Rancho Vignola's 2015 Summer Newsletter

Best of the New Crop From the Farm to Your Community

Crop News

Inside California's climate crisis

Where Did The Years Go?

Looking back over the decades

Harvest Events

New events! New locations!

Plus:

Recipes, contests & more!

years...

35 Best of the New Crop New Crop Price List: Early September • Wholesale Order Deadline: September 28th www.ranchovignola.com

35 Years & Counting

1980

T

his year, Rancho Vignola celebrates another significant anniversary: our 35th season of ‘The Best of the New Crop’! In this issue we ask the question: Where did the years go? Looking at the past, present and future, we evoke memories while maintaining focus on the road ahead.

Rancho Vignola’s president, Richard Vignola, tackles the issue of climate change and how it’s impacting the food industry globally, with a particular focus on the dire drought situation in California.

General manager Simon Vignola and office manager Indra McMorran take off for the sunbaked state of California and present current crop news from our southern neighbours.

A constant reminder of the passing years are the staff members who come and go. We said goodbye to some long-term employees this year, and welcomed new ones into the fold. It takes a strong, cohesive and harmonious crew to bring the harvest to you, and we feel blessed to have such a dedicated team of great staff to work with.

ess with So glad to do busin ard to orw you again. Looking f ! another healthy year itte - Brig

Calgary, AB

With highlights and updates from our sponsored athletes, a resurrected recipe contest, and another gift basket give-away, we’ve given you lots to pore over with this issue of our summer newsletter. This is Rancho Vignola’s 35th year of bringing the very freshest nuts and dried fruit from the farm to your community.

Sue Vignola & Rancho mascot Witty the Super Walnut hand out samples in Vernon, BC.

Our first-ever Sidney Harvest Event was a huge success and brought hundreds of people to the Mary Winspear Centre in the lovely seaside town. Kootenay customers are next in line, with a new Harvest Event to take place in Tarrys, BC this year. See page 10 for more on our Harvest Events, and make sure you plan a visit to see and taste everything we sell!

Happy harvest!

Inside...

The Rancho crew at our Armstrong warehouse.

35th Anniversary Promotion 3 Testimonials

3 Crop News 4 Almonds & Climate Change 6 Wholesale Ordering 7 35: Where Did the Years Go? 8 Harvest Event News 10 Athlete Update 11 Rancho Recipes 12 From the Rancho Office 15 Rancho Cooling 15

New to Rancho?

! e om c l e w

Rancho Vignola is a family-owned & operated distributor of fresh crop nuts, dried fruit and quality confection.

• We source our products once a year at harvest time.

• We offer pre-ordering at wholesale prices in September.

• We ship wholesale orders across Canada.

• ANYONE can order wholesale!

Box 397 Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0 Toll-free: 1-877-639-2767 • Fax: 250-546-6653 info@ranchovignola.com

www.ranchovignola.com

• To purchase in person, visit our annual Harvest Events!

Contact us!

Visit www.ranchovignola.com or get in touch by email or phone.

Find us online Page 2

www.ranchovignola.com

Summer 2015

2015

How do nuts & dried fruit fuel your body?

To celebrate Rancho’s 35th anniversary, we are giving away prizes to 10 lucky people!

HOW DO NUTS & DRIED FRUIT FUEL YOUR BODY? Tell us online in any one of the following ways: Tag us (@Rancho Vignola) in a Facebook post with your story.

Tweet your tale of nuts & nutrition, using the hashtag #ranchovignola

Tell your story!

Fuelled by Rancho Sponsored athlete Shanda Hill

Email us (subject line must include 'Rancho's giveaway').

Winners will be awarded a credit of $25 towards their next order.

Submission deadline is September 6th, 2015. Winners will be announced on our website September 7, 2015.

Credit can be applied to any order placed before December 31, 2015. One entry per person. Contest open to any nut & dried fruit lover in Canada.

ts & I tell I love your produc . Been ordering every one I know u. Everything for 4 yrs from yo azingly is so fresh and am od is my game. healthy. Clean fo ter too!

Love your newslet - Deb

Fanny Bay, BC

your E V O L o t Continue introduce product and rs every new custome an order is g year. Placin EA SY!!! amazingly Cheryl A B

Canmore,

d n a , e t i s b e w r u o y o t hI ave to saypaWrt OespWecial y. Fantastic! the orderinygou Rancho Vignola! - I v a n a Sur ey, BC hank T

Wow, you fantastic. r ordering website I So easy an haven't seen a bett is real y thought o d user friendly. See er one!! f everythin m g! Bravo s you've

!

