Just in time for holiday shopping and gift giving: The Box is back!

Our exclusive EcoSalon shopping must-have, the curated eco product assortment known as The Box, is back. We’re offering $500 worth of holiday eco-goodies for just $99 and these won’t last. That’s a guarantee.

Are you a food lover? Whether you love eating food, cooking it or just talking about it, this box is for you. It’s full of anything a foodie could ever want, from cookware to gourmet goods to shade-grown coffee, so be sure to snag one before they’re gone.

(If you do miss out this time around, our friends at The Daily Meal are hosting a giveaway for the last remaining Food Box standing. Head on over to their site and register to win!)

Just look at what we have in store for you this time around:

Slate Cheese Board

Serve up a round of artisan cheeses on this simple and functional Slate Cheese Board from VivaTerra. Chalk lets you introduce guests to new cheeses with style. And don’t think this board is reserved for cheese only; the modern design makes it the perfect serving platter for everything from charcuterie to chocolate, so get creative!

(Retail value of $69)

Mortar and pestle

Made from 100% organically-grown bamboo, this bamboo mortar and pestle from Core Bamboo will brighten up any kitchen. Now you’ll be able to make handmade pesto, crush mint for your mojitos and grind together fresh herbs for garnish. Unstoppable, mama.

(Retail value of $37.50)

2 pounds of coffee from Coffee CSA

Now that you get your kale, chard and carrots thanks to a C.S.A., why not your coffee? Coffee CSA makes sure that you get the best selection of coffee directly from small-scale farms. No middlemen, just farmers and people like you who love great coffee. You’ll get two pounds of fresh-roasted premium coffee delivered right to your doorstep.

(Retail value of $29.98 – $32.98, depending on the coffee farmer selected.)

Bamboo Bottle Company Reusable Bottle

This isn’t your your mother’s water bottle. With a unique design that uses bamboo and glass, Bamboo Bottle Company has created a bottle that will not only keep you far, far away from disposables, but you can fill it with hot and cold drinks alike, meaning you can go from coffee in the morning to water in the afternoon. The glass interior is removable and dishwasher safe so keeping your bottle clean is easy. Cheers!

(Retail value of $25.00)

Wei of Chocolate

We all know that chocolate makes us feel better, but Wei of Chocolate just might go above and beyond your normal cocoa expectations. Wei Relaxed dark chocolate is organic, fair trade, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, 68% cacao, and enhanced with flower essences that work to calm & relax the mind and help you sleep better at night. Who knew chocolate could do so much?

(Retail value of $11.00)

Night Owl Paper Goods Recipe Card Books

Keep all your recipes in one place with this cute recipe card book from Night Owl Paper Goods. 24 recipe cards printed on a letterpress are held inside a sustainably-harvested birch wood cover, and with a self-standing easel is easy enough to prop up when you’re in the midst of your culinary creations.

(Retail value of $26.00)

D.I.Y. Delicious by Vanessa Barrington

If you follow EcoSalon’s food section, we’re pretty sure you’re fans of homemade food. Cooking from scratch not only puts good food on the table, but it allows you to experiment. EcoSalon’s very own food columnist, Vanessa Barrington, leads the way through the homemade cooking process in her book D.I.Y. Delicious, full of new explorations – ever made yogurt? – and simple solutions to the question, “Can’t I make that myself?”

(Retail value of $24.95)

Recipes Every Man Should Know by Susan Russo

There are just some things men should know how to do. Cooking is certainly one of them. Here’s the perfect gift for your husband/boyfriend/lover/brother/nephew/next door neighbor, because every man should know a thing or two in the kitchen. Penned by one of our favorite food bloggers, Susan Russo, this is the down and dirty guide for ensuring that a man can easily navigate the wide world of food. Fingers crossed you get to reap the benefits!

(Retail value of $9.95)

Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Hazelnut Chai

Making tea is an art, and Zhena’s Gypsy Tea does it well. 100% organic and 100% Fair-Trade certified, this container of 22 sachets of Hazelnut Chai is sure to become your winter favorite. Think of it as a hazelnut torte, turned into a tea. Brew a batch and within minutes your house will be smelling of cinnamon, ginger and vanilla.

(Retail value of $9.95)

Fat Toad Farm Caramel Sauce

If ever there were a sauce you’d want to put on everything, this is it. Made from organic goat’s milk, Fat Toad Farm’s caramel sauce is creamy, rich and flat-out amazing. A family farm, Fat Toad’s 47 milking does are pasture-raised, their milk used for making cheese and caramel, or cajeta. Because this form of caramel is primarily dairy based, it’s creamier and less sweet than standard caramel sauces. Be careful not to down the entire jar on one apple.

(Retail value of $12.00)

Twig Servers

A gorgeously prepped salad should have equally gorgeous serving utensils, and these Twig Servers from VivaTerra are just what you need. Nature-inspired, they’re a chic complement to an organic meal, and their design makes them fit perfectly in your hands. Now it’s just up to you to serve up a mean bowl of greens.

