Foods, Wine and Family

Fruits and Vegetables

Tomatoes are healthier if cooked. Tomatoes help reduce the risk of certain cancers. Tomatoes are Spolar’s specialty.

Onions may make you cry. Remember to cry out thank you. Onion antioxidants often slow cell tissue damage by catching free radicals. Onions help reduce blood clots, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Nuts a Super food.

Walnuts are mostly good fat and are rich in Omega-3 oil. Although peanuts aren’t bad for us, a Harvard study showed almonds, walnuts or macadamia nuts depresses high cholesterol 10% if we eat 2-3 ounces daily.

The art of canning broccoli…

The broccoli plant became the “arm” or “branch” of the garden. Broccoli means, “little sprouts” in Italian. Broccoli reduces some forms of cancer, is high in antioxidants, and packed full of nutrients. We picked and canned broccoli florets. Broccoli had a way of teaching us insect control. We hand picked cabbage loppers, diamond back moth larvae, beetles, maggots, aphids, and all types of worms, daily. We learned that broccoli was one veggie that took guts to grow.

On Spolars Acres we’ve grown just about everything.

Finger Foods

Even as an adult we seem to enjoy finger foods which is a reflection of when we could get away with putting our fingers in our mouth. A child becomes fond of fruits and veggies because of the bright colors, the crispness, and because they relate to cookouts, which corn on the cob and watermelon are served.

Spolar’s Red Wine

When serving wine the best choice is red which has the highest antioxidants. Spolar’s made elderberry and grape wine for years. We would put our children in the back of the pickup truck; seat belts didn’t exist. We’d ride the hills of Eastern Pennsylvania, up and down the dirt roads in search of the dark red berries and grapevines.

Usually an old run down abandon farm would supply enough crops for 18 gallons. The wine was used for many of our celebrations.

Pop a berry in your mouth.

Unfortunately, strawberries were something I was allergic to. Maybe it was from picking and eating so many of them from Papa Joe’s strawberry patch.

I learned that these luscious berries grow wild and are a gift to us from nature.

Family Traditions

Family recipes get passed down over generations. Usually these dishes are not created because they’re healthy. They are established as a ritual. The Spolar family has many traditions. Perogies is one such custom we make once a year around the Christmas season.