OOO-Weee! THE NEW JUICE-OOTHIE

This week, The Lyme Juice Company is pleased to introduce the Juice-oothie! Oo-wee! It's yummy. The juice-oothie offers the best of two great drinks and combines the intense nutrients of fresh-pressed juice with the whole fruit and fiber of a smoothie. Our juice-oothie will still be nut-free and dairy-free so everyone can enjoy it. We've added some ZING! with a nutrient-dense citrus and fresh green blast to go with those wild blueberries, tart cherries, and flax - and if you like, there's always some non-GMO Vegan protein powder to add to it.  The new recipe brings a smooth, vibrant texture to the berry drink - so it's much easier to suck up through that paper straw!  C'mon, get juicy with us on Saturdays at White Gate Farm in East Lyme, CT. Saturdays 9-5pm and opening soon on Wednesdays, too.   

EARTH DAY, EVERY DAY

It is true we need a day, a title, a label, an event to remind us that it is Earth Day. Tomorrow, April 22, 2017 is Earth Day around the world and on this day we are not simply recognizing that we live on the most amaaaazing planet, we are coming together to protect what we must hold most dear.

Be a part of it.

Wendell Berry urges us "...make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it."

There are many simple and profound, outward and inward, above and beyond ways that we can praise the earth and be grateful for the beauty of our lives on a planet we call Home.

Put your bare feet in the water, your palm upon the bark of tree, your nose inside a flower. Look up, spin around. Climb a tree, sink in mud, pick something from the garden, pop it straight in to your mouth, then let it linger on your tongue. Dance and sweat and French kiss, feel alive. Think about the food you eat and why you eat it. Get to know your farmer. Eat a beautiful meal that you made yourself. As we join together on a day that has its own title, our thoughts and deeds and focus are on this beautiful Mother Earth. Take deep, deep breaths and imagine clean air and the breath of the universe upon your skin and beyond tomorrow, flooding the lives of future generations.

“We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it. ”

— Wendell Berry

WHEN RAIN FILLS THE CRACKS

A lot happened this week. It is hard to describe the gratitude I felt when I saw the principal standing outside the school doors, under an umbrella, dressed in her professional clothes in torrential rain; or the sorrow that only moments later arose when I saw the beautiful duck or was it a goose? lying in the middle of the road, with its best friend flapping, begging him to get up as the man with slumped shoulders threw bread crumbs in a path leading it away.

In that moment, I pulled my car over, wrapped the bird up and carried it over to the side of the road and placed it down, out of the way. It was a beautiful beast. and I cried. I didn't know what more I could do. I asked the man should I just leave him here? and he nodded yes.

I wondered about those two events, why they fell only moments apart, and how they could resonate so deeply. It made me think about timing and the choices we make - not just as individuals but as a collective whole - how my son's school principal chose to stand out in the rain; how the man sprinkled bread crumbs; how that duck missed its mate; how I held that beautiful beast and looked at the soft white feathers on its neck and couldn't distinguish my tears from the rain.

Every day one of the principals at school is there to greet the children and whether the children are outwardly aware of it or not, they are registering it on a profound level that some one is there to welcome them in. The man scattering bread crumbs didn't need to, but he chose to because saving the other duck mattered.  In that morning, I felt how intimately connected we all are in one village, stretched out along one long road, any day of the year. We may not always register this, but in an instant it is all revealed.

I feel that way about the process of healing, that as deeply personal as one's journey is, the journey is made better by the collective conscious that tells each and every one of us that we're never alone and that we are all part of something bigger and greater, connected to something that says it's ok to be chipped, broken, cracked and fragile, because some one will always hold a door open, or lead you to a safe place, or help you carry a burden.  We're all in it together.  

WASTE NOT WANT NOT: SAVE THE CARROT TOP!

Ever wonder what to do with carrot greens when those fluffy tops are lobbed off ? Carrot tops are more often discarded - thrown away, used as compost, or chicken feed [lucky chicks] - but carrots greens are not only edible, they are highly nutritive, rich in protein, minerals and vitamins. Their nutritional profile is similar to their roots and provides vitamins A, B6, C and K, folate, manganese, niacin, potassium, calcium, and thiamin, but they contain 6 times the vitamin C of the root. Yup, just like turnip greens, carrot tops are even more LOADED than the root and tuber.

Greens are among the top vegetable sources for Vitamin-K which plays a role in bone health, limits neuronal damage in the brain, and is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. 

