What’s Coming in Produce

By: Allison Carpenter; Community Outreach

Hello everyone!

The holidays are coming up, and Berryvale has got you covered with yummy seasonal organic produce!

During the holiday season, warming soups, pies, and casseroles become a regular hit. The warmth and smells from a pot simmering on the stove for several hours or a casserole or pie baking makes this time of year joyful, nostalgic, and heartwarming. It's the perfect time to include more fall seasonal fruits ad vegetables in your diet through hearty, home cooked, delicious recipes that deliver the recommended daily serving of produce.

To be prepared for the natural influx of cooking and baking, we’ll be stocking up on varieties of winter squash, hana sweet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes, garnet yams, purple sweet potatoes, and, very soon, jewel yams. For potatoes we are carrying reds, russets, yukons, and purple potatoes. After Halloween, we’ll have sugar pie pumpkins for making pumpkin pie from scratch! Currently, though, we have gorgeous pumpkins in different colors, including small decorative pumpkins and carving pumpkins!

For fruit we have fall items, which include persimmons, pomegranates, kiwis, citrus, apples, pears, and grapes. It’s a wonderful time to prepare jams and pie fillings made from these delectable fruits.

We all know the importance of maintaining a balanced diet with plenty of veggies and fruits. So be sure to stop by and check out our produce section as the seasons changes and the fall and winter holidays come upon us. 

Beverage News: Zevia Now Non-GMO Verified and New Beverages!

By: Katie Grandy; Beverage Buyer

As we make our way through October’s Non-GMO month, I want to Highlight some of our Non-GMO beverage selections. Today I will talk about our Zevia sodas. These sodas recently received their Non-GMO Project Verification!! The liquid in these sodas is crisp and clear, so you are not getting any artificial color either!  This is a nice refreshing soda that has zero calories, and zero dye, for a truly guilt free treat.

There will also be some new items entering the drink case this month, keeping with the Non-GMO theme, we will have a dairy and soy free probiotic beverage that is called Goodbelly, there will be 2 yummy flavors to try. Stay tuned for more exciting updates, and remember I am always open to both feedback and suggestions; you can reach me through here or Monday through Friday in the store from 9-5pm.

Going Back to Our Roots: Tiger Nuts, the Original Root Vegetable

By: Allison Carpenter, Community Outreach

Great news for all you Paleo fans! We just got in some great new Paleo products! Organic Gemini’s Tiger Nut products!

In case you’ve never heard of a Tiger Nut, don’t be fooled by their name! Tiger Nuts are not actually a nut, but a tuber—a small root vegetable. Tiger Nuts are found at the end of the root system of Cyperus grass (Cyperus  esculentus L.) and originate from Niger, Africa. According to an Oxford University study, these tubers comprised up to 80% of our Paleo ancestor’s diet around 2 million years ago, and since then have been used in ancient Egypt, Spain (Horchata, a Spanish beverage, was originally crafted from tiger nuts, not rice, seeds, or nuts), and are now grown in the modern world for a wide variety of purposes. These tasty little tubers are packed with nutrients, including tons of resistant starch, a prebiotic fiber that resists digestion and becomes fuel for probiotic bacteria in the gut (one serving contains 10 g of dietary fiber). Not only that, but they have as much iron as red meat and as much potassium as coconut water!

Berryvale is now carrying Tiger Nut Raw Snack, Tiger Nut Flour, and Tiger Nut oil. The nuts themselves have a sweet nutty taste, and the flour is great for baking paleo or allergen friendly baked goods with a similar texture to almond meal. The Tiger Nut oil is cold pressed with a 460 degree smoke point, has a neutral flavor, and is rich in vitamin E. Tiger Nut oil was first used 4,000 years ago by the Egyptians for medicinal purposes and is now known to have higher Oleic Acid content than Olive Oil. All Tiger Nut products produced by Organic Gemini are USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, raw, kosher, and vegan and paleo friendly.

So come on in and grab some today!

To find out more information about Organic Gemini Tiger Nut products, visit their website, organicgemini.com

Non-GMO Month Prize Giveaway!

By: Allison Carpenter, Community Outreach

Hello everyone.

We are excited to announce that in celebration of Non-GMO month, we are giving away three Berryvale tote bags loaded with Non-GMO Verified goodies!

