This is the time of year when I can barely fit my farmers’ market purchases in my bike basket. Late summer and early fall combine to create more abundant choices than any other time of the year. Here are a few of my top local, organic picks for early September with some ideas for enjoying them. Hopefully wherever you are, you are enjoying similar abundance!

Vegetables:

Eggplant

Always slice, salt, and let drain for 30-45 minutes and pat dry before proceeding with your recipe, whether it be sautéing, grilling or baking (unless you’re cooking it whole over a flame). Lately, I’ve been making ratatouille with peppers and squash a la Julia Child. Or for a quick and easy Southeast Asian flavor, panfry in hot oil, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Wipe out the pan, add a little more oil and sauté chopped shallots, garlic and ginger. Return the eggplant to the pan and add a mixture of soy sauce, fish sauce, sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) sririacha and water. Cook until the eggplant is glazed with sauce.

Peppers

Roast over an open gas flame or on the grill whole and peel, puree in food processor with eggplant that has been similarly roasted whole and peeled, garlic, and olive oil for a delicious spread .

Tomatillos

Make a salsa verde. I sometimes add avocado to mine.

Corn

Serve it Mexican style: Boil or grill, and smear with mayonnaise (or if that freaks you out, plain, Greek yogurt) sprinkle with cayenne, Mexican oregano, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.

Tomatoes

So many ways to enjoy. Current favorite: Sliced with avocado and placed open faced on toasted artisan bread with good salt.

Butter lettuce

Make a simple salad with cucumbers and avocado and serve it with a creamy Green Goddess dressing. I use yogurt (or creme fraiche if I’m feeling particularly decadent) in place of mayonnaise and anchovy fillets in place of the paste, and I vary the herbs by including parsley, dill or chives.

Cucumbers

Slice and sprinkle with fancy salt and rice wine vinegar. Eat. Or make bread and butter pickles.

Summer squash

Here’s a good way to use up an abundance: grate, sprinkle with salt and drain for 20 minutes. Rinse, squeeze dry and sauté with butter, salt, pepper and add a little grated cheese of your choice before serving.

Fruits:

Peaches

If you get tired of eating them, make a galette.

Plums

Slice and use anywhere you would tomatoes. Just for fun, I recently put some tart, firm plums in a halibut ceviche quite successfully.

Melons

Enjoy in yogurt for breakfast with homemade plum jam stirred in.

Figs

Pair with cheeses and salty cured meats. Grilled or fresh.

Apples

Chop and cook with cinnamon, butter and brown sugar and eat with oatmeal.

Asian pears

Perfect afternoon snack. So fragrant.

Grapes

Another perfect afternoon snack and also good in salads.

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Cell phones, laptops, the Blackberry, iPods, texting, Twitter. Do you ever feel a little too in touch with the world? Next time you’re suffering from technology overload, cut the cord and spend some quality time with Mother Earth for a weekend. Here are some basic tips for a few days off the grid and out in nature.

Make a list of everything you need and check it twice. There won’t be a convenience store around the corner if you forget something, so review these essentials to make sure you’re prepared.

Dress for the occasion. Wear waterproof hiking boots and lightweight, water-resistant clothing that breathes. If you’re headed up to a high altitude, be ready for a temperature drop with plenty of layers.

Even though it’s so easy, a caveman can do it, make sure you know how to start a fire. If you follow these simple steps, it should be a cinch.

Invest in a tent and sleeping bag made for backcountry camping. Lightweight and compact, they’re easily portable.

Bring a detailed map and compass and familiarize yourself with the area before setting out. Getting lost in the wilderness is no joke, so you’ll need to brush up on your navigation skills before venturing off the grid.

Carry a camelback and make camp near a fresh water supply, such as a river or stream. Just remember to purify drinking water from these sources before quenching your thirst.

Hang your food from a tree to avoid dangerous encounters with wild animals.

Leaflets three, let it be! Learn to identify plants like poison ivy and poison oak and steer clear of them at all costs. An irritating rash is the last thing you want on your backcountry adventure.

It’s inevitable that you’ll spend your weekend among insects, but these tips to keep bugs away will make their presence less of a nuisance.

Brainstorm some fun games and activities for evenings around the campfire. (Check out this list of free activities, many of which you can do in nature.)

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Now that you know all about the Top 10 Green iPhone Apps, here are some creative ways to be eco-friendly with your iPhone.

Instead of writing down your grocery list and wasting paper, record a voice memo.

Look up directions to a vegan restaurant and treat one of your pals to her first taste of tofu.

