Talkin' TN

Cherry juice-- is it really a sweet deal?

2009-12-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

Tomato juice, grapefruit juice, even the familiar orange: it's no secret that several natural juices can boost your immune system and nourish your body in other ways. Here at True Nature, we carry another juice that several people are less familiar with, yet it never fails to amaze us how many people DO know about cherry juice.

That's right, cherry juice. To most people, cherries are something tasty in pies or jams, not in a juice. We've been carrying "Northern Natural" cherry juice for years, because as a natural remedy, it works to reduce inflammation in joints. Well, earlier this year, the National Institute of Health published the results of a study concerning cherry juice. What they've found is what we've known all along! Drinking "tart cherry juice containing high levels of anthocyanins" helps adults fend off the stress of "acute trauma, infections, and the susceptibility to diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease."

Anthocyananins are the pigments that give fruits like cherries, strawberries and blueberries their luscious color. This pigment has also being studied for its value as a powerful antioxidant at many universities in the United States.

Forget an apple a day (well, no, keep eating those too!), stop in and ask us about our 100% organic cherry juice today!

Want to sleep better? Eat lighter

2009-12-03T13:03:00.001-08:00

Every gone to bed after stuffing yourself silly (maybe during the holidays), thinking that the food coma will put you to sleep, only to find yourself still awake hours later, and then sleeping through the best part of the next day?

Scientists at Harvard Medical School in Boston have linked the body's sleeping/waking times to the same sort of biological rhythms that affect us when we are jet lagged. Basically, what this bodily function means for us, in terms of eating and sleeping, is that our bodies will wake naturally when they need more food--something we all know. But going a step further, this means that if you take your last bite 12 or so hours before the time you want to wake up, your body will begin to reprogram itself to wake at that new time.
In other words, the scientists say that during this season of house-hopping and airplane travel, you should try skipping a meal based on the time you want to wake up in your new city. If skipping a meal or fending off hunger pangs doesn't sound all that appealing to you, sip an organic fasting tea and reap the benefits of a quieted tummy and a nice, warm bedtime drink. Stop by True Nature and see the variety of brands we carry!

New Meat Coop at True Nature

2009-11-23T17:07:00.001-08:00

New product launch at True Nature!

Beginning today, November 23rd, True Nature is proud to add a healthy new coop option to our store. If you're familiar with the Country Cottage Farms eggs, whole chickens, turkey or lamb cuts offered here in our store, you already know about the quality products from this farm. From today on, we're inviting people to become members of our meat coop, which offers the same great meats at lower prices to our members. Much like the produce boxes from Farmer Tom, the meat coop will allow members to manage accounts online, with a pickup date every other week.

Country Cottage Farms is a family owned operation located in Fisher, Illinois. The farm incorporates crop rotation and animal/vegetable integration into all of its sustainable practices, making it a wholesome choice for your free-range meats.

Please check out the website (linked on our homepage) or visit us at True Nature to learn more about this new cooperative!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

True Nature wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and reminds our friends and neighbors that we're open from 10 am to 3 pm on Thursday. On the 27th we'll be open from 9 am to 8 pm.

Healthy for the Holidays

2009-11-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

As the season for family get-togethers approaches, chances are, you'll have at least one out-of-town adventure, and it's possible that you'll have a variety of guests coming through your home. One of the things about traveling and welcoming the frenzy of the winter season is that colds and flu can get you down. Don't let that wear on you-- stop by True Nature and pick up some of the Wellness Formula or Oil of Oregano supplements we carry today!

Our Source Naturals contains vitamins A, D, C, Zinc and other essential minerals and vitamins to help you maintain the right balance within your body. The immune booster carvacrol has been shown to support overall health and digestion--something we here at True Nature can attest to in our Oil of Oregano formula.

There's nothing like eating a healthy diet, getting proper nutrition and staying hydrated to keep you on your feet, so don't forget that your health begins with you. Add lots of rest to your schedule and you'll be active throughout the winter! Boost your immunity with our healthy juices and stop in today to see what else we can recommend to keep you in tip-top shape throughout the winter.

Food Labels and You

2009-11-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

As the importance of eating organic moves beyond being just a fad, and people become aware of the fine print on their food labels, more and more companies are now required to list all of the things in their items. For example, the soda can or box of mac and cheese in your cupboard should list, in order of weight (and therefore, amount) the ingredients, good, bad and ugly.
We all know this about our food labels, but what else do they do, really?

