October Kitchen - May 2019

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This is our way of saying that you are important to us and we truly value your business. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends and neighbors. ENJOY!

THE NOURISH LETTER

Meet the Team Behind Your Meals MAY 2019

www.OctoberKitchen.com | 860-533-0588 | 309 Green Rd., Manchester, CT 06042

Here’s to My Amazing Daughter A GRADUATION AND A WEDDING

must have really killed it, because Bryen saw her from the crowd and was taken with her from that moment on. Unfortunately, the poor guy was so bashful that he didn’t work up the nerve to ask her out until May! When he finally did, she

May is going to be a full month of amazing, life-changing events for my family. Alison and I are getting ready to fly out to Indiana to see our daughter graduate from veterinary school. You may remember my story from a few issues back about how stressed Audriana was to take the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) — the veterinary equivalent of the bar exam. I’m happy to report that she passed with flying colors! Now Audriana is stressing out over which of two really great job offers she’s going to accept. Audriana will graduate from the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine on May 12. Then, on May 25, she and her fiancé, Bryen, will get married here in Connecticut. I did say we had a full month ahead of us. I’m still a little shocked that we’re planning a wedding so soon. Audriana was never the kind of girl who had many boyfriends in high school. She had better things to do and she was smart enough to know boys are pretty dumb at that time of their lives. But I always told her she didn’t need to worry about that kind of stuff yet; God had something planned for her and somewhere out there, she’d find the perfect person. I’ll admit that I didn’t expect her to find that perfect person during a rap battle at vet school! In November of Audriana’s sophomore year at Purdue, the school put on a talent night in the common area of the student union. Audriana got up and performed in a lip- sync rap battle of an Eminem song. She

happily said yes. They went out for coffee and had a nice time, so they kept seeing each other. But because Bryen waited so long to ask her out, summer vacation came just a few weeks later and they had to go their separate ways. Audriana came back to Connecticut that summer and they decided to have a long- distance relationship. Every night, I came home after work to find them talking on the phone for hours! This was probably good for their relationship, because it forced them to develop a deeper connection. Of course, Audriana still gives him a hard time about waiting six months before speaking to her. Bryen insists he talked to her before asking her out — once. “You were standing in line behind me at the bookstore and I said hi!” he claims.

“I honestly couldn’t be prouder of her.”

Bashfulness aside, Bryen is a great guy. He attended Purdue to be a vet, too. Bryen

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Why More People Should Donate Blood Sounds Like Fate

you used?” This sparked Lin’s curiosity. She went on a mission to discover the identity of the blood donor so she could thank them for saving her life.

Eleven years ago, Lin Xiaofen of Thailand was in a terrible car accident. She barely survived and was in critical condition when she arrived at the hospital. The severe

blood loss put her in a coma. Fortunately, Lin’s doctors were able to save her life with 10 pints of donated blood and 2 pints of isolated platelets. Once stabilized, Lin made a slow but full recovery. After her near-death experience, Lin had a new lease on life. Seven years after her accident, she returned to her hometown, Hsinchu City, to take over the family

Lin contacted the hospital she stayed in after her accident and several blood-donation centers, but she was told donor information is confidential. Eventually, someone at the hospital was persuaded to give in a little. They told her the donor’s surname was Lian. Shocked, Lin read her boyfriend’s identification number out loud.

“How did you know that?!” the receptionist gasped. It turns out that the person who helped save Lin’s life a decade before was now her boyfriend. Faced with that evidence of fate, Lin and Lian got married in March of 2018. The couple decided to go public with the story, hoping to encourage more people to become donors. As Lian cheekily said, “I urge everyone to donate blood because there’s a chance you could save your future wife.”

business. It wasn’t long after moving back that Lin met Lian Zhicheng, a charming rice-dumpling salesman. The two hit it off and soon started dating. Since there’s only so many times one can ask, “How was your day?” before a relationship gets stale, Lin and Lian found themselves talking one day about near-death experiences. When Lin opened up about her car accident, Lian, who’d regularly donated blood and platelets since he was 20 years old, jokingly asked, “Could it be my blood

Black Gold for Your Garden Soil National Learn About Composting Day!

Why Do We Compost? Besides giving gardens and lawns significant nutrients, composting also reduces landfills. According to the United States EPA, “Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up about 30 percent of what we throw away.” Organic material often takes longer to decompose in a landfill due to being wrapped in plastic. The more organic material that is composted, the quicker it can deteriorate. Learn About Composting Day The best way to recognize this holiday is to learn as much as you can about composting. When you dive in, you’ll discover you can compost materials you never knew you could, including latex balloons and cardboard egg cartons. Once you do your research, you can start your very own compost by dedicating a part of your backyard to disposing of organic matter or by purchasing a compost bin.

