Foodie Tuesday – Mixed Berry Crisp

July 5, 2011 at 1:49 pm (Farmer's Markets, Food & Recipes, Foodie Tuesdays, Nutrition)

As you may have heard, we here at Go Folic recently created our own Savory & Soulful recipe brochure.  Here’s another tasty dish from our new brochure, just in time for summer!  Our mixed berry crisp features strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, which are all high in folate – and currently in season at a grocery store or farmers’ market near you!

Here’s a Go Folic tip: if you can find “fortified” or “enriched” whole wheat flour, use that in place of white flour for added fiber.  It will taste just as good!

Mixed Berry Crisp

75 mcg Folate (19% RDA)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 7 cups unsweetened frozen and thawed strawberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/4 cup enriched all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation

  1. Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In  medium bowl, mix berries, sugar, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch.
  3. Spray a 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour fruit mixture into the baking dish.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine oats, enriched flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.  Mix in butter until crumbly.
  5. Sprinkle oat mixture over berry mixture.
  6. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings, 1 cup per serving.

Leave a Comment

Upcomg Events – Where to find Go Folic! in May

May 5, 2011 at 9:58 am (Contests, Farmer's Markets, Health Events, Nutrition)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May is here!  Which means a new schedule of events – starting with Mother’s Day and National Women’s Health Week, from May 8-14.  It is going to be busy but fun.  We are planning art activities, raffles for movie tickets and Safeway gift cards, and free vitamins.

On Mother’s Day weekend, write a message to your mom on our graffiti wall; we’ll take a photo of your drawing or quote that you can tag on Facebook and send as a Mother’s Day greeting.  (Or we’ll take a photo of you standing in front of your quote and you can email it to her yourself!)

The theme of this year’s Women’s Health Week is “It’s your time!” As women, we always put our family, friends and romantic partners before ourselves.  So when you come by our booth, put yourself first – pick up a bottle of FREE vitamins – it’s on us!

1 Comment

Notes from the Field – Go Folic! at the Fillmore Farmer’s Market

January 14, 2011 at 2:23 pm (Farmer's Markets, Notes From the Field)
Tags: , , , , ,

Last weekend I went out to the Fillmore Farmer’s Market to hand out multivitamins in celebration of Folic Acid Awareness Week.  It was a cold morning and there were fewer shoppers than usual.  People walked around the stalls, checking out the week’s fresh produce, talking with the farmers and their neighbors.  One shopper took off warm mittens to pick up an apple at the table next door.  Another lowered their scarf to ask a question about a big bundle of beets.  All the shoppers at the market seemed happy to leave behind weeks of unhealthy holiday eating and focus on fresher, healthier food.

My table was set up next to the Market Information table.  My neighbors were two friendly women who answered market questions and handed out free recipes.  One told me that the Fillmore Market is happy to accept EBT, and will be offering users promotional credits in spring.   The woman also told me about her work with the Cooking Matters program.  The program brings six weeks of cooking classes and materials to community groups and shares lessons on how to cook healthfully without spending a lot of money.  I was glad to hear that little things like these exist to help make fresh eating easier for those of us on tight budgets. 

Even though the cold meant less stops at the Go Folic! table, it was great to talk to women who wanted to learn about folic acid.  One mother brought her two twin daughters to the table to get free vitamins.  At 14, both girls had already outgrown their smiling mother, towering over her by several inches.  I thought it was great that they were starting good habits early, getting their daily dose of nutrients through a multivitamin, and through the delicious vegetables they had picked up at the market.

Every time I go to an event for Go Folic!  I learn something new about the neighborhoods around us and the ways people care for their health.  It’s the best part of this job, because every time is different and meaningful.  Next week we’ll go to a Family Resource Center in Potrero.  I can’t wait to share more stories with all of you!

Till next time,

Cristina

1 Comment

Folic Acid Awareness Week – Happy New Year from Go Folic!

January 3, 2011 at 2:57 pm (About Go Folic!, Farmer's Markets)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

   

Need a New Year’s Resolution that’s easy to keep?

Make sure to get at least 400mcg of folic acid every day!

It’s easy to do:

  • Take a multivitamin every day with the recommended dose of folic acid, or…
  • Increase the amount of folate your diet by eating enriched cereals and grains, or lots of leafy greens.

Jan 2-8 is National Folic Acid Awareness Week.  Folic Acid is an important B vitamin that is used everytime your body makes new cells.  Enough folic acid may help give you healthier hair, nails, and skin, support heart health, and aid against depression.  It’s especially important for growing teens and women who might become pregnant.  Go Folic! is celebrating FA Awareness Week by spreading the word at San Francisco Farmers Markets.  This Saturday, we will be at the Alemany Farmers Market and the Fillmore Farmers Market from 9am-noon. 

Start 2011 off on the right folic-foot.  Come by to get a free supply of multivitamins with folic acid!

1 Comment

CONTEST ALERT – August Winner Announced

September 8, 2010 at 6:07 pm (Contests, Farmer's Markets, Uncategorized)
Tags: , , , ,

Congratulations to Jenny F. from San Francisco for winning our “Where are my August Multis?” contest!  She guessed correctly that the picture at right was taken at the Heart of the City Farmer’s Market on Hyde Street and Fulton Street.

Heart of the City Farmer’s is located in San Francisco’s United Nation Plaza.  It was started on June 14, 1981.  The farmer’s market now has on average 65 farmers.  The farmers come from various parts of the California with fresh and nutritious items.  There are stands for everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers, popcorn, nuts, fish, and live fowl.

The market is now open on Wednesdays and Sundays.  It gets more than 8,000 shoppers each day.  The statue is of Simon Bolivar on a horse statue. In 1984 it was a “Gift from Venezuela to the People of San Francisco.”

