Late July Organic Snacks

Cookies for Santa!

  Watching Unwrapped the other night I was surprised to learn that Oreos are the most popular cookies left out for Santa!  So the boys and I, along with some of our facebook fans, were thinking maybe Santa would like something organic this year.  

Hope everyone is having a holiday season filled with peace, love and joy!  See you in 2010!

Organic Vanilla - Food for thought while you bake this holiday season.

I wait all year for the first weekend in December to make my first batch of holiday cookies.  Now my youngest son, and sometimes my oldest will bake with me.  Everyone's favorite part is always adding the vanilla extract.  I've always been obsessed with vanilla and it seems I've passed it on because the vanilla is the only part the boys will fight over.  This obsession meant I had to get the vanilla for our Vanilla Bean with Green Tea cookies just right. 

Vanilla, grown from a beautiful orchid, is one of the most complex flavors in the world containing over 150 aromatic components.  It also has to be hand pollinated and the pods must be hand harvested which accounts for the high cost. Every pod is examined daily to determine when it's ready to harvest because they ripen individually.  Each vanilla region has a distinct flavor and after sampling all the vanillas, I concluded that Madagascar was my favorite for its rich, less smokey flavor.  My testing also reaffirmed my love for the seeds which we ultimately included in Late July's blend. 

In the end, I found a supplier even more passionate about vanilla than I am, Lemur International.  Not only did their vanilla have the best flavor, but their commitment to sustainability and giving back to the growers at the farming cooperative in Madagascar was impressive.

I consider it a great honor to make food for other people, whether it's holiday cookies with my sons or on a larger scale through Late July and the ingredients that go into both are what make the end result special.  Every ingredient has a story and I'm always willing to share ours.  If you're ever curious about any of our other ingredients just email us.  Happy baking!  

WIN a signed copy of Dr. Jane Goodall's New Book!

I've tried to raise my sons to have a strong bond with animals and nature and to treat all living things with respect.  This is one of the reasons we were so excited to work with Dr. Jane Goodall and decided to donate profits from our new mini cookies to her institute.  Late July worked with Dr. Goodall to choose seven animals for our new cookies out of the many wonderful stories of hope in her new book. Through this experience we learned that the efforts of just one person can sometimes be enough to save an entire species. After much deliberation we selected the red wolf, leatherback sea turtle, chimpanzee, Sumatran rhino, giant panda, pygmy rabbit and the black footed ferret - all of which have been brought back from the brink of extinction through the efforts of dedicated individuals like Dr. Goodall. 

 

We have always believed that giving back needs to be a central part of Late July and doing this project with the Jane Goodall Institute has allowed us to support a long time personal hero of mine.  We are currently looking for other individuals like Dr. Goodall with charitable organizations to work with for our next new products and would love to hear your suggestions! 

For a chance to win a signed copy of Hope For The Animals, email us at offers@latejuly.com or post a comment on our facebook page describing a person or an organization you think we should consider and why.  Please put "Late July should support" in the subject line or comment. One entry will win the book, but all entries will receive Late July coupons (be sure to include your mailing address in the email). Deadline is October 31st.

"These delightful cookies are delicious, and they're making a difference!  Each day, with every choice you make, you can make a difference too-even when you're at the local market. These cookies will not only educate parents and children about endangered species, but they'll help the Institute continue its critical work." -Dr. Jane Goodall

Back to School 2009!

It's official, my family was on time every day for the 1st week of school.  I'd like to think it was my careful planning that made it possible, but I think it was more likely the fact that both sons were so excited they were waiting by the door 15 minutes early each day!  On the lunch box front, I thought I'd share their top lunch box favorites from week one.  Please tell us your success stories too, as a busy mom I could use the help.  I usually start to run out of creative ideas by week 3!    Share your ideas in a comment at latejuly.com or on our facebook page.  Our favorite will get a free Late July lunch bag filled with snacks and a coupon for a box of free mini cookies! 

1.  Homemade banana muffins - I baked a batch on Sunday and packed them as their snack Mon & Tues.

2.  Late July Mini Sandwich Cookies - Milk Chocolate Variety.  These are my youngest son's favorite!

3.  Oatmeal Bread Italians - Rudy's Organic Oatmeal Bread, Applegate Organic Ham, Organic Valley Cheese, Cascadian Farms Pickles, Bionatura Olive Oil, Spectrum Red Wine Vinegar & a dash of Simply Organic Garlic Salt.  For my preschooler (not my 1st grader!) I used a cookie cutter to make a car shape.   

4.  Either an Organic Valley String Cheese or Stonyfield Yogurt Tube each day.  Tip from our friends at Stonyfield: freeze the yogurt tube overnight and let it thaw in the lunchbox! 

5.  Late July Rich Crackers, Mini Apple Slices and Organic Sunbutter in a little container.

6.  Cucumber Sushi Rolls - The cucumbers were from our garden!  I made these for dinner the night before. 

Hope everyone's school year is off to a great start!

Proudly Introducing!!! Organic Mini Whole Grain Sandwich Cookies!!!

