Looking for a green way to explore a city (even your own)? Check out these creative bike tours. 

We all know that riding a bike is a green and healthy way to get from Point A to Point B. Now, imagine pedaling in between eating, drinking (within limits, natch), or checking out art installations in one of North America’s coolest cities. If the idea of sightseeing aboard a cruiser or commuter up your alley, check out these innovative bike tours.

Holoholo Bicycles, Honolulu While in Honolulu in September, I was shocked to learn that this laid-back city recently ranked number one for the nation’s worst traffic. Fortunately, you don’t need a car to discover the best parts of Honolulu (and there are many), but the city doesn’t have a dominant bike culture of the kind you find in the Pacific Northwest, Brooklyn, or the Bay Area. Fortunately, a new company is putting bike tours on the local radar.

Brandon Reid and Nicole Maryott launched Holoholo Bicycles out of a historic, exposed brick space adjoining their Chinatown restaurant, Manifest, in July. The charming young Honolulu-born and –raised couple are part of a progressive new breed of local entrepreneur who are inspired by the green urban development and tourism found in pockets throughout the Mainland.

Explains Maryott, “Our mission is to liberate the modern traveler from environmentally unfriendly tourism in Hawaii. We see bike tours as a carbon-free way to experience the location, culture, and people of Honolulu. We also believe that given the choice, visitors want to be healthier, more responsible, and more informed about this paradise that is too often commercialized beyond recognition.”

Despite having lived in Hawaii, I’d never taken an organized tour of Honolulu. The thought of being crammed aboard a double-decker bus heaving with tourists makes me shudder, and left to my own devices, I usually opt for one of the outer beaches over the (very excellent) Bishop Museum.

Image: James Ramsey

This is one reason Holoholo’s bike tours are ingenious. Combining sight-seeing (on shiny Trek Allant 7 commuters; max group size is five) with outdoor activity is an appealing way to turn visitors on Honolulu’s lesser-known historic and cultural treasures. The company focuses on three different itineraries: Chinatown Modern, Downtown, and Historic Honolulu.

I opted for the latter, which includes a diversified two-hour exploration of the spots like the burgeoning Kaka’ako Waterfront and Development District (think industrial ‘hood turned funky restaurants, live/work spaces, shops, and studios, with a dynamic street-art backdrop); Aloha Tower; Hawaiian Mission Houses; Hawaii State Capitol; the Queen Lili’okalani statue; ‘Iolani Palace, and Chinatown.

Reid plays tour guide to small groups, talking about the cultural and historical significance at each stop, and shares anecdotes. For those who are leery of city riding (that would include me), not to worry. Safety is paramount to Holoholo’s philosophy, but you don’t feel like you’re on training wheels. Rather, I found myself discovering sides of the city I’d never explored in-depth (with the exception of Honolulu’s Chinatown, which I love for its charmingly decrepit buildings, fascinating history, excellent restaurants, and colorful residents: it’s definitely not a tourist-trap).

Getting an inside peek at Honolulu (think: views of Diamond Head and Waikiki while surrounded by locals fishing for dinner; kids using a concrete desalination plant basin as a swimming hole; frail Chinese men playing a fierce game of cards on a sidewalk) is all too rare. Here’s to Holoholo.

Pedal Bike Tours, Portland, OR

It’s tough to choose between a tour of PDX’s visionary food cart pods or its breweries, but this is the Pacific Northwest, after all. With 40 microbreweries and brewpubs within city limits, it just makes sense to quench your thirst with a taste of iconic PDX brews from spots like Deschutes, McMenamin’s, and Rogue. The three-hour tour includes a cruise past hometown hero Stumptown Coffee, before concluding, time-permitting, with a pint at a tap room.

Cycle City Tours, Vancouver

In addition to pedals around the city’s stunning Stanley Park (an urban oasis) and downtown, there’s now an option for fans of public art. The Art Wheelers Tour launched in June, and includes a tour of Vancouver’s art installations, architecture, and small, community-driven works. Says founder and “chief pedaler” Josh Bloomfield, “We found that much like our food tour, public art is an interesting topic to discover the city’s history, culture, and neighborhoods. Each piece that we talk about relates with a point about its broader context in Vancouver’s landscape.” Art Wheelers tours will resume in June, 2014.