Stay tuned for our next “Where are My September Multis” on Monday, September 13, 2010.  For even more chances to win, visit our booth this Saturday at the Sunset Autumn Moon Festival or click here to visit our website contest page.

2 Comments

Folate at the Farmer’s Market – Thursdays @ the Crocker Galleria

June 11, 2010 at 1:56 pm (Farmer's Markets)
Tags: , , , , , ,

Welcome back to our neighborly exploration of San Francisco Farmer’s Markets!

This week we visit a market downtown that has turned an upscale shopping center into a hub of lunchtime activity and weekly fruit and veggie shopping.  The Crocker Galleria is a shopping center located in the Financial District, just a couple of blocks from the Montgomery Street BART station.  Every Thursday from 11am-3pm around 20 farmers and food vendors set up shop in the Galleria’s main inner courtyard.  All the fresh fruits and vegetables look beautiful under the light filtering down from the glass ceiling.

The food at this farmer’s market tends to be a little more expensive ($2 for a bunch of collard greens versus $1 at the Heart of the City).  However, the Crocker Galleria market has a larger selection of organic produce and yummy gourmet foods.  Some unique foods that caught my eye were slow-smoked pink salmon, salty cheese-stuffed olives, and poppy-seed bread rolls with beautiful brown crusts.  On the fruits side, there were big piles of yellow and burgundy cherries, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the plump, ruby red organic strawberries.

What is organic?

When we talk about food, many people have different ideas about what it means to be “organic”.  Some say that organic means that no chemicals or pesticides are used on the plants while they are growing.  Others say that the soil also has to be chemical-free, or that seeds cannot be genetically modified.  Still others say that “organic” should be a larger philosophy of growing food in a more sustainable way.   Whether we decide to buy organic food or not, it’s important to think carefully about the food we feed ourselves and our families.  After all, you are what you eat!

Last week at the Crocker Galleria Farmer’s Market I was more than happy to eat some of the delicious organic strawberries.  Our Go Folic! friend Angelique recently wrote up some helpful tips for picking out good strawberries:

  • Shoppers tip - Look for plump berries with a natural shine, a rich, red color, and bright green caps.  Available in late spring
  • Fun fact! - On average, each strawberry has about 200 seeds.
  • What’s in it for you? - One cup of strawberry halves is an excellent source of folic acid and vitamin C.  Add some to your cereal for a delicious snack!

Hope you can check out the Crocker Galleria market for yourself sometime soon, and be sure to ask the farmers how they grow THEIR strawberries…

See you at the next market!

Crocker Galleria Farmers Market
Thursdays, 11am-3pm
50 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94101
Neighborhood: Financial District
(800) 806-3276

Leave a Comment

Folate at the Farmer’s Market – Heart of the City

May 17, 2010 at 12:39 pm (Farmer's Markets)
Tags: , , , , ,

When I first moved to this beautiful city, I set two goals for myself:  1) Get to know all of San Francisco’s unique and diverse neighborhoods; 2) Eat more healthy foods grown closer to home.  I quickly realized that Farmer’s Markets were the key to both.

What are Farmer’s Markets?

  • Farmer’s Markets are open-air markets where you can buy food directly from local farmers.
  • They’re usually open for a few hours at the same time and place every week.
  • You can usually find a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables on sale.
  • At some markets you can find things like nuts, eggs, herbs, jams, bread, honey, and fresh flowers
  • Many markets also have food stands where you can buy a tasty lunch or snack.
  • Farmer’s Markets are a great starting point for learning about your food and where it comes from.  Unlike at the supermarket or the cornerstore, at farmer’s markets you can often meet the farmer themselves, or talk to a worker who knows about how the food is grown.
  • At Farmer’s Markets you can ask sellers questions like whether the produce is organic, how it is harvested, and how to choose for ripeness.
  • Markets are a great way to get to know San Francisco.  San Francisco has nearly 20 Farmer’s Markets from the Embarcadero to the Sunset.  Click here for a helpful list.
  • Finally, Farmer’s Markets are a wonderful place to Go Folic! by choosing folate-rich fruits and vegetables, like oranges, collard greens, and strawberries!

Every few weeks on this blog we’ll visit a different Farmer’s Market in a different part of the city.  We’ll also let you know which folate-rich foods are in season!

This week I visited the oldest market in San Francisco – The Heart of the City Farmer’s Market.  It happens every Wednesday and Sunday from 7:30am-5pm. This market has been bringing fresh produce to the city for over 28 years!  The HOC Market offers everything from fresh vegetables and fruits, to mushrooms and eggs, to honey and flowers.  There’s even a fresh fish-seller who will kindly wrap up the catch of the day for your dinner!  The market is located in the UN/Civic Center Plaza on Market Street between 7th and 8th. It’s easy to get to by BART and MUNI, and attracts a great mix of people who come for the good eats and the low prices.

Last Wednesday the HOC Farmer’s Market was packed with foods rich in folate – the form of folic acid found in foods.  I found broccoli, asparagus, avocados, and oranges at some great prices.  I also found delicious collard greens for only $1 a bunch.  One farmer recommended sautéing the greens with garlic, onions, and a little olive oil.  Can’t wait to try it!

Before leaving I grabbed some sweet oranges and sampled some wasabi flavored almonds.  I also talked with a farmer who has been coming to the HOC market since 1982!  As I made my way back to work I saw customers gathered around the stalls bargaining for the lowest prices.  Businessmen and women lined up to grab lunch at one of the food stands.  People looked over the produce to pick up veggies for dinner, and farmers traded stories from years past and present.  All the while, City Hall stood majestically in the background, making this market a place where history, culture, and cuisine combine to offer that unmistakable San Francisco flavor.

Till next time!

2 Comments

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 107 other followers