Spice Sanctuary

Founder of Spice Sanctuary Trusha Patel, just back from a trip to India to meet with some of her suppliers, has graciously granted me an interview to chat about cooking, the environment, travel to exotic lands, and of course Spices.

When Trusha moved to Canada from the United Kingdom four years ago, she encountered a challenge that she never expected. She was having difficulty finding spices that measured up to the quality and potency she had found back home. Cooking is one of her great passions, so that was clearly not going to cut it and in June of 2012 she launched her own line of Spices with Spice Sanctuary. Her reasoning, “if you’re spending the money to get organic [spices], you should get the best.”

The mission of Spice Sanctuary is to provide high quality organic spices from the farm to your pantry in 6 steps or less. Quite a lofty goal considering very few spices can be successfully grown in Canada. Trusha has traveled all over, from Greece to Sri Lanka and India, to find the best grades of each spice possible.  She calls it one of her personal benefits, not only being able to meet the farmers who are growing her spices, but explore the beautiful countries they live in.

6 Steps or LESS:

1. Farm – the herbs are grown by small scale farmers don’t often have the resources or ability to sell their products internationally.
2. Processor – a local processing company takes the farmers’ harvests to test quality and prep the spices for international transport.
3. Packaging in Canada – all the spices arrive directly from the processor and are individually packaged in Alberta, supporting the local economy.
4. Delivered to Retailer/Restaurant – The spices are sent out to retail locations (like Green Earth Organics) and directly to restaurants.
5. You – You purchase the spices, all that’s left is for you to use them. So, get cooking!

Response to her products has been fantastic. In just eighteen months her spices are now carried in 55 retail locations across Canada, as well as served directly to your plates at top restaurants. The spices are picked to have the highest amounts of volatile-oil possible so that they retain their flavor longer. This allows the cook to use less of the spice in order to achieve the flavor they want in their dish.

Trusha “want[s] to spread the word to encourage [cooks] to use the spices when they’re potent and add them to every meal no matter what the cuisine.” She occasionally teaches classes in Calgary on using spice in cooking and is currently writing a cookbook with simple every day recipes that are designed to expand the average person’s use of spices. Some of these recipes can already be found on her blog and we have featured one in our newsletter as well.

She is also giving back to the environment and helping to restore biodiversity by supporting Afforestation in Northern Alberta on behalf of her customers. Spice Sanctuary, in partnership with The Carbon Farmer are planting trees from profits of purchases of their spices. As the forest expands and matures, the carbon capture in the region will increase and improve the biodiversity of the natural habitat.

Trusha is a big believer that businesses should be responsible for their own carbon foot print and is seeking every day to minimize her own impact on the environment. Green Earth Organics is thrilled to know that our purchases from Spice Sanctuary are helping to support our mutual goal of a "Green Earth".

Buy Spice Sanctuary products from our Calgary location and our Vancouver location.

Jules Fuel "No Added Weirdness"

Just in time for the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics, we are extremely excited to add a brand new line of Olympian created breakfast food to our ever growing selection. Born and raised underneath the slopes of Whistler, 2010 Ski Cross Olympian and World Champion medalist Julia Murray has long been perfecting a true “breakfast of champions” and is currently studying to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist.

While training for the Olympics, Julia found that the traditional options for the morning meal just weren’t cutting it. She needed something that would make her feel full and give her the energy needed to make run after run down the icy slopes, but wouldn’t make her feel heavy and weighed down. What developed was an innovative cereal that is “100% organic, vegan, low-glycemic, nutrient-dense, high fibre, antioxidant-rich, and, in her own words, 'Purely Vitalicious’.”

Each bag contains six servings of cereal, with a superfood ingredient list that will impress even the most picky of healthy eaters.

• Quinoa, the “mother grain,” is a low-glycemic source of protein.
• Goji berries for a metabolism and vitamin C boost.
• Chia seeds with tons of antioxidants, omega3 and 6 fatty acids.
• Sunflower seeds, whose folic acid prevent bad cholesterol from sticking around.
• Pumpkin seeds with iron and magnesium to balance blood sugar.
• Flax seeds, high in fiber and antioxidants and helps reduce the risk of colon cancer.
• Rolled Oats to lower cholesterol and boost your energy and your immune system.
• Thompson Raisins with potassium for your heart and anti-inflammatory qualities to keep your body moving.

Those of us lucky enough to frequent the Whistler Farmers Market this past year have even had a chance to see “Jules Fuel” for ourselves as she sought feedback from her customers and tested marketability. With resounding success amongst the eager slope-goers and health conscientious residents, Julia has thrown her entrepreneurial spirit into the next step.

Sharing it with the rest of the world!

Green Earth Organics is thrilled to support our own local Olympian, Julia in her quest to bring “Jules Fuel” into the Vancouver market.

Buy Juels Fuel now from our Sea to Sky location or our Vancouver location.

