organic Archives - thedancingcucumber.com thedancingcucumber.com Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:43:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 Organic Wine is Making Its Mark in 2020 https://thedancingcucumber.com/organic-wine-is-making-its-mark-in-2020/ Sat, 05 Sep 2020 14:21:00 +0000 https://thedancingcucumber.com/?p=4633 Do you remember the organic food boom of the early 21st century? Shortly after the beginning of the new millennium, consumers began to demand more and more food grown and made without the help of pesticides and other non-natural processes. While organic food has now become fairly commonplace in our lives, there’s a new sort […]

The post Organic Wine is Making Its Mark in 2020 appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

]]> Do you remember the organic food boom of the early 21st century? Shortly after the beginning of the new millennium, consumers began to demand more and more food grown and made without the help of pesticides and other non-natural processes. While organic food has now become fairly commonplace in our lives, there’s a new sort of organic product that is finding its way to more and more kitchens and tables, especially in 2020—organic wine.

View this post on Instagram

CHÂTEAU CROIX DE LABRIE 2019, Primeur, Saint Émilion Grand Cru 🍷🔥 (English in comment 👇below). • • La campagne des primeurs a été perturbée cette année par la crise que nous traversons mais elle a quand même pu trouver sa place ! J’ai eu l’occasion de vous faire suivre quelques dégustations primeurs que j’ai faites mais j’aimerais revenir sur un vin qui m’a vraiment marqué ⚡! • • Suite au live que nous avons fait ensemble je suis allé faire un tour à Saint Christophe des Bardes, chez Axelle et Pierre Courdurié 👌. @croixdelabrie , c’est un Saint Émilion Grand Cru « vin de garage ». Que des micro parcelles, travaillées au cheval 🐴 et en Biodynamie. • • Cette cuvée est issue de deux parcelles : l’une située sur Badon et l’autre sur Saint Christophe des Bardes. • • 🍷Dégustation : Nez👃notes d’écorces d’oranges, mûres, myrtilles et framboises écrasées, bois noble, épices douces relevées par la réglisse et un côté encre. La bouche 👅quant à elle est extrêmement élégante. Bel équilibre entre le volume, l’élégance et la finesse. Le grain de tannin est extrêmement fin. Arômes de fruits rouges et noirs. Quelle longueur ! La finale se montre sapide et saline 😍 • • Grosse énergie et grosse claque. Voilà un vin 🍷racé ! J’ai hâte de le revoir après qu’il ait fini son élevage ! • • 📝: 96+/100 ❤ • • . . . . . . #saintemilion #saintemiliongrandcru #grandcru #primeur #bordeauxwine #degustation #biodynamie #organicwine #croixdelabrie #winesofinstagram #wineoftheday #glassofwine #redwinelover #wineadvocate #winequotes #uncorked #wineblog #sommelier #wineconsultant #wineinfluencer #winegram #instawine

A post shared by Wine Poetry (@winepoetry_) on

Generally, organic wine is made following the same principles as organic food—pesticides, herbicides, and other unnatural chemicals are not made in the process of grape-growing which gives birth to wine.

There are some slight differences between how organic wines are defined in the U.S. and in Canada/Europe. According to American definitions, organic wine is “a wine made from organically grown grapes without added sulfites.” This means that the wine has absolutely no non-natural products, but also that it has a lower shelf life.

In Canada and Europe, however, sulfites may be added after a natural growing process. This makes it easier on winemakers, who have more control over the shelf life and taste of their wines following this process.

While the taste of organic wine is generally no different from that of “normal” wine, its natural constitution is definitely a draw for those who like their food as unadulterated as possible. Look for organic wine to become even more popular in the coming years.

The post Organic Wine is Making Its Mark in 2020 appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

]]> The Best Guide to Choosing the Right Eggs https://thedancingcucumber.com/the-best-guide-to-choosing-the-right-eggs/ Fri, 01 Nov 2019 10:29:24 +0000 https://thedancingcucumber.com/?p=2862 There are so many different types of eggs to choose from and with all the different languages used on the cartons, it’s hard to tell which one is best for you. Luckily, this guide is here to help you choose what type of egg to buy. Cage-Free While it’s true that the chickens have not […]

The post The Best Guide to Choosing the Right Eggs appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

]]> There are so many different types of eggs to choose from and with all the different languages used on the cartons, it’s hard to tell which one is best for you. Luckily, this guide is here to help you choose what type of egg to buy.

