Tuesday 3 November

We have a winner! Selma A Dahab!

Selma is into her third week of a 30-day challenge of Mission Slimpossible. 

The Slice November issue

November 2015

Two more months to go and 2015 will also go! It has gone by very fast. 

And we are going strong ! Offah, the online store is opening in CityView's mini market. Offah is carrying a selection of our products.  We are happy to announce this new venture to our customers in 6th of October 

We are starting a new thing at Minnies. We are going to attend the Zamalek Market on El Marsafly street on Saturdays, and we will also be at the Nun Centre Farmers market as usual on Saturdays. 

November comes with a number of interesting  events and pre-Christmas bazaars.  so mark your calendars as Minnies is planning to attend:

• the WOW (Women of the World) Bazaar in Maadi on Road 17 at the Tipsy teapot on November 11
• the Asian bazaar at the Conrad on November 14, 
• the AUC RISE even on November 22 at the new campus
• and the usual Nun Centre Farmers Market on every Saturday in November

We are also going to begin a new partnership with Raw Republic, and Offah at its new location in City View, Giza. 

Olive Leaf

      A few weeks ago someone recommended I talk to Mrs Eglal because she grows organic vegetables. And since I am always on the look out for reliable sources for organic products, I got in touch with her. It turns out that she is school friend whom I havent seen in years and now in this phase of her life she has become a farmer aOlive nd  she grows organic/safe agriculture vegetables. We agreed that she will supply Minnies with her vegetables once the are available. So that was a good lead.

      Then the conversation moved to olive trees and drying olives, and I said I had done that a couple of years ago. Then Mrs Eglal asked me if I would be interested in drying olive leaves or if I had tasted olive leaf tea. I told her that in fact I had tasted the tea last year when a friend started promoting olive leaf tea, but hadnt considered that as an option for drying. She sent me a bottle of her tea and I loved it.  So, in my quest to not waste any good food source,  I decided to dry the leaves for her and to market them with Minnies products. So beginning October we will have olive leaves.

Why Olive Leaves? Why not?

Olive trees have been around for millenia, their leaves were used medicinally in Ancient Egypt, then revived in the 19th century and most recently were used to treat malaria.

Modern day research suggests that olive leaves contain phenols that are anti-oxidants; oleuropein a substance that helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, contain an anti-viral compound, are astringent and antiseptic.

So yes, why not?

Here are some references for your reading. And in the meantime we are drying and selling Mrs. Eglal's olive leaves. 

References: http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-olive-leaf.htm
http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/health-benefits-of-olive-leaf-extract/

October 2015

Welcome to this month's edition of The Slice.

Heads up and mark your calendars! Minnies Dried Fruits & Vegetables will be attending the following events:

October 3:  Nun Center Farmer's market, at 4 Shafik Mansour St. in Zamalek, from 10-2pm

October 10:  Mahragan El Nakheel  at Fagnoon

October 14: Farmer's Market at Arkan Mall in 6th of October city from 2pm -9pm

October 14: Look for the banner in the facebook group called Real Foods and Nourishing                      Traditions

October 17: Nun Center Farmer's market, at 4 Shafik Mansour St. in Zamalek, from 10-2pm

October 24:  Ko7l e-magazine will be writing articles about our products and posting                            recipes using our very own dried vegetables and dried soup mix

More to come later in The Slice 

September  2015

DATE Season in EGYPT

      The farmers have built the corn stalk enclosures where they will spread  the dates until they ripen. And  they have climbed the date palms with their round trays and gathered their bounty. 

      The red 7amrawi were taken down and carted to markets immediately followed by the yellow seewee which are collected, cut from their branches and spread  on the ground and allowed to ripen and dry for a few days. The drying dates make for a very colorful pattern when seen from above. 

Photo courtesy of Google 

      People at home are busy making date jam with the samanee variety- the yellow fat date with a pink cheek. They spend hours peeling, cooking, pitting, stuffing with cloves and almonds and canning; a long and tedious process that is crowned with one of the most favorite Egyptian jams .