(Retail value of $45)

Innate Gear Doppio

Espresso, wine, whisky; this reusable mug from Innate Gear does it all. Throw it in your bag and you’ll always have something to put your afternoon Americano in, even if you’re on the go. And it’s called a Doppio. Which is just adorable.

(Retail value of $9)

Bambu On the Go Reusable Utensils

Aspenware Compostable Cutlery  

Spring and summer picnics are a ways away, but you’ll be well prepared with two sets of Aspenware compostable cutlery. With four spoons, forks and knives in each set, you’ll be able to outfit an army. Or at least all your eco-friendly friends.

(Retail value of $2.99 per pack)

Full Circle Ring Veggie Brush

Scrub your veggies clean with this Ring Veggie Brush from Full Circle. Made from bamboo and natural and recycled plastic bristles, it’s an ergonomic dream and will also ensure that your veggies have that fresh look even after the supermarket wax has been scraped away.

(Retail value of $4.49)

Architec Mixing Bowls

If you’re cooking organic, shouldn’t your kitchenware be just as environmentally conscious? These stacking mixing bowls from Architec are the perfect plastic alternative. Made from 98% natural and recycled materials, the two, three and four quart set will satisfy all your baking needs. We foresee a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies already.

(Retail value of $29.99)

Epicurean Cutting Board

Slice and dice in style with this 12″ x 9″ EcoPlastic cutting board from Epicurean. Not only is this board made from recycled poly, but it’s also made in the USA, ensuring you can chop your vegetables with a good conscience.

(Retail value of $19.99)

Lodestar Garlic Olive Oil

If you’re attending any good dinner parties in the next few weeks this Lodestar Farms Garlic Olive Oil from Greenfeet makes the perfect hostess gift. This award winning olive oil is made with sustainably harvested olives in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and can be used for everything from dressings to dipping.

(Retail value of $13.95)

Stainless Steel Robot Tea Infuser

Steep your evening cup of tea in this fun, Stainless Steel Robot Tea Infuser from Greenfeet. The arms and feet move to fit your favorite tea mug. In need of more fun eco-friendly kitchen products? Check out the rest of the Greenfeet site for a wide selection of culinary goods.

(Retail value of $8.95)

Navitas Naturals Power Snacks

Power up with one of these Power Snacks from Navitas Natural. This isn’t your average trail mix; superfoods are the name of the game in these snack mixes, which feature cacao, maca, chia, and camu-camu. Easy to pack, they’re perfect for staying energized while you’re traveling this holiday season. Plus they’re raw and organic, which should please anyone looking for an on-the-go natural boost.

(Retail value of $8.99)

Bird Salt and Pepper Shakers

These whimsical salt and pepper shakers from VivaTerra will bring a smile to any guest at your table. And if you don’t want them for your own home, they make a beautiful gift for any bird lover in your crew.

(Retail value of $25)

To buy:

We’re sorry, this Box edition has sold out! Check out the other available options – they’re pretty fabulous, too.

ColumnThe new 2,438 page Modernist Cuisine cookbook might just be a food lover’s dream.

The last few weeks have been very productive, if by productive one means rationalizing reasons to spend $625 on a cookbook.

I agree that this number appears irrational, but the brain behind Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, is Nathan Myhrvold, a former chief technology officer at Microsoft. Myhrvold has put together a work of art that I can only drool over from the comfort of my computer.

Disappointingly, there is no “cookbook slush fund” in my budget. I did find it for $461 on Amazon, but really, I don’t even have the shelf space to store a five-volume book that’s 2,438 pages and weighs 40 pounds. Still, nothing can stop me from lusting over the encyclopedic fantasy of it.

It took 36 people four years to put Modernist Cuisine together, which is a feat in and of itself. And with that kind of research and devotion, this is not just a cookbook; it’s a documentation of how food works, and a feast for the eyes and senses.

An article in the New York Times last year taught me that to make perfect hash browns, you have to use clarified butter. Hash browns are not something I make frequently, but the explanation of why you can cook with clarified butter at a higher heat without scorching your dish (because you’ve removed the milk solids that eventually burn) stuck with me. It’s a tidbit of cooking science I’ve logged in my culinary memory and it has served me well for a variety of other kitchen adventures.

As we spend more time talking about what we’re eating, where it comes from and how we got it – organic, from the farm 30 miles outside of town, and at the local, independent market – we’re inevitably more intrigued by what we do with our food. As we should be. Not everyone is fascinated by food (I do not trust these people), and some could care less about following recipes, but having a sound understanding of why certain foods go together and what chemical reactions occur make our favorite dish taste the way it does is appealing.

You might be tempted to think a cookbook that has over 2,000 pages is pretentious – who’s going to have time to go through all of that? But such a book is sure to be a treasure to the foodie with imagination and a geek streak, as a scientific understanding of food leads to more creativity in the kitchen. Knowledge makes us more conscious, enabling us to put real thought into dishes instead of haphazardly whipping something together or turning to processed foods, and that increased level of awareness is what’s needed in the food movement and on the dinner table.