When joined together, Vitamins A and C are ready to kick ass when it comes to protecting our cells. Vitamin A keeps skin and mucous membrane cells healthy and that means they are more resistant to fighting off cancers and diseases caused by viruses.

The fresh green leaves contain 100% of daily-recommended levels of Vitamin C and work in many B-complex groups that are essential to metabolism. Vitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine when fighting colds and allergies; aids in collagen production; has anti-oxidant properties that fight against cancer and protects cells from damage and mutation; and best of all, it helps to keep our eyes and hearts healthier so we can see and feel the beauty that is all around us. 

WHEREVER YOU GO, GO WITH ALL YOUR HEART

It was another amazeballs Saturday.  Juice traffic had a nice and steady rhythm. I want to savor this early season, this slow time to build up to the high season, to grow new muscles so that I am stronger when it gets super-busy this summer. For now, it's time to take it slow and enjoy getting to know everyone. That's what I call Happy Hours. 

Sue and Ron Smith visited the juice bar for the first time. They were spending an afternoon together doing something meaningful - taking a leisurely day trip from East Hartford to White Gate Farm because they had read Pauline's newsletter.  

While Sue shopped the market, Ron and I spent some time looking "under the bonnet" of the Nutrifaster. The celery threads were getting caught up in the machine and pushing it off balance. Ron is a mechanical engineer and explained the Physics behind the imbalance and well, we talk about LOTS of stuff at the juice bar - even Physics, another reason to love what I do.  

Ron is an avid bicyclist who rides thousands of miles each year and he and his wife are the picture of good health. As I was making a juice for Sue we were all chatting away while the Nutrifaster whirred...and then I stopped jamming celery into the machine and spun my head away from the machine and toward Ron...

What would you say if a man you just met said "...and that was the first time I died..."?

I'd say his heart was in the right place. On February 1, 2017 Ron Smith’s heart stopped seven times according to doctors. Luckily, he was in the right place at the right time and an amazing team at UConn Health saved his life...seven. times.  That life-changing, mind-blowing, "heart-stopping" event happened only two months ago and Ron is absorbing how his profound experience has altered his life and his way of thinking. He says,

"I try to pay things forward in life, but I don’t think there’s anything I’ve done, or will ever be able to do, that equals what the UConn Health team did, for how phenomenally they saved my life.  I am very humbled and appreciative.”

Apart from Luck and some mighty divine intervention, there were two key things that saved Ron's life: The UConn Health Team AND his choice to listen to his body and get his symptoms checked out. He didn't ignore the signs or simply "push through" them and that is the first, and most important step in Self-Care and living a healthy life.  

Ron has always been a very active person who exercises, eats right and even reads food labels. Yet, still he suffered from poor heart health.  He shares his story to raise awareness so that others may learn new ways to approach their own health. To read more about Ron's experience, follow this link and wherever you are, Go on, love yourself enough to listen to your body and listen to Confucius, too - "wherever you go, go with all your heart".  We love you!

DO WHAT YOU LOVE. LOVE WHAT YOU DO.

You know what they say, "love what you do and the rest will follow"? It's true. That's how I feel about The Lyme Juice bar at White Gate Farm in East Lyme, CT. I meet the most amaaaazing people and we get to be Health Nerds and talk about things like B12 deficiencies, Lyme, Babesia, Auto-Immune, Whey-No-Way, Nutritional Yeast, Meditation, Turmeric with or without black pepper [there are two camps], mutant genes, MTFHR [nicknamed "MutherF*#@+r for good reason] and that's just the short list.

I learn so much from the juicers I meet each week. When they belly up to the bar, I'm surrounded by a tribe a people who are open to the dialogue of wellness. They are super-knowledgeable and prepared to do The Work - whatever it is that is required - to get to the source of chronic pain, inflammation, malaise and dis-ease. 

This weekend I met John, a gentleman who has an amazing relationship with his doctor, a doctor who is engaged in the dialogue of Self-Care and has guided John to an understanding of healthy lifestyle choices that are right for him. Turns out, John's doc is none other than David Schwindt, a college friend of mine from Johns Hopkins who runs an integrative medicine practice in Mystic, CT and is Chair of the inpatient Integrative Medicine Consult Service at The Westerly Hospital.

Just goes to show that it truly is a small and beautiful world and we're all in it together. 

