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  • March 26, 2023
You are here: Home / Archives for Gardening

Ingredient Spotlight: The Thrilla of Vanilla and its Sad Organic State

June 30, 2017 By Jen Chase

Organic vanilla is having a moment, and unlike the actual Thrilla in Manila between prize scrappers Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, not much cheering will emerge from this story.

As of this writing, the world is massively short on organic vanilla beans, making them massively expensive. The cause? To understand…a short ag-lesson.

Similar to harvesting things like saffron threads and poppy seeds (not to be confused with milk of the poppy, for all Game Of Throners), vanilla beans are one of the most labor-intensive foods on the planet, according to this June 17 NPR feature. Orchids produce vanilla bean seeds, and if flowers are not naturally pollinated (and in some parts of the world they are not), pollination must be done by hand much like how U.S. crops have needed help from pollination farmers in light of the bee plight.

From pollinating, to harvesting, to soaking, to all kinds of other ing-verbs that have to happen to result in a vanilla bean being born, the months-long manual labor exceeds most expectations and leads to why vanilla is so damn ‘spensive. As a result, a whole lotta fake vanilla started being made under the not-so-crafty name “vanillin,” which smelled good yet tasted like bunk…but was so much cheaper than the real stuff, it was a way for butchers, bakers and vanilla-stuff makers to flavor their goods without going broke. But when more and more companies started opting for all-natural flavors, vanillin was out and vanilla was in…except that there haven’t been enough orchid plants to support the world’s craving for chocolate’s cousin.

Add to all the above an organic designation to the mix, and prices really skyrocket: In the last few years, it’s all but quadrupled.

#DilemmaOfVanillicPorportion

So, what’s The Juice Standard been doing about v-beaning products with the quality of vanilla you’ve come to depend on? In days of recent past, organic vanilla beans have been so hard to source, the only sub deemed suitable by Jamie and Marcella has been conventional vanilla beans (…beecause even liquid organic vanilla extract can’t compare to the warm depth lent by a bean, the whole bean and nothing but the bean).

“It was a difficult decision to switch to conventional, especially beecuase we have built a business whose cornerstone is using organic produce 100 percent of the time,” shares TJS Co-Founder and CEO Jamie Stephenson.

Nothing shows off our vanillovin’ like our nut milks, and Bee Magnificent is da vanillabomb.

“We felt, however, that we would be doing our clientele a bigger disservice by not providing the quality our products are known for—especially our creamy nut milks—beecause even we love seeing those floating vanilla-bean specs as we sip! That’s why after interviewing many of our customers, we learned they would rather we inform them of our choice to use conventional vanilla beans rather than simply discontinue product, or move to extract.

“We value 100 percent transparency…and clearly, our customers do, too.”

That said, last week, TJS caught a beany break when Jamie and Marcella found organic vanilla beans priced at 40 percent higher than typical organic pricing, but far less than recent costs for conventional vanilla beans. Course, the world’s still in a shortage, so TJS can only tap this source for six weeks until the farm we’ve partnered with runs out, too…but at least that’s six more weeks of vanilla bean specs as we’ve all grown accustomed.

Our point in all this sharing? Like Jamie says, TJS hearts transparency, and having these worldwide convos close to home is important in our adult understanding of where our food comes from, and it’s important if we wanna help the littletons in our lives to better understand why global warming; supply and demand; and taking care of Mama Nature is so important to the food we eat, too.

As for vanilla, we’re gonna keep bringing you the good stuff as long as we can. And when the big-O runs out, we’ll move to conventional for as long as it takes before we can get back on track. And as long as you can see those bitty brown flecks of goodness in every nut milk you open, know that we’re looking out for the best interest of your tastebuds, too…one nutritious sip at a time.

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Filed Under: Gardening, Health Policy, Health+Wellness, Ingredients, Juice News Tagged With: health policy, organic vanilla shortage, The Juice Standard 100 percent organic produce, The Juice Standard vanilla, vanilla farming, vanilla harvesting

Who Are The Bees In Our Hive? Urban Hydro Greens.