      This year, I decided to do things differently. We dried many kilos of our dates which are grown under safe agriculture measures, making them one of the safest dates to eat. I also turned a portion of my date crop into raw date paste to use as a sweetener later on in winter. Then I used my mother's recipe to make a date delight that isnt quite a jam, but is sweet and creamy with pieces of dates swimming in a date sauce. It is best when served cold with fresh cream or piled on toast or dry bread.  I will be taking my new products to the annual DATE FESTIVAL at Fagnoon on October 10. Come by and taste! 

bil hana

EGGPLANT

Minnie's Dried Fruits & Vegetables grows eggplant in Dahshour under safe agriculture practices. We use our own compost, made from left over peelings of fruits and vegetables that we dry and we fertilize using our Bokashi tea and mix.  To extend the shelf life of our crop and to offer a great vegetable to you, we slice the eggplant and dry it. 

Why eggplant?

Because:

Eggplant, which Is a  member of the nightshade family of vegetables, is not only delicious, but it is a wonderful substitute for meat in most dishes, as it has a toothsome, chewy texture plus all these nutritional benefits - it:  

1. Is a low-calorie food
2. Provides fiber, potassium, manganese and vitamins B1, B6 and folate
3. Is a good source of phytonutrients and flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties and help neutralize free radicals, which in turn lessens oxidative damage to cells

Please refer to the full article by Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP05682/3-Reasons-to-Eat-More-Eggplant.html


How do I use dry eggplant?

munch on it as a snack, it is good
substitute for bread used in dips such as yogurt, cucumber and yogurt, tahina etc..
make lasagna with it, look for our recipe under Recipes tab
add to a medley of vegetables and cook in fresh tomato sauce

or you can come up with your own recipe and share it with us here.

The Slice 

September 2015

Welcome September! The month of Dates! 

If you are driving around the country side in Egypt, you will notice that the palm trees are heavy with their bounty, and that the dates are changing color as they are maturing on the tree. It is a sight to behold!

Dahshour is famous for its date palm groves and for the variety of dates growing there:  the yellow 'sewee' that turns brown when ripe, the red 'hamrawyee' that turns almost black, the 'samanee' with its pink cheek that turns a golden brown, and of course the small and very sweet brown 'amhaat'.   Already the peasants have gathered the dried corn stalks from their fields and have begun to build the enclosures where the dates will be spread on the ground to dry. 

And we at Minnie's are ready to dry our very own 'samanee' dates in our solar tunnel shielded from the elements of nature. We are also gearing up to making date paste to use as sugar substitute in our famous biscottis. If successful, I  think we will have to change their name as the ingredients have shifted from being biscottis. I will keep you posted on the results.

Minnie's Egyptian do'a

We make our own do'a following an old Egyptian recipe handed down from my mother.  It is different from the various do'a we see on the market today that are made essentially from thyme-zaatar. 

The traditional Egyptian do'a is made from apricot kernels, coriander seeds, and sesame seeds, lightly roasted to bring out their flavors and then ground and mixed. We add a little sea salt to the mix and you may choose to add hot pepper-chili to it if you like.

The coriander and the sesame are grown on our premises following safe agriculture practices. In other words we do not use pesticides and do not spray our plants. We use our own compost and natural animal fertilizers. 

People are sometimes leery when they hear that we use apricot kernels. I am posting this link to reassure you about these kernels and to encourage to taste this wonderful condiment.

http://fitlife.tv/apricot-kernels-a-cancer-fighting-superfood-original/

August 2015

This year, August is especially hot and humid. We are witnessing temperatures that I have not seen in my lifetime: 52C and even higher! The heat wave is no longer a wave, it has settled in for the entire month. What is happening? We at Minnie's have had to suspend work for a few days as the temperatures soar above 50C. I recall stopping for a few days in winter too because of inclement weather. But I guess this is the price to pay when we rely and work with just the weather to bring you clean solar dried unprocessed food.