- Mary S Ver ue non, BC

Just wanted to compliment you once again!! What a great website and efficient system you have for ordering online...

...Thanks for running a business that is always pleasant to deal with and provides a WONDERFUL product. You are ALL appreciated!!

- Trish Telkwa, BC

Summer 2015

John is ready to fill some boxes during shipping season in the Armstrong warehouse.

We put ongoing effort into ensuring a smooth and efficient online ordering system.

It makes us so happy to hear when our hard work pays off, and helps make a customer's ordering process a little easier. If there's anything we can do to keep improving our systems, please let us know!

Rancho Vignola customers are the best in the world!

Without you, we wouldn't be here doing what we love: sharing fresh, delicious food to nourish us all. Thank you for being a part of our community. www.ranchovignola.com

Page 3

1980

Crop News In May, Indra McMorran and Simon Vignola travelled to California to say hello to some of our growers. They gathered news on the current crop conditions, plus forecasts for the harvest season ahead.

Dates

Peaches, Pears, Apricots, Cherries

Our first stop takes us far south to desert country in the Indio area to meet with Rancho Vignola's old friend and associate Greg Raumin of Jewel Dates. News from the date plantations is for a good, healthy crop with stable prices, although the fluctuation of the US dollar may have some effect come harvest time. Fortunately, in these times of water shortages, date palms are fairly drought tolerant. In other news, Jewel Dates have recently installed new customized equipment for faster processing of those tasty date nut rolls.

Raisins

Young Deglet dates bunched for pollination in Thermal, CA.

We had a very interesting visit over the grapevines at Lion Raisins, learning about the recently developed ‘dried on vine’ (DOV) technique.

Unlike the traditional technique of laying the grapes on brown paper on the orchard floor, the DOV method protects them from the Raisins wrapped and laid to dry in the traditional method. sun and other contaminants. Since this technique requires cutting of the vines in mid-August, it is not appropriate for all varieties, some of which require more time on the vine to develop their sugar content.

For now, Thompson raisins are the variety most suited to this method.

With many California farmers converting fruit orchards to more lucrative almond and walnut plantations, fruit for drying is becoming scarce, which will likely lead to higher prices come fall. Our supplier, Traina Dried Fruit, also reports an ever-increasing demand for organic fruit, which they can barely meet. Our visit was to Traina’s new state-of-the-art facility right in the heart of Patterson, although their traditional sun drying is still carried out at the old family homestead a few miles up the road. We’re happy to report they will be able to offer us those delicious organic Bing cherries again this year!

I ’ve been enjoy in - I didn’t reali g the fresh tasting nuts z ha ve to taste e walnuts did NOT bitter!

- Faith

Whitecourt, A B

Walnuts Mid Valley Walnuts, our supplier of commercial walnuts for many years, showed off some new equipment for packing their delicious nuts for shipping. Improvements include new cracking equipment, as well as an automatic pallet builder.

Prices for conventional walnuts should remain stable this year, depending on how the season progresses. Ferrari Farms, our supplier of organic walnuts, is reporting lower amounts of triple bunches on the trees, which indicates a lighter crop year. This, plus the demand for organic walnuts, will see the price continue to rise for this important brain food. Fresh cherries are another important crop for this grower, and the cherry season was in full swing during our visit.

Page 4

Simon inspects the organic walnut crop at Ferrari Farms in Linden, CA.

www.ranchovignola.com

Summer 2015

2015

Abel, Annie, Shawn, Fayedra, Rusty, and canine mascot Acapella of Fine Dried Foods gather with us to talk fruit.

Mangoes, Pineapple After last year’s devastating crop failure, we received the welcome news from our friends at Fine Dried Foods that this year’s mango crop is once again looking great! Continuing improvements and refining the drying process to eliminate inconsistencies are always a priority with this seasoned grower/processor. Fine Dried Foods reports the demand for their dried mangos is through the roof, and they could easily sell ten times more product!

We’re fortunate that our long association with them keeps us near the top of their customer list. Their outstanding pineapple is also forecast to be a great crop.

Prunes

Simon meets Barb Roux, sales & export director at Taylor Brothers Farms near Sacramento, CA.

Many of you who purchased full cases of prunes during the 2014 season may have noticed the shipping boxes from a new supplier. Taylor Brothers is a multi-generational family business that is now one of the major producers of prunes in California, and well known for exceptional quality in their organic products. We are thrilled to have discovered the Taylor Brothers and look forward to a long and ‘fruitful’ relationship!

Indra & Simon visit organic farmers and long-time friends of Rancho Isidro & Maisie Jane Hurtado in Chico, CA.

