Good afternoon everyone. We have a new product in our Produce department that you might have noticed already: fresh wheatgrass shots. Previously these were available in the Deli, but now Produce will be making the fresh wheatgrass shots! We will have several shots stocked in the cooler with the other freshly made juices and they will also be available on demand any time you are in the store! All you have to do is ask one of the produce employees and we would be happy to make you a fresh shot.

Wheatgrass has some amazing benefits! It’s a jolt of green goodness and is one of the richest natural resources of vitamins A,C,D,K and the complete B vitamin complex. One ounce of wheatgrass is equivalent to 2 & ½ pounds of green veggies! Wheatgrass juice also cleanses and purifies the blood.  You can purchase your own freshly cut wheatgrass to juice at home or you can have us make you one in the store. Our freshly made shots are available for $2.49/ea down from $2.99/ea.

Thanks everyone and have a good week!

I don’t know about you, but I understand why a dog is man’s best friend. My buddy Sprach (pronounced sprock) is almost 9 years old and he still greets me when I get home from work just like he did when he was a puppy. His tail wags in a circle when he’s really excited and sometimes it gets going so fast that it seems he’s just gonna take off! I can always count on him to comfort me when I’m sick or feeling down, and if I am going somewhere, you can bet that he wants to go too. He doesn’t care where we’re going or when we’re coming back, as long as he gets to ride along. His love and devotion are never lacking, and friends like that are hard to come by.

Sprach, whose name comes from the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme music “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, loves chasing squirrels and going for walks, but there is nothing he loves more than food! He isn’t picky either! Because he will eat almost anything, and I do mean almost anything, I know it’s up to me to make sure that he’s putting good stuff into his belly. I always look for food that has something like “chicken” or “chicken meal” at the top of the ingredients list. Avoid feeding your little friends waste products like beaks, feet and feathers by staying away from food that uses “by-products” of any kind. Since Sprach is getting on up there in dog years, I also give him a supplement on top of his food to help his joints stay healthy. Glucosamine is what I look for to help him fight off osteoarthritic type conditions and it’s available in a powder form or as tablets. We have a few different options on the pet food aisle if you also have a dog that is creeping towards the senior years. I want my little Sprach Rocker to keep that excitement for life for as long as possible, and a healthy diet is a huge part of that!

Don’t forget that, as important as quality food is for our pets, the most important thing we can give them is our loving attention. Like I said before, Sprach will eat pretty much anything, but the best dog food in the world won’t make him a happy dog. He needs to get out for a neighborhood walk every now and then and to go for a ride sometimes. These things, along with belly rubs, make life exciting for Sprach, and I have found that when I spend time hanging out with him, he makes my life better too! You can’t ask for more from a friend!

Along with the usual white wines of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, we carry several other white varieties for your summer pleasure.

From Post Winery, we have Moscato, Blue Parachute, Seyval, and Vignoles. The Moscato and Parachute are both sweet table wines with only 7% alcohol by volume (ABV), so they are meant to compliment your light brunch or meal. The Seyval has a light body and clean finish with 12% ABV. And the Vignoles is a medium body wine (12% ABV) perfect for pairing with your meals.

From Keels Creek Winery of Eureka Springs, we have Vivant, a Canadian hybrid grape grown in Lowell. It is a dry white, like a dry Reisling or a Chardonnay, that pairs well with quiche, sushi and fish, and cheeses such as Goat or Fontina.

From California, we have Orleans Hill’s Viognier and Van Ruiten’s Pinot Grigio. The Viognier is an Organic table wine with 13.5% ABV and has a crisp, dry and non-oaked flavor. Van Ruiten Winery suggests that their Pinot Grigio can stand in a meal like red wines without the oakiness of a Chardonnay.

Our personal care department has so many great facial care lines that it makes choosing a product difficult at times. That’s why I felt compelled to write this quick blog today and let everyone know about one of my favorite lines. Mychelle Dermaceuticals. Their full line is on Owner Bonus Buy this month, along with a $5.00 off coupon located at the wellness desk.

Mychelle is a company out of Coloradothat prides themselves on pure & nontoxic Ingredients. Their formulas boast cutting-edge plant and marine ingredients and are always free of harmful elements — phthalates, parabens, fragrances, and artificial colors. And of course MyChelle products are always cruelty-free and never tested on animals, 100% vegetarian, and most products are vegan. One more great thing Mychelle does is  support Medicine Horse Program’s HopeFoal Project™ which rescues baby horses from the Premarin© hormone production drug industry and raises these foals as therapy animals for troubled, at-risk girls. All of this information and more can be found on their website. They offer a smart phone app that provides weekly skin care tips and specials, and also connects you with their estheticians for a FaceTime video chat.