October is the month of fun; parties and treats in celebration of Fall and the October holidays! We will be doing a drawing on October 26^th where we will pick 3 winners to receive one of these treat filled totes.

The tote bags themselves are a great prize! High quality cotton canvas totes with the Berryvale logo. Great for grocery shopping or as a tote bag for whatever your needs are. These bags are eco-friendly and made from recycled cotton canvas from Ecosbags, a fair wage, fair labor company.

Inside the bags you’ll find a lot of goodies perfect to bring to any party!

 How to enter:

To enter to win: Head on over to Facebook and like our page, and then leave a comment on the raffle post about your favorite Non-GMO Verified product. Or you can come on into Berryvale and enter in store by filling out an entry form slip and putting it in the Official Entry Box on our Non-GMO end cap. Promotion ends October 26^th at 12pm. At this time, we will hold a drawing including all of the names of the participants on Facebook and in store. Be sure to check on Facebook, where we will post the winner. Facebook winners will be contacted via messaging, and in store entrants will be contacted via phone or email. Be certain to check out the official entry rules below!

MycoFormulas Free Webinar

By: Allison Carpenter, Community Outreach

Hello everyone. Berryvale will be hosting a free webinar delivered by Southern Oregon mycologist Eric Cerecedes.

Eric will deliver a mind-expanding webinar on medicinal mushrooms, their historical uses, modern applications and the potential current research offers for the future of personal and planetary health. If you read our blog on MycoFormulas mushroom supplements and found the information interesting, you'll love this webinar!

The webinar will take place in the Berryvale dining room on Thursday, October 22nd from 6-7pm. This is a free webinar open to the public.

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to expand your education on the delicate ecology of our forests and earth and the vital role mushrooms play in maintaining balance.

Halloween Themed Cards and Ms Moon Art Cards

By Paula Reynolds, Database Coordinator

As Halloween approaches, we are proud to showcase a collection of strikingly beautiful themed art cards by our very own community outreach coordinator - visual and graphic artist Allison Carpenter. Allison, who studied fashion illustration and design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, describes her art as “heart centered, feminine, and whimsical, often detailing fairy tale and spiritual-like scenes”. We have carried several of her cards and have recently added a set of Halloween pieces, entitled “Night of the Witch”, “Mystical”, “Pumpkin Patch Fairy”, and a Dia de los Muertos-themed piece “Return to Me”.

This collection of cards is a seasonal collection that creates an ambiance of high-level creativity and sharp contrasting colors, with a dash of the whimsical. They perfectly complement our selection of Halloween cards by a variety of local artists. Ms Moon cards make excellent gifts, but are beautiful enough to be framed and enjoyed year after year. 

Seasonal cards can be found near the wine section in the front of the store, while our selection of timeless art and greeting cards reside near our natural juice cooler in front of the produce section.

For more information about Allison’s background and examples of her multi-media artworks, visit www.mtshastamoon.com and like her Facebook page: MS MooN

Non-GMO Month October!

By: Allison Carpenter, Community Outreach

October is Non-GMO month! What’s Non-GMO month you ask? Non-GMO month is a campaign that was launched in 2010 by the Non-GMO Project in order to spread wider awareness of the Non-GMO Project, concerns of GMOs and the efforts of individuals and groups on right to know legislation, and legislation that could take away our right to know.

According to Non-GMO project:  “Every October, Non-GMO Month provides a powerful opportunity to coordinate our voices and our actions. Across North America brands, retailers and individuals stand up for our right to know what’s in our food, and to choose non-GMO.”
 

We use the phrase “Look for the Butterfly”. If you see the Non-GMO logo—epitomized by an orange Butterfly—on a product in store, you can trust that the product has passed a stringent and highly detailed testing and verification process:

From the Non-GMO Project Website:

What does “Non-GMO Project Verified seal” mean?

The verification seal indicates that the product bearing the seal has gone through our verification process. Our verification is an assurance that a product has been produced according to consensus-based best practices for GMO avoidance:

• We require ongoing testing of all at-risk ingredients—any ingredient being grown commercially in GMO form must be tested prior to use in a verified product.
• We use an Action Threshold of 0.9%. This is in alignment with laws in the European Union (where any product containing more than 0.9% GMO must be labeled). Absence of all GMOs is the target for all Non-GMO Project Standard compliant products. Continuous improvement practices toward achieving this goal must be part of the Participant’s quality management systems.
• After the test, we require rigorous traceability and segregation practices to be followed in order to ensure ingredient integrity through to the finished product.
•  For low-risk ingredients, we conduct a thorough review of ingredient specification sheets to determine absence of GMO risk.
• Verification is maintained through an annual audit, along with onsite inspections for high-risk products.