Almonds It’s been amazing for us at Rancho Vignola to watch the rapid growth of thirdgeneration farmers Maisie Jane’s California Sunshine Products since Sue and Richard first met them over 10 years ago. Growing not only a great business in the Chico area, but a family as well, Maisie Jane’s packaged products have experienced huge growth and are now shipped US and Canada-wide. Maisie Jane’s family business is committed to bee preservation, promoting bee-friendly and sustainable farming, with an array of hives and a resident beekeeper on site. When we asked Maisie and her husband Isidro about the continuing drought, they explained that they are not so affected, being in the northern part of the state - plus they maintain their own wells. Maisie is a third-generation farmer who grew up working on her dad’s almond plantation. Her father, Ben Bertagno, says, “It used to be that most everyone had a direct connection with a farmer, whether it was a blood relative or a friend. Now, there are fewer people with these relationships with farmers. If consumers only knew the challenges and processes farmers go through, they’d appreciate their food more.”

At Rancho Vignola, we couldn’t agree more, which is why we’re committed to maintaining our relationships with farmers and processors world-wide, and bringing their stories to you.

Looking forward to the 35th year of the new crop harvest!

Summer 2015

www.ranchovignola.com

Organic almond trees reach for the sky at Maisie Jane's California orchard.

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1980

ALMONDS

and Climate Change Almonds are not the main source of California’s water issues

T

here is no longer any doubt that climate change is the new reality. California is in the fourth year of a drought that is starting to have an impact on its food production, and almond growers have recently been taking the brunt of criticism for high water consumption. This ill repute is largely unfair: from a nutritional density perspective, almonds deliver much better value, and in fact require less water, than many crops that are far less nutrient-rich. Gallons per ounce values vary with different sources, but all agree that California’s biggest water sucker by far is the commercial meat industry. Getting meat and dairy to your plate takes exponentially more water than almond production, and those huge animal factory farms have a lot to answer for. Almost 50% of California’s water supply either directly or indirectly goes to the production of meat and dairy.

Almonds use about 10% of California’s total water supply each year, but they are also its most lucrative exported agricultural product, adding $6.5 billion to the state economy and producing 80% of the world’s supply. In these days of world trade, California’s drought is certainly not just a local problem, but a global one. In a year with practically no water coming from rain or alpine snow melt, that’s enough to send ripple effects throughout the world. With less water to go around, the main effect will be higher production costs, and this is felt far beyond US borders.

Rancho Vignola’s California almonds come from the northern areas, where water shortages are not as severe as other parts of the state. Yuba and Stanislaus Counties still have plenty of water to grow almonds, Innocent almonds bask in the California sun. using up-to-date watersaving irrigation methods. Our main suppliers, Stewart & Jasper (Newman, CA) and Maisie Jane’s (Chico, CA), both use modern water-saving irrigation methods and have their own water wells. In addition, Maisie Jane’s organic orchard is a well-established family operation committed to sustainable, eco-friendly farming methods.

California’s drought is impacting food prices across the board.

Many crops and animal producers may be forced to relocate elsewhere. For Canadians, these higher prices may urge more of us to eat locally, growing leafy greens and vegetables at home and eliminating the need to transport these items that have relatively low nutritional density over thousands of kilometres. Alas, super foods such as almonds and many other tree nuts don’t grow in our northern climes, so it's their high nutritional value that justifies the cost of transporting them. Despite any increased prices, raw almonds still provide far better nutritional value for your money than many other crops, and remain one of the healthiest foods available.

- Richard Vignola

Preheat oven to 275ºF. Have an ungreased pan ready, large enough to fit the nuts in a single layer.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks when beaters are lifted.

Add brown sugar, ¼ cup at a time, beating well until mixture is stiff and glossy. With a large spatula, stir in melted butter. Gently fold nuts into meringue mixture until they are evenly coated.

Spread coated nuts evenly on the pan. Bake about 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes to keep nuts separate, until meringue is dry and nuts are crunchy. Let cool in pan, stirring occasionally.

Page 6

Candied Toffee Almonds Works with any nuts, and always a hit!

Ingredients 2 egg whites, at room temperature 1 cup packed brown sugar ¼ cup butter, melted & cooled to room temperature 1 to 1½ lb raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, or macadamia nuts (or a mixture of

your choice)

www.ranchovignola.com

Summer 2015

2015

Wholesale Ordering From a customer

A

nnette Rosendal is the coordinator of PeaceFull Pantry, a large and successful buying club in northern Alberta. As Annette and many of our other customers can attest, it’s not easy keeping so many people organized, and volunteer burnout can be high if things are not well thought out. For her club of over 200 members, Annette keeps things organized by using software available online (www.buyingclubsoftware.com), which helps her sort individual orders and figure out how much bagging and packaging needs to be done once the product arrives. This is probably worth looking into for anyone trying to coordinate a big group of people into one large order.

