For the next couple weeks we will have some amazing cherries in the produce department. Hood River cherries will be in all Harmons stores, but just for a limited time.

Hood River, a family operated orchard in Oregon, provides cherries that are tree-ripened before being picked and sent to us. These sweet cherries are allowed to grow on the trees until the sugar level reaches a 21 brix, the standard in the cherry business starts at 15. (The brix count is, simply put, the sugar content of a given fruit.) Each cherry is picked by hand and packaged at the orchard to ensure the best possible quality. For more information on Hood River cherries, the family business and their cherry varieties, visit their web site or find their brochures in the stores.

Chris, Meat Manager

My name is Chris Harney and I am the Meat manager of the Harmons D.C. center in sunny St. George Utah. I am excited for this opportunity to share some of the things I have learned in my years with Harmons. It’s Wild Salmon season right now, and here at Harmons we have some beautiful salmon for you to enjoy. We have nice displays of King, Sockeye and Coho fillets. The different species of salmon all have a little different flavor and nutritional benefits. It’s not too late to stop by and get this delicious and healthy summer treat. If you have any questions on cooking, or even side dishes, you can always ask one of our knowledgeable service counter associates for suggestions.

Harmons is now participating in the LiVe Park Farther Project with Intermountain Healthcare. The LiVe program paints select parking stalls that are a bit further away from the entrance to encourage people to park further out and get the benefit of walking further for a healthier lifestyle. Individuals from the LiVe program go out randomly and award people parked in “Live” stalls with gift cards as an added incentive to participate. Visit the LiVe Program web site for more information and other Park Farther locations.

Jonnell, Registered Dietitian

Last Saturday I was offering samples of peanut butter banana “ice cream” (made with only bananas and Harmons’ freshly ground peanut butter) and touting the benefits of a summer treat without added sugar.  Afterward, I wondered if everybody understood why limiting added sugar is important and if they knew how to identify added sugar.

First, let me say that I am not talking about eliminating foods with added sugar. However, that being said, there are several reasons why limiting added sugar is important. Foods with added sugars may be replacing foods that are more nutritious, so you may be missing key nutrients in your diet if your intake of added sugars is high. Weight gain may occur if the calories from these added sugars are not taken into account.  Higher intakes of added sugar have been linked to increased triglyceride (a type of fat) levels and lower HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) levels, both of which increase the risk for heart disease. Additionally, there is some new research that suggests that lowering intake of added sugar may help lower blood pressure. So there are many potential health benefits to reducing your intake of added sugars.

So, how do you identify added sugars versus natural sugars? The current food label does not distinguish total sugars from added sugars, so the best way to identify added sugars is to read the ingredient list. There are many names for added sugar in addition to those you may be familiar with like sugar, honey, and molasses. Many of those will either end in –ose or will have the word “syrup” in their name. If you want to know how much added sugar is in a product, you could try comparing an unsweetened version of the product to the sweetened version (such as comparing plain yogurt to sweetened yogurt). So make it a goal to reduce your intake of added sugars today as a step toward improving your health!

Chef Bob, Executive Chef

My summer garden is bursting with fresh tomatoes, strawberries, Swiss chard, lettuce, and on and on. Most of all is the over abundance of zucchini. Everyone who plants a garden seems to have a mental block as to how much their previous year’s garden produced, more zucchini than they could possibly use — a lot more! Zucchini is something that can be used for almost whatever your imagination will allow. Its versatility is credited to its neutral flavor. I recently went to my mother-in-laws house for dinner and we had a great vegetarian meal supplied from the bounty of their garden. For dessert she made one of the best cobblers that I ever had. When I asked her for the recipe for this incredible apple cobbler, she told me that it wasn’t apple, it was zucchini. I almost fell over. We started talking about some of the recipes that she had come up with over the years to utilize the seasonally perpetual excess of zucchini that she always had. Everything from relish and pickles to jam and pie were discussed. As the peak of harvest season is upon us, you may want to take advantage of the many ways there are to “preserve the harvest”. We have 2 different classes at our Bangerter Crossing and Station Park Cooking Schools that will help you with coming up with different and exciting ways to do just that. Sign up at Harmonsgrocery.com and check out our upcoming classes while you’re there. Eat Well!

On Friday Shauna told you about the Harmons cheese mongers making fresh mozzarella for the next four weeks. Today Darryl and Jeremiah at Bangerter Crossing show and tell how they make the fresh cheese.

Shauna, Cheese Monger

It’s tomato season and you know what that means – Fresh Mozzarella. For the next four weekends our cheese mongers will be pulling our own mozzarella. For those who are not familiar with fresh mozzarella, it is quite different from the semi-soft mozzarella that you put on your pizza. Fresh mozzarella is a full moisture cheese and sold fresh instead of aged. Mozzarella itself is what’s called a pasts filata cheese, or pulled curd cheese. Fresh mozzarella is heated, knitted and then pulled or stretched. After the right texture is achieved it is formed into balls. The milky, delicate taste is perfect with tomato and fresh basil for a Caprese salad. You could also try it with red pepper flakes and olive oil. I love to take the sweet hot peppers from our olive bar and stuff them with the mozzarella. Magnifico!!

Come and see us this weekend. We will be out with our tables stretching mozzarella for you at your local Harmons store.

Jason, Artisan Baker

Did you know that Harmons granola is made fresh in the bakery? It contains honey, almonds, brown sugar, dried cranberries, flax seed, pumpkin seed, raisins, rolled oats, sunflower seeds, coconut, soybean oil, sesame seed, vanilla extract, baking soda and sea salt! This is a delicious healthy treat and it is loaded with healthy stuff! Some studies suggest that flax seed may lower cholesterol levels, especially in women. Pumpkin Seeds are a good source of protein, zinc, manganese and magnesium. We all know that Harmons Granola makes good trail food, but did you know that Harmons Granola is also great on yogurt? Have you ever sprinkled it on ice cream? It can also be used to bring a “boring” cereal to life. So take it home today for the health benefits, continue to come back for it because it tastes great!

Phil, Pharmacy Manager

I saw that on a billboard with a picture of an open prescription bottle while driving to work the other day. These leftovers can do more than make you gain weight like others can; it can kill someone. It is important to only use medications as directed and to not share them with anyone. Pharmacists at Harmons can let you know how to properly use, store, and dispose of your medications. Useonlyasdirected.org has great information about how severe of a problem this is in Utah.

Amanda, Healthy Living Manager

I’ll be honest; I haven’t exactly hopped on the coconut water/juice craze that is happening everywhere, because I haven’t found one that I really enjoy . . . that is, until now.

Harmons Healthy Living departments just brought in Coco Exposed. Pure Coconut Water + Real Aloe Vera. I have really enjoyed the aloe drinks that I’ve tried previously, so I figured, why not try it? I bought one, tried it, and now my fridge at home is filled with them! The first one I tried was the Peach+Kiwi. Only having 60 calories per container, I really had nothing to lose! CoCo Exposed line of uniquely refreshing drinks is made with pure water from young coconuts, real Aloe Vera juice and pulp, and all natural fruit juices. Coconut water, a great source of potassium to support your active lifestyle, combines with all the goodness of real Aloe juice and bits of Aloe pulp straight from the Aloe Vera plant (never from powder!) for something totally different, super revitalizing and immensely hydrating!’ Continue Reading »