Shoot a short how-to video of an eco-friendly project and post it on the web.

Take a photo of Mother Nature’s handiwork and share it with your family.

E-mail these 10 Simple Steps to Sustainability to your friends.

Use the compass to navigate on a hike.

Check the weekly weather forecast and pick a sunny day to clean up litter at your local park.

Use the calculator to determine your carbon footprint.

Find a farmers market near you by searching Local Harvest online.

Call your friends and tell them about EcoSalon, of course!

Image: Yutaka Tsutano

Ever wish the florist’s shop were run more like a buffet? You could stand in line with a vase in hand and ask for six pink daisies, four orange roses and six yellow lilies. Welcome to the fun-filled world of flower arranging! But, before you break your dependence on professional florists and set out on your own, brush up on the basics of this fascinating art form to craft beautiful bouquets.

Brainstorming is the first essential step in every creative process. Decide whether you’d like to make a horizontal, vertical, triangular, crescent, oval, minimal, lazy “S” or freestanding arrangement. Click here for more information about these varieties.

Choose your vase based on which type you picked.

If your vase is clear, line it with decorative greens like hydrangea leaves to hide the stems.

Move on to the line materials. Think of them as the skeleton of your flower arrangement, and use these greens to form the basic shape.

Continuing the analogy, fill in the flesh and blood of your arrangement with the dominant materials. These are the pieces that will determine your color scheme because they are the main focus of the arrangement. Stick to flowers of a similar hue, like purple and blue or red and orange.

Place the secondary materials evenly around the dominant materials. These smaller groups of flowers simply serve as an accent to the heart of your arrangement.

Plug the gaps with the filler materials. If you’re aiming for a minimal arrangement, don’t go overboard with this step. Just play around with your materials until you find a visually appealing balance.

Pass on this expressive, handmade gift to somebody special and proudly let them know that you’re officially florist-free.

Learn more about the different components of flower arrangements and find more tips at Better Homes and Gardens or get pointers from a professional at Apartment Therapy.

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Are fuel costs stressing you out? Can’t spring for a new fuel-sipping ride? When you seek to improve the fuel-efficiency of a vehicle, the journey must start inside your own head. When you learn to control emotions on the road, you reduce the impulse to stomp on the pedals. Eliminate those aggressive tendencies and you’ll experience a significant improvement in your vehicle’s mile per gallon (MPG) average.

Of course, while that mantra might sound swell and dandy, does it really work when you’re stuck in traffic twice a day, five days a week? It all depends on the strategies you employ.

Some things to consider:

Telecommute

Driving to work every day can be burdensome and wasteful (on many levels). Any opportunity you have to work from home is an opportunity to dramatically reduce your fuel costs and lower your stress level.

Use Flex Time

Leaving fifteen minutes earlier or later can have a significant impact on your commuting time and fuel consumption. Avoiding the worst of stop and go traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hours can boost your car’s average gas mileage.

Don’t Be In a Hurry

When all works as planned, those 15 minutes of slack in your schedule can prove to be quite relaxing. If you’re not in a hurry, you’ll go easier on the pedals.

Be Conscious and Conscientious

Know where your right foot is at all times. Seek to minimize the duration and intensity of the pressure you put on the accelerator. The more pressure you exert, the more fuel you’re wasting.

It Isn’t a Race

You don’t have to pass three cars on your way to the next traffic light. Let the other folks pretend that they’re driving in the Daytona 500.

Know Your Lanes

Be a good citizen on the highway. If you want to fly, the left lane is for you. If you’re traveling at the speed limit (or below), the right lane is where you should be…just be sure to make room for the folks that are merging. If it’s a three-lane highway, the center lane is for folks traveling through, at or above the speed limit, but below warp speed. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Stop Riding Those Bumpers

Unless you enjoy the exhaust smell of the vehicle in front of you, there’s no reason to crawl up its rear bumper (and raise everyone’s blood pressure). When you leave plenty of distance between cars, you reduce the need to stomp on the brakes, which leads us to…

Inertia is Your Friend

It’s been said that fuel-efficient driving is a lot like riding a bicycle. The more you can coast (with the automatic transmission in gear), the better. When you exert pressure on the pedals, you’re expending energy. The better you know your car, the more velocity you can safely carry through the corners.

Fuel-efficient driving needn’t be boring, nor should it infuriate your passengers or other drivers. Like so many things in life, some simple breathing techniques and a good bit of patience go a long way.

