02 May Celina Thymes Spring 2015
Market News
The harsh winter wind has finally receded to reveal the first shoots of spring. Popping up along with the tulips and poppies this year is a brand new sign on the courthouse lawn in Celina announcing the Celina Farmers’ Market. The season opens on the first Saturday in May featuring homemade foods & baked goods, gourmet cupcakes, plants, flowers, soaps, artisan crafts, and the first offerings of local produce. The variety of veggies and vendors will continue to change and grow throughout the season so check out the market every Saturday, May through September, from nine to noon in front of the Celina Courthouse.
Interview Thyme
For years, Curt Shellabarger dealt with eczema and expensive ointments from the dermatologist to help soothe this skin condition. He began to notice that conventional store-bought soaps seemed to irritate his skin even more. After realizing he was sensitive to the sulfates contained in most soaps, he and his wife, Deb, began searching for an alternative. Curt discovered that soap made from goat’s milk seemed to soothe his skin and clear his eczema, but it was hard to find. That’s when the Shellabargers decided to make their own soap and Shellabar Soaps was born. Deb explains that “Goat’s milk soap contains vitamins A, B, C, D & K for healthy skin; aids in the regeneration of collagen under the skin; is anti-aging, is extremely mild and it is a natural moisturizer.” Over the years, the recipes for Shellabar Soaps have evolved, and they now o er goat milk, honey, and aloe vera soap bases. The soap also contains single and blends of certified organic essential oils, which not only add aroma, but also help to soothe damaged skin. Shellabar soap also contains coconut oil, safflower oil, and glycerin, which help soothe dry and irritated skin, as well as farmed palm oil, which is a hardening agent.
All together there are over 20 combinations of soap bases and essential oils that the Shellabargers sell. They also sell unscented soap, custom essential oil soap, decorated wine bottles, and “Put a Cork in It” wooden boxes to save wine corks. For more information about their soothing soaps, check out Shellabar Soaps at the Celina Farmers’ Market every Saturday, except when rain is predicted.
Why Shop Local?
Health conditions are so common throughout the US today that many consider high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease to be the normal process of aging. In fact, research conducted by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, and The Organic Center have found these conditions and many others are caused by poor nutrition. The answer to America’s health crisis may be local farmers’ markets in the form of nutrient dense food.
Overall, the diets of Americans are becoming increasingly nutrient poor, leading to a population which is under- nourished while at the same time being overfed. With a grocery stores lled with potato chips, cookies, and processed foods, it becomes increasingly di cult to nd foods which contain a su cient amount of nutrients without consuming a high number of calories, added fats, and sugar. It seems the best choice would be to avoid the aisles of processed food and instead load up on fruits and vegetables from the produce section, but according to the study conducted by The Organic Center, “The concentration of a range of essential nutrients in the food supply has declined in the last few decades, with double-digit percentage declines of iron, zinc, calcium, selenium and other essential nutrients across a wide range of common foods. As a consequence, the same-size serving of sweet corn or potatoes, or a slice of whole wheat bread, delivers less iron, zinc and calcium. Fewer nutrients per serving translate into less nutrition per calorie consumed.” This decline is due to a number of factors including the push to breed plants which grow bigger, faster, and yield more. This leads to plants which are unable to fully absorb nutrients from the soil before they are harvested. To make matters worse, it has long been known that produce loses nutrition the longer it is stored. This means that a variety of tomato grown locally and picked a few hours before it is sold has more nutrition than that same variety which traveled a few days from California. The California tomato also had to be picked before it was fully ripe in order to survive the journey so it was unable to absorb as many nutrients as a vine ripe tomato.
So this summer try the nutrient density diet. The Aggregate Nutrient Density Index is a system that rates foods on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micro nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. The ANDI found that kale, spinach, carrots, broccoli, swiss chard, common herbs, peppers, and all types of berries have a very high nutrient content. So shop for these and more at the market!