February 4, 2016 By Jen Chase

In the last 5 years there’s been a huge uptick in people caring about where their food comes from, since the fewer the miles ingredients travel between harvesting and cooking, the more nutritious they are.

Couple that feel-goodyness with a return to how food was harvested in the olden days (i.e., without pesticides) and you’ve got folks craving the purity of organic produce just as much as The Juice Standard does. So in this occasional feature, “Who Are The Bees In Our Hive?” we’re introducing you Bees to the farmers and purveyors who help TJS do the deliciously good work that we do.


Urban Hydro Greens: Go Small or Go Home.

Know those delicate, frilly little greens that started topping salads and sammies a few years ago? Hardly for show, they’re called microgreens and they’re harvested for more than cuteness.

The threadlike shoots that veggies like broccoli, kale and peas produce just after they sprout are massively nutrient dense: A handful of broccoli microgreens actually has the same vitamin and mineral content as a pound and a half of its full-size cousin. (Imagine the chewing you can save!) Plus, their size makes them easier to digest than the full-fledged veg…so people who have trouble tolerating typical, gas-inducing culprits like broccoli or kale do much better with littletons greens.

TJS uses micro greens in our Field Greens Salad and our newest juice, Bee Resilient. And we buy them from right here in Las Vegas from Urban Hydro Greens, founded by farmer Chelsea Dora and her partner, Dennis Vitali, where thanks to their hard work, within 24 hours Urban Hydro Greens’ greens go from soil to TJS salad plate, wrap or bottle. Can’t get much more local than that. Here, Dora shares some ins and outs of this farm just five minutes off the Las Vegas Strip.text-box-UHG

Micro Greens 6

US (The Humble Bee): You’ve created a vertical farm, indoors, in the desert…and a very successful one, at that. You must still get weirdo looks.

THEM (Urban Hydro Greens): We have birthday parties. We teach classes. We sell “Garden In A Bag.” Most microgreen farmers you speak to are [growing] for specific restaurants, and we do that too; but we have a different take. I’m in business to teach people. I’d like to “Mary Kay” this, where mothers can start their own farms as a source of income and feed their own communities.

US: You sell microgreens at farmers markets. Is the home cook savvy enough to buy them?

THEM: When I first started going to farmers markets, maybe one in 50 people knew what they were. Now? About one in 15 do.

US: What’s making them more popular?

THEM:  Microgreens are more gentle on the digestion…and their live, active enzymes break down easily, so the body is more capable of absorbing them. One handful of microgreens is up to 40 times more potent than the vegetable itself. They’re like live multi vitamins. We like to say, “Don’t just garnish your food; garnish your life!”

US: What’s in the TJS blend you grow for our salads and juice?

THEM: We call it our “Local Superfood Microgreens Blend.” It contains micro broccoli, kale, pea shoots, red cabbage, bok choy, and amaranth, and it does everything from fights cancer and increases immunity; delivers plant protein and amino acids; makes hair, skin and nails shine; and even detoxes the liver and gallbladder. The mircogreens in the blend were carefully chosen to crate the ultimate meal booster…[and] the easiest way to get your daily vitamins and minerals in one serving!

Micro Greens 1Micro Greens Shelves 2Micro Greens Kale 1Micro Greens 3

 

Filed Under: Gardening, Health+Wellness, Ingredients, Who Are The Bees In Our Hive?

What Grows In Vegas Actually Stays In Vegas

March 31, 2015 By Jen Chase

Local organic produce fills our juices. And that makes us very, very happy.

Produce People of Las Vegas! This is for you.

If you’re not a born-and-bred Las Vegan, the produce expectations of folks who move to Southern Nevada from four-season climes can feel totally out of sync with Mother Nature’s desert sked. Used to apples in the fall? Peas in the spring? Wild strawberries for a hot June minute? Out here, since California is just a state border away and Mexico is our (almost) next-door neighbor, tropical fruit is practically local, and near-year-round tomatoes in restaurants and farmers markets (delicious ones!) are the norm, not the exception.

