Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Produce Lady: Canning Green Beans

The Produce Lady (Brenda Sutton) and Dr. Ben Chapman demonstrate proper methods for canning green beans. Recorded live on June 15, 2012.


Canning Green Beans

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Friday, June 29, 2012

Peach Preservation 101

The Produce Lady (Brenda Sutton) and Dr. Ben Chapman, N.C. State food safety specialist, demonstrate peach preservation: freezing and making peach jam.

Peach Preservation Video 

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Finding Ways to Add Fruits and Juices to your Breakfast

By:  Leslie Gernon

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. To eat right is important:
  • Our bodies are coming off 6 to 8 hours of fasting while we were asleep so it’s time to catch up, time to “break the fast”
  • If we fuel our bodies, we fuel our brains – which translates to better concentration, higher alertness, more creativity, and better problem solving skills
  • Eating breakfast reduces our chances of overeating during the rest of the day – helping us to stick to diets, or eat sensibly throughout the day
At the same time, many of us groan “who has time to make breakfast?” during the work week. If we invest in just a few “prep” moments the night before (perhaps while we’re pulling together lunches for the next day) and have simple foods and drinks on hand then breakfast can be quick and easy. So what would it cost to have some of the basic, healthful foods and drinks on hand?

For more, CLICK HERE

Tarheel Homemakers E-news

The June 2012 issue of the Tarheel Homemakers E-news Letter is now available. CLICK HERE


 In this issue:
• Across the State
• ECA Centennial
• Share your Stories
• Centennial Cents
• Past Presidents
• Jane  McKimmon Society
• Centennial Bricks




Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Fight pain with Greek yogurt

DAIRYHERD NETWORK        
Angela Bowman, Staff Writer | Updated: May 17, 2012  

The next time you find yourself muttering, “Oooh my aching…” take a look in your refrigerator, not your medicine cabinet, for pain relief.

According to a Caring.com article, probiotics in Greek yogurt makes it a powerful agent in fighting chronic pain. Integrative nutritionist Beth Reardon, director of nutrition at Duke Integrative Medicine, points that the thick yogurt packs a powerful punch in arming bodies in the fight against pain. In addition to probiotics, Greek yogurt contains twice the protein of regular yogurt and is an excellent source of vitamin D.

Probiotics help by preserving a healthy balance of good bacteria in digestive tracks. Reardon noted that it’s especially beneficial after finishing a course of antibiotics, which can disrupt the balance of healthy bacteria.

An article from MyHealingKitchen also reported yogurt’s healing powers with chronic pain attributed to arthritis inflammation. The article specifically noted how yogurt tackles inflammation. A study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, which found that yogurt bacteria, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, significantly decreased C-reactive protein levels in the body, a blood marker for inflammation.

Other ways yogurt helps to fight inflammation include reducing production of body chemicals that trigger inflammation in the joints and balancing blood sugar.

According to Livestong.com, probiotics are also being studied to determine if they could be helpful in treating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and infectious diarrhea while preventing kidney stones, respiratory infections, and tooth decay and periodontal disease. There is also hope that it could help avoid inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Read more here.