My absolute favorite Mychelle product is their Tropical Skin Smoother. It’s the best exfoliation product I have ever used. It smells great (coconut/tropical) while on my skin and leaves it feeling softer than ever. I seriously look forward to the 1 day a week I use this product. It’s currently on OBB for $25.99, and don’t forget about the $5.00 off coupon available at the wellness desk.

Another great and unique product Mychelle offers is their Ultimate Lash and Brow serum. I know this is a big concern for many women so I’m pretty excited about this product. The serum is said to improve the appearance of lash length by 25% in only 2 weeks. Wow! This item is currently on OBB for $47.99, plus the $5.00 off coupon we offer.

Mychelle also offers some great men’s products. One that stands out to me is the So Clean “4 in One,” it’s a facial cleanser, beard softener, shaving gel, hair shampoo, and body wash.

Tyler loves the Mychelle men's beard softener!

Talk about an efficient product! Tyler in bulk foods says it makes his beard manageable, gives it body, and leaves it smelling great. “I just love how soft it makes his beard,” says his girlfriend Mary. It is currently on OBB for $13.76, plus the $5.00 off coupon available.  This product pairs well with the Mychelle Splash aftershave and cologne that is available on sale for $15.99

Thanks so much for reading about one of my favorite products lines and I hope you too will become a Mychelle fan!

-Emily, Wellness

Last week I had the honor of speaking about nutrition to a new chapter of the Holistic Moms Network in Rogers, Arkansas. We spent a lot of time talking about ways to get children to eat healthier, especially how to get them to eat more veggies and fruits. Getting children to enjoy healthy foods while they are young is vital for helping them grow up to be healthly adults who continue to make better food choices. So, I wanted to share some tips with all of you too.

• Keep cut up veggies and fruits so they are ready to go
• Put veggies out first before meals
• Make a game of eating a rainbow of veggies
• Make a face with veggies on their plate
• Add pureed veggies to soups
• Add minced veggies to their favorite foods
• Mix grated carrots with grated cheese
• Add sweet or tender veggies to smoothies
• Healthy “dips” for veggies: hummus, yogurt, nut butters
• Sprinkle veggies with freshly grated parmesan or sesame seeds
• Add a small portion to every meal and snack
• Give them a choice between two healthy things
• Honor the process of food exploration; Let them play with their food
• Keep healthy choices on hand and offer it consistently

Additionally, here are some tips for healthy snacks.

• Have a healthy snack shelf in your refrigerator
• Let children choose from that shelf
• Examples of healthy snacks:
  • Sliced hard-boiled eggs
  • Nut butters and fruit
  • Hummus and veggies
  • Yogurts without coloring or added sugar, add fresh, frozen or dried fruit

If you want to view my full presentation, go to Nutrition for the Whole Family.

To learn more about the new local chapter of the Holistic Moms Network. (http://nwarkansas.holisticmoms.org/)

And don’t miss their next lecture on June 4^th at 6:30 pm on how to keep your children healthy by Dr. Tara Hickman, NMD, my partner in my private practice at Northwest Arkansas Natural Health.

As summer approaches, I look forward to having friends over for a nice glass of wine or beer, and having an appetizer to munch on. My favorite thing to make is a charcuterie and cheese platter. I usually have coppa and prosciutto as my meats; sometimes I will add salami. I like to go a little crazy on the cheese side and have around eight cheeses. This way you are most likely to have a cheese for every person’s palate. Some selections include herbed brie, Baby Belletoile, Cahill’s Irish porter, Humboldt Fog, Monalisa Gouda, Drunken Goat, gruyere, and Maytag Blue. I find with cheeses, it’s always good to have one soft ripened, one bleu, and one to two soft, semi-hard, and hard. I also like to serve a couple types of olives like herbed green and/or black oil cured. Also, gherkins, almonds and walnuts are great additions. While most people use crackers for cheese plates I like to use baguette. Come by the Deli at Ozark Natural Foods for the best selection of cheeses that are sure to please!