Be sure to click on their blog section, where you can find a video of Annette discussing her club and how it has helped her community support local farmers and suppliers of real food!

Annette’s story:

PeaceFull Pantry started in 2007 as a way for people in the northern Alberta town of Peace River to access high-quality, organic and natural foods via wholesale and farmer-direct ordering. I built the buying club based on the social enterprise business model -

making profit while looking after people and the environment. This has provided an opportunity to give back to the local community in various ways, including donations to the Women's Shelter, supplying expertise and help in a school garden, and gifting food to people who need an extra boost, such as new mums and those with illness or injury. Rancho Vignola has very similar philosophies and, after a trial run of the product, ordering from Rancho was a natural decision, as the high quality and freshness of the products is far beyond anything store-bought.

Rancho orders are sent to me via email or the specialist software online that is vital to automating and coordinating these big orders. I then place the group order on the Rancho website as soon as online ordering opens. We do a wholesale order in the fall for the larger sizes and better prices, then repack and bag down as necessary.

We also place another order during the Spring Sale for the smaller sizes, which reduces how much repacking needs to be done.

- Annette Rosendal

Want to run your own buying club? Start here!

Find People Considerations • Similar food preferences & priorities • Fun & easy to cooperate with • Willing to help organize

Where to look • • • • • •

Your family and friends Other parents at your kids’ school Other students at your campus Your book club Your church community Your sports team or gym buddies (active people LOVE quality food!)

• Your knitting circle • Your neighbours • Your work colleagues

Make a team!

Summer 2015

Define Roles

Find A Location

In smaller groups, one person may have multiple responsibilities

For meetings For organizing orders (Pack Day)

Coordinator

Considerations

- Often the group founder - In charge of inviting new members - Organizes & oversees all meetings - Handles all communication with supplier

Order Manager - Consolidates member orders into one big group order - Oversees separation of orders on Pack Day

Treasurer / Invoice Coordinator - Totals up orders and collects payments - Consolidates money and pays group order

• • • • • • •

Cleanliness Ease of access for order delivery Power outlets Washing station / sink Counter space Cool storage (food safe) SUPPLIES - Scales & scoops - Bags & twist ties - Hair nets, gloves, aprons - Cleaning supplies

Membership Coordinator (only needed for big groups)

Where to look

- Keeps track of all members - Ensures email/phone list is up to date - Informs members of meetings & order info

• A group member's house • Church or community centre • Commercial kitchen space

www.ranchovignola.com

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1980

Celebrating 35: Wher

B

y early spring each year we’re already thinking about the harvest to come, and all the preparation that must be done before we are ready to launch the new season. With this, our 35th year in business, we feel it’s important to look back on where we started, where we are now, and where we are headed...

1990+ Back to Vernon

1980+ How it all began We, Sue and Richard Vignola, are running Sunseed Natural Foods, a popular store in downtown Vernon, BC. We meet Carl Isaac, a gentleman from the Enderby Mennonite community, newly returned from California with a pick-up full of fresh nuts and beautifully soft dates, and we begin promoting the California harvest each Autumn. A consistent and appreciative customer base grows to anticipate this annual bounty, and Carl Isaac becomes our business partner for the next twenty years. Each November we travel to remote Mennonite farms in Alberta for the annual ‘Truckload Sale’ of freshly harvested nuts and dried fruit.

The Vignola family, circa 1982: Sue, Richard, Natalia and Simon.

Page 8

Finding a ten-acre parcel of land and a functioning homestead off of Silver Star Road makes the move back to Vernon exciting. Going by the name Vignola Enterprises, operations are carried out from our home office and wherever we can find suitable rental facilities to receive the product shipments. With Richard’s idea to deliver our products directly to Hutterite colonies throughout the prairies, the annual wholesale ordering system continues expanding. The list of products continues to grow as we source more organics and offer a wider selection for families and buying clubs across Canada.

Meanwhile, the November ‘Truckload Sales’ attract an ever-wider customer base.

Richard brings home the harvest, fresh from the California sunshine.

Hutterite women gather for the annual delivery of their fruit & nut order.

The Rancho Vignola cr historic Forge Valley

1985+ Moving on

1995+ The search for a home, and a new name

After selling our natural food store, we take our young family on an extended trip to the U.K. and Europe. Returning eight months later, we settle in Kelowna so that our children, Natalia and Simon, can attend the Kelowna Waldorf School. The seasonal ‘new crop’ business continues to grow through word of mouth, and we receive products and process orders out of ever-changing rental locations throughout the Okanagan. In 1985, the September wholesale price list is only one page long, but shortly thereafter it quickly grows to two full pages!