I also met a mother daughter team, the sweetest dynamic duo I've ever met! Together, Maureen and Briana have journeyed for yearrrrs along the long and often bumpy road to wellness. As a child Briana suffered constant pain from a "Mystery Illness." Her parents played a huge role in helping Briana uncover the source of her illness. Briana's father vetted and tested alternative treatments [such as cupping ;) = Brave Dad] and her mother, Maureen, was researching every step of the way, working through it with her. Together they journeyed as a family through the process of moving from illness to wellness.  They went through a long list of trial and elimination, test after test, protocol after protocol, until Briana found a way to live her life fully, and without pain.  

Briana views her experience as something that opened her up to so many positive things rather than shutting her down and keeping her from living a vibrant life.  Today, Briana is the face of happiness and strength - as you can see from the photo below - but it took tremendous focus and courage and commitment to stay the course in order to arrive at a place where she can thrive. Briana now writes and shares her story on her dynamic blog BlondieBitesBlog.com. Check her out! She's a good girl, fer sure. 

P.S. - Just after writing the above, I took a break to see my chiropractor Dr Frank Musante and my doctor Dr Kendra Becker Musante at their family wellness practice in Waterford, CT...and guess who was coming out as I was going in?! Yup, you guessed it...Briana!  It is indeed a small and beautiful world. and I am so glad we are all in it together ;) 

Briana Cabral BlondieBitesBlog.com

KALE IS NOT A FOUR-LETTER WORD

KALE IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD. Of course we know it is, but...I love four-letter words, like "Love" and "Lyme" and "Kale," so I'll take it as a good sign, a very good sign, that my gut is craving more Tuscano Kale from @Baylee Rose Drown at Upper Pond Farm. Forget that I love anything with "Toscano" in it, just think of those leafy early spring greens sauteed in gorgeous olive oil from our trees in France at Lou-Coudon Estate Rental along with some garlic from White Gate Farm. NumNum. So simple, so delish. and that's it. Friends, follow links and encourage everyone you know to get to know their local farmers and buy a CSA share! Community Supported Agriculture is not just good for every one, it's good for your community and for Mother Earth. Check out this useful Site: Small Farm Central . We love you!! 

THE BENEFITS OF BREATH: SAVE THE DATE

SAVE THE DATE: May 5-7, 2017. The Lyme Juice Company is hosting a retreat at White Gate Farm  

THE BIOLOGY OF BREATH. This course teaches Breath-Work as a means to increase an awareness of our breath and to manage and “yoke” our respiratory capabilities so that we may optimize the health benefits of every inhale and exhale we take.  The Breath-Work practice encourages the creation of new pathways to replace old habits in order to make room for new, more vibrant ways of navigating our lives and spiritual needs.

More juicy details to come! Pricing will include tuition fee, all organic meals, morning juices, and overnight lodging. The course fee is structured for both commuters from afar and local residents. We are happy for our local friends and neighbours to attend without having to stay overnight. Spaces are limited. For more information please message Carolann

Have Yourself a Juicy Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Juicy Little Christmas. We love you!! xx

SUMMER SHOTS and JUICY DARLINGS

We grew some new muscles this summer. It was HARD WORK and A LOT of heavy lifting but we loved every day of it. Here are some snap shots to share with you There are some Juicy Darlings missing from this summer montage but they will soon be added! xx We love you, Carolann and Vicky.

WHEN THE MARKET ENDS with THANKS

It's not often I find myself at a loss for words...but right now THANK YOU are the two right words for this moment, the last day of the farmers market. My son and I moved to Old Lyme in June and we got juicin'! We set up a juice stand and haven't stopped since. It's been a wonderful way to get to know a community through its farmers and makers and the people who support them. Allott and our dear friend Vicky and I have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED getting to know so many of you over the past four months and we can't wait to see more of you. So please stay tuned for future plans: The Lyme Juice Company will pop up again and hopefully we'll pop up just when you need a burst of something delicious, nutritious and made with LOVE. To all of you who have stopped by the stand and supported us in our first weeks and months here, thank you. Thank you for welcoming us here and for enjoying a healthy break with us. Thank you, Lyme Farmer's Market, for being a beautiful stomping ground. Allott and I have loved being in the field with all of you.  xx

Make time to get away. Even if but for a day...

Make time to get away. Even if but for a day.

JUICE-ICIAN with a Mission

ANNA MAY has been on the road to Dakota and she's still right at home on Highway 395...and she's ready to be guest Juice-ician at The Lyme Juice Company on Saturday, September 24th - at The Lyme Farmers' Market. Anna is a twenty-one year old traditional folk musician, singer and songwriter whose voice mixes in jazz with an American twist but her French stuff will make you wilt too. Anna's music is inspired by the people in her life and their stories, the places she has traveled to and the coastal town in CT where she grew up.  

