A Delicious Way To Sneak In More Veggies!

One of my favorite ways to add more veggies and greens to my family’s day is with Eclectic Institute POWders. I have to admit that food preparation isn’t my forte, and Eclectic makes it easy for me. Eclectic Institute freeze-dries organically-grown foods and converts them into powders. The result is a concentrated serving of nutrient-dense, delicious and convenient nourishment. I love the taste, variety and ease of adding these to our meals for extra nutrition. One of my toddler’s favorites is kale, and I add it to his smoothies, eggs and even porridge!

Eclectic Institute Broccoli Tune upEclectic POWders include single veggies like beets or açai, but combinations like Broccoli Tune-up, Eye Food, Green Memory or Twango provide even more benefits for liver, heart, kidney, and prostate health—to name a few. Eclectic POWders can simply be added to water or juice or they can be included in the ‘recipe’ of prepared foods like oatmeal, soup, sauces and dressings.

Eclectic’s freeze-drying offers the next best thing to fresh. The process locks in the nutrients and active constituents that provide therapeutic benefit, so food literally becomes medicine. (Enzymes, amino acids, flavonoids, oils, fatty acids, polysaccharides and proteins critical to a plants’ nutritional value, as well as color, aroma and taste are often lost in typical air-drying processes.)

Want to know more about Eclectic Institute’s POWders? Our experienced staff is available to help you find solutions for your individual needs. And on Thursday or Friday afternoons in May you can stop by Bare Essentials Natural Market for a taste!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

What is Fair Trade and Why Should You Care?

Fair Trade is an effort to make certain that farmers who grow coffee, tea, cacao (chocolate), and other goods receive a price that is reasonable compared to the retail prices of the final products.

Bare Essentials Natural Market is partnering with Equal Exchange (EE), a worker owned co-op, to introduce our community to a line of fantastic Certified Fair Trade products. In recognition of World Fair Trade Day—May 12, 2012 and through the entire month—you can see for yourself how good Fair Trade products are…for your pocketbook and your palate!

This is a great time to try EE’s Certified Fair Trade organic chocolate bars, teas, cocoas and coffees. Their newest product, the Geo Bar, a chewy cereal bar brought to you from farmers around the world, is a favorite with us.

Equal Exchange was founded in 1986 to challenge the existing trade model. EE supports small farmers and connects consumers and producers through information, education, and the exchange of products in the marketplace. At its founding, EE joined a growing movement of small farmers, alternative traders, religious organizations and non-profits throughout the world who shared similar principles and objectives.
World Fair Trade Day is a celebration of the successes of the Fair Trade movement and a reminder of the work ahead. Join us in restating your support for small-scale producers as Equal Exchange and Bare Essentials Natural Market partner to create greater impact and continue to challenge the conventional food system!

Blowing Rock Road/321 Bridge Work

Blowing Rock Road/321 Bridge Work has closed access to Boone Heights Drive from 321 South. Use these directions to navigate around the closings. See you here!

To get on Boone Heights Drive off U.S. 321 South, turn left on Shadowline Drive, right onto State Farm Road and right on Boone Heights Drive.

To get back onto U.S. 321 South off Boone Heights Drive, motorists can turn right onto State Farm Road, right on Deerfield Road and left on U.S. 321 South.
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Celebrate Local: Bald Guy Brew

I first met Bald Guy his first year as a vendor at the Watauga County Farmers Market. I had never met anyone so enthused about coffee before. As I smelled the aroma of his coffee roasting and watched the market goers flock to his booth, I knew he was someone special. So, was his coffee.

Serving up cup after cup, he talked about his bean buying trips and the farmers that grow them. He also talked about his values and his responsibilities to those farmers, his customers and the environment.

Eco-Friendly
“Bald Guy Brew is committed to using organic, shade grown beans. By purchasing eco-friendly beans, we support farmers using sustainable practices which maintain an equitable partnership between birds, farmers, consumers, and the environment.”

Socially Responsible
“By offering certified fair trade coffees, we are making an ethical choice because every pound we sell will make a difference in coffee growing communities. We also donate 10% of every sale to the International Justice Mission to help fight the battle against children who are either forced into slavery or prostitution.”

Artisanal Coffee

“Call it what you will, but there is an art to roasting coffee. By cupping all of our coffees, we are able to determine the right time & temp. profile for roasting our coffee…ensuring that our customers get what they pay for: the best stinking cup of fresh roasted coffee they ever tasted!”

“Recently, I began delivering coffee into town from our International Head-Quarters (see blog post here) after reading about Rwandan Coffee farmers.   Pushing wooden bikes laden with massive amounts of coffee, the farmers trek to the processor through the hills of Rwanda after working all day picking coffee.”

We at Bare Essentials Natural Market are proud to be associated with a local small business like Bald Guy Brew. We invite you to come on in for a sample of the “brew of the day”. If you like what you taste, buy some to take home. We have 12 BGB coffees to choose from.
Check out our new BGB arrival, INDO BLEND!

Harvest Report: Spring Salads

Yes, it’s FRESH and LOCAL!

The farmers at NROG are making sure we have fresh greens for our salad bowls!  Read this…

Direct from the farm, local veggies are being delivered almost daily. Working with local farmers we are able to offer the freshest, local produce grown. The farmers we buy from use organic farming methods which preserve farmland and cultivate healthy soils.

Here’s what the farmers will bring us this week:
~ Baby Spinach
~ Baby Lettuce Mix
~ Baby Chard
~ Arugula
~ German Extra Hardy Garlic
~ Lacinato Kale
~ Shiitake Mushrooms
~ Asparagus
~ Cilantro
~ Baby Asian Greens
~ Spring Onions

Look for more as the season progresses.

Come on by and support the local farmers and your community!