Image: Cycle City Tours

Confederacy of Cruisers, New Orleans

What would New Orleans be without its food? Still an incredible city, but seriously? No trip is complete without a dive into NOLA’s historic, culturally-diverse, dining scene. The Culinary Bike Tour takes small groups on an in-depth, by-neighborhood exploration that features tastings of everything from gumbo and Po’ boys to boudin and crawfish boil at landmarks like Bayona, Irene’s, and Galatoire’s. Don’t expect the physical exertion to match the glut of pork products and roux, but that’s besides the point. You may, in fact, find that you want to hop on the company’s Cocktails in New Orleans Tour. As the locals say, “Les bon temps rouler.” Literally.

Top image: James Ramsey

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The post Big City Bike Tours That Rock: Cycle New Orleans, Portland, Honolulu and Vancouver appeared first on EcoSalon.

Looking for a dreamy holistic retreat? Lumeria Maui is off the tourist trail, and sure to soothe your soul. This intimate hotel brings the romance and traditional architecture of Upcountry Maui together with all you’d expect from a health-minded yoga getaway to create a soothing sanctuary. 

Confession: I’m allergic to New Age. I think it’s a side-effect of my years working in the natural foods industry, attending massage school, and living in Berkeley, California. Not, to quote “Seinfeld,” that there’s anything wrong with that. Mindful living is important, and alternative modalities and lifestyles are increasing in popularity. Even the global tourism industry has been impacted by the craving for wellness, and holistic retreats and spas—many of which draw inspiration from various indigenous cultures—are one of the industries’ fastest-growing segments.

When I heard about Lumeria Maui, an intimate, 24-room, luxury holistic retreat that opened in March, 2012, I was intrigued. The property is located on the 1910 Fred Baldwin estate (a prominent sugar cane and ranching family who still live in the area). The estate was built to house retired cane executives and plantation workers, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. My obsession with interior design and all things Hawaiian made the decision to visit Lumeria an easy one.

Lumeria Maui owner and operator Xorin Balbes, a renowned architectural conservator and designer, renovated the six-acre property in 2011, creating what he refers to as a “SoulSpace.” The result is a stunning redesign of the original Craftsman building, using reclaimed and sustainable materials. The exterior and key elements have been left intact, while the interiors have a tasteful neoclassical and Asian-influenced aesthetic.

Image: Lumeria Maui

Explains Balbes, “I’ve always found it to be important to hold on to history through architecture. Considering the property was originally a convalescent center, I thought it was important to save and restore the original structures and the history they represent. As the oldest wooden structures on Maui, the buildings really exude a feeling of a bygone era of ‘old Hawaii,’ which I felt would be amazing to share with travelers from around the world.”

Lumeria’s location outside the sleepy paniolo (cowboy) town of Makawao, in Upcountry Maui, was also a big selling point for me, as the region is one of my favorite spots on earth. While less than seven miles from the North Shore’s bustling former sugar mill town of Paia and world-class windsurfing of Ho’okipa Beach, Upcountry might as well be a different planet.

Historically a cattle ranching region, Upcountry is still very much paniolo country. The landscape is one of lush pasture and forest, grazing livestock, and rolling hills, situated on the flanks of Haleakala volcano. Makawao is just up the road from Lumeria, with its handful of great restaurants, galleries, boutiques, and historic structures. Lumeria lies smack-dab in the middle of nowhere, unobtrusively located behind wooden gates off the main road, Baldwin Avenue. While B&B’s are popular, Lumeria is the only “hotel” in Upcountry.

Image: belindah-Thank You!-150.000 Views Now

Upcountry is a peaceful place; the main noise pollution comes in the form of tradewinds rustling the eucalyptus, guava, and Norfolk Island pine trees. While there’s a laidback sort of tourism here, there aren’t herds of people to “ruin” the vibe. Yet, Lumeria is a sanctuary-within-a-sanctuary. Here, you’re sheltered from the everyday annoyances like shrilling devices (While the property does have Wifi and iPod docking in every room, there are no phones or TV and cell service is spotty) and traffic.

Image: Lumeria Maui

Lumeria offers classes, programs, and retreats in yoga and meditation, often taught by world-renowned instructors (daily yoga and meditation are included with all reservations). There’s a small yoga studio next to the restaurant, and a larger, appealingly airy stand-alone studio. A black-bottom lap pool and Jacuzzi overlook Haleakala’s western slope, while a nearby pine grove is strung with hammocks that invite snoozing.