Anna doesn't sit around hiding behind walls and closed doors waiting for life to happen to her. She's out there living and breathing, responding to all that she experiences and lucky for us, she's creating beautiful lyrics and melodies. Here's proof - check out her song Highway 395.

She's just back from an eye-opening journey to North Dakota in support of the Lakota people and Sacred Stone in protest against The Dakota Access Pipeline. Here is a link to Anna singing Acadia's Song, a song which holds a special connection to this cause. [See below for lyrics]. 

Anna was christened into the world of activism with guidance from songwriter and activist, Jen Taylor, and musician/aerialist Dani Bobbi Lee. After a long and arduous car ride through the MidWest, they pitched a tent at the Rosebud Camp on the Missouri River and began their work offering music, massage, and conversation as well as helping in the community kitchen at the children's school. They took part in indigenous drum and dance circle and even said hello to Joan Baez {OMG. Right??!!]. The Om Fly Circus from East Haddam CT topped things off with an acrobatic circus jam on the grounds of Rosebud Camp.  Anna May says that the experience was "bright, joyous and that the Lakota people are resilient despite dire circumstances."

For more pictures and a first hand account of their experience, click here to read Jen's account of their journey to Dakota.  

Pictured below: The wonderful children they met and played with; hooping silhouette at sunset; the view from the Missouri River bank from the Standing Rock Sioux Rosebud Camp, looking out from the tent at the main Red Warrior camp with the tipi of the Elders Council in view and horses drinking at the water's shore.

The Sacred Stone Camp website explains why it's so important for all of us to pay attention to what's going on out there: 

"The Spirit Camp is called Iŋyaŋ Wakháŋagapi Othí, translated as Sacred Rock, the original name of the Cannonball area. The Spirit Camp is dedicated to raising awareness and stopping the Dakota Access pipeline, the dangers associated with pipeline spills and the necessity to protect the water resources of the Missouri river. It rejects the appropriation of the name “Dakota” in a project that is in violation of aboriginal and treaty lands. The word Dakota means “the People” in the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota language and was never intended to be used in a project which violates traditional ceremonial areas...

The Dakota Access threatens everything from farming and drinking water to entire ecosystems, wildlife, and food sources surrounding the Missouri. The nesting of bald eagles and piping plovers as well as the quality of wild rice and medicinal plants like sweet grass are just a few of the species at stake here. We ask that everyone stand with us against this threat to our health, our culture, and our sovereignty. We ask that everyone who lives on or near the Missouri River and its tributaries, everyone who farms or ranches in the local area, and everyone who cares about clean air and clean drinking water stand with us against the Dakota Access Pipeline." 

The message is clear and Anna wants to help spread the word and build awareness: "Water is Life. A pipeline that threatens to contaminate a clean water supply should not be built. The Lakota people need HELP NOW in order to make it through what will surely be a very harsh winter." Visit Sacred Stone Camp to see what supplies you can donate. 

Always On The Road - Anna May pictured here with friends on a different road trip. 

HAPPY FACES: Inside and Out

INSIDE OUT. Skin covers approximately 18 square feet of a body. It’s our largest organ and our first line of defense when it comes to fighting off disease, infection and the toxic build up that comes at us from all directions in the outside world.

Our skin also works from the inside out to rid our body of impurities.

Keeping your skin clean and your pores clear on the outside not only rids the epidermal layer of pathogens that colonize there but it also allows the body to expel waste from the inside out.

Today's take-away: Healthy skin comes from proper skin care, inside and out. Here are some key rules to follow

• Know your skin. If you can’t figure it out, ask some one who can
• Use products that work well with your skin and do not contain harmful ingredients. Choose products you can trust. What’s in your cleanser, toner, and moisturizer? Can you pronounce it? If not, then you might not want to put it on your skin
• Make sure to have regular facials, especially when seasons change
• Eat the right things - Here are some autumn fruits and vegetables that you can eat for optimum skin health: Apple, Beetroot, Carrot, Lemon, Pumpkin seeds [packed with zinc which is vital to the creation of new skin cells and helps to control oil production], Sweet potato, and Tomato
• Check with your doctor or nutritionist and ask if adding a supplement is right for you. Biotin [B7] is a co-enzyme that plays a key role in maintaining healthy hair, nails and skin. It keeps us looking young and is often added to beauty products… but that’s a bit of a gimmick because Biotin is not effectively absorbed through the skin. It’s better to consume foods in which Biotin can be found such as eggs, avocados, cauliflower, berries, fish, legumes, mushrooms and …organ meats [Go on, be brave].