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Daniel Gray, who produces real-world video car reviews with a unique focus on fuel efficiency. His fun and friendly reviews can be found at mpgomatic.com. Thanks for the great tips, Daniel!

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We’re halfway through 2009 – how are your greening efforts going? By now, you’ve switched to energy efficient lighting, kicked disposable water bottles to the curb, bought a reusable shopping tote and you’re hungry for more.

Here’s some extra eco wisdom to make this year your greenest (and most bank-account-friendly) yet:

Replace your chemical-ridden cleaners with natural alternatives.

Put up a clothes line and hang your clothes out to dry. This simple act saves energy, cuts the cost of utility bills and helps your clothes last longer. Plus, there’s something about the sweet scent of fresh air that an energy-sucking dryer and wasteful dryer sheets just can’t simulate.

Invest in a water conservation shower head to save approximately 3000 gallons of water each year.

Stock your fridge and pantry with organic food. Grown without toxic pesticides, herbicides and insecticides, organic food is a much healthier choice for both your body and the environment. But, going organic is not all you can do. Buying food that is locally grown will also reduce the amount of fuel used to get it to your table.

Regularly change air conditioning filters for a more efficient system that is more energy efficient.

Invest in biodegradable trash bags. Made from corn starch, these eco-friendly alternatives only take weeks to break down, while those that line your trash cans now will pollute the planet for decades to come.

Whenever you can, ride your bike or take public transportation instead of driving.

Keep your thermostat in check. Your home doesn’t need to feel like an ice box in the summer and a sauna in the winter. Also, if you upgrade to a digital model, you can cut down your energy use by a third.

Use fewer batteries with rechargeable or wind-up gadgets like radios and flashlights.

Start a compost bin. To make use of waste, just follow this comprehensive composting guide.

Image: Pink Sherbet Photography

How often do you have to stop and fill up your tank? Frequent trips to the gas station may be a sign that you’re not maximizing your car’s fuel efficiency. As it turns out, trading your ride in for a hybrid isn’t the only way to improve your gas mileage. Here are some simple pointers to get started.

Lighten your load. Take out your golf clubs, toolbox and other heavy items when you don’t need them. Any extra weight reduces your car’s fuel efficiency.
Use cruise control as much as possible because driving at a constant speed increases your gas mileage. Plus, it sure makes that daily commute a little more bearable.
Switch into overdrive to decrease the engine’s speed and save gas.
Keep the idling to a minimum. Instead, turn off the engine while you’re waiting for your pals to pick up something from the store or finish getting ready.
Gradually accelerate to waste less gas.
Maintain your tire pressure to ensure that your tires are always properly inflated. In addition to better gas mileage, it will help your tires last longer.

Use the grade of motor oil recommended by your car’s manufacturer, whether it be 5W-30, 5W-20 or 10W-30.

Give your engine a tune up on a regular basis.
Only turn on the air conditioning when you’re dripping sweat and threatened by heat stroke. Okay, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but you get the idea. Use it sparingly.
Take off bike or luggage racks when you aren’t using them. They interfere with the aerodynamics of your vehicle and cause drag, which causes your car to expend more energy than necessary.

For more tips, visit Fuel Economy.

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Buying a new toothbrush every three months may be dentist recommended, but it sure isn’t eco approved. Yeah, strict oral hygiene is important, but it still seems a bit wasteful to us green gals who rack our brains for ways to reuse things before tossing them in the trash. To spare you the headache, here are some ideas.

Dusting my keyboard has never been easier than with the help of an old toothbrush. This precise tool makes it a cinch to clean between the keys.

Scour the small spaces between the tiles on your bathroom and kitchen floors. (To paraphrase David Sedaris, you can have a clean floor or you can have a mop, but you can’t have both.)

Eliminate stains from your carpet or upholstery. The toughened bristles can provide some serious scrubbing action to targeted areas.

Groom unruly brows with an old toothbrush. And to think, some people actually invest in an unnecessary eyebrow comb when a used toothbrush works just the same! Ah, the satisfaction of resourceful thinking.

If you dye your hair at home, touch up your roots. (Another tip: stick to henna or herbal coloring and forego the harsh chemicals.)

If banging your shoes together won’t remove the mud caked in their soles, then use an old toothbrush to clean out the treads.

After a day in the garden, your nails look like you gave yourself a French manicure using soil instead of polish. A toothbrush is the perfect tool to scrub dirt from underneath your fingernails.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly dust gathers in between the grates on my air conditioner. Keep them clean with a toothbrush.