Rooms are individually designed, and full of light, making good use of the lofty original ceilings. All feature river rock-tiled, rain-head showers (with Aveda amenities; yay). My four-poster King Bed was luxurious and draped in a duvet (Upcountry nights can get chilly); a cozy daybed provided a separate space to read and daydream. One caveat: the walls are thin: Between the amorous couple next door and a bickering family two rooms down, I endured a couple of late nights.

The design of the Baldwin home is such that it forms a U-shape, with a covered porch running the length of the interior. The porch overlooks an immaculately-groomed grass courtyard bordered by tropical flowers and other vegetation. Inside the main entrance are a plush, lavishly furnished-and-decorated library and sitting room stocked with books, art, and magnificent chunks of crystal and geode.

Image: Lumeria Maui

While I’m not a big fan of yoga because I  find it too sedentary (I realize the irony of this statement; I’m exactly the kind of stressed-out person who could benefit most from the discipline), I got into the spirit of things and spent a day taking classes. Given the deplorable state of my downward dog, I expected to be the laughing stock of my Anusara class. Surprise: not only did it kick my butt, but the instructor and fellow students were kind, and helped me refine various poses. Inspired, I took a Yoga Nidra class, which is when I hit my tolerance level for alternative modalities.

Ultimately, Lumeria Maui is designed to appeal to guests seeking a genuinely holistic, experiential retreat. If that’s not your thing (and you find being offered colon hydrotherapy within minutes of arrival off-putting, which I most certainly do), you’ll likely be weirded out by the drinking the Kool-Aid vibe. If you can look past that intensity, you’ll enjoy the property for its aesthetic charms, solitude, and enchanting location.

Lumeria offers weekly classes from visiting shamans, Hawaiian cultural educators, and botanical experts. You can also book traditional lomi-lomi massage or partake of the Lumeria Glow Cleanse program, which includes a “state-of-the-art juice and broth” regimen. The small, on-site restaurant serves tasty dinners made with locally-sourced produce when possible (advance reservations required); a no-frills Continental breakfast is included.

Lumeria can also help facilitate booking outside activities like horseback riding (Makawao’s lovely Piiholo Ranch is owned and operated by members of the Baldwin family), farm tours, stand-up paddleboarding, and wind- and kitesurfing.

My stay at Lumeria was sponsored by the Maui Visitors Bureau, but all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Top Image: Simply Stella, Flickr

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The post Old Hawaii’s Hidden Holistic Retreat: Lumeria Maui appeared first on EcoSalon.

Love your pet but can’t take it with you when you travel? Try renting a dog for the weekend from this innovative shelter program.

If you’re a dog or cat owner who loves to travel, you’ve had to deal with the unhappy scenario of leaving your best friend at home. It’s stressful for both parties, but sometimes necessary. If you happen to be headed to the Colorado Rockies, however, there’s a great way to offset the furry friendless blues. The Aspen Animal Shelter has a Rent-a-Pet program for visitors (and residents) that provides a symbiotic, feel-good solution for participants of the two- and four-legged variety.

This progressive, for-profit, no-kill shelter has a borrowing system for folks who want a canine companion to hike with. Whether it’s for two hours or a weekend, adoptable dogs are matched up with “renters,” who then provide the animals with exercise, love, and enhanced socialization skills.

According to Aspen Animal Shelter director Seth Sachson, the adoption rate from the Rent-a-Pet program is high; another bonus. Even if you’re not a hardcore hiker, runner, cyclist, Nordic skier, or snowshoer, no matter. Matches are made based upon the athletic ability and personality of both parties, so even if your idea of a workout is drinking coffee and people-watching, you’ll both benefit.

And here’s a tip: if dog loving travelers want a pup for the weekend or you plan to bring your own dog, many of Aspen’s hotels are dog-friendly. Looking for ways to incorporate your furry friend into your vacation plans? Consider taking a skijoring clinic from the shelter.

Image: Laurel Miller

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The post Rent-a-Pet: The Aspen Animal Shelter Solution for Dog Loving Travelers appeared first on EcoSalon.

Leaving your beloved pet(s) at home is a bummer, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Here’s how to find a pet-sitter you can rely upon.

