Here’s a perfect summer dessert using seasonal organic fruit from the farmers’ market or your CSA box. It’s simple to make if you’re already grilling. The smoky-sweet apricots hold well at room temperature so you can grill them as soon as the fire is ready and set them aside until after dinner.

Substitute peaches if you wish. Serve in a bowl with vanilla ice cream or add crumbled  gingersnaps and layer in a parfait glass with the ice cream.

Serves 4

1 cup organic sugar
1 cup water
8-10 fresh apricots, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons …

Tags: cooking , Eating , food , Recipe , seasonal , vegetarian , wellness

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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. …

Tags: Conscious , Eating , food , local , seasonal , trend , wellness

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Thank goodness citrus ripens in the winter, because after months of the chilly blues, we need that tangy pick-me-up. Today we celebrate the exotic Meyer lemon, revving up our chilled taste buds with a more fragrant, less acidic flavor than the more common Eureka and Lisbon lemons, and packing a brilliant vitamin C punch.

Nutrition

And just how much vitamin C does that punch contain? Lemons have the highest vitamin C content of any citrus fruit, and the Meyer lemon will provide 187% of the recommended …

Tags: cooking , food , fruit juice , health , home , seasonal

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My husband (a.k.a. Eco Cop) will go kicking and screaming into a card store at the last minute to select a Valentine’s Day greeting for me. He is convinced that greeting cards are a consumerism scam and that card companies are profiting from the theory we are special one day of the year. Like many other eco cops, he argues the paper is wasted on sentiments that should be evergreen. I’ve had to adjust to this sort of cynicism, having sprung from a family that buys multiple cards and …

Tags: garden , green , herbs , organic , paper , recycled , reuse , seasonal , wildflowers

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Here’s a gorgeous and tasty salad that’s packed with super foods to keep your immune system in top form. Enjoy it for a light lunch or dinner or serve it to guests. It’s sure to perk up the winter doldrums and inspire your palate.

Beet, Orange and Spinach Superfood Salad

Serves 4

4 small-medium red beets, scrubbed trimmed and drizzled with a little olive oil.
4 small handfuls of baby spinach
2 juicy navel or blood oranges
2 tablespoons juice from the oranges
2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
7 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Toasted …

Tags: Conscious , cooking , Eating , entertaining , food , Recipe , seasonal , vegan , wellness

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My husband has promised the girls they can have a “yule tree” this year as a non-religious way for half-Jewish kids to bring the splendor of winter indoors. The idea of a yule tree dates back to the folk traditions of the Celtic Druids and Saxons, who collected trees from the woodlands as part of the annual solstice festival.  There was no talk back then of Christmas pines or Chanukah bushes. The spirituality came from the gifts of nature and the symmetry of the seasons.
In creating our own traditions, it’s …

Tags: accessory , ambience , artisan , decor , glass , holiday , metal , seasonal

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There’s no denying it. Holiday parties are fun. Especially parties full of an array of finger foods that can be eaten in one or two bites. But how do you make your party more eco-friendly?

Here are a few tips:

Try to make the foods you serve as low on the food chain as possible. Serve less meat and cheese, and more vegetables and beans. For protein, remember that eggs are less production-intensive than meat or cheese and nuts are always good. When you do use meat and cheese, look …

Tags: cooking , Eating , entertaining , food , holiday , seasonal , wellness

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‘Tis the season to be frugal, but if you’re in the market for an artificial pine, go out on a limb and buy this recycled cardboard Alpine Tree, $28 from Cardboard Safari.
It’s freshly laser-cut from 100% recycled cardboard, an environmentally-friendly and non-toxic material, unlike the plastic used on many fake yule trees. It can be decorated with paint, glitter or light-weight balls or left minimal for the ultra modern green home. They come in native brown or white with a radial design that can be assembled as either a full 360-degree tree or a more compact, …

Tags: craft , environment , garden , holiday , paper , recycled , seasonal

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Here’s a festive yet quick-to-make salad for your holiday table. It’s gorgeous and flavorful with lots of contrasting textures and seasonal flavors. This is where you use the short, squat, crisp Fuyu Persimmons as opposed to the pointed, darker orange Hachiya Persimmons. Fuyus are sweet and ready to eat when firm whereas Hachiyas must become as soft as custard before their tannins tame enough to be palatable. Hachiyas are the ones to use for desserts. If persimmons are not available in your area, this salad is wonderful made with apples or pears.

Serves …

Tags: cooking , Eating , food , Recipe , seasonal , vegetarian , wellness

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