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 fresh grated ginger
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Add the three types of ginger, reserving 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger for garnish, and simmer for 10 minutes. Place the apricots in a grill basket. Brush generously with the glaze, and grill until brown and soft on both sides, brushing more glaze on as you grill. Sprinkle finished desserts with crystallized ginger.

Recipe Copyright 2008 Vanessa Barrington

Image: jessicafm

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

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 daily value in one cup of freshly squeezed juice. Granted, you probably won’t knock back a glass of straight lemon juice, but there are plenty ways to get your lemon on without harshly puckering up.

Uses

The most obvious use for lemons is to make lemonade. Skip the sugar and sweeten with healthier agave syrup instead. Besides being used to flavor pastries, sorbets and deserts, a squeeze of lemon juice will keep your fruit salad or guacamole from developing a brownish tint from oxidization. Add a bit of lemon juice to the water when boiling veggies like turnips, cauliflower and potatoes, to keep them brightly white.

Did You Know?

Meyers are native to China and are actually a cross between a lemon and an orange, which is what makes them thin-skinned and a bit sweeter. Frank Meyer introduced them to the United States in 1908, giving them their name. In aromatherapy, lemon scent is used to lift the mood – and you have to admit, it does!

I’d like to think that lemons – especially the fragrant Meyer – are like drops of sunshine in the middle of dreary winter. Check back next Friday for an original recipe using the Meyer lemon by Vanessa Barrington, EcoSalon’s resident chef writer.

Image: clayirving

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 urges the recipient to read each one aloud.

But I think even my husband, an avid vegetable gardener, might appreciate these cards which live on not just in your heart but in your garden.

The Plantable Greeting Cards from Botanical Paperworks are designed by Kal Barteski and are printed on 100% post-consumer waste fiber and seed-embedded paper. The recipient plants the cards and, voila, wildflowers pop up faster than Jack’s beanstalk. How natural! The six cards included in the package are: Spread Joy, Breathe, Seek Peace, Live Passionately, Refresh Within and Become Happiness. What eco enthusiast wouldn’t approve of these notions?

Each card measures 4×6 inches folded and includes envelopes in brown, blue and green. $22 for the set.

If you aren’t a wildflower fan, you can opt for cards infused with herb seeds or a Plantable Seed Calendar for 2009. All of these creative and sustainable products are available at Olive Barn. Spring planting is right around the corner, so get busy and send these messages to someone you love.

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 Walnuts for garnish
Avocado slices for garnish

Note: use organic, local ingredients when possible.

Wrap the beets in heavy-duty foil and place in a preheated 400 degree oven until they are tender when pierced with a sharp knife (45 minutes to 1 hour).

Wash and dry the spinach leaves and place them in a large bowl. Cut the ends off the oranges, just so they can sit flat. With a sharp knife, following the curve of the fruit, remove all the peel and white pith. Then, holding the fruit in one hand over a bowl, slip the blade of a small paring knife between the segments, separating them into individual segments and releasing them from the white membrane. Catch the juice in the bowl. Place the segments in the bowl with the spinach.

Combine the reserved orange juice and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly pour in the vegetable oil while whisking until the dressing is well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip their skins off with your fingertips and then cut them into quarters and then eighths. Add them to the bowl with the greens and oranges. Toss the salad with the desired amount of dressing. Adjust seasonings. Garnish each salad with toasted walnuts and avocado. Extra dressing can be refrigerated for up to one week.

Recipe Copyright 2008 Vanessa Barrington

Image: Darwin Bell

In creating our own traditions, it’s nice to find alternative symbols that speak to who we are, Jewish or Christian, pagan or devout decorator. Here are a few unique items I came across that allow you to  responsibly spruce up your own winter wonderland.

I love these hemp holiday stockings from Amenity in earthy shades of brown, green and silver. Who says red and green rule in December? The organic company also offers beautiful hemp ornaments of balls and birds, and an inventive hemp tree skirt (below).