Business is booming, we’re gaining fixtures and fittings, and it’s becoming harder to move around. A beautiful old wooden building in the heart of Vernon, formerly a fruit packing plant, catches Richard’s eye and Forge Valley Storage becomes our home for the next ten years. 1996 sees the creation of our new name, Rancho Vignola.

We begin producing a four-page newsletter to correspond with our customers, keeping them up to date on crop news and recipes. Work begins on the development of our very first website. It is during the fall of 1999 that we hear of the sudden death of our partner, Carl Isaac, who will be forever commemorated in our hearts.

www.ranchovignola.com

Summer 2015

2015

ere Did The Years Go?

2010+ Thirty Nutty years already!

2000+ Y2K arrives and we’re still here Although we staged our very own computer crash, racing an old PC down our toboggan hill, the rest of the country survives Y2K unscathed and a new century is born! We begin sponsoring our first athlete, local snowboard cross racer Tom Velisek. We depart on the first of our many ‘Travels in the Rancho Mobile,’ which takes us from Vancouver Island to the Yukon and Canada’s Northwest Territories, visiting customers and making new friends along the way. Our 2003 season sees the launch of a brand new logo and an efficient toll-free line, followed in the new year by another first: our Spring Clearance Sale in March. An online shopping system for our wholesale customers is tentatively introduced. Our annual sales, now called Harvest Events, expand to include Vernon, Salmon Arm and Kelowna.

rew outside y Storage.

Customers flock to the Harvest Event at Paddlewheel Park Hall in Vernon, BC.

With the new legislation for almond pasteurization firmly entrenched in the US, we are excited to bring in unpasteurized organic almonds from Australia.

Circumstances encourage us to take over the storage business located in our building, and Rancho Cooling is born. We begin filming fun little cooking videos in the newly renovated Rancho Kitchen at the Vignola homestead. Witty the Super Walnut is introduced as Rancho's first mascot, and enjoys an impressive amount of public exposure in our local community and beyond.

Our next travels see us in Italy and Turkey, taking cooking classes, learning all about the local crops, and visiting plantations. In 2014, we launch our first Harvest Event on Vancouver Island, in the charming seaside town of Sidney.

A fresh batch of Rancho's Own custom made, organic fruit and nut mix.

Sue presents her recipe for savoury roasted almonds to the video camera.

2015+ The road ahead…

2005+ The move to Armstrong, BC Rancho Vignola reaches its 25th year. The September wholesale price list is now four pages long and features Rancho’s first house-made custom mix: Rancho’s Super Anti-Oxidant Goji Mix. Our charitable donations and support programme keeps growing to include not only food banks and orphanages, but also musical, sports and theatrical events in our community and beyond. To encourage fundraising campaigns using Rancho Vignola products, we create printed guidelines and a customized order form. In 2008-2009, our travels take us to Mexico, Vietnam and Indonesia. But the biggest news of all is our move (in 2006) to a much larger and more efficient warehouse in the neighbouring town of Armstrong. After many years of being crammed together in a dark, freezing cold room, the space and comfort of our new offices is absolute luxury!

And so onwards. We are solidifying plans to make our current location in Armstrong our permanent home. Myself and Richard edge closer to retirement, while son Simon and his close-knit management team maintain responsibility over Rancho Vignola’s daily operations. Our sister business, Rancho Cooling, continues to grow as it takes on more storage customers, including some of our favourite local farmers and food producers. We’re looking at organic certification for our packaging room, and, a little further into the future, equipment for producing our very own dry roasted nuts.

Where did the years go? I would say to growing… Growing a business, growing children, growing a community, and always striving to help make the world a better place. Since the beginning, it has felt like an honour and a privilege to be in this nutty business, sharing our passion for fresh, newly-harvested foods. We thank you for the years of support, and hope Rancho Vignola can continue to bring you ‘The Best of the New Crop’ for generations to come!

- Sue Vignola

Summer 2015

www.ranchovignola.com

Page 9

1980

Harvest Event News

Changes for the 2015 season West Kootenays

NEW T! EVEN

For years, people have asked us when we would make it to the Nelson area, and we're thrilled to announce the time has come!

Rancho Vignola's first ever Kootenay Harvest Event will be held at Tarrys Hall.