View this post on Instagram

simple savory trio to start the new week! 🤸🏻‍♂️💕 crispy sweet potato rounds, avocado slices and yolky fried eggs – a combo that will always have my heart! ❤ I’ve been asked a few questions about “meal prepping” and how I do it, and these are my top three tips: •wash and chop things ahead of time! your hangry and lazy future self will thank you for taking the time to do this! •make big batches of things that you know you love to eat to have on hand to assemble meals – for instance, when I make sweet potatoes, I’ll wash, chop + roast at least 2-3 to have for a few meals! same goes for vegetables, cooking pasta, etc! same amount of work and you get way more out of it! •make + store things in the freezer to have to pull out and heat up for quick meals! my freezer is packed with soups and meatballs (oh and of course ice cream and baked goodies 😎) Q: what is your number 1 “meal prepping” tip? I hope you all have a marvellous Monday! 😘 . #whatsonmyplate: sweet potatoes washed and sliced + baked at 425F for about 28 min, flipping halfway, half an avocado sprinkled with @traderjoes EBTB seasoning, and two eggs cooked in @chosenfoods avocado oil + sprinkled with red pepper flakes!

A post shared by Leanne Lives Healthy (@leanneliveshealthy) on

Cage-Free

While it’s true that the chickens have not been kept in cages, they are still likely to be in cramped, dark barns, where their wings and their beaks have probably been clipped. So even though they aren’t in cages, it’s still not very humane. Also, the more stress the chickens are under, the less nutritious your eggs will be because of their stress, so it’s something to consider. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B36DGJXl7Tv/

Free Range

Again, this doesn’t mean that the chickens are outside all the time; rather, they are allowed to be outside for a certain period of time.

Organic

All this refers to is the kind of food the chickens have been given. Organic eggs come from chickens that have only been fed organic food, which means there are no unnatural antibiotics in them. 

Pasture Raised

Though these are harder to find and usually very expensive, pasture-raised chickens are allowed to graze on pastures their whole life.

View this post on Instagram

When it comes to eggs, quality counts. Eggs from chickens raised on pasture (meaning outdoors, in grass, pecking at insects, and enjoying the sunlight) are not only less likely to harbor salmonella (7x less!), they’re also more nutrient-dense.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The egg on the left is from my friend's pasture-raised chickens; on the right is from conventionally-raised hens.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A few ways eggs from pastured chickens are superior:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ – Vitamin A content is 30% higher, which is clearly visible from the rich orange color of the yolks. The more fresh greens/grasses & bugs a chicken eats, the higher the vitamin A levels. Vitamin A is crucial for eye and lung development, among many other functions.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ – Vitamin E content is 2x higher⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ – Omega-3 content is 2.5x higher, while omega-6 fats are found in lower levels, which is favorable, since these fats tend to cause inflammation (Eggs from pastured chickens have less than half the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ – Vitamin D content is 3-6 times higher due to regular sun exposure (They make vitamin D in their skin, combs, and in their feathers; the latter is ultimately consumed when they preen—interesting, right?!).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The nutrients discussed above are found primarily in the egg yolk, so do eat the WHOLE egg, otherwise you miss out on the benefits. There’s a reason eggs comes with yolks, after all.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Regardless of how the chickens are raised, eggs are still incredibly nutrient-dense, so even if you can’t access pasture-raised eggs, don’t miss out on the benefits of eating eggs in pregnancy, both for you and your unborn child.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For what it's worth, I couldn't regularly access pasture raised eggs in my first pregnancy. Ideal? No. But I still ate eggs regularly for the myriad of nutrients & health benefits. We're all doing the best that we can.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For more on eggs, see Ch 3 of Real Food for Pregnancy. Also see my lengthy blog post on choline & pregnancy: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/choline-pregnancy-folates-cousin/

A post shared by Lily Nichols RDN 🤰🏻 (@lilynicholsrdn) on

The post The Best Guide to Choosing the Right Eggs appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