LET'S FACE IT. Summer is over and we’ve changed swimsuits for sweaters. September is a month where we add layers of long sleeves and evening wraps but it's also a month to take off some layers - the layers of summer. Sun, sweat, make up, sunscreen and chlorine all build up a thick layer of summer fun on your skin. No matter how fun summer was, it’s time to come clean. Clear it all away, scrub off those layers. As part of healthy skin care, make time for yourself and book an appointment for a facial. I check in with Patti Davidson at Faces for a deep-cleansing and exfoliating Decleor facial.

HAPPY FACES – The Lyme Juice Company is adding a new juice this week to aid good skin health and create a glowing autumn for your largest organ - your skin. HAPPY FACES will be made from organic beets, carrots, lemons, apple, and spinach. Come on over and show us your HAPPY FACES at The Lyme Farmer’s Market - Saturdays from 9-12:30 until October.

LET'S POP UP TO THE PARTY - Lyme Juice Bar at Your Special Event

LET’S POP UP – The Lyme Juice Bar can POP UP at your home for your fabulous house party. or POP UP at your corporate event. Lyme Juice can POP UP and juice for you and your guests at your wedding or POP UP on the morning after your big day. Or just POP UP to the party and get juicy making locally grown artisanal cocktails. Your guests will LOVE the delicious, FRESH and healthy flavors we make. Email Carolann@goodgirlgogogo.com and let’s figure out the juicy details together!

The Lyme Juice Company makes hand pressed juice with organic produce from Upper Pond Farm and other local farmers every Saturday at Lyme Farmers Market 9-12:30 from June to October. 

Lyme Juice believes that you’ve got to use it or lose it, so we make sure to use everything up…

We source fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers and our delicious organic pulp goes back to a local farmer to feed farm animals or to use as compost. Some of the pulp also goes straight to the Lyme Juice Kitchen where we are always busy developing and testing new delicious gluten-free recipes for chips and muffins and crackers. Come visit us at The Lyme Farmers’ Market and see what we’ve made. It changes each week to match seasonal crops.

To keep things fresh and ALIVE, the produce that we don’t use at the market on Saturday gets made into apple sauce [our Green Apple and Ginger is DELISH] and pies [apple and pear, oh yeah!]. We also make Chicken ‘n Vegetable and Vegetarian Starter Kits - we do all the shopping and chopping for you - All you need to do is add it with your own spices to your soup, curry or slow-cook pot. 

Just wait until you taste Vicky’s Witchy Broth - there’s magic in them bones! Her healthy collagen-dense bone broth is made from local, grass-fed cows and sells out quickly - make sure you place an order at the beginning of the week.  Call us. We love you! Xx Carolann and Vicky.

UP BEET: A HAPPY JUICE

The Lyme Juice Company is adding UP BEET to its menu this week. Upper Pond Farm in Lyme, CT will be picking some beets for us on Friday to bring fresh to market on Saturday morning.

UP BEET will be made from organic beets, carrots, orange, apple, lemon and ginger. We can’t wait to see your happy UP BEET faces when you taste it!

Beets are loaded with good things and are associated with numerous health benefits, including improved blood flow, lower blood pressure and increased exercise performance. The pigments that give beets their rich color are called betalains. Betalains function both as antioxidant and as anti-inflammatory.

Beets are very low in saturated fat and cholesterol, a good source of vitamin C, iron, and magnesium as well as an excellent source of dietary fiber, folate, potassium, and manganese.

Manganese? Yes, please! Manganese is an essential trace element that supports healthy bone development. It is anti-inflammatory and a co-enzyme in metabolic activity. Dr Axe writes about Manganese noting that it:   

• helps to prevent osteoporosis and arthritis
• is important to antioxidant and enzyme function
• helps to maintain cognitive function
• fights diabetes
• supports lung health
• balances calcium levels
• balances iron levels
• reduces PMS symptoms

Only note of caution is that beets are high in sugar. They are usually well tolerated but contain oxalates and FODMAPs in the form of fructans, short chain carbohydrates that feed the gut bacteria. FODMAPs can cause unpleasant digestive upset in sensitive individuals, such as those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. If you are on a strict diet you might want to check with your doctor or nutritionist to make sure that the anti-inflammatory benefits outweigh its high sugar/fructans content.