      Want to know more about Non-GMO month? Visit the Non-GMO month website, or come into Berryvale and pick up our informational materials located on our magazine rack near the cafe. We’ll be there to greet you and answer questions you have about Non-GMO verified products. We’ll also have featured Non-GMO verified products throughout the month, and tote bag giveaways stuffed with goodies! Don’t miss it!

Stay tuned for more blogs and social media posts about Non-GMO and the Non-GMO Project!

October Sales Flyers

Hi everyone!
Here are the sales flyers for October. *Please note that not every item on sale is listed in the flyers, and we may not carry certain items listed in the flyer.

INFRA Flyer. Click on the image to view the entire flyer.

Natural Connections Flyer. Click on the image to view the entire flyer:

The Beauty of Medicinal Mushrooms: MycoFormulas

By: Hannah Kraemer, NTP

Fungi. Gotta admit, it has a nice ring to it! Not all fungi, or mushrooms, are created equal. However one thing is for sure: the right ones can assist in cultivating health and balance in the body.

Mushroom’s synergistic relationship with the forest—and nature itself—goes beyond what meets the eye. Woven and intertwined you find an intelligent web of fungi’s mycelium (typically white and stringy) that fill in the gaps, whether it’s the trees, bushes, or the forest floor. This connection allows a necessary exchange of nutrients, and the vegetation receives protection against pollutants, drought, and stress. Not a bad gig! Each species has a certain job. For example; Saccharomyce help to regenerate the forest landscape, Saprotroph help with decomposition, and Mycorrhizal help trees and plants to be drought resistant.

So what makes them so special that they could support the health of humans as well? Research has shown that various species have a beneficial effect on our energy, endurance, immune system, cognitive function and more! Mushrooms are no “new thing” but the study of them is relatively recent, within the past 20+ years. As mentioned above, they play a huge part in the health of all nature. We simply couldn’t live without them.

So why not include them into our diets, and our supplement routine?! We all know the saying, “Prevention is the best medicine” and know this to be true with the desire to own it.

MycoFormulas full-spectrum mushroom supplements are certified organic, gluten-free, vegan, and without any fillers or flow agents (such as magnesium stearate). Grown in an organic certified biotech factory in Southern Oregon, each mushroom is given their full life cycle and a habitat that mimics precisely where they originate. This ensures potency that exceeds your average mushroom supplement; 30% Beta-Glucans, compared to 12-18%! (Note that the average mushroom company grows them on rice and/or rye berries, rendering them unsafe for anyone with gluten allergies due the residual grain found in up to 60% in the finished product, not something you have to worry about with MycoFormulas, which are Gluten Free).

You’ll find them simply packed into dark amber glass bottles, nearly filled to the brim with 90 capsules, and 45 servings per bottle. Here’s a little look into each three:

•  MycoFormulas Memory™ - Nourishes your nervous system with four medicinal mushrooms that have been shown to safely and sustainably promote healthy brain function. Contains: Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps sinensis, Reishi, and Maitake.
• MycoFormulas Immune - Combines ten of the most potent medicinal mushrooms in the world. Contains: Royal Sun Agaric, Cordyceps, Reishi, Maitake, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Shiitake, Oyster, Tuckahoe, and Turkey Tail.
• MycoFormulas Endurance - Combines three potent medicinal mushrooms that enhance intracellular energy exchange, increase oxygenation and naturally sustain energy. Contains: Cordyceps, Reishi, and Chaga.

Although taking medicinal mushrooms is a great way to enhance your health, it's seldom folks are getting enough in their diet. While it is great to ingest these potent medicinal mushrooms through diet, MycoFormulas is a great option for those looking for a well-balanced mushroom formula that is affordable, easy to ingest, and readily available. For further information, swing by Berryvale between 3-6pm on Friday, October 2nd, for a demo and samples, or visit the MycoFormulas website: www.mycoformulas.com to learn more.

Here’s to the pursuit of health and wellness!!