Recycled soda cans, wire, and beads let Ruldolph lead the way in these fetching handcrafted reindeer from the free trade company, Serrv.

Angels can appear from the sky or from old scrap, as proven by the Tin Can Angels ($29/set of 4) from our green sponsor Viva Terra. Or great the season with a Noel sign from twigs ($69) and an organic pussy willow wreath ($52 to $62). All of these offer fresh takes on old symbols.

Modern and green, these recycled menorahs are sculptural and made of glass from the past, $180 at Vertige Glass.

Eco Artware decks the halls with recycled glass balls ($36); reused record label tree trinkets ($18/set of 3); and an Ever-Green Aluminum wreath forged from traffic signs ($100-$140).

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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 for organic, responsibly-raised animal products. And remember, with cocktail appetizers such as these, a little of everything goes a long, long way, so you can feel a little better about splurging for the holidays.

Top a cracker or crostini with oil-packed, dolphin-friendly canned tuna, chopped olives, and grated hard-boiled egg.

Dollop mascarpone cheese over slices of pear and drizzle with local honey.

Sauté wild mushrooms with organic shallots and sherry and serve on crostini with fresh thyme and toasted walnuts.

Chop dried figs and mix with organic cream cheese and local honey. Use as a spread for crostini.

Cut little pockets into dried figs and stuff with nuggets of organic blue cheese.

Puree cooked white beans with rosemary, roasted garlic, and olive oil and use as a spread for crostini.

Wrap thinly sliced ham around a crisp apple slice and melt a sliver of Gruyere cheese over it (use organic ingredients). Serve on slices of baguette.

Hollow out baby potatoes and fill with sustainable California caviar, crème fraiche, and chopped red onion.

Caramelize onions and serve on top of crostini with fresh thyme and blue cheese.

Top rounds of cucumber with wild, sustainably-caught Alaskan smoked salmon, chives, and crème fraiche.

Note: Whenever possible, choose organic ingredients.

Image: beet-and-burrata crostini by the bitten word

If the tree isn’t enough to brighten your winter wonderland, perhaps these other cardboard adornments will do the trick.

The wreath, snowflake trees, and moose and deer are also clever cut-outs from Cardboard Safari. The paper trophies are great gift ideas for Sarah Palin and her fellow hunters. Who is Sarah Palin, you ask? My, they forget so soon.

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 6

• 1 pound organic mixed winter salad greens (some bitter like radicchio and some peppery like arugula)
• 3 organic Fuyu persimmons, cut in quarters lengthwise and sliced thinly into little discs
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon local honey
• 2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
• 7 tablespoons mild flavored vegetable oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup spiced pecans

Wash and dry the greens and place them in a large bowl with the persimmon discs. Set aside.

Combine the shallots, lemon juice, honey, and vinegar in a small bowl. Pour the oil in slowly while whisking until the dressing is well blended. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the greens and persimmons with the pecans (you may want to reserve some to garnish the plated salads) and the dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Recipe Copyright 2008 Vanessa Barrington
Image: pizzodisevo

Here’s a great gift idea. These nuts are positively addictive and they come together in a snap. Package them up in pretty bags or jars and tie with a ribbon and you’ve got a homemade, meaningful, and eco-friendlier than most, gift. They’re great for snacking or for garnishing winter salads.

Makes 6 cups. Organic ingredients recommended.

6 tablespoons butter (plus more to butter baking sheets)
6 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2  teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2  teaspoons ground cayenne
1 1/2  teaspoons ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 cups shelled pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the water, brown sugar, salt, ginger, cayenne, cardamom, and nutmeg. With a wooden spoon, stir just until the sugar dissolves. Add the nuts to the sugar mixture and cook, stirring, until the nuts are coated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the buttered baking sheets, spreading the nuts out in a single layer and dividing them between the two sheets evenly. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Let cool on the pan. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Copyright 2008 Vanessa Barrington

Image: FotoosVanRobin’s