HEALTH COACH TALKS With Mila Maximets, Solberry Seabuckthorn

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It is exciting that you use locally grown seabuckthorn berries for your products. HEALTH COACH recommends superfood super nutrients, organic, and locally grown food. Your product is a triple winner!

Mila + Seabuckthorn

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Mila Maximets. I am president and CEO of Solberry. Solberry is a Manitoba company that is working with prairie seabuckthorn growers to provide consumers with nutritious Canadian grown seabuckthorn products. One of Solberry's products, Seabuckthorn Puree (a single ingredient Canadian functional food), is gaining market acceptance at a rapid pace, garnering 2 awards: 2012 MFPA Best New Product, and 1st prize in Innovative Manitoba, 2012. Solberry is engaged in research and development for additional seabuckthorn products.

Mila with producer Angela Dueck

1. Tell us why seabuckthorn is important.

Seabuckthorn is a plant that is good for people as well as the environment. It is a nitrogen-fixing shrub with many uses, including environmental management, and as an economic resource for food, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. The extensive root system of seabuckthorn can prevent erosion on slopes and in unprotected areas. Seabuckthorn can thrive in and enrich marginal soils which makes it valuable in land stabilization and reclamation. 

Almost all of the parts of the seabuckthorn plant (fruit, leaves, and bark) have uses as food, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, body care, and beauty products due to their high content of essential bioactive components. The fruit (including the seeds) contain omega 3, 6, 7, and 9 essential fatty acids, vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B5, B9, B12, D, P and K, a full spectrum of antioxidants, and minerals including iron, calcium, and magnesium. The oils of seabuckthorn have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging benefits, and aid in the treatment of skin disorders, wounds and burns. Seabuckthorn supports cardiovascular and digestive health, and help to prevent heart disease and some cancers.

2. What led to your starting a business devoted to seabuckthorn? 

In Russia, my grandmother would give me a spoonful of seabuckthorn everyday for the nutrients that were needed to grow and stay healthy. We used seabuckthorn oil to treat wounds and burns.  Fitness and a healthy lifestyle have always been a big part of my life. 

After coming to Canada I started making my own natural skin care products using imported seabuckthorn that I shared with friends. They encouraged me to retail my products. It was at a lifestyle trade show that I was told about Manitoba produced seabuckthorn. The growers had orchards but no market for their berries. My company grew new legs overnight.

3. Please tell us about your products. Share with us how you use your products. 

Our product is natural, pure, and contains no additives, or water. At peak harvest we trim the branches, and manually separate and freeze the berries. We store the frozen berries until we process them. This ensures that the product does not lose nutritional value, taste, or colour. Our puree contains more than 200 bio-available nutrients including Omega 3, 6, 9,  amino acid, caratenoids, plant sterols, and seratonin.

Editor's note: Sea-buckthorn berries are edible and nutritious, though astringent and oily, unpleasant to eat raw, unless bletted: frosted to reduce the astringency.

Our tea is nutritious and flavourful. Seabuckthorn leaf has a high content of  antioxidants, flavonoids, and polyphenols, catchechins, amino acids, and dietary minerals. 

How to enjoy Solberry Seabuckthorn 

Chill Solberry seabuckthorn puree before use. You only need a tablespoonful a day to realize full benefits. Solberry puree can also be added to many recipes. 

Drinks 

Seabuckthorn puree ia a great super nutrient  addition to smoothies, yogurt, or protein shakes. Add a tablespoon for a flavour and nutrient boost. 

Confectionary 

Try adding seabuckthorn puree to baking and as a dessert topping. 

Food Preparation 

Seabuckthorn is an exciting ingredient to add to savoury or sweet sauces and other simple or gourmet recipes. More Seabuckthorn Recipes 

4. Do you have healthy habits? 

I practice yoga, pilates, cycling, and resistance training. I love cooking. 

