On a trip to the high desert community of Joshua Tree, Calif., I was happy to see a Saturday morning farmers’ market in the middle of town, where there hadn’t been one on my last visit a few years before.

As I perused the well-stocked stalls of apricots, strawberries, cherries, greens, potatoes, eggs, and all the other goodies that are in season here in Northern California as well, I wondered how far the farmers had driven. I talked to a few and found that most farm less than an hour away. Turns out there are farms in the valleys between mountain ranges even in these dry desert communities. And, in places called Banning, Victorville, and Lucerne Valley they grow truly luscious stone fruits (including the hard-to-find Blenheim Apricots).

Here in Northern California, local is our mantra, and it’s a pretty effortless one. While I recognize that it’s not so easy for everyone in the country to eat locally, thankfully, it’s getting easier. An informative article in Business Week details how the local food movement has taken off in recent years. According to figures from the US Agriculture Department, sales from farmers’ markets reached 1 billion in 2006 and the number of markets increased by 50% over 5 years. These impressive numbers signal better times ahead for both eaters and those who hope to make their living farming.

It’s a great idea to support our local food systems. Not only is the food better, but the dollars you spend stay in the community and support real families directly. So try to make the extra effort to do some shopping each week at your local farmers’ market.

Image: enfad

As we’ve mentioned before, there’s a growing trend for municipal authorities taking matters in the own hands when it comes to the environment. And why not? When their own governments get it wrong or take too long to implement innovative new measures, it’s local government that misses out on the benefits, such as substantial savings on power and waste management.

This article from the Wall Street Journal (via Kottke) looks at nine such examples, including:

• rooftops in Chicago that are kept cool by gardens, lowering air-conditioning bills
• a suburb of Mumbai, India, using solar water-heaters
• New York taking the first steps towards hydroelectric turbines providing power for 8,000 homes
• the streetlights of Ann Arbour (near Detroit) shifting to LED bulbs, with a projected power saving of $700,000.

In the U.S., President Obama couldn’t be firmer on his commitment to switching America over to sustainable clean energy production over the coming years. However, that will take time – meanwhile, many municipalities already have their own plans in motion. Take California, where the state government is chasing the “zero net energy” standard of building efficiency. The city of Berkeley’s FIRST (Financing Initiative for Renewable and Solar Technology) program is providing the means for property owners to invest in cutting-edge green efficiency. Or how about Riverside’s sweeping Green Action Plan looks to providing a third of the city’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2020? Further afield, there’s the impressive greening of Grand Rapids under its eco-progressive mayor George Heartwell. And on…and on. These initiatives complement the national energy goals nicely, but they’re all proudly homegrown. (Over the border, Canada is similarly busy).

And what about political action? More than 160 countries have now signed the Kyoto Protocol for ecologically sound industrial and economic development. Under the Bush administration, the U.S. rejected it (happily, President Obama has a rather different view). For more than 800 American mayors in 2008, this was unacceptable ““ so they signed their own agreement to adhere to Kyoto’s guidelines.

Support your local city government: there’s no telling what it’s capable of.

Image: jmcmichael

Leave it to an architect to design an edible garden on wheels. Meet the Food Map Container, a large, non toxic, weather resistant plastic bin that you can roll around to get the best light for your homegrown, organic food source. Jon L. Wilson made the movable feast basin to reestablish the relationship between everyday life and sustainable food sources. The hope is more of us will grow our own local veggies and fruits to end the reliance on chemically enhanced crops packaged in plastic and transported on planes.

The engineering lets water drain quickly and evenly, keeping the soil moist and the plants from being damaged. $195 at Food Map Design.

I already know there’s a reader out there who will find this post extravagant, excessive and possibly even outrageous.
And if that reader is you, rest assured that I can hear you already. You’re saying things like “don’t waste our time. It’s ridiculous to pay that for a dress or a coat, when the sky is falling and the globe is warming”. Gulp. Here I go anyway.

Why am I going on about a line of eco-friendly clothing and the Florence, Alabama-based company that sells it, when I can smell the impending controversy? Well, maybe I love controversy; but mainly I just adore this Revolution Circle Appliqué Dress.

The company, Alabama Chanin, rocks…as does their entire collection of lifestyle products. They’re all about sustainability, from their business model to the types of craftsmen and artisans they choose to work with. Unique, one of a kind and hand-made describe Alabama Chanin’s products…and of course organic and recycled. A focus on tradition and design techniques handed down for generations allows for exceptional quality and attention to detail. A perfect example is the dress (*swoon*).