1986 Hwy 3A (just north of Castlegar)

Cloverdale

Cloverdale, BC is hosting its second Harvest Event. Come and stock up on your favourite goodies at Shannon Hall at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

6050A - 176th Street

K BAC N! I AGA

Sidney

Thank you to everyone who came out to our first Sidney Harvest Event in 2014. It was a huge success and we are very excited to return this year! Come find us at the Mary Winspear Centre.

2243 Beacon Avenue

Salmon Arm

The Salmon Arm Harvest Event is relocating to accommodate the customer increase over the last few years. Come taste the harvest at the SASCU Recreation Centre.

2550 10th Avenue NE

NEW ON! TI LOCA

Abbotsford

Long-time customers will be glad to hear that we'll be back in Abbotsford this November! Come see us at Windsor Greenhouses.

29635 ‘0’ Avenue (and #18 Ross Rd.)

A complete list & dates of all our Harvest Events can be found online at www.ranchovignola.com Page 10

Thanks so much for having such great - and fresh - products with the organic choices.

Thanks also for all the support you give groups in the community.

- Judy

Cranbrook, BC

www.ranchovignola.com

See & Taste les Live demos & free samp ts! en at Rancho's Harvest Ev

Jackson stocks up on his favourites in Camrose, AB. Summer 2015

Fuelled by Rancho W

2015

ATHLETE UPDATE

e begin by congratulating Alysson Marshall and Heidi Widmer on all their accomplishments, and wish them good luck with their future endeavours.

They both have retired from skiing, but are excited for new adventures!

Kevin Hill Kevin Hill, 2015 X Games gold medalist in snowboard cross, has made his dreams come true, proving that hard work and dedication to the sport really pays off! During his off-season, Kevin is training six days a week at the gym to gain strength and size for the winter ahead. He is also continuing his BMX racing this summer, as well as many of the other sports the Okanagan has to offer.

We congratulate Kevin on his participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and can’t wait to see what the 2015/2016 season will bring for him!

Josh Dueck

Paralympic gold medalist Josh Dueck Photo by Cap-It also announced his retirement in November, 2014. His new adventures are Josh & Lacey Dueck with their daughter Nova, prepared for family adventures on the road! taking him throughout North America, mentoring young athletes who have recently acquired a spinal Dahria Beatty cord injury. Rancho Vignola is proud to continue sponsoring Josh This past winter was Dahria as he embarks on this inspirational new venture.

Beatty’s first season racing as a Follow Josh in his continuing journey: www.thisamazinglife.com senior athlete and it was filled

with many firsts, one of which Shanda Hill was winning the Open Women’s NorAm Cup at Sovereign Lake 'I'm very passionate about Rancho products, and use them Nordic Centre in Vernon, BC. In every day in every way!' early 2015 Dahria represented Shanda competed in her first triathlon, the Full Iron Distance, in Canada at the Nordic U23 the fall of 2014. In the last few months, she has competed in over World Championships in 200 km of trail and road running races! Shanda is gearing up to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where participate in her first she placed 20th in the Classic 80 km mountain race, Sprint, the top North American followed by her second result of the day. With the new triathlon, Challenge training season underway, she Penticton 2015. Her most Dahria Beatty wears the Leader's bib after is already looking forward to memorable experience this winning the 5k at the 2015 Haywood Ski returning to Sovereign year was a 180 km road bike Nationals in Thunder Bay, ON. Lake next December ride with her father. to race at the NorAm, and preparing for the Tour of Canada World Cup in March 2016, where she will be racing in Quebec and Alberta Above: Shanda Hill in her happy place as she hits the trails. against the world’s top athletes!

Right: The Rancho team ready for the 2014 Armstrong IPE parade.

Rancho Out & About Rancho Vignola sponsors a number of events throughout the year. From triathlons and other athletic events to music festivals and theatre performances - we like to show our support!

Summer 2015

www.ranchovignola.com

Cross Country Ski Championships held at the Telemark Ski Club in Kelowna, BC. Page 11

1980

Recipes

from the

Rancho Kitchen H

ere at Rancho Vignola, it's no secret that we love food - and not just any food, but the best we can find! We believe sharing good food brings together family, friends and communities, in addition to nourishing bodies and minds.

Wild Rice & Cashew Salad

Yummy and nutritious! Great to make ahead for company or summer gatherings. Submitted by Stephanie Mundeling of Sicamous, BC.

Ingredients 2 cups wild black rice (uncooked) 5 cups water 2 cups roasted cashew nuts (I use salted) 1 large tin (19 oz/540 ml) chickpeas, drained 2 cups raisins plumped with ½ cup boiling water ½ cup chopped green onions

We’re excited to announce that our Recipe of the Year contest is back!