]]> ersion="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> organic Archives - thedancingcucumber.com thedancingcucumber.com Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:43:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 Organic Wine is Making Its Mark in 2020 https://thedancingcucumber.com/organic-wine-is-making-its-mark-in-2020/ Sat, 05 Sep 2020 14:21:00 +0000 https://thedancingcucumber.com/?p=4633 Do you remember the organic food boom of the early 21st century? Shortly after the beginning of the new millennium, consumers began to demand more and more food grown and made without the help of pesticides and other non-natural processes. While organic food has now become fairly commonplace in our lives, there’s a new sort […]

The post Organic Wine is Making Its Mark in 2020 appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

]]> Do you remember the organic food boom of the early 21st century? Shortly after the beginning of the new millennium, consumers began to demand more and more food grown and made without the help of pesticides and other non-natural processes. While organic food has now become fairly commonplace in our lives, there’s a new sort of organic product that is finding its way to more and more kitchens and tables, especially in 2020—organic wine.

View this post on Instagram

CHÂTEAU CROIX DE LABRIE 2019, Primeur, Saint Émilion Grand Cru 🍷🔥 (English in comment 👇below). • • La campagne des primeurs a été perturbée cette année par la crise que nous traversons mais elle a quand même pu trouver sa place ! J’ai eu l’occasion de vous faire suivre quelques dégustations primeurs que j’ai faites mais j’aimerais revenir sur un vin qui m’a vraiment marqué ⚡! • • Suite au live que nous avons fait ensemble je suis allé faire un tour à Saint Christophe des Bardes, chez Axelle et Pierre Courdurié 👌. @croixdelabrie , c’est un Saint Émilion Grand Cru « vin de garage ». Que des micro parcelles, travaillées au cheval 🐴 et en Biodynamie. • • Cette cuvée est issue de deux parcelles : l’une située sur Badon et l’autre sur Saint Christophe des Bardes. • • 🍷Dégustation : Nez👃notes d’écorces d’oranges, mûres, myrtilles et framboises écrasées, bois noble, épices douces relevées par la réglisse et un côté encre. La bouche 👅quant à elle est extrêmement élégante. Bel équilibre entre le volume, l’élégance et la finesse. Le grain de tannin est extrêmement fin. Arômes de fruits rouges et noirs. Quelle longueur ! La finale se montre sapide et saline 😍 • • Grosse énergie et grosse claque. Voilà un vin 🍷racé ! J’ai hâte de le revoir après qu’il ait fini son élevage ! • • 📝: 96+/100 ❤ • • . . . . . . #saintemilion #saintemiliongrandcru #grandcru #primeur #bordeauxwine #degustation #biodynamie #organicwine #croixdelabrie #winesofinstagram #wineoftheday #glassofwine #redwinelover #wineadvocate #winequotes #uncorked #wineblog #sommelier #wineconsultant #wineinfluencer #winegram #instawine

A post shared by Wine Poetry (@winepoetry_) on

Generally, organic wine is made following the same principles as organic food—pesticides, herbicides, and other unnatural chemicals are not made in the process of grape-growing which gives birth to wine.

There are some slight differences between how organic wines are defined in the U.S. and in Canada/Europe. According to American definitions, organic wine is “a wine made from organically grown grapes without added sulfites.” This means that the wine has absolutely no non-natural products, but also that it has a lower shelf life.

In Canada and Europe, however, sulfites may be added after a natural growing process. This makes it easier on winemakers, who have more control over the shelf life and taste of their wines following this process.

While the taste of organic wine is generally no different from that of “normal” wine, its natural constitution is definitely a draw for those who like their food as unadulterated as possible. Look for organic wine to become even more popular in the coming years.

The post Organic Wine is Making Its Mark in 2020 appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

]]> The Best Guide to Choosing the Right Eggs https://thedancingcucumber.com/the-best-guide-to-choosing-the-right-eggs/ Fri, 01 Nov 2019 10:29:24 +0000 https://thedancingcucumber.com/?p=2862 There are so many different types of eggs to choose from and with all the different languages used on the cartons, it’s hard to tell which one is best for you. Luckily, this guide is here to help you choose what type of egg to buy. Cage-Free While it’s true that the chickens have not […]

The post The Best Guide to Choosing the Right Eggs appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

]]> There are so many different types of eggs to choose from and with all the different languages used on the cartons, it’s hard to tell which one is best for you. Luckily, this guide is here to help you choose what type of egg to buy.