Made of 100% organic cotton with 3/4 sleeves, the Revolution Circle Appliqué Dress has a fitted bodice with a flowy A-line skirt. The bottom two-thirds of the dress is decorated with faded grey appliqué stitched in a circle pattern that is just lovely. Absolute perfection in my humble opinion. And it better be, for the $2350 it will cost to possess such an eco-frock.

They offer other pieces in their collection – all of which are gorgeously gathered and delicately detailed in just the right way. The stitching on this Revolution Double Breasted Coat adds a special touch. And I can’t resist showing you the Revolution Minis Long Coat and its $10,500 worth of scrumptiousness. Made of 100% organic cotton and covered with zillions of tiny square fabric appliqués in various shades of grey, it looks like a coat covered in jewels. Wow.

In a more reasonable price range, but still pricey, are the Elm Wrap Shirt, the Striped Swing Skirt and the Ruffled Cardigan. All organic, all hand-made and exquisitely unique.

I dare you to adore Alabama Chanin. I do.

The usual Thanksgiving suspects can be so heavy – especially when all are combined – mashed potatoes, stuffing, and rolls, oh my!

Try this ethereal soufflé. It will dress up your Thanksgiving table without causing havoc in the kitchen. It really is easy. Cook the squash a few days ahead and you can mix it up quickly and bake it while the turkey (or tofurkey) rests.

When selecting your squash, do yourself a favor and visit a local farmers’ market to savor all the gorgeous local, organic varieties available right now in every part of the country. You’ll want something orange-fleshed and drier, rather than moist. I used kabocha (shown) when I developed this recipe.

Do the first step of the recipe up to three days ahead for Thanksgiving Day ease of preparation. Simply cut the squash into chunks of equal size and put it in a baking dish. Pour a little water in the bottom of the dish, cover it tightly with a lid or foil, and bake until tender at 400 degrees. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now to the recipe:

Serves 8

3 1/3 cups of cooked orange squash flesh
1 teaspoon chopped fresh organic thyme
6 organic eggs, separated
2/3 cup organic buttermilk
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated organic cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the squash in a medium bowl and mash it with a potato masher until broken down and fluffy. Add the thyme, egg yolks, buttermilk and salt and pepper. (To taste for proper seasoning, microwave a small amount or cook a little in a non-stick pan.) Add the cheese and mix to combine. In another medium bowl, with a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. Fold the egg whites carefully into the squash mixture, being careful not to over mix and deflate the mixture.

Transfer to an 8 cup casserole dish and bake for 40-50 minutes until dry, firm, and beginning to brown. Serve immediately.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2008

Image: The Kitchn

Are you thinking of a local, organic Thanksgiving this year? Well, thanks to the Eat Well Guide and the Consumers Union, it’s a piece of cake (or pumpkin pie). These two groups have teamed up and created the Thanksgiving Local and Organic Food Challenge that’s aimed at helping people shop and eat more locally grown produce. Here’s how the challenge works.

First, check out the interactive Eat Well Guide to find out where to shop for a locally-produced turkey, fruit, vegetables, baked goods, dairy, meat and more in your neighborhood. Then incorporate these products into your traditional Thanksgiving recipes.

And finally, share the recipe with the rest of America by submitting it to the Local Food Challenge. If you’re anything like me – with a few recipes short of a Thanksgiving dinner – you can check out all the great recipes already submitted. You’ll find everything from Pomegranate Vinegar to a Vanilla Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Crust. Of course, you’re not expected to use only local, organic food for the whole meal. The idea is simply to encourage more people to use at least one local and/or organic food item for the Thanksgiving feast.

Image: dichohecho

Buyer Beware. At the end of September, the USDA quietly halted a program called the Agricultural Chemical Usage Program. The program’s purpose was to measure pesticide use in fruit and vegetable crops. Data from the program was widely used by the EPA to set allowable pesticide levels and also by university researchers and other groups that help farmers minimize the amount of pesticides they apply to their crops.

The reason cited for the move was cost. I don’t know about you, but $8 million a year seems a small price to pay for safer food.

A little background: remember the Alar scare in 1989? Alar was a carcinogenic chemical widely sprayed on apples and when its residue ended up in the apple sauce and apple juices so often eaten by children, a public furor erupted. The flap over Alar resulted in the banning of the chemical, a new slate of food laws, and the enactment of the Agricultural Chemical Usage Program in 1990.

Fast forward: university researchers and EPA policy makers must now purchase the data privately at a cost of $500-$800 a year from a company called Dmrkynetec. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dmrkynetec has a few lobbyists roaming the halls of the USDA. After all, the USDA is the same government agency that was recently ordered by a federal judge to stop buying ads against Proposition 2 in California (a proposition that will ban some of the worst confined feeding practices in industrial meat and egg production). Last time I checked it was illegal for government agencies to try to influence elections.