Submit your favourite recipes, and the best will be awarded a $100 Rancho credit. Recipes must include at least one Rancho product, and if there's a story behind your recipe we'd love to hear it!

Dressing

⅓ cup olive oil 2 tbsp liquid honey 2 tbsp cider vinegar 1½ tbsp curry powder 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

The deadline for entry is August 31, 2015. The winner will be notified before the wholesale ordering period begins on September 8.

Submit your recipes directly on our website, in the 'Recipes' section.

Put rice and water in a pot, cover and bring to boil. Stir to prevent sticking, then turn down to simmer. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, plump raisins in covered bowl. Let rice and raisins cool. Drain raisins. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with the dressing.

NOTE: If you make this ahead, add cashews just before serving.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Truffles A delicate yet rich truffle to satisfy any coconut lover's cravings.

Ingredients 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut ½ cup cream cheese ⅓ cup powdered sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 cup dark chocolate domes or dark chocolate chips 1 tsp extra virgin coconut oil Page 12

Being passionate about food and cooking has led us to create a whole section of fabulous recipes on our website.

If you haven’t explored our recipe collection yet, you should head on over to www.ranchovignola.com/recipes and check it out!

Alternatively, recipes may be submitted by: Email: info@ranchovignola.com Fax: 250-546-6653 Post: Box 397, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0 Fine print: By entering the contest, you consent to your recipe being shared on our website, social media and/or print materials with credit to you, the author.

Place the coconut, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a standing mixer or food processor. Mix until everything is well combined.

Roll dough into balls, a little over 1'' in size. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper and freeze for about one hour.

In a small saucepan or double boiler, melt the chocolate and coconut oil over medium low heat, stirring constantly.

Using a fork, dip each ball into the chocolate, coating it completely. Let it drain off for a few seconds before putting it back onto the wax paper.

Once you've coated all your truffles with chocolate, refrigerate until set.

Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.

www.ranchovignola.com

Summer 2015

2015

Strawberry Goji Smoothie Quick, easy and nutritious!

Ingredients 1 banana 1 heaping cup strawberries ½ cup plain yogurt 1 tbsp dried goji berries 1 tbsp chia seeds

Pre-soak goji berries until plump and juicy. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. If you find it a bit thick, drizzle in some water or milk while blending until you reach your desired consistency.

shew a C Cream of Leek Soup This vegan soup fills you up, and warms you inside & out!

Ingredients ¾ cup raw cashews (soak for 3 hours to soften) 4 medium potatoes 5 cups vegetable broth 3 large leeks 2 small onions, or one large 1 tsp dried thyme 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp coconut oil Salt & pepper to taste Boil potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Meanwhile, sauté the leeks, onion, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper in the coconut oil until the leeks and onions are soft and starting to turn translucent.

Put your cashews & vegetable broth in a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth, about three minutes.

If you would prefer a thinner soup with chunks, set aside some or all of the potatoes and/or sautéed leeks.

If you’re blending in some or all of the potatoes and leeks, add them to your blender with the cashew mixture and blend on high again for another three minutes or until smooth.

Place your soup on the stove and bring up to desired temperature before serving. Garnish with caramelized onions or something green such as chives or parsley.

Date Squares A dessert that's been around for many years, and for good reason! Using Barhi or Medjool dates instead of the traditional Deglet gives this dish a whole new flavour.

Ingredients 8 oz, or approximately 1 ¾ cups, pitted Barhi dates (you can use any dates you have on hand, but we love Barhis in this recipe!)

½ cup water 1 cup all purpose flour ½ tsp baking soda ⅛ tsp salt ½ cup butter 1 cup palm sugar or brown sugar 2 cups rolled oats ½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Combine pitted dates and ½ cup water in a saucepan on high heat and stir while bringing to a boil. Once your mixture boils, reduce heat to medium while stirring and mashing the dates into a paste. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter, cutting it into the flour. Mash with a fork, or use a knife to start with if your butter is cold. Combine until the mixture resembles very coarse crumbs.

Add sugar, oats and nuts to the flour & butter mixture, using a fork to combine. If your mixture is too dry add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, mixing well in between. You should be able to grab a small handful of the mixture and squeeze it into a ball without it completely falling apart, though some crumbling is okay.

Scoop half the mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch baking dish, and use your hands to press it in as firmly as you can. Spread your date mash evenly over this bottom crust. Next, add the rest of your crust and lightly press it in; you don't want to use too much force but you want it to evenly cover the dates and stick together.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until the crust looks dark golden brown.

Let your date squares cool before cutting and serving - the cooler they are, the firmer they'll be. Enjoy!