I’ve worked as a dog-walker and pet-sitter off and on for over a decade, and as someone who’s experienced both sides of the pet-care coin, I’ve picked up some tips on what to look for in a pet-sitter. May your next trip be less stressful, for both you and your furry or feathered friend(s). Here’s how.

Growing up on a small ranch, we had a live-in caretaker, because my dad had to travel not infrequently for work (he’s a retired large animal vet and equine behaviorist, and still lectures all over the world).

Having someone who lived on the property and loved our animals almost as much as we did mitigated a lot of the anxiety incurred by leaving them at home, but it certainly didn’t eliminate it. My mom, in particular, missed her dogs and fretted over them. And as sometimes happens, a few beloved pets…expired during our travels. Accidents happen, but in a couple of instances, the passing of our pets was due to negligence, and to this day, it rankles my family.

Here’s how to ensure your pet sitter is prepared and trustworthy (as well as what you can do to give them the tools they need to do their job well):

• Ask for references, and follow up with them on the phone.
• A company that’s bonded or insured is a good sign, but it’s not a guarantee of a good sitter. Word-of-mouth and having potential pet-sitters meet at your home and interact with your pet will provide you with a much better idea of their knowledge  and skill with regard to animals.
• If your pet has special medical needs, ask your vet for a sitter referral.
• Determine beforehand exactly what you expect of your sitter. Are they planning to stay in your home, or drop by/how many times a day/for how long, or take your pet into your home?  Outline a clear schedule and put your expectactions in writing.

Image:  Sean Molin, Flickr

• Ask  what their course of action is in an emergency. Do they know the location of the nearest 24-hour emergency vet clinic/have a rapport with doctors on call? Do they know the signs of an animal in distress?
• Will the sitter just perform the basics, or are they going to act as a substitute pet owner? You want someone who will not just interact with your pet, but love them up. Walks, play, socialization, cuddling, treats: All of these  (depending upon species, of course) are essential for the physical and mental well-being of your pet while you’re away.
• Do they have experience dealing with animals other than dogs and cats, if applicable?
• Don’t neglect your home: In addition to feeding pets, will the sitter also water plants, keep things tidy, scoop litterboxes, take out the trash, etc? Note that most pet-sitters who stay in a client’s home should offer these services as part of their fee.
• If your sitter is just doing daily visits, how reliable are they? Ask references if they set alarms, lock doors and windows, bring in mail, leave a porch light on, and otherwise leave your home secure. (Just remember that you’re hiring a pet-sitter, not a caretaker or maid.)
• Be sure that your sitter is willing to provide you with brief email or phone updates on your pet, but be reasonable. A 500-word daily email about Princess Fluffy’s adventures with her fishing pole toy is over-the-top. Don’t blow up your sitter’s phone or email with messages, be a “helicopter parent” or have unrealistic expectations; it’s a surefire-way to ensure you lose a reliable pet-sitter. Remember that while your pet may be your child, it’s still an animal, not a human.

Image: Alfie Goodrich, Flickr

• Leave a list of your contact information/itinerary, and emergency numbers for your sitter, as well as details on feeding instructions, etc.
• I never used contracts for clients; other sitters may present you with a formal document. If you feel better drawing up a contract yourself, however, by all means do so. This protects both parties, and ensures you’re in agreement about payment and services to be rendered.

Top image: Michael Fletcher, Flickr

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The post What To Look For In A Pet Sitter: Use This Checklist for Peace of Mind appeared first on EcoSalon.

Hipster cliché or not, craft sodas are showing up in bars and on menus nationwide, and that’s a good thing. Move over, high fructose corn syrup and artificial colorings, there’s a new carbonated beverage in town.

Craft sodas are reaching their tipping point. Joining the ranks of trendsetters like DRY Soda Co., WildCraft Soda, and SIP are a rising number of restaurants, bars, and nano-producers who are using some surprising raw ingredients to produce their seasonal products. DRY really set the modern standard for craft sodas; the Seattle-based company specializes in scarcely sweetened beverages that make for elegant refreshers or mixers.

Flavors like Rhubarb, Lavender, Ginger, Blood Orange, Juniper Berry, and Cucumber also pair well with appetizers, salads, or a cheese course. Miniscule WildCraft Soda, founded by DC native Nathan Zeender, takes a different approach, using foraged ingredients like elderberry, rose hip, sarsparilla, and burdock and licorice root. The resulting draft-only sodas have a distinct Colonial American vibe.

