Good morning! You're probably feeling a little sluggish after a long weekend of stuffing yourself with turkey and all the trimmings. Fair enough; that comes with the COVID-19 territory these days. But we hope that you all had an amazing socially-distanced holiday with your family and friends! Hey, do you remember hearing about those Chilean miners who were trapped in a collapsed mine for a long time but were all eventually rescued? Can you believe that it's been 10 years since that remarkable day? It's known as the Copiapó Mining Accident and the ordeal began on August 5th, 2010 when the copper-gold mine caved-in trapping 33 men who made it to one of the mine's emergency shelters. There they waited an incredible 69 days before rescuers were able to successfully bring each miner up, one at a time, until at last, after 33 hours, the last miner was extracted alive from the mine. The date was October 13, 2010.
Last week we wrote about the awesome mask chains from Stacie C Designs that Dr. Bonnie Henry uses. The result was a wave of sales from shoppers eager to have one for their own use! We quickly sold out of our first order but received another batch a few days ago so if you missed out getting one, there are more in stock!
For those of you wondering where Portofino gluten-free muffins are, they're currently unavailable. That's because they are moving over to a dedicated facility but we've been told that production should resume sometime in the next few months. In the meantime, we are pleased to offer Very Good Foods (VGF which also stands for Vegan Gluten Free) Gluten-free Muffins in their place. You may recall that we wrote about these local VGF Cookies a couple of weeks back, and since then, sales have been brisk! Try a gluten-free muffin or cookie today and see what all the buzz is about!
While we're talking about locally made baked goods, Martha's Delectables Premium Scottish Shortbread has found its way onto our shelves! This Victoria business offers hand-made, hand-cut delectable shortbread in Canadian Maple, Lemon and Traditional flavours! Purchase individual flavours in fancy black-tie gift bags or get three bags of traditional butter shortbread in the hefty, yet resplendent, gift box.
If you're looking for a natural way to balance stress levels, boost resiliancy, energy and vitality then new Ecoideas Organic Raw Maca Powder could be just what you seek. It's a raw blend of yellow, red and black maca, a root grown in the high Andes moluntains of Peru and one that's been consumed for centuries by the Incas. You can take it as a supplement or add it to smoothies, oatmeal or baked goods. Maca is a cruciferous vegetable so it's related to broccoli, cauliflower, cabage and kale. People with thyroid problems are generally advised not to consume maca because it contains goitrogens so do your research and see if maca is ok for you to consume!
With plant-based diets all the rage, people are looking for meatless alternatives that have the taste and texture of actual meat. Ecoideas Organic Jackfruit fits that bill nicely! Jackfruit is a super-duper nutritious tropical fruit that just so happens to make an amazing alternative to meat because it shreds and cooks like chicken or pork! And because it has a neutral taste, much like tofu does, it can be seasoned to however you want it to taste. Pepper's has Ecoideas Spicy BBQ Shreds and Ecoideas Teriyaki Cubes both of which you just heat and eat! Quick and easy meatless meals never tasted so good!
How about this for another meaty meatless snacking option: Giorgio's Savory Wild Portabella Jerky? That's right, it's sliced and marinated portabella mushrooms gently dried in small batches which transforms into flavourful, meaty-textured snacks! Try either Roasted Garlic & Black Pepper or Sesame Ginger & Korean Chili.
Time to get your freekeh on! Premium Green Grains Cracked Greenwheat Freekeh (free-kah) is a tradition cereal grain of the Middle East that has a pleasant, smoky-nutty flavour. It has more minerals and fibre than mature wheat and can be used in whole-grain salads, pilafs, stir-fries, risottos, tabbouleh, and soups or eaten as a hearty hot cereal!
Moving on from wheat now to corn is Que Pasa Organic Volcanic Stone Ground Corn Tortillas. These whole grain, gluten-free tortillas are as just as tasty as the Que Pasa Corn Tortilla Chips that sell like crazy here at Pepper's. Bake yourself one heckuva enchilada or stuff your favourite taco ingedients into one of these tremendous tortilas! Look for them in our frozen foods section.
And hey, if you're going to pick up those Que Pasa Corn Tortilas (or the tortilla chips) you should probably get some Herdez Guacamole Salsa to go along with it! it's the best of both worlds (salsa and guacamole in case you missed that) combined into a savoury dip that has a medium-spicy kick and a creamy texture. Herdez just so happens to be the No. 1 salsa brand in Mexico and there's probably a pretty good reason for that. It's absolutely authentic Mexican flavour in a jar!
Pesto is a popular, Italian condiment that's extremely versatile and tastes amazing. So when Mezzetta Basil Pesto came along, we ordered some immediately! Mezzetta Basil Pesto is pesto, perfected! As per the company website: Made according to the traditional Italian recipe for Pesto alla Genovese, Mezzetta’s Basil Pesto highlights the bright flavor of fresh basil with extra-virgin olive oil, savory Parmesan cheese, rich pine nuts and garlic. Pair with your favorite pasta, grilled meats, fish, roasted vegetables and more!
Chic choc, chic choc. Is that the sound of a clock? No, it's a reminder that it's time for a snack and that snack is called Prana Organic Chic Choc Organic Double Chocolate Crunchy Bites! That's a mouthful to say but it'll be a mouthful of sweet goodness when you start popping these crunchy almond, hazelnut, smooth hazelnut butter, crispy rice and puffed quinoa topped with a generous layer of 62% dark Fairtrade chocolate and a dash of sea salt bites into your mouth! They're full of fibre, full of flavour and may induce felicity!
As far as new items for this week, alas, there are no more. But despair not, for next week will bring more of the latest local and exciting items for your enjoyment! Oh, and be sure to read the very top of our attached flyer to see how you can enter into our Pepper's Pumpkin Carving Contest!
So until next week stay safe and take good care!
Pepper's Foods