5. What's next for Solberry? 

The future for Solberry is bright orange! At the end of 2013 Solberry will have two new products:

• Ready to drink beverage that will have simple ingredients and will offer the benefits of seabuckthorn in a single serving.
• Nutrition bar that will be a source of antioxidants, a balance of protein, fiber, and a spectrum of omega essential fatty acids. Both products will contain mostly Manitoba ingredients.

Wild Lake Trout, Seabuckthorn, Wild Watercress and Seaweed Butter

480g wild lake trout, skin off
20 sea buckthorn berries

50 g granulated sugar
50ml water
20g Atlantic Nori Flakes
100ml chicken glaze
240g unsalted butter, diced
½ lemon, juice and zest
75g wild watercress or 1 package hydro-cress
Fleur de sel

Cut the fish into 4, 120g portions. Vacuum seal with fleur de sel, lemon zest and 40g of unsalted butter and cook the fish sous vide (in a temperature regulated water bath) at 113F for 25 minutes.

To make the simple syrup, combine the sugar and water and warm until the sugar dissolves. Allow the syrup to cool before adding the berries. This needs to be done at least one day prior to serving the dish.

While the fish is cooking warm the chicken glaze through and whisk in your butter off the heat. Keep in a warm place until needed. Wash your wild greens and dry gently on paper towel. If you are using hydro-cress simply snip and store on damp paper towel, they are too delicate to wash.

When the fish is ready, remove it from the bag onto a drip tray or absorbent paper to drain. Be sure to remove and discard the lemon zest.

To Serve: Add the nori and lemon juice to the chicken glaze and butter. Season with a pinch of fleur de sel and warm gently, be sure not to let it come to a simmer or your emulsion will break.

In 4 wide coupes, that have previously been warmed, break each piece of fish and lean one half against the other. Cover each piece of fish with the sea weed butter, 1.5 to 2 tbsp for each dish. Place 5 of the berries, drained of their syrup, on and around the fish. Top with a scattering of the watercress and serve immediately. 
From Recipes.ca

Gravadlax Marinated With Seabuckthorn Berries

500g of premium quality salmon fillet
1 T sea salt
1/2 T fine sugar
1/2 t black or white pepper

2 T of fresh dill

Clear the salmon fillet of any fishbones. Place the fish skin side down in a plastic or glass dish. Mix salt, sugar and pepper and rub the mixture on the fish. Place the dill on top.

Place the fish in the fridge with a lid on (to prevent any smell) and let it marinate for 1 day or at least overnight.

Slice the fish into thin slices and serve with fresh salad greens, dark bread or boiled potatoes. From Scandanavian Food 

Winter Fruit Salad 
with Sea Buckthorn Dressing

4 large clementines
4 apples (or easily pears)
4 bananas
4 T fresh sea buckthorn
4 T walnuts
4 T fresh sea buckthorn juice
1 T fresh ginger root juice
4 T honey (buckwheat or chestnut recommended)
ground cinnamon to taste

Salad: Peel the clementines, break into segments and remove the white pith and seeds; cut the applies into thin segments, slice the bananas, and quarter the whole walnuts. Tip: you may want to have your clementines and applies chilled and bananas at room temperature - this would give a nice play of textures on your tongue - crunchy and soft, warm and cold.

Dressing: Squeeze juice of the sea buckthorn by placing them in a sieve and pressing them with a wooden spoon so the juice comes in a bowl you will place under the sieve. Grate the ginger root and squeeze juice out of it with your hand. Mix in the the two juices, add honey and cinnamon and mix well. Tip: if the honey is not liquid enough you can still mix it in with more patience and effort - the acid in the juices will eventually dissolve honey.

Mix the fruits with the sauce, cover, shake well for a few seconds - and enjoy! From: My Conscious Eating 

LINKS To Solberry:

Solberry Seabuckthorn Facebook

Seabuckthorn by Svetlana Melik-Nubarova

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