This is a culture that we hadn’t really thought about… And yet, hazelnuts are eaten! Not only as a crunchy, but also as a praline, and even more integrated into chocolate spreads, the great international classic. Hazelnuts grow in your garden, at the edge of lakes, in Sicily, in Azerbaijan and Georgia, and Turkey! Turkey is, in fact, the world’s leading producer, thanks to the incredible amount of land it devotes to its cultivation in the north of the country. The climate is favorable, relatively warm on hilly slopes that condense and recover the humidity of the nearby Black Sea. Since the dried fruits sector is well developed in Turkey, it is also possible to see hazelnuts from Akçakoca Turkey.
The town of Akçakoca gives its name to one of the three varieties of Turkish hazelnuts; of the three, the Akçakoca is the least fattening. Families cultivate it on small plots of land. We might as well tell you right away, we didn’t understand what organic techniques could bring to a crop that we took for granted. The fact is, it doesn’t seem to be very difficult.
The hazelnut is visited by the Balanin larva, which makes it wormy. Conventional producers use endosulfan, an organochlorine pesticide to eliminate this parasite. This pesticide is banned in many countries as it is harmful and dangerous… Organic farmers have found another solution: spray a simple maceration of oregano, and it works. Apart from balanin, everyone is so happy that the people we interviewed don’t even know why they used to use chemicals in the past… At the bottom of the hill, the river comes alive again.
One can only be enthusiastic about this news, this practice, this visit. But we are just as upset by the environmental, health and financial waste that reminds us, here more than elsewhere: How could these poor people be fooled into buying and using terrible toxic products on a massive scale when it is so easy to do without them? Why do the majority of growers still produce hazelnuts conventionally, when organic crops command a higher price?
How can we understand these, knowing that organic yields are now better than what these miserable insecticides and fertilizers allow? This is the tragic story of chemistry and the terrifying criminal genius of its salespeople. Who knows why the urge to laugh suddenly left us, like that, on a hazelnut grove by the Black Sea?
Product Benefits :
Why should you eat dried fruit?
It is no secret that the quality of what we eat has changed a lot. Industrial treatments, intensive agriculture, additives, and pollutants reduce antioxidant levels. As a result, in a short time, fatigue takes over and prevents us from enjoying life to the fullest.
However, diet alone cannot be blamed; other factors such as stress, smoking, pollution, sports, sunlight, age, and medication increase our need for vitamins and minerals.
- The stress that causes us to lose magnesium,
- Smoking (including passive smoking) which destroys a significant portion of our vitamin C by deteriorating our vitamins E, B9 and B12, and carotene,
- Pollution that prevents us from synthesizing vitamin D properly,
- The sport that increases our need for magnesium, zinc, vitamins B1, B6, C, and E,
- The sun: Exposures that are too long cause us to lose a good dose of Beta-carotene,
- Age: Over time, our defense systems require higher amounts of antioxidant vitamins, vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, and selenium to protect us adequately against external aggressions,
- The drugs: Hormonal treatments, anticoagulants or anti-epileptic drugs can reduce the absorption of certain
In order to stay in good shape, it is essential to adapt our diet by favoring foods that contain large quantities of nutritional compounds of interest for health.
As such, Nuts and Dried Fruits, including Superfruits, are precious allies in keeping us in shape. Rich in fiber, minerals, trace elements, and vitamins, they are natural supplements that are essential to the health of our body while protecting us from many diseases.
Cleverly designed, they fit perfectly into specific diets and vegetarian, vegan, and paleo eating habits that require a large proportion of Dried Fruits in salty, sweet, or snacking preparations.
Tasted as they are or in your savory and sweet preparations, Dried Fruits are a good nutritional supplement in your diet. To get the most out of their contributions, remember to vary from time to time and mix Nuts and Dried Fruit.