 

 

My two young sons and I created these new mini cookies together.  I wanted them to have whole grains and calcium and they wanted them to help animals!  I've tried to raise my sons to have a strong bond with animals and nature and to treat all living things with respect.  Continuing to nurture this bond is why we decided to feature endangered animals on our new cookies, why we're donating 10% of profits to the Jane Goodall Institute and why we only produce USDA certified organic products. 

 

We hope you enjoy our deliciously Good cookies:

Good Source of Whole Grains (8g per serving)! 

Good Source of Calcium (10% DV)!

Good for the Earth - Organic!

"Good For All" Seal - Dr. Jane Goodall's seal for ethically produced products!

 

Our new cookies will begin appearing on store shelves over the next few weeks.  Be sure to beg your local store to order them!  Also, we will be posting more about our amazing partner, The Jane Goodall Institute, their Roots & Shoots program and information about each of the endangered animals on our cookies so check back.

 

To learn more about our ingredients or to see the nutrition facts click here to download an information sheet or call 888-85-SNACK. 

 

All Late July's products are 100% safe and our peanut butter is NOT affected by the recall. - INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS

Our peanut butter is made by Sunland, Inc and is unequivocally NOT involved in the recall. 

Late July has extremely strict criteria for taste, organic compliance and food safety when finding a new supplier.  We require certificates of analysis from an outside lab, facility audits, customer references and the ability to personally inspect their facility.  As a small, family company we take our responsibility of making food for other families very seriously and must feel satisfied that each supplier we work with meets our criteria. 

When we were first looking for peanut butter there were very few certified organic suppliers of peanut butter that met our criteria.  Also, despite the higher cost, we demanded that our supplier guarantee that they would never use peanuts from China.  We were not comfortable with sourcing organic ingredients from China because of our concerns about both food safety and organic compliance (and this was before all of the recent Chinese food manufacturing problems).  Finally, we found Sunland, Inc.  They are certified USDA organic, kosher, do not source peanuts from China and their testing methods exceed FDA requirements.   Additionally, they make delicious, award-winning peanut butter.

Sunland, Inc.is based in Portales, New Mexico and was formed in 1988 by a group of peanut farmers.  They process all their peanut butter at their own facility.  For over 20 years they have been growing and manufacturing delicious peanut butter to supply direct to consumers and to manufacturers like Late July.  We are very proud to have Sunland as an ingredient partner.  If you have any additional questions about Sunland or our peanut butter, please don't hesitate to ask. 

For an up to date list of products and companies included in the recall visit the FDA's website.

For an up to date list of products and companies NOT included in the recall visit the American Peanut Council's website.

Late July's Products are NOT part of the recall - INFORMATION FOR RETAILERS.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website to learn more about Late July and our peanut butter products.  We have prepared some information that you can share with your customers to assure them that Late July's products are 100% safe to eat.  Please let us know if you would prefer to have these files emailed or sent to you. 

Here is a shelf tag that you can place on or near our product.

Download Safe PB shelf talker  

Here is a copy of an informational flyer for consumers, retailers and distributors.  

Download Late July's Peanut Butter is NOT affected by the recall - Bullet Points

Here is a copy of the letter from Sunland, Inc., our exclusive peanut butter supplier.

Download Letter from Sunland CEO & President 011909

Late July's Ingredients - The Highest Standard

Every time I look at my two children I think about what an honor it is for people to give our snacks to their children.  That is why my family and I have decided to be as transparent as possible about the ingredients we use in our products.  My family's over 25 years of experience in the food industry has given us incredible insight and we think everyone has a right to know exactly where their food is coming from.  Once a month we will choose an ingredient to spotlight and describe in detail where it comes from and how it's made. 

"Eat This, Not That" Author a Genius

The author of Eat This Not That, David Zinczenko  recommends better choices when eating.  When choosing Late July cookies over other leading brands you can save up to 10 pounds of potential weight gain every year!  And our cookies have antioxidants and whole grains.  This guy is clearly a genius.  He talked about us recently on Fox and Friends.

Warm Up With Easy Alphabet Soup and Late July Saltine Crackers!

It was so cold yesterday that my car doors were frozen shut in the morning and last night my oldest son said he was too cold to have anything other than soup for dinner.  It seemed like the perfect night to make my favorite alphabet soup recipe.  It warmed us right up.  Please note: the fresh rosemary gives it a lot of flavor pretty quickly so keep checking until it's to your taste.   

Easy Organic Italian Alphabet Soup & Late July Crackers

All ingredients available organically except salt and pepper

1 1/2 C Organic Alphabet Pasta  (I use Trader Joes)              

3-4 Tbsp Organic Olive Oil                            

2 Organic Carrots – sliced                  

4 Organic Garlic Cloves – sliced thin        

1 Organic Onion Diced                                

2 Organic Celery Stalks Sliced              

1 large Organic Rosemary Sprig       

28oz Organic Whole Tomatoes Mashed

6 C Organic Chicken Broth

Organic Parmesan Cheese              

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Organic Pepper        

Late July Organic Classic Saltines

 

Cook Alphabet Pasta until al dente and set aside

 

1. In a large pot combine oilve oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and 2 cups of chicken brith. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add fresh rosemary.

4. Add pasta and remaining broth, remove rosemary.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve with parmesan cheese and Late July Classic Saltines.