As part of their "Food Mondays" special programming, Chicago Public Radio WBEZ recently ran a great segment on food labels, and we encourage you to check it out and see what's in store for the future of food.

For one thing, many companies are going forward with labeling their items as GMOs now, because that is what the public wants. While this might cost a bit more for some small-scale producers, it is great news for the public who should rightfully know what's in their food.

By shopping local and organic, you'll hopefully always be able to know that the source of your food is not only as fresh as it can be, but also as natural as possible!

Fall into season with local produce options

2009-10-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

As the warm weather begins to cool down and the sun sets earlier, the growing season begins to cool off also. Here in the Chicagoland area we have a variety of options still available to us, but things like cherries, peaches and sweet corn are now past their season. Part of a healthy, natural lifestyle is eating what's in season in your home area, so it's time to dig in and enjoy lots of the root vegetables like sweet potatoes and turnips that have come into fullness.

It's also squash season, and these veggies deliver more than a dozen vital nutrients per serving!

To see what else is in season now, check out this Produce Calendar.

Food Coop Month in October

2009-10-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

October is National Food Coop Month!

Food Coops play a vital role in the health of their communities as local retailers providing residents with jobs, information, healthy food and more. Independently owned and aware of the community dynamics because of a close customer/business relationship, many Coops offer goods and services not otherwise found in certain locations.

True Nature strives to meet these goals by offering our neighbors a place to meet with like minded residents while sipping a healthy juice or warming up with a soup. The weekly CSA, dairy coop and meats available through our local farmers also ensure that we can bring residents of Chicago the highest quality food.

Clear here to read an article about Coop Month from the Cooperative Grocer organization.

Sustainability in your neighborhood

2009-10-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Launched this fall, a new program in Andersonville aims to help community members and businesses come together in awareness of environmental issues in Northern Chicago.

Eco-Andersonville is just one example of people working together to promote sustainability in the neighborhood and workplace, and as winter approaches and we all hunker down in our neighborhoods, being aware of community recycling and outreach programs is a great way to keep in touch with our roots and neighbors.

As neighbors to the Andersonville neighborhood, here at True Nature we're happy to know that local businesses and community members are banding together to focus on the environment in their own backyards. By recycling our in-house paper output and cardboard, and offering a corrugated cardboard recycling program to the Edgewater and surrounding neighborhoods, we're also trying to do our part. We encourage you to do the same!

Fair Trade Month

2009-10-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

October is Fair Trade Month!

The practice of "Fair Trade" helps businessmen and women in other countries earn a fair price for the items and produce they create and harvest.

You will find Fair Trade Coffee from Equal Exchange here at True Nature, in a variety of flavors.

Equal Exchange is dedicated to working with coffee growers all around the world to offer the best market price on their organic, sustainably grown coffees. Among other flavors we carry Colombian and French Roast, and when you purchase your coffee here you'll know that your dollars are going to families and farmers who are doing their part to farm in a way that is good for the world. Not to mention the tasty cup of coffee you'll get to brew at home!

Crimini Mushroom and Red Pepper Patties

2009-09-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

I love making mistakes. Well, mistakes like the couscous mushroom and red pepper burgers I made the other night. Yes, it was an accident, but these falafel-like patties are tasty.

Being someone who does eat meat, but also loves the nutrition of veggie burgers, I decided to experiment when I messed up a batch of artichoke hummus. My chickpeas didn't have the right consistency for hummus (way too chunky and thick) so I combined some leftover stirfried Crimini mushrooms and red peppers, and dumped in some leftover couscous, just to see what might happen.

Well, the results were pretty good. My ingredients are all eyeballed (since it was a dump-and-see sort of experiment), but I think this is pretty close.

1 c. organic Crimini mushrooms, diced

1/3 organic red pepper, diced

Three large circles of organic yellow onion (probably ¼ cup), diced

2-3 large cloves organic garlic

2 C organic chickpeas, cooked and drained

1 C cooked organic couscous

¼ C organic marinated artichoke hearts

2 T organic tahini

1 T organic lemon juice

½ packet taco seasoning mix

1 T organic flax powder

1/8- ¼ tsp organic cumin powder

1 C organic breadcrumbs

Oil for frying

1/8- ¼ tsp organic paprika

Process chickpeas, artichoke hearts, tahini, lemon juice, 1-2 cloves garlic, cumin and paprika until a bit smooth but still slightly chunky.

Set aside.

If you don't have onions, mushrooms and red peppers hanging out in your fridge, saute onion, red pepper, mushroom and 1 clove garlic in olive oil until nicely browned but just a bit crisp. Add this to the chickpea mash, add the taco seasoning, flax and the couscous. Stir until combined.