Everything is suffering under this hot sky. The green parakeets, the pigeons and doves have all retired to cooler places, the plants are wilting under the oppressive heat and humidity, the schefflera's leaves are dry and brown, the fruit arent ripening on time although the temperature exceeds its norms. The water in the canals and hoses is too hot to use, the land is too hot to work, and the nights bring no relief from this heat. It is hotter in Egypt than in Muscat Oman!

Nonetheless, we do have three new items this month: the pears have finally come in and are drying nicely. Earlier this month, we have dried a few batches of Agami figs. We stopped now though because their natural sweetness with that intense heat caramelized our last batch. It tastes really good, but it has turned very dark.  The raisins are going to be great this year, as we dried seedless red and green grapes. And as soon as the heat lets up, we will start with the mango. 

So click on the Price List tab and see what is available now and enjoy Minnies Dried Fruits at the Sahel on the beach or at home . And dont forget to add our soup mix to your favorite tomato sauce and salad dressing this summer.

Bil Hana

June 2015

Welcome to the June edition of The Slice, Minnie's Dried Fruits & Vegetables monthly newsletter.

Already into the sixth month of the year! And already the middle of the month or almost! 

So what is new in June? 

The Egyptian apple, Ana, is back in season and we have begun to dry them again.  Ana, a locally grown apple, has a very short season. So we are hurrying to stock up on this great seller.  Ana has a blushing cheek and is a little more tart than a yellow apple. We cut it in a crescent shape to differentiate it from the yellow or red apple rounds.

Plums when dried are called prunes. We are filling our stockroom with the Hollywood variety.

Watermelon  juicy and red.  We are beginning the drying process early this year, hoping for a good season.

Eggplant is also coming in and soon we will be drying our homegrown eggplant. We are going to try the long white variety as well which a friend of ours is growing. I think it will be just as nice as the round black/purple one.

Linseed was harvested a few weeks ago and is now available in 75g boxes.

Mint, all 3 varieties,  is growing very well on our property. We know that you all dry your own mint, but for those of you who dont, you will find that this summer mint is fragrant and delicious in tea or in flavor water.

Many of you have asked us to cut our soup mix vegetables into bigger pieces. We listened and we now have a coarser soup mix for you to try. The ingredients are still the same: zucchini, carrots, onions, kale, celery, thyme, oregano and parsley, all of which are grown on our premises.

So click on the tab "Products & Price List" to see what is ready for you now. 

And as always, bil hana! 

May 2015

Welcome to May's edition of The Slice, Minnie's Dried Fruits & Vegetables newsletter.

This month we are focusing on drying peaches and nectarines. We are sourcing  our fruit from an orchard in Sadat City which exports its fruit to England and we are guaranteed the export quality of their fruit. We are expecting to have dried peaches and nectarines available by mid- May.

Papaya is also coming into season and we are looking for a reliable source. I met a lovely young lady at the CSA Food Fest in April and she promised to provide the papaya from her trees. Dried papaya is delicious, almost like mango. So we hope to have a steady supply.

We are on our last batch of drying balaika bananas. Our stock is not as large as usual this year due to adverse weather conditions this past winter that has affected the banana supply. But we think our stock will last until October when the new banana season will begin.

We have stocked up on white sweet onions  to dry this month as well. These onions are delicious in soups, salads and in making 'koshari' and 'keshk' too. Of course they go into our soup mix which is really more of a dried vegetable mix. Minnie's soup mix is made of zucchini and celery bought from the farmer next door, so we trust the source, carrots, kale, thyme, marjoram from our garden. You can add a tablespoon or two to any tomato based sauce, this will enhance the flavor and thicken the sauce a little, and your kids or grandkids will have the benefit of some vegetables.

