Why Are Nuts Good for Your Heart?

Heart Healthy Snack Foods with Almonds

Here at Maisie Jane’s we like to say that almonds and other nuts are part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Studies have shown that just a 1 oz increase in intake of almonds per day led to a 3.5 percent reduction in the estimated 10-year risk of heart disease. But WHY are nuts good for your heart? […]

Posted on September 11th, 2018

Quotes About Farming and Farm Life

Quote About Farming

Farming is hard work, good work, important work. Today’s blog post is a celebration of farming and what we love about it. “This land pulses with life. It breathes in me; it breathes around me; it breathes in spite of me. When I walk on this land, I am walking on the heartbeat of the […]

Posted on September 6th, 2018

Creamy Vegan Almond Pesto and Ways to Use it

Vegan Almond Pesto

It’s almond pesto season! Well, it has been for awhile but I just woke up to the fact that I’ve been missing out on one of my favorite things to eat in the summer and there’s still time to remedy that! If you have a nice crop of basil or spinach threatening to go to […]

Posted on September 4th, 2018

The Wonderful Weird and Delicious Cashew

  The first time I saw a cashew growing in a garden beside the side of a road in Hawaii, I stopped dead in my tracks. “What on Earth is that crazy looking thing?!!!” There on a very handsome looking tree were bright red and yellow bell-shaped fruits with a bulging curved “bell clapper” like […]

Posted on August 30th, 2018

What Would Happen If We Lost the Bees

Bee Stressors

This morning as I sat eating breakfast next to a wonderful Crepe Myrtle tree in full flower and buzzing with bees, I realized that a person could find it hard to believe that bees might be an endangered species. After all, I reported here myself last March about how Colony Collapse Disorder in honey bees […]

Posted on August 28th, 2018

It’s Almond Harvest Season at Maisie Jane’s

Shaking the Almond Trees

We’re so excited—it’s almond harvest season! And that means shaking the trees with our mechanical tree shakers – and kids having fun in the orchard while they fall all around. And the fun (and hard work) has only just begun. After the nuts are all on the ground, a sweeper will come through and sweep […]

Posted on August 23rd, 2018

Sweet Potato Fries with Spicy Almond Butter Dip

Sweet Potato Fries with Spicy Almond Butter Dip

Almost everyone loves french fries but have you tried sweet potato fries? They’re my new favorite! First, they’re so delicious! That mildly sweet taste blends so well with salt and other spices that they’re a real treat to eat and lots of fun. But guess what? If you’re a diabetic or trying to eat lower […]

Posted on August 21st, 2018

Saturday is National Honey Bee Day!

Honey Orange-Glazed Almonds

Saturday, August 18th is National Honey Bee Day! Honey bees are the almond grower’s best friend so we need to celebrate! We bring honey bees into our almond orchards every year because every almond you eat exists only because some sweet bee pollinated an almond blossom. And the bees benefit, too! Almond blossom nectar provides […]

Posted on August 17th, 2018

Is Organic Food Really Better for You?

Organic Orchard

There once was a time when organic food was the same as “food.” Nowadays, the label “organic” is a special one. It requires USDA certification and strict adherence to not only sustainable organic farming practices but also regulates how a product is produced and stored. Products labeled “100% Organic” cannot be made or allowed to […]

Posted on August 9th, 2018

Frozen Almond Butter and Gingersnap Crust Pie

Frozen Almond Butter Pie

Did you know that Maisie Jane’s sells the best homemade pies in town? Yes! Auntie’s Almond Butter Pie, Chocolate Hazelnut Creme Pie, Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake and three different kinds of ice cream pie. (My favorite is the Java Crunch.) If you live near Chico, CA come on by our sweet little country store at 1324 Dayton […]

Posted on August 7th, 2018