That, and the pictures are absolutely striking – food porn at its best.

And that’s why I’m hoping someone sends me a check for $625 dollars. Or a review copy. It’s sure to be put to good use.

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground, taking a conscious look at what’s bubbling in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to the culinary avant garde.

Homemade food tastes better. It’s cheaper and uses less packaging. Still, while we may want to pickle those cute, little Persian cucumbers straight off the farm at the market, it turns out we might not know how. As such, Vanessa Barrington’s new cookbook, D.I.Y. Delicious comes to us in a timely manner. Vanessa’s cookbook explores recipes for many basic food staples you may have only recently considered making yourself. No time like the present!

For example, I never thought I’d find myself so excited to make porridge (boring), yogurt (too hard), or kimchi (really?)! However, after picking up D.I.Y. Delicious, my mind is spinning with all sorts of new staples I could make from scratch.

The first page of the cookbook starts with a dedication- -¦to every eater and cook who has ever asked the question, “˜Why can’t I make this myself?’” Now you can. The cookbook includes recipes of varying complexity from simple salad dressings and salsas to more involved projects such as making tortillas and crackers to fermenting and brewing sodas and tonics. Let the kitchen adventures begin! Plus, as a veteran chef in the Bay Area, Vanessa adds her own twist to basic recipes – fig jam becomes Fig-Rosemary Jam, sourdough bread becomes Sourdough Cornmeal-Pumpkin Seed Bread and aioli becomes Meyer Lemon and Parsley Aioli.

If you are in any way a D.I.Y kitchen type or have been aspiring to outfit your from-scratch pantry, this cookbook is definitely one you’ll want to have on your shelf for inspiration and reference. I know that I’m jumping on the crème fraiche bandwagon. And fresh tortillas? I’m in! And yes, I even can’t wait to make porridge.

The book sells as a hardcover with wonderful photographs by Sara Remington, designed by Suzanne LaGasa with a modern day homespun feel, and retails at Chronicle Books for $24.95.

Did you know that global livestock production is responsible for more greenhouse gases than transportation? According to Mark Bittman, eating less meat could have a greater affect on the environment than reducing the mileage we put on our cars!

As the Food Revolution’s grumblings grow louder, more practical guides to eating are becoming available to help us make sense of all the food and health information we’re bombarded with. Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating is one such book, written by Mark Bittman – a food journalist, culinary aficionado, and cookbook writer, who is perhaps best known for his cookbook, How to Cook Everything, first published in 1998.

Focused on making sustainable, lifestyle change, Food Matters includes a practical guide to eating with specific meal plans and simple, daily recipes to follow. Additionally, the book discusses agriculture, food and American eating habits, the environmental impact of our eating culture and a brief history of how we got where we are today.

Written as a personal account and journey about changing his own eating habits, Bittman makes a compelling argument as to why the rest of us should follow his lead. After all, who wouldn’t want to lose weight, be healthier, save money and reduce global warming? Count me in!

The other day I saw an advertisement for The Digital Recipe Reader. Kinda cool, as it has a 7″ touch screen, holds up to 2,500 recipes and not a single tree was hacked nor CO2 emission spent delivering cookbooks. Sold through Neiman Marcus, the ad said that owners have access to a gaggle of exclusive NM recipes in addition to the few hundred preloaded ones. The Reader also syncs to an online database that can be customized. Pretty nifty – this, too, can be yours for a mere $300. I did a little research to see if anyone had test-driven it and found a wonderfully snarky review on Wired.com. Writer Jose Fermoso had me laughing at the headline, which reads:

Digital Recipe Reader Copies iPhone UI, Scams Grandma

After a few paragraphs he goes on to say: “The problem is that [The Reader] is $100 more than the cheapest iPhone (8GB), which could easily serve as the main kitchen helper and access thousands of recipes online. (Did anyone say Epicurious?) The only apparent difference between the devices is that this one is ‘splash resistant,’ and of course, doesn’t make calls, play movies, or have hundreds of interesting other online applications, like the steak cooking timer.”

But as I gazed at the advertisement and saw the perfectly art-directed image of the reader, one thing became very clear: a simple recipe for spiced red lentil stew was displayed as an example of what a potential owner could expect. It was free. And delicious.

Spiced Red Lentil Stew
1 cup red lentils
1 carrot coarsely chopped
1 onion coarsely chipped
2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (I used 2 tablespoons)
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chopped parsley or cilantro (I had none)

Cover lentils with water in a bowl and stir. Drain, rinse, rinse and repeat until the water is clear. Place lentils in a pot with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that develops on top (I had none). Reduce the heat and remaining ingredients. Partially cover and cook over low heat until the stew is thick and lentils are soft, 45-60 minutes. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.