Last year I wrote a piece in an effort to blow up the misconception that desert=nasty-bad produce. You can read it here, where you’ll also find a handy little visual that the talented Vegas Seven graphic design team created to show you what you can plant, when (or at least buy from local farmer). Because the truth is, with enough water and attention to what’s in your soil, plenty can thrive in our ground as long as you know what to grow. And with Nevada’s multiple growing seasons, sometimes there’s actually more opportunity to enjoy things like tomatoes throughout year, where in a place like my home state of Massachusetts, biting into lush tomatoes outside the itty-bitty window of July-September is like hitting an heirloom lottery.

Vegas Seven Produce Wheel

At TJS we really pride ourselves on sourcing as much organic local produce as we can. And at this blessed time of year when Vegas is the perfect temp, we’re proud to highlight our recipes that are filled with the region’s springtime bounty: carrots, leafy greens and beets. Pick up a Bee Energized, Bee Grateful, Bee On Point, or any of our green juices for mega doses of what Southern Nevada is harvesting right now and enjoy a little Vegas spring in a bottle.

 

Filed Under: Education, Gardening, Lifestyle Tagged With: 100% organic, Las Vegas juice bar local produce, Las Vegas local produce, Las Vegas organic juice bar, TJS organic

Do You Compost?

November 20, 2014 By Jamie Stephenson

Compost buckets

Start now for spring growing season!

How it works: We at The Juice Standard provide organic compost for home, and or commercial use with zero cost to you. Our nutrition mission is not only to grow healthy bodies but healthy environments as well.

We Can Help!

 

 

  • Notify a TJS Bee member and let them know what day you would like to pick up veggie-based kitchen scraps.
  • Set a date for pick up and bring by a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, to trade out.
  • On the date prearranged, we will leave a 5 gal bucket for you with your name on it. Leave in place a 5 gal bucket for the next person.
  • Instructions for how to compost are on our blog: TheHumbleBee.com

 

*We cannot hold product for more than 12 hours

 

Contact Info@thejuicestandard.com

 

 

Filed Under: Gardening, Juice-U-Cation Tagged With: community, compost, gardening, recycle, veggies

Let Nature Teach

January 1, 2012 By Jamie Stephenson

Gilcrease-Orchard

image courtesy of Jamie Stephenson

With a crisp chill in the air reminding us that winter is right around the bend, my kids and I headed out to Gilcrease Orchard. One of the few farms located in Southern Nevada and conveniently situated in Las Vegas’ backyard, it is just a short drive away from us. Every Saturday during their open season they let people walk through their rows of produce literally creating a dinner menu in your head as you pluck fresh fruits and veggies from the earth. They have created an amazing opportunity to introduce your children to fruits and vegetables from the ground up so to say. In doing so, you can help your children develop a relationship with food that can grow and mature as they do. It is this platform here that can help establish healthier eating habits that can last a lifetime.

…

Read More »

Filed Under: Education, Gardening Tagged With: children, education, farming, gardening, Images Centered, teach, vegas

Well hello there, Beeautiful Juicer!

The Humble Bee is the lifestyle blog of The Juice Standard (TJS), Las Vegas' premiere cold-pressed juicery and pressers of supreme nut milks, sublime superfood smoothies, and the healthiest, most delicious espresso drinks in all the Las Vegas land, and a rad chewing menu that'll keep you chompa-chomp-chomping on bites as good as our sips.

Beyond sharing mad pride in our products (...beecause shameless, er, "wholehearted" self-promotion hurt a successful company never), you're invited to visit early and often for some advising, some opining, some educating, and some laughing as we explore how raw, fresh, cold-pressed juice and mindful living can help us take charge of our WHealth™ and glowing self...one healthy sip, one healthy thought at a time.

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