Most people have heard of composting one way or another. Your mom might have kept a bin in the backyard for overripe Halloween pumpkins, yard clippings and egg shells. You might even have a coworker who boasts about the giant compost pile they use to fertilize their garden and lawn. Whatever your level of composting knowledge may be, there is always more to learn about this popular and extremely beneficial method for handling organic food waste. Luckily, May 29 is National Learn About Composting Day! This day provides a great opportunity to introduce yourself to and begin the conversation about composting if you haven’t already. Below are a few answers to your basic composting questions to get you started. What Is Compost? Compost is decomposed organic matter, which is especially good for people who have gardens or aspire to live a sustainable lifestyle. People put coffee grounds; vegetable scraps; paper products, including receipts, paper towels and tissues; wood chips, leaves and other types of waste that are not categorized as processed food, meats or fish products in their compost bin. Compost can stabilize gardening soil, keep the soil from contracting diseases and help the ground retain moisture.

This article covers the basics of composting, but there’s still plenty more to learn! Head to your local farmers market or botanical garden and talk to the experts about any questions you have — they’ll be sure to give you some great tips.

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Is Organic Food Worth the Cost?

ORGANIC DOESN’T MEAN BEST

stated, “You can’t use organic as your sole criteria for judging nutritional quality.”

_____________________________ Write your name here and fax the completed puzzle to 860-533-0585, send it via empty delivery box or bring it to the shop and receive 10 percent off your next order . Limit one per customer. Expires May 31, 2019. Researchers collected 200 peer-reviewed studies, searching for any indication that organic foods offered more health benefits than conventional food. They came up short. There wasn’t even consistent data to prove that organic foods contained higher levels of vitamins and minerals. Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler, one of the researchers from Stanford, In the last few years, more people have realized the importance of eating healthier. This created a huge demand for “organic” food and the creation of the USDA Organic seal. In order to be certified organic, produce, meat or dairy products must do the following: ● Enhance soil and water quality ● Reduce pollution ● Provide safe, healthy livestock habitats ● Enable natural livestock behavior ● Promote a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm Considering all the work that goes into getting the organic label on a gallon of milk or some apples, organic food must be much be better for you, right? Maybe not. A 2012 study from Stanford University School of Medicine found a “definite lack of evidence” to support the claim that organic foods are healthier.

The environmental benefits of organic farming are as uncertain as the nutritional ones. Though organic crops don’t use synthetic pesticides, certain chemicals used in organic farming can be equally harmful to the environment. Organic farms also produce less food, which means they must take up more land and create more

carbon dioxide emissions in order to feed the same amount of people.

It’s like Dr. Smith-Spangler said, if you want to eat better, don’t let the organic seal make your meal decisions. It is far more important to select foods that offer high nutritional value. Regardless of whether or not they’re certified organic, lean meats or dark, leafy greens are better for your body than fried foods or corn chips.

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October Kitchen

graduated last year and works in the dairy industry in Indiana. Audriana picked a good one. They’re perfect together and they really adore each other. It’s crazy how time flies. I feel like we took Audriana up to the University of Connecticut just last week. Now she’s graduating from vet school, getting married and ready to start her life in full force.

D G I T N O I T A U D A R G C V N O S I L A P Y A M G N N O X T U X L A O G A Z E E A I M M N W M X H N E U U Y D V C P Z Q K H M I T O U R L M G R O S R A I D C R G B D X A B U S A B S D T G U Y F E R Y C O T L N E A A C E V L T H U N S Q Z W A N F K H E Z A S R P I V K Y I I O F G E B N B L O O D Q C A C R W H X N O X D R T Y S K M E A D O C H D T G G L Y A K T W B C U P V X S P Q I Y O C T O B E R A L R O I H D M E G G M K B G E F G H R I H K

I honestly couldn’t be prouder of her. She’s so courageous and has accomplished so much already. Not

many people are that successful at a young age. I love her dearly. She’s a good kid and I’m proud to call myself her dad.

ALISON AUDRIANA BLOOD BRYEN COMPOST DONATE GRADUATION KITCHEN MAY OCTOBER

ALISON AUDRIAN BLOOD BRYEN COMPOST

DONATE GRADUATION KITCHEN MAY OCTOBER

ORGANIC PAUL PURDUE SOURCING WEDDING

P.S. Yes, I’m definitely going to cry at the wedding.

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