Farmers on Vacation Part ll & Fresh VS. Frozen Vegetables

An unexpected guest for cocktails last night...... Time to move on to the next cabin.... Today's snowball fight ~ Derrick & Bryce.... Our homemade sled run ~ Logan.... Bryce.... Cousins over for a visit.... Cousin Cameron.... Little Snowman.... Indoor time with Logan, Paige and little Chloe.... After all that activity ~ Bryce & 'Uncle Farms' taking a mid-day snooze.... Fresh vs. Frozen Vegetables~ Americans typically eat only one-third of the recommended daily intake (three servings instead of nine) of fruits and vegetables, so if you’re in a bind, a vegetable in any form is better than no vegetable at all. During the winter months, fresh produce is limited—or expensive—in much of the country, which forces many of us to turn to canned or frozen options. Canned vegetables tend to lose a lot of nutrients during the preservation process (exceptions include tomatoes and pumpkin), frozen vegetables may be even more healthful than some of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets, says Gene Lester, Ph.D., a plant physiologist at the USDA Agricultural Research Center in Weslaco, Texas. Why? Fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak ripeness, which is—as a general rule—they're most nutrient-packed time. While the first step of freezing vegetables—blanching them in hot water or steam to kill bacteria and stop the action of food-degrading enzymes—causes some water-soluble nutrients like vitamin C and the B vitamins to break down or leach out, the subsequent flash-freeze locks the vegetables in a relatively nutrient-rich state. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables destined to be shipped to the fresh-produce aisles around the country typically are picked before they are ripe, which gives them less time to fully develop their vitamins and minerals. Outward signs of ripening may still occur, but these vegetables will never have the same nutritive value as if they had been allowed to fully ripen on the vine. In addition, during the long haul from farm to the dinner table, fresh fruits and vegetables are exposed to lots of heat and light, which degrade some nutrients, especially delicate vitamins like C and the B vitamin thiamin. So - bottom line: When vegetables are in-season, buy them fresh and ripe. “Off-season,” frozen vegetables will give you a high concentration of nutrients. Choose packages marked with a USDA “U.S. Fancy” shield, which designates produce of the best size, shape and color; vegetables of this standard also tend to be more nutrient-rich than the lower grades “U.S. No. 1” or “U.S. No. 2.” Eat them soon after purchase: over many months, nutrients in frozen vegetables do eventually degrade. Finally, steam or microwave rather than boil your produce to minimize the loss of water-soluble vitamins. My top picks for frozen are:

• corn
• sweet peas
• broccoli florets
• shelled soy beans
• frozen spinach

If you like to walk on the wild side, stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's carry more unusual choices, like frozen diced butternut squash, shiitake mushrooms, artichoke hearts, a blend of red and green bell pepper strips, and Normandy Blend vegetables (carrots with green and yellow beans).

Happy Saturday!

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