Form patties about 3 inches in circumference, 1 in. or less in thickness. Roll these in breadcrumbs and fry in about an inch of hot oil. Cook about 2-5 minutes each side, depending on how well they’re staying apart (seems like a bit more heat helps them stay together).

I didn’t use any egg as a binding agent, so the only problem was the threat of crumbling in the pan (they stayed together though), and after an overnight stint in the fridge, they were firm. Eaten plainly as a patty these are quite tasty, throw them in a pita with some hummus or ranch dressing, and you’ve got yourself a heck of a dinner.

-mars

Alternative Baking Company Cookies

2009-09-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

The ABCs of delicious cookies are here at True Nature!

Founded in 1995, the Alternative Baking Company is a vegan baking company "dedicated to...providing gourmet quality vegan alternatives to baked goods." using organic ingredients.

With a line of cookies that includes peanut butter, double chocolate, oatmeal raisin and many others, those of us who can't resist a cookie were excited to taste the ABC cookies and find out for ourselves if they were truly the "best cookie in the galaxy." Well, many cookies have been consumed, and those of us who eat both vegan and non-vegan diets agree: these cookies are simply amazing. Not to mention that, even the gluten-free "Mac the Chip" cookie rocks this world!

Alisha's Granola

2009-09-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
organic rolled oats
slivered almonds
shelled hemp seeds
organic shredded coconut
organic wheat germ
organic raisins
organic brown sugar
Himalayan salt
organic cinnamon
Some Honey- wildflower
organic safflower oil
water

Mountain Rose Herbs

2009-09-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

Beginning in September, True Nature will be featuring a completely organic line of herbs in bulk.
Located in Eugene, Oregon, Mountain Rose herbs have been wild-harvested and hand-crafted since 1987 to bring customers the most potent blend of Western herbs and spices. The company is certified organic by Oregon Tilth and the USDA National Organic Program.

By introducing this line of herbs to our customers, we hope to provide you with herbs of superior quality.

Green Roof goodness!

2009-08-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

Fresh from the green roof this week: collards and parsley. Not only good for your tummy, greens combined like this also make a nice table-top arrangement. We planted in June when it was cool, but now we've got vines and stems and good things a' growing up there. We're harvesting and selling our roof crops for the store, and we hope to continue this through the fall. Stop by to see what we've got each week.

Preservatives for dessert

2009-08-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Q: What happens to a pie made with non-natural ingredients and preservatives after ONE YEAR?
A: Nothing.

When a community member came in with this grocery store pie dated July 29 2008, we thought she was kidding. But no, she intentionally left this apple pie out to observe, and what she found shocked us.

The pie did nothing over the past year.
It did not mold. Or breakdown. Or get soft. Or get hard. The crust isn't flaky like pie crust should be, but it's not rock hard either. The apples inside have compressed into some sort of mulchy-looking gelatin, but there's no mold on them.

Like most of today's products made with non-natural ingredients and pumped full of preservatives, this pie literally had a shelf life of more than one year. Would you eat something like this now? No. But how often do we consider that the foods we grab for convenience might not be so convenient for our bodies? The hazards of preservatives in today's modern diet have been studied by the American Dietetic Association to help consumers make healthy choices in their daily lives.

We know it takes time to make a pie from scratch, but in the long run, would you rather spend that time enjoying your health from a clean, nutritious diet or drop a few bucks on a pie that doesn't break down?

Sweet deal on sweet corn

2009-08-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sweet corn is finally here, and we've got a great special on these lovely golden ears from Bradford, Wisconsin. Get 'em while we've got 'em!

Butter the corn and throw it on the grill, boil it for about 10 minutes or shell the kernels to make cornbread: no matter what you do with this corn, you'll be happy to know that crop rotation of organic corn is much better for the environment and your family than the mass-produced husks you'll find elsewhere. Sweet corn also freezes well!

In other corn news, if you're looking for popcorn, we've also got a line of sustainably produced popping corn. Butter and salt to your taste, and avoid the extra hassle of recycling

The Master Cleanse

2009-08-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Since author Stanley Burroughs published his how-to "Master Cleanse" guide in 1976, the "lemonade diet" has become known around the world for its cleansing properties. While this blend of lemons, cayenne pepper and maple syrup can make a tasty drink, its benefits has been disputed by some and loved by others for more than 30 years. Either way, whenever someone calls or stops in looking for lemons, cayenne and maple syrup, we know another cleanser is following the regime. For this, and any one wanting regular lemonade, or the best maple syrup Michigan has to offer, we've got all the ingredients necessary to help mix a delicious lemonade!