Summer 2015

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1980

Lunch Wraps Using Rancho's Own Organic Breakfast Mix, or a mix of whatever nuts, seeds & dried fruit that you have on hand, these are easy to make and super tasty!

Ingredients 1½ cups cooked shredded chicken or pan fried tofu 2 tbsp mayo 1 tbsp mustard of choice ⅓ cup Rancho's Breakfast Mix 1 apple Handful of spinach Salt & pepper to taste Tortilla shells or lettuce for wrapping Optional: shredded cheese (cheddar works well)

Chop the apple into small chunks, mix with chicken or tofu, mayo, mustard, breakfast mix and salt & pepper.

Place the filling into a tortilla shell or lettuce leaf and add spinach (and cheese if desired). Wrap up and enjoy!

Makes 2-4 wraps.

Super Summer Fun! Witty the Super Walnut makes friends & feeds the crowds at the annual Sunshine Festival in downtown Vernon, BC.

Sharing snacks w ith soccer stars Summer & Bailey.

High Five! luna s with little A Making friend

, Crystal. and her mum Hangin' with the Matysiak family at the Rancho Vignola booth.

Gift Basket Giveaway How well do you know Rancho's history?

Answer the following question and you could win one of our glorious gift baskets, filled with a luscious assortment of fresh Rancho products!

• What year did Rancho Vignola launch a new logo and toll-free line? •

Email or call us with your answer (don’t forget to include your full name and contact info)

info@ranchovignola.com • 1-877-639-2767 The draw will be made September 1st, 2015

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Good luck! www.ranchovignola.com

Summer 2015

Hello from the Office!

2015

by Indra McMorran

A

s our friends & customers know, we Indra, Amelia & Kylie from the Rancho office. at Rancho Vignola are passionate about food! As a seasonal business specializing in new crop whole foods fresh from harvest, we spend a lot of time getting to know our products and our growers. It gives me great pleasure to see that our customers are also taking interest in the growing practises and stories around the food they purchase from us. Here, I want to answer a few of the many questions asked of our office staff.

What’s the difference between raw and unpasteurized almonds?

We carry a variety of almonds, among them the raw supreme almonds from California and the organic raw unpasteurized almonds from South Australia. In 2007, the USDA passed a law that stated all almonds grown and sold within North America must go though some form of pasteurization to minimize the risk of unsafe bacteria.

There are five methods of pasteurization that qualify: oil roasting, dry roasting, blanching, the use of propylene oxide, and steam processing. The almonds we buy from California have undergone steam processing and the process is a surface treatment only. To keep them from being cooked, the almonds are not heated all the way though, and can still be successfully sprouted afterwards.

The unpasteurized almonds from South Australia are not subject to the same US laws and so haven’t undergone any treatment after their shelling. Thus they are specified as unpasteurized.

Why does product sometimes look different from year to year?

Due to fluctuations in weather and countless other conditions around the growing of products, there can be differences both in appearance and flavour from year to year. Don’t panic! This variation is normal when dealing with naturally grown foods, fresh from harvest!

What’s the difference between the date varieties?

We carry three different varieties of dates: Medjool, Deglet and Barhi. The most popular and well-known date is the Medjool, the largest and juiciest of the three. The Deglet date is smaller and more firm. While tasty to eat as is, these are most commonly used in baking, and you often see them in grocery stores around Christmas time.

The Barhi date is very soft, moist, and much smaller and rounder in shape than the Medjool. The flavour and texture has an almost caramel quality.

Do you have an organic option for that product?

While we strive to offer as many organic products as we can, at times they can be hard to source. The good news is that consumer demand for organics continues to grow, and as the demand grows so does the selection of products we can bring to you!

Have more questions?

You can also check out the FAQ page on our website, and product-specific information that is listed in the Products section.

As always, if you didn’t find your answer you can email us at: info@ranchovignola.com

R

ancho Cooling is a commercial frozen, refrigerated and dry storage warehouse facility located right next to Rancho Vignola in Armstrong, BC. We store locally produced vegetables & fruit, meat, wine, juice, as well as many different value-added food products.

We are gaining a reputation for providing exemplary customer service, so if you or someone you know is in need of frozen, refrigerated or dry storage, please contact us:

Spread the Word!

• Are you a wholesale customer?

• Do you know someone who might be interested in ordering wholesale too?

You can refer them to us and qualify for a 5% commission credit based on their first three consecutive wholesale orders!

Complete details and referral submission form available at:

250-938-5062 • cooling@ranchovignola.com

www.ranchovignola.com/refer.html

www.ranchocooling.com Summer 2015

www.ranchovignola.com

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Smile!

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Summer 2014