-Jessie, Cheese Buyer

Earth Science has been making natural body care products for over thirty years and remains a family run business. With a dedication to using only the finest, most effective, natural ingredients, they are motivated to make positive contributions to your life and to our planet.

Active Age Defense is Earth Science’s newest face care line that has been formulated with a  patented beta-ginseng complex. This is their pioneering blend of beta-carotene, panax ginseng extract and hyaluronic acid, a powerful anti-oxidant blend that protects skin from the appearance of premature aging.

We currently carry the Active Age Defense Whipped Cream Cleanser with sweet almond and macadamia oil that give it an exceptionally soft lather that feels like you’re washing your face with fresh whipped cream! It gently removes impurities and is carefully formulated for sensitive faces.

We also carry its sister product, Nutrient Toning Elixir. Pure micro-encapsulated beads of beta-carotene, seaweed, and vitamin E are suspended in wild ginseng, green tea, and gingko biloba to deliver fresh anti-oxidants with every use. This gentle, alcohol-free toner gives your face a refreshed feeling! Perfect for sensitive skin.

Don’t forget to pick up a $2.00 off coupon at our Wellness desk!

Yours Truly,

Carrie and Mary, Wellness Buyers

Hello! Something we’re doing at the Co-op that you may not be aware of yet is a monthly book giveaway. Each month I select a book that I think is relevant to current events or promotions within the store, and we have a drawing at the end of the month to determine who receives a free copy!

This month, since Michael Pollan (journalist, author and food activist) was in town speaking at the Walton Arts Center, I thought it would be appropriate to give away a book he authored, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” This book is an in-depth discussion of where your food comes from, and was in the New York Times’ top five best nonfiction books of the year in 2006, the year it was published.

Bonus – we managed to get it signed by the author while he was in town!

So, next time you’re here shopping, be sure to stop by the Owner Service desk and enter the drawing.  Also, stay tuned for our monthly book giveaways in the coming months!

-Alyssa, Housewares buyer

Hello and a good afternoon to all you gardeners out there. This is Barry from Ozark Natural Foods Farm and Garden department. This has been such an exciting year for gardening. With all the early starts people were able to accomplish, our store is seeing more local produce than ever before. This has in turn, made others want to learn more about growing their own food in an organic way. This week, I am going to talk about fertilizing with organic bat guano. We carry a 5lb bag from Nitron and its price is $18.79. Now, let’s check out some more info about bat guano as an organic fertilizer.

Here’s a cool article I found on http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting-basics/bat-guano-fertilizer.htm

How to Use Bat Guano as A Fertilizer

By Nikki Phipps
(Author of The Bulb-o-licious Garden)

Bat guano, or feces, has a long history of use as a soil enricher. It is obtained from only fruit and insect-feeding species. Bat dung makes an excellent fertilizer. It’s fast-acting, has little odor, and can be worked into the soil prior to planting or during active growth.

What Do They Use Bat Guano For?

There are several uses for bat dung. It can be used as a soil conditioner, enriching the soil and improving drainage and texture. Bat guano is a suitable fertilizer for plants and lawns, making them healthy and green. It can be used as a natural fungicide and controls nematodes in the soil as well. In addition, bat guano makes an acceptable compost activator, speeding up the decomposition process.

How to Use Bat Guano as a Fertilizer

As a fertilizer, bat dung can be used as top dressing, worked into the soil, or made into tea and used with regular watering practices. Bat guano can be used fresh or dried. Typically, this fertilizer is applied in smaller quantities than other types of manure.

Bat guano provides a high concentration of nutrients to plants and the surrounding soil. According to the npk of bat guano, its concentration ingredients are 10-3-1. This fertilizer analysis translates to 10 percent nitrogen (n), 3 percent phosphorous (p), and 1 percent potassium or potash (k). The higher nitrogen levels are responsible for fast, green growth. Phosphorous aids with root and flower development while potassium provides for the plant’s overall health.

How to Make Bat Guano Tea

The npk of bat guano makes it acceptable for use on various plants. An easy way to apply this fertilizer is in tea form, which provides for deep root feeding. Making bat guano tea is easy. The bat dung is simply steeped in water overnight and then it’s ready for use when watering plants.

While many recipes exist, a general bat guano tea contains about a cup of dung per gallon of water. Mix together and after sitting overnight, strain the tea and apply to plants.

The uses of bat dung are wide ranging. However, as a fertilizer, this type of manure is one of the best ways to go in the garden. Not only will your plants love it, but your soil will too.