View this post on Instagram

simple savory trio to start the new week! 🤸🏻‍♂️💕 crispy sweet potato rounds, avocado slices and yolky fried eggs – a combo that will always have my heart! ❤ I’ve been asked a few questions about “meal prepping” and how I do it, and these are my top three tips: •wash and chop things ahead of time! your hangry and lazy future self will thank you for taking the time to do this! •make big batches of things that you know you love to eat to have on hand to assemble meals – for instance, when I make sweet potatoes, I’ll wash, chop + roast at least 2-3 to have for a few meals! same goes for vegetables, cooking pasta, etc! same amount of work and you get way more out of it! •make + store things in the freezer to have to pull out and heat up for quick meals! my freezer is packed with soups and meatballs (oh and of course ice cream and baked goodies 😎) Q: what is your number 1 “meal prepping” tip? I hope you all have a marvellous Monday! 😘 . #whatsonmyplate: sweet potatoes washed and sliced + baked at 425F for about 28 min, flipping halfway, half an avocado sprinkled with @traderjoes EBTB seasoning, and two eggs cooked in @chosenfoods avocado oil + sprinkled with red pepper flakes!

A post shared by Leanne Lives Healthy (@leanneliveshealthy) on

Cage-Free

While it’s true that the chickens have not been kept in cages, they are still likely to be in cramped, dark barns, where their wings and their beaks have probably been clipped. So even though they aren’t in cages, it’s still not very humane. Also, the more stress the chickens are under, the less nutritious your eggs will be because of their stress, so it’s something to consider. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B36DGJXl7Tv/

Free Range

Again, this doesn’t mean that the chickens are outside all the time; rather, they are allowed to be outside for a certain period of time.

Organic

All this refers to is the kind of food the chickens have been given. Organic eggs come from chickens that have only been fed organic food, which means there are no unnatural antibiotics in them. 

Pasture Raised

Though these are harder to find and usually very expensive, pasture-raised chickens are allowed to graze on pastures their whole life.

View this post on Instagram

When it comes to eggs, quality counts. Eggs from chickens raised on pasture (meaning outdoors, in grass, pecking at insects, and enjoying the sunlight) are not only less likely to harbor salmonella (7x less!), they’re also more nutrient-dense.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The egg on the left is from my friend's pasture-raised chickens; on the right is from conventionally-raised hens.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ A few ways eggs from pastured chickens are superior:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ – Vitamin A content is 30% higher, which is clearly visible from the rich orange color of the yolks. The more fresh greens/grasses & bugs a chicken eats, the higher the vitamin A levels. Vitamin A is crucial for eye and lung development, among many other functions.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ – Vitamin E content is 2x higher⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ – Omega-3 content is 2.5x higher, while omega-6 fats are found in lower levels, which is favorable, since these fats tend to cause inflammation (Eggs from pastured chickens have less than half the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ – Vitamin D content is 3-6 times higher due to regular sun exposure (They make vitamin D in their skin, combs, and in their feathers; the latter is ultimately consumed when they preen—interesting, right?!).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The nutrients discussed above are found primarily in the egg yolk, so do eat the WHOLE egg, otherwise you miss out on the benefits. There’s a reason eggs comes with yolks, after all.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Regardless of how the chickens are raised, eggs are still incredibly nutrient-dense, so even if you can’t access pasture-raised eggs, don’t miss out on the benefits of eating eggs in pregnancy, both for you and your unborn child.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For what it's worth, I couldn't regularly access pasture raised eggs in my first pregnancy. Ideal? No. But I still ate eggs regularly for the myriad of nutrients & health benefits. We're all doing the best that we can.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For more on eggs, see Ch 3 of Real Food for Pregnancy. Also see my lengthy blog post on choline & pregnancy: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/choline-pregnancy-folates-cousin/

A post shared by Lily Nichols RDN 🤰🏻 (@lilynicholsrdn) on

The post The Best Guide to Choosing the Right Eggs appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

]]>