other veggies you would like, as well as a fruit or two, but be sure to keep them to a minimum due to their high sugar content. Apples and berries are two of the best fruits to juice due to their ability to keep blood sugar levels steady. Local berries like elderberries from Wise Elder Farm and Jonagold apples from Hard To Come By Farm are a fantastic way to add local sweetness to your green juice.
Fresh herbs are also amazing to juice! Choose leafy herbs such as parsley or cilantro for an infusion of freshness and flavour. Juicy Tip: Add carrots and apple for sweetness; lemon for brightness; and fresh ginger for some zing!
Wondering what to do with the pulp after you’ve juiced? Some great ideas include using it as feed for farm animals; freezing it so that later you can incorporate it into muffins, breads, soups, and chili, etc.; or simply add it to your compost bin.
Enjoy Delicious Natural Probiotic Foods For Gut & Brain Health
Natural probiotics found in fermented foods such as sauerkraut and pickled foods can help heal chronic digestive issues. Did you know that serotonin is produced in the small intestine? The gut has widely been referred to as “the second brain,” which is a reference to the incredible benefits that good gut health can have on your brain, including better focus, memory, mood, and sleep.
Cow-op carries sauerkraut from Thorsten’s Authentic Foods, Kimchi from Farm Table Foods, Salt Spring Island Kombucha, and pickled local veggies from That’s My Jam and Farm’s Gate Foods.
Create Nutrient-Packed Superfood Infused Super Smoothies
Take your fruit and veggie smoothies to the next level by infusing them with concentrated nutritional power-houses in the form of superfoods such as microgreens and green powders.
Our microgreens are brought to you by Botanacine and A&S Microgreens. Botanacine’s powdered Super Mix is a combination of peas, sunflowers, radish, broccoli, crimson clover, purple kohlrabi, fava beans, buckwheat, lentils, alfalfa, red clover, and mustard.
A&S Microgreens are incredibly fresh, vibrant, live superfoods that are ready to blend right into your smoothies. A favourite is their Energy Mix, which is a blend of sunflower and pea shoots perfectly combined with brassica.
Boost your green smoothies for added flavour, nutrition, and satiety by blending in your choice of healthy ingredients such as protein powders, nut butters, or yogurt. Cow-op is proud to carry Island Nut Roastery nut butters, and Organic yogurt made with A2 milk from Cowichan’s own Promise Valley Creamery – these would make great additions to any smoothie.
When it comes to your health, local fruits and vegetables are more flavourful, fresher, and far superior nutritionally. Why? Because they are grown in the rich Cowichan Valley soil and are tended to by farmers who care wholeheartedly about the food they share with our community.
Cow-op’s produce is free of toxic chemicals and preservatives, and is delivered as fresh and as quickly as possible right from the farm. This ensures that your fruits and vegetables haven’t been sitting long losing their nutrient value, nor have they been transported long distances while being passed between many hands in the process.
So say bye bye to those old and dated new years’ resolutions and say hello to some fresh ideas to start the new year off on the right foot – by supporting local businesses and eating Cowichan-grown goodness!
The Cow-op Team