This development is just another reason to buy your produce from a local, organic farmer you trust. There is a bright side. If word gets out, this will only help the community farmers who are doing it right. So after you hit your local farmers’ market, tell a few friends about what the USDA isn’t doing to ensure safe food supplies.

Sources:
SFGate: Prop 2 Story
Chicago Times: Pesticide Program
More on the Program

Image: soylentgreen23

Unless you’re into quaffing growth hormones with your milk, you’ve probably been buying your dairy products organic. Eggs, milk, cheese ““ with all these animal products it’s important to go organic in order to get your nutrition free of chemicals, from antibiotic-free animals that eat organic feed and are raised humanely. But what if you want to take it a step greener and support local organic dairies? How do you find them?

The first thing you can do is Google your town, state or region, plus the words “organic dairy farm.” If there are small organic dairies nearby, they’ll probably show up. A few other resources to try are these pages from the Organic Consumers Association, SmallDairy.com and the Eat Well Guide. (Not all small dairies will be in these guides, so Google to bring up other results.) And thanks for supporting your local organic dairy!

Image: R’eyes

Most of us grew up thinking that Old McDonald had a farm with happy cows and happy chickens, not necessarily making the connection between those critters and our Happy Meals. As sustainable family farms give way to industrialized factory versions, the romantic farming dream is quickly being tossed into the slop pile.

However, some family farms are not just surviving, but thriving. Take Tramar Farms in Iowa. Now on their 3rd generation of farmers, this small, sustainable operation doesn’t intend to compete with huge chicken ranches, but wants instead to build lasting relationships with customers. On top of that, Tramar Farms is building good karma with animals. They clearly state that they are stewards of the land (and they intend to leave it better than they found it) and that their animals are to be raised ethically and humanely, with access to fresh air, green grass and clean water.

Contrast that to a typical factory farm, which treat animals like unfeeling meat-producing machines, routinely use chemicals and cruelty, and leave the surrounding lands destroyed by huge polluting pools of manure.

It may cost a little more to get your meat, milk and eggs from a healthy family farm, but you are what you eat, and your money supports whatever you spend it on. What’s it worth to you?

Source

Image: thadman

With gas prices at an all-time high, people are looking for ways to cut back, but that doesn’t mean that you need to skimp on fuel for your body. Eating healthy food won’t siphon your wallet if you follow these tips from the University of Michigan Health System and the National Institute of Health.

Holly Scherer, R.D. a health educator with MFit, the health promotion division of the U-M Health System, says, “By planning ahead, shopping the sales, and trying out those generic or store brands, you really can save a significant amount of money while also providing healthy, well-balanced food for your family."

With a little planning you can get most of your groceries for the week in one trip, which will save time and gas.

To really save, take it further with these money-saving ideas:

1. Assemble snacks at home in small baggies using foods like nuts and seeds, dried whole grain cereal, cheese, dried fruit, and fresh vegetables and fruits rather than buying less healthy, more expensive, pre-packaged and processed snacks.

2. One of the biggest savings can come from buying a filter for your tap instead of lugging home bottled water.

3. Buy in-season produce. Use local farmers’ markets when possible (check the Community Supported Agriculture website to find a market near you) ““ the foods are fresher and they frequently cost the same, if not less, because you’re buying directly from the farmer. Plus, the profit goes directly to the farmer which helps to feed his or her family.

4. Brown bag your lunch. If you spend $7 on lunch 5 days a week for a year, you will spend a total of $1,820. Invest in some eco-friendly fun containers to keep food cool and tightly wrapped in style. 

5. Buy in bulk. Large containers of quick-cooking oats will cost less than individual instant packages; choose the largest container of milk you can safely use without wasting or spoilage. Compare the unit prices of the bigger and smaller containers on the store’s shelf. 

6. Buy a whole chicken and cut it up into parts instead of buying pre-cut chicken breasts, wings, thighs, or legs.

7. Season and marinate your own meat; buying chicken with the bone and skin can cost a lot less, and can be easily removed.

8. Stick with the plain brown rice instead of boxed rice mixes, which are often loaded with sodium. 

9. Look for the generic or store brand.

10. If you have a green thumb, try a container garden. Tomato plants can be purchased and easily planted, and herbs will grow in abundance and be ready when you need them.

Scherer suggests these additional tips: if you’re a coffee drinker, make your own at home and add flavored syrups to give it the barista touch; buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, and no matter how tempting it is, skip the fast food drive-thru window.

Image: volavale

More Ways to Save:

20 Organic Wines Under $20

10 Tips to Save Money on Groceries

 Eat Low on the Food Chain to Save Cash

How to Brown Bag It in Style