Twelve Superstars
Today is Election Day. Many of us will flock to the polls and cast our votes for the candidates we want to represent us. Although the really big election day is a year away, the essence of leadership is heavy on many people’s minds with all the presidential debates. As we make our choices today and in the future, let us not forget about the people who are making a difference by making this world a better, healthier, and more compassionate place. Read more 
One Degree Organic Sprouted Spelt Flour
We believe in a better way.
One Degree Organic Foods is a company that believes in simplicity, sustainability, and integrity by using only organic foods grown with natural veganic methods (no chemical pesticides, herbicides, man-man or animal by-product fertilizers). So what is the difference between organic and veganic and what does it mean when both are combined? Read more
Pascha Organic Chocolate Chips
Friends are the chocolate chips in the cookie of life.
We never outgrow chocolate chips but as we grow older, we realize there are differences in chocolate chips, just as there are differences in the friendships we’ve cultivated through the years. Some have an artificialness while others are as pure as the cacao bean itself. It’s the real ones – the truly scrumptious ones – we want to treasure. Read more
Paul’s Grains
Paul’s Grains is a hidden gem in a land of few jewels. Most farmers in Iowa grown genetically modified corn and soybeans but Paul’s Grains has been growing a variety of grains (spelt, barley, buckwheat, oats, corn, soybeans, millet, flax seed,quinoa, and more) without chemical fertilizers since 1964.
Going against the grain, Wayne and Betty Paul purchased 160 acres of land in a small town in central Iowa called Laurel. After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in agriculture, Wayne was introduced to chemical-free farming using healthy, natural fertilizers for weed and insect control, which is how it’s been done for 51 years. Read more
Top Picks at Trader Joe’s
With more than 430 stores across the United States, Trader Joe’s offers a shopping experience that keeps customers loyal: great products at competitive prices. Most of the retailer’s packaged products are under their own private label although some well-known manufacturers (i.e. the French chocolatier Valrhona) are also available.
Smaller than the average grocery store (12,500 square feet compared to 50,000), Trader Joe’s has a limited selection but one that brings shoppers back time after time. Some of the best products available at Trader Joe’s include: Read more
The Vanilla Queen’s Vanilla Extract
Flavorful. Sustainable. Simply the best. ~The Vanilla Queen
Years ago, an article in Cooks Illustrated convinced me to do a taste test between real and artificial vanilla extracts. The conclusion: always choose pure vanilla extract over artificial vanilla extract because of the flavor difference. Real vanilla extract (and there are many types – each with its own nuanced flavor) is rich and a bit creamy, smooth, slightly sweet, fruity, and cherry-like with a floral fragrance whereas the imitation lacks these qualities. Read more
Andie’s Specialty Sweets
Andie’s Specialty Sweets makes some of the most picture-perfect beautiful candies including Vintage Candy Buttons, Sugar Butterflies, Hard Candy Sea Glass, Chocolate Antique Candy Keys, Chocolate Candy Winter Acorns, Chocolate Filled Candy Sea Shells, Nuts, and more. So exquisite as to take your breath away, each beautifully designed candy elicits wonder and joy in both appearance and taste. Chocolate, peppermint, vanilla, and fruit are just a few of the many flavors of these very special candies. Read more
Videri Chocolate Factory
There’s a special place in a chocolate lover’s heart for bean-to-bar chocolate makers like Videri whose founders are committed to creating great chocolate while following the tenets of social responsibility and providing warm and friendly customer service. Truly a labor of love, the beans-to-bar operation is a fascinating process and one worth understanding to truly appreciate.
The Videri Chocolate Factory, located in Raleigh, North Carolina starts with what is referred to as “The Process” purchasing organic and fair-trade cocoa beans from Central and South America, whenever possible. Read more
Idaho Snowberry Honey
Marvel at the beauty and simplicity of nature’s perfect sweet. Honey really is one of nature’s miracles transforming nature’s nectar and flower dust into liquid gold.
Honeybees are the original locavores and artisan producers of food that bears the imprint of where the honey is made with the not so subtle nuances of flavor, sweetness, color and consistency revealed in each batch. Whether the bees gathered the nectar and pollen from the blossoms on the Tupelo trees in Florida or the blossoms from the Snowberry bush in Idaho, each honey bears the unmistakable imprint of where it was made. Hence, the types of honey often reflect the source of the nectar and pollen be it wildflower, lavender, clover, citrus orange blossom, or the Idaho Snowberry. Read more
Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate
Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate makes eight decadent dark chocolate bars in an allergen-free beans-to-bar facility to ensure the purity of their chocolate. Free of nuts, peanuts, soy, dairy, wheat, gluten, and egg with no genetically modified ingredients, the bars have full ingredient traceability. Rich, dark and delicious, these bars are the essence of simplicity, made with the firm belief that the less you touch a food product, the more delicious the taste. Read more
Paddock Post 