It goes without saying that the holidays are a time of gift giving— and that often goes far beyond the friends and family who are inevitably on your shopping list. Whether it’s a small gesture for the hostess of a holiday party you’ve been invited to or a token of appreciation for a colleague, food is always an easy go to gift—who doesn’t like high quality chocolates or cheese? If you’re buying edible gifts this season, do so from a company or brand that supports sustainable practices. Not sure where to start? Read on!
Fair Trade Gift Baskets
Every organic product in these delightful baskets supports small farmers and their communities. Choose from more than 13 varieties, including the Small Farmer Basket, featuring coffee, chocolate bars, and ginger cookies (which are to die for good), and The Good Morning basket, made up of Fair Trade coffee, tea, and more of those aforementioned cookies. And shipping is free through the end of November! Use code freegiftship.
Continue Reading A Sustainable Gift Guide for Foodies »
October is Non-GMO month, but most people probably don’t even know what a GMO is. I didn’t until a few months ago. But once I found out, I knew I didn’t want GMOs anywhere near my food.
A GMO is a Genetically Modified Organism, one that has been created by scientists through genetic engineering. These organisms allow us to manipulate and combine the DNA of different species to form combinations of plants, animals and bacterias that don’t exist naturally. For a more scientific explanation visit the Non-GMO Project’s website. Proponents of GMOs argue that they increase crop production, thereby allowing farmers to feed more people with their harvest, and they reduce the use of herbicides and insecticides. Sounds fantastic right? Well, we’ve all heard the adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” and the GMO controversy is no exception. A growing body of scientific research has not only refuted the aforementioned “benefits” of GMOs but have also found them to be toxic, allergenic and a disruption to our natural ecosystem. Plus GM foods aren’t properly tested for human safety before being sold, according to a fantastic study titled GM Crops: Just the Science.
Continue Reading Saying No to GMOs »
“You’ve got to check out Louis’ Lunch,” my friend Adam said. “They’ve got the worst food in Gainesville.”
Adam’s advice is usually sane, so I took the bait. “And why would that make me want to check it out?”
“Well, you don’t go there for the food. You go for the atmosphere,” he said. “It’s been there for eighty years – they haven’t changed a thing since they opened. And they’re closing next month, so you’ve got to hurry.”
He was right: I had to go. And my husband, Glenn, knew it.
“So…what makes it the worst food in Gainesville?” he asked with trepidation.
“It’s just greasy-spoon diner food,” Adam said.
Continue Reading Elegy to a Bad Hamburger »
When fall rolls around each year, I can’t wait to go apple picking and then bake pies with my bounty. I grew up in New England, where orchards are plentiful, yet the season often comes and goes and nary an apple I have picked. But this year I was determined to make it happen. What better way to know exactly where your food came from then to go out and pick it yourself?
I decided the locale would be Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, Connecticut. It’s a family run farm that’s been in existence since 1741. Not only are the surroundings picturesque but their growing practices are Eco-certified, meaning that they minimize their use of spray, relying on natural occurring controls such as ladybugs and other insects. The orchard is also home to two world-class golf courses (making it a favorite place for my husband to hang out) and the largest indoor farm market, the Apple Barrel, in the state. There’s a bakery inside the Apple Barrel that makes some of the best apple cider doughnuts you’ll ever taste. Their pies aren’t bad either.
But while Lyman’s pies are certainly tasty, I wanted to make my own from scratch, the first time I’ve ever done so.
Continue Reading Apple Picking and Pie Baking »
Before last weekend, my experience with coconut oil was limited to skin care products: moisturizers, suntan lotion and lip balms that called to mind the delicious scents of summer. But over dinner last Saturday, my sister-in-law, Lauren, mentioned that her mom had been reading up on the health benefits of coconut oil and was now substituting it in many of her favorite recipes. This piqued my interest. Who knew coconut oil was for cooking? I mainly use olive oil, and occasionally canola for baking, so I was game for adding a new olio to my repertoire.
When I was at Whole Foods yesterday, I made my way over to the oil aisle. I scanned the shelves, passing over the bottles of safflower, sesame and sunflower oils. Where was coconut? When I got to the bottom shelf I saw a medium sized jar filled with a white substance that looked like marshmallow fluff. The jar was labeled Organic, Unrefined, Expeller Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil. Jackpot! Though I was surprised the oil didn’t look like, well, oil. I bought it, and when I got home a quick Google search turned up tons of information—and recipes—on this intriguing ingredient.
Coconut oil contains more than 90 percent of saturated fats, which is precisely why people shied away from using it.
Continue Reading The Return of Coconut Oil »
When I first moved to New York I loved everything about it—the energy, the opportunity, the ability to get whatever I needed 24/7. The only thing it was lacking in my mind was a decent grocery store. In fact, the first time I walked into a market near my campus, I was struck by the low lighting, the bruised, paltry produce sitting sadly on the shelves and an overall dinginess that seemed to emanate from aisle to aisle. It was so depressing. Where was the well-lit, expansive Stop & Shop I had grown up with? (This was 1996, years before Whole Foods Market would come calling. At that time the higher end stores like Balducci’s or Citarella were way too expensive for my college student budget.) But seeing as I had few options, I made do with what I could. As my years in New York went on, I began to cook more—for my friends, for my boyfriend, for my colleagues—but I judged my ingredients based on how they looked and what they cost—not on how many miles they traveled to get to me.
Then a couple of years ago, I got an assignment to write about a store in Connecticut called The Smithy, which only sold items that were produced within 30 miles of the shop’s doorstep. While I was doing research for the article, which would also delve into the “eat local” movement, I came across some surprising statistics.
Continue Reading I Am What I Eat »
The word sustainability is on so many tongues, with so many associated words… Green, organic, free-range, the list goes on. And some may be wondering for the amount that it is uttered, what is this idea at its core? What is everyone thinking; even more so, what are they trying to say? Let us take this question to the dictionary instead of the greater lexicon of marketing and political talking points. Some state the definition as being capable to withstand or the ability to remain… But what does this mean in terms of food, and its environmental extensions? This topic is beyond vast and has a veritable plethora of thoughts, ideas, and approaches. But in its essence, sustainability is a call to stewardship for our planet – its creatures and plants, water, and life in its multiple forms.
So why is it on our minds? With recent events such as the 2008 release of Food Inc., the current daily pictures of oil leaking in the gulf, the pollutant chemicals used to fertilize crops that wash out to sea, over-fishing and again, the list goes on, sustainability becomes an endless discussion that is often defeated by a greater culture’s unwillingness to change the subconscious needs for the everyday items we so often take for granted. With so many roads leading toward I and away from it, it’s easy to get lost.
Continue Reading Sustainability in Sixty Minutes »