I’m a stickler for spotless faucets, but my handy rag is no match for those hard-to-reach spots in between the knobs. Make every millimeter of your faucets sparkle with your recycled mini scrub brush.

Do you end up looking like you worked a full day as a mechanic every time you try to clean the chains on your bike? Get rid of grease the clean way with an old toothbrush.

Clean bits of food encrusted between the tines of your forks.

If you’re a fan of intricate jewelry, then you’re obviously aware of how difficult it is to polish. No problem! Just use an old toothbrush to get in between all the tiny nooks and crannies of filigree and beading.

For more ideas, visit our pals at Apartment Therapy Re-Nest and Green Daily. By the way, to cut down on virgin plastic use and waste, consider buying an eco-friendly toothbrush made from recycled materials.

Image: Anderson Mancini

What do you picture when you think about summer barbeques? If visions of greasy burgers, CO2-emitting charcoal and trash bags filled with disposable plates, napkins and wasted food come to mind, here are some green tips to celebrate this seasonal milestone with respect for Mother Nature.

The centerpiece of any good BBQ is the grill, so invest in an eco-friendly one. What are your greenest options? Gas and charcoal versions both have their drawbacks: gas grills rely on non-renewable resources, while charcoal grills release carbon dioxide into the air. Although less conventional, a solar cooker is the greenest choice.

Keep the mosquitoes at bay naturally with citronella soy candles.

The arduous post-barbeque clean-up may tempt you to buy disposable plates and utensils, but that’s no excuse to be wasteful. Get your friends to help out with the mess and stick with reusable plates and utensils (if you must go the disposable route, try the eco-friendlier VerTerra).

Instead of tossing food scraps into the trash, compost them.

What’s the best solution for sticky BBQ fingers, besides licking them clean? A warm, moist cloth, of course. Besides the fact that they’re wasteful, disposable napkins aren’t quite up to the task at hand, anyways.

Recycle all bottles and cans.

Buy organic produce from your local farmers market.

Since the meat industry is responsible for nearly a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, consider throwing a vegetarian barbeque. (Check out Sarah’s list of delicious meat alternatives.) If you can’t imagine a barbeque without burgers and chicken, make sure you’re grilling organic, local meat. (And wash down your grilled goodies with some organic beer.)

Decorate your table with placemats or a table runner made from organic, vintage or upcycled materials.

Don’t forget efficient, earth-friendly outdoor lighting.

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Every green gardener knows that coffee grounds infuse your soil with nutrients, but with the amount you drink, more ends up going to waste than being salvaged. Fortunately there are plenty of other ways to save your grounds from the dumpster!

You know that fancy exfoliating scrub you’ve been hankering after? Don’t bother shelling out cash to scrub away dead skin cells. Just massage your face with coffee grounds instead for a radiant glow.

Speaking of overpriced beauty products, coffee grounds can also be used in place of costly conditioning treatments for soft and shiny locks. Just work them into wet hair and rinse.

This grooming method can be applied to your pets, as well – and coffee is known to keep fleas away from your furry friends.

Skip the day spa and mix coffee grounds with egg whites for an inexpensive skin-tightening facial mask.

To avoid wasting electricity, you retrieve refrigerator and freezer items with record speed. Or maybe it’s because of that unknown odor emanating from within. If that’s the case, just stash a bowl of dried coffee grounds inside to eliminate the mystery stench.

Unpleasant smells aren’t limited to your freezer – your gym shoes have been known to do a number on your closet after a vigorous workout. Allow coffee grounds to dry, pour them into a satchel made from snagged nylons and hang this recycled deodorizer in your closet to neutralize the soggy stink.

You have a tongue for bold flavors and a penchant for preparing exotic meals. But, the pungent aroma of these zesty dishes tends to linger on your hands long after they’ve been digested. No problem! Just scrub them with coffee grounds.

Sometimes, a sponge and a little elbow grease isn’t enough to scrape food remnants off your dishes, so scour them with some coffee grounds. This resourceful method can be used to clean surfaces as well.

You can even make your own homemade brown dye for paper and fabrics. Similar to making tea, all you have to do is boil a pot of water, take it off the burner, pour in coffee grounds and let them steep.

This process can also be used to cover up scratches on wood furniture. Use a cotton swab to apply this quick fix liquid with more precision.

If you have an ant infestation, scatter coffee grounds around problem areas to repel them naturally.

Instead of inhaling or wearing the majority of the ashes you clear out of your fireplace, sprinkle a layer of coffee grounds over them first to reduce the mess.

For more ways to reuse your coffee grounds, visit Green Daily.

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