A Sweet Future for Energy

 

A team at Virginia Tech University in the USA has developed a battery that runs off of, you guessed it, sugar! The battery safely (and non-toxically) breaks down sugar and harnesses the released energy to power the attached electronics. Producing ten times as much energy as a regular ion battery; these new sugar batteries have been proposed for use in smart phones, tablets, and even electric cars. To recharge, just add more sugar! Sweet!

Pasta with Lemon, Garlic,and Thyme Mushrooms

Adapted from Nigella's

Ingredients

225 grams mushrooms
80 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Maldon salt (or 1½ tsps table salt)
1 small clove garlic (crushed)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tsps dried thyme
500 grams pasta
1 bunch fresh parsley (chopped)
2 - 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper
 

DIRECTIONS

Mix in a large pan the oil, salt, crushed garlic, lemon juice and zest, and marvelously scented thyme.

While that simmers, Slice the mushrooms finely, then add the mushrooms to the pan.

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain loosely, retaining some water. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly put the drained pasta into the bowl with the mushroom mixture.

Toss everything together well, portion everything out onto plates, then add the chopped parsley, grated cheese and pepper to taste.

Rain, Rain, Collect and Save

Every year the average household delegates 50-70% of its water usage to landscaping, irrigation, and other outdoor activities. That can be quite a chunk of the local water supply, not to mention your monthly water bill. There is also a fairly large amount of wasted rain water that hits driveways, roads, and other non-organic surfaces traveling straight into the oceans as run-off. By replacing the water from your hose with rainwater, you can not only reduce your water bill, but also decrease demand on your local water supply and re-use an often ignored resource.

Rain water is one of the purest forms of water available. It has not come into contact with the ground, so it hasn’t picked up minerals or salts from soil or rocks or come in contact with surface pollutants. If using rainwater to wash clothing, you will never need to add water softeners since the amount of calcium is minimal and there is very little soap scum build up. Rain water also has a higher nitrogen content that other water, since it picks up the gas from the air as it falls. This makes rain water perfect for plants that prefer a nitrogen rich diet to thrive.

The easiest way to collect rain water for reuse is in a rain barrel, which will fit right underneath your rain spouts. Rain barrels usually hold around 50 gallons of water and come with a filter kit to collect and remove debris as it pours from the spout. They have a hose attachment near the base for easy use in the garden. There are also free standing barrels that sit in an out of the way section of the garden or patio without a lid. On sunny days, just replace the lid to prevent evaporation.

For those living in apartment buildings, it is just as easy to collect rain water. How many of us have dozen of useless empty containers that we swear we’re going to reuse, but end up just getting stored forever in a cupboard? Pull them out of the cupboard, label them with a sharpie for rain water storage, and get them outside collecting water. As they fill up, just pop the lids back on to keep the water clean and store them in a corner until needed. The nice thing about containers? They stack on top of each other for neat and easy storage.

The third type of recommended rain water collection is called a Rain Garden. These gardens are placed in the path of typical runoff routes and are dug about six inches down from normal lawn level. Rain water collects in the depression for the plants to use, usually perennials and native shrubs, but any type of high water requirement plants are perfect for this sort of garden. By creating a Rain Garden, your lawn will suffer less soil runoff and you'll have a unique stand-a-lone garden to admire.

For those already planning the best way to start their rain water collection, I do recommend taking a quick look at local laws and news regarding the subject. During my research, I discovered that quite a few locations in the United States have laws to prevent home owners from collecting rain water on their own property. Considering their current drought problems in the southwest United States, I hope they ease up on those laws soon.

Tropical Solutions for Winter Skin

Are you prone to dry skin during winter? Check your hands! If they’re dry, flaking, or cracked try adding more omega3 rich foods or a supplement to your diet. Omega3’s prevent dehydration of skin cells. To fix any damage done, gently massage coconut oil into the affected areas. When absorbed into skin, it helps tighten skin cells to prevent moisture loss and even reduces fine lines and wrinkles!

Cheese Stuffed Yam Croquettes

Adapted from Recipe Archive

Ingredients: 

250g Yams chopped coarsely (Sweet Potatoes & Potatoes can be substituted)
25g Butter
½ Egg beaten
1 Spring Onion chopped
25g Mozzarella or Edam Cheese cut into 5 cubes
35g Fine Dry Breadcrumbs
Oil for deep frying
Salt and Pepper
Pinch Thyme
Optional Garnish:
6 Pimento Stuffed Olives

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil yams until soft, drain well and put through the ricer add the egg and the butter mix to a smooth puree and mix in the spring onion and thyme.
2. Shape the mix into required size.
3. Push a cube of cheese into the centre of each ball and re-shape the yam mix around them.
4. Roll the balls in beaten egg and then breadcrumbs until coated.
5. Deep fry until golden brown drain on kitchen paper.
6. Place on a warm plate and garnish.