As to where will we be during the month of May?  Well we will be at Nun Farmer's Market on May 2 and May 23. Then at Arkan Mall on May 30. So if you are in the neighborhood, come by and say hello. Would love to see you!

April 2015

It is already almost mid-April and I have not posted anything yet. Although we have some great news to share.  

Sunny Supermarket in Zamalek on Aziz Othman street is now carrying Minnie's Dried Fruits & Vegetables full line of products-or almost full. Our products are on display in a special stand by the green grocery section and of course you can benefit from Sunny's delivery option . Stop by or order for home delivery.

Please take a look at our products list by clicking on the appropriate tab. You will found out what is available now. 

March 2015

MARKET NEWS: you can find Minnie's products at the following:

 1- EVENTS:

NUN CENTER FARMER'S MARKET: Saturday 7 March, 21 March

ZAMALEK FISH GARDEN VINTAGE AND FARMER'S MARKET: Saturday 14 March

ARKAN MALL HEALTHY LIVING FARMERS MARKET: Saturday 28 March

2- STORES:

AT THE SPACE: in Maadi at #3 on Road 16, off of Road 87
MA7ALLI: in Maadi on Road 11 near Sakanat

BIOSHOP: in Degla on Road 231 behind CRAVE restaurant

FLOCHI CLINIC: in Degla on Road 213, past CAC

BIOSHOP: in Zamalek on Ahmed Sabry st.

NUN CENTER : in Zamalek at 4 Shafik Mansour St, behind the Norwegian Embassy

GOURMET WADI FOODS: in Heliopolis at 47 Bahgdad St, near Beyrouth Hotel.

February 2015

FRUIT NEWS: Since January the weather has not been cooperating with us. Too cold, too cloudy, not warm enough. Since we rely solely on the sun to dry our products, all this is hampering the drying process and keeping us from producing the quantities we want.

Nonetheless, we have a stock of mandarines, this beautiful citrus fruit that is a cousin of the tangerine, only its skin is stuck to the segments of fruit.  We cut it with the skin and it dries to a beautiful orange color and the flavor is special. Eat it right out of the box, dip a slice or two in your tea or cut a slice into quarters and add it to your green salad...oh what a treat!

We are also working on producing dry harankash-cape gooseberry, but that is taking a long time to dry and so our supply is very limited for the moment. Dried harankash is a great substitute for dried cherries which are all gone for now. 

Balaika bananas are also on the dryer, and here again our supply is limited. But we hope that in the coming weeks we will increase our supply.

PHOTO NEWS: Last month we engaged a professional photographer, Mr. Tarek Abdel Barry, who spent hours composing and photographing our products. We thank him for the wonderful job he has done and we will post his pictures in our photo gallery, on our facebook page and group.  

Please send us your comments when you see the pictures.

MARKET NEWS: you can find MMiinie's products at the following events and stores:

NUN CENTER FARMER'S MARKET: SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY

ARKAN MALL HEALTHY LIVING FARMERS MARKET: SATURDAY 28TH FEBRUARY

MA7ALLI: IN MAADI ON ROAD 11

BIOSHOP: IN DEGLA ON ROAD 231 

FLOCHI CLINIC: IN DEGLA ON ROAD 213

BIOSHOP: IN ZAMALEK ON AHMED SABRY STR.

NUN CENTER : IN ZAMALEK ON SHAFIK MANSOUR STR.

OFFAH.COM ON LINE

NGS.COM ON LINE

GOURMET WADI FOODS: IN HELIOPOLIS ON BAGHDAD STR.

January 2015

December 31 2014. Here and gone!

It seems that January 1, 2014 was just yesterday. And here we are poised to flip the calendar page to January 1, 2015!! A lot happened in 2014. We have all had our shares of ups and downs.

Most importantly though, is that you all have helped Minnie's Dried Fruits & Vegetables to grow. Thank you very much. We really appreciate your support in all its shapes and forms.

Continue to be part of growth and our lives. We like it very much.

Thank you!