While some members of our staff have followed it and enjoyed the program, any one wanting to begin this program should consult with his or her doctor prior to doing so.

Rosemary, baby!

2009-08-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

We now have fresh, local Rosemary available at True Nature! This versatile, calming herb can jazz up salads, meats or summer soups with its refreshing taste, and it is nutritionally beneficial as well:
A study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics has shown that Rosemary may help slow the breakdown of cartilage.

In addition to the fresh packages of this herb, we also have a full line of Rosemary teas, natural supplements and dried leaves and oils. Stop by and see what we have available for you!

Cheesy Sausage and Quinoa stuffed 8-ball squash

2009-08-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Healthy eating and sustainability go hand-in-hand, and when the fruits and veggies of the season are in full bloom, it's easy to come up with new meals and ideas.

I'm a big fan of using what I have around the house, especially when it's time to clean out the fridge, and since I already had some quinoa, which I had cooked with butter, thyme and rosemary, I didn't include any herbs/spices in this recipe. Play around with it and see what suits you—I used spicy Italian pork sausage but any sort of protein would probably work just fine.

4 Eight-ball squash

1 C. quinoa, cooked

1 roma tomato, diced

1 lamb or pork sausage, casing removed and cooked

1 large clove garlic, minced

½ onion, diced

4 slices Swiss cheese

Cut open your squash as you would a pumpkin, being careful not to cut through the sides or bottom. Take off the top, and scoop out the middle flesh. Set this aside.

Put the quinoa, sausage and garlic in a bowl. Dice the reserved squash flesh, and add to the bowl.

In a small baking dish, drizzle your tomato and onion with olive oil, and roast for about 5 minutes. Add this to the quinoa mix and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fill the hollowed squash with the mixture, transfer to baking dish and put in oven, roasting for about 5 minutes. Add a slice of cheese to each squash, and roast another 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melty, but not running.

enjoy!

-mars

Farmers Market

2009-08-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

It's a warm Saturday morning, about 9 am, and the eastern end of Norwood street is alive with colors and sounds. Each week from June through October, we host the Edgewater Green Market-- our neighborhood Farmers Market.

In addition to showcasing some of the products we carry inside, like Portablla Salsa from River Valley Kitchens (WI), or Edgewater Soaps made here in Chicago, this outdoor market lights up with local produce, baked goods and community information.

Sunflowers from Scheeringa Farms in Indiana and squash blossoms from Wisconsin were a vivid part of our market this week, and for eight-year-old Zoie Scheeringa, who has working her sunflower booth with a bright smile, the market is more than a "fun" experience, it's part of her family's life.

"I've been helping since I was one!," she said, beaming.
Besides being a sunny welcome to people passing through markets all over, the seeds of a sunflower are a nutritious snack and a tasty addition to your own cooking. Zoie's family understands that, as well as the value of selling to local communities, and that's why we're proud to have Scheeringa Farms as part of our weekly market. Stewart Balbach and Gregg Lloyd of B&L Gardens from Gratiot, Wisconsin also make a trip into the city to share everything from beans to beets to squash blossoms with our community.

While many of our farmers are familiar faces, the variety of produce will vary from market to market, depending on the season and what the weather's doing, but feel free to give us a call with questions, or better yet, stop by and experience it yourself!

The market takes place each Saturday from 7 am to 1 pm, and on the third Saturday of each month, additional entertainment and Chamber of Commerce trolley rides are available.

New Juicer!

2009-07-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

Summer is upon us in Chicago, and with the warm temperatures, nothing cools a body down like a freshly made juice. Our juice bar offers a wide variety of healthy drinks made from fresh, organic produce, and our new juicer is ready to work for you! We have everything from all-natural apple juice to rich, green drinks, and the digestive enzymes or wheatgrass shots to go with them.

Stop by the juice bar for a Karma or Green Genie (among others), and learn about the benefits of juicing from our friendly staff!

Hello and Welcome!

2009-07-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Since 1982, True Nature has been your neighborhood resource for quality produce, natural grocery supplements and more. We know that that trends come and go, but because of community support, we've grown and expanded over the years. Now, we're happy to announce our latest development:
"Talkin' TN," the True Nature blog!
Check us out on a regular basis for recipes, store updates and information on the Green Roof project. Leave a comment and let us know what you think!