In Brooklyn, perhaps the epicenter of craft foods, Caroline Mak and Antonio Ramos recently moved their tiny, three-year-old company into slightly larger digs. Brooklyn Soda Works was born of the couple’s love of mixing up a great cocktail. They began selling their craft beer-influenced (because they’re carbonated in-keg) sodas at Brooklyn Flea. Instead of carbonated syrup or concentrate, the sodas are made with fresh-squeezed juices, using ingredients sourced farmer-direct from the Brooklyn Grand Army Plaza and Union Square farmers’ markets.

Esoteric seasonal flavors include Yellow Plum & Basil; Concord Grape & Fennel Seed; Strawberry, Hops, & Pink Peppercorn, and Grapefruit, Jalapeno, and Honey. Bring on the gin or vodka, please. One of the most unusual- and delicious- craft sodas on the market comes from Northern California’s Eatwell Farms. Farmer/co-owner Lorraine Walker started making whey-fermented sodas four years ago, using Lactobacilus-rich, organic milk by-product from Petaluma’s St. Benoît Yogurt, and fruit and herbs from her farm. The result- Drinkwell Softers- have a gentle fizz, and subtle creamy note on the palate.

Walker mixes a base of fermented whey, sugar, and salt with water and fresh fruit juice. Then, she adds aromatics. The result are seasonal flavors like Lemon Verbena, Lavender, Rosemary, and Rose Geranium. Walker sells the sodas at markets (most notably, San Francisco’s famed Ferry Plaza Farmers Market). Explains Walker, “It’s always been my goal to encourage people to think about beverages the same way many of us think about our food; made with locally-grown, organic ingredients. What we drink should figure into the concept of the local food movement just like produce, meat, eggs, and dairy.”

Related on EcoSalon:

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Images via Alberto Gonzalez, DRY Soda Co.,  lubre

The post Craft Sodas That Will Quench Your Thirst appeared first on EcoSalon.

There’s much ado about heirloom crops, which promote genetic diversity. Acclaimed chef and author Hugh Acheson wants you to eat them- and rice grits, in particular- because they’re about more than just mere sustenance.

To be honest, before last June, the only thing I knew about Hugh Acheson, chef/partner of Athens, Georgia’s, Five and Ten, and The National, and Atlanta’s Empire State South, is that he has one hell of a unibrow (well-documented), and that his intensity as a part-time judge on “Top Chef” freaked me out. Yet, while attending the 31st annual FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen this past summer, I was intrigued by a cooking demo Acheson was offering, called “Great Southern Grains.” The focus of the seminar was on the “rice economy and Southern resurgence of a cultural interest in heritage grains [his term for heirloom].” In a nutshell, we were learning about rice grits, and their role in what Acheson calls New Southern cuisine.

I’m a fool for grains; I’ve never met a variety I dislike, be it farro, millet, barley, or buckwheat groats. And now that I’ve seen Acheson as a presenter, I stand corrected, as the James Beard-award-winning Acheson, also a former Food & Wine “Best New Chef,” is my new hero. His vast knowledge about food, including the sociological and anthropological aspects, as well as his intelligence, foresight, and self-deprecating humor (you should hear him talk about his eyebrow), made me completely rethink my baseless former opinion. Do I sound like I have a crush? I do, in that it’s rare to find a chef who is so articulate and down-to-earth.

Image: Galdones Photography

Acheson, a Canadian, moved to the Deep South nearly two decades ago; his fascination with Southern culture has made him a bona-fide expert on the region’s food history. Before the Civil War, the rice economy of states like North Carolina and Georgia were based upon slave labor; it was these African slaves who fully developed the rice culture of the region (As Acheson rightly points out, “Southern food was not created by Southerners; it was created by slaves and slave traders.”). After the war, labor-intensive rice cultivation moved to states like Texas and Arkansas, where it was easier to flood and drain fields.

Rice grits are an heirloom rice with small, “broken” grains; Acheson prepares them in the manner of risotto, adding liquid in small quantities for the grains to absorb. The result is a delicate, creamy dish that takes well to all manner of cooked vegetables or meats, or can be used in desserts, or a breakfast food as you would regular grits or polenta. The rice grits espoused by the chef are a variety called Carolina Gold rice, which is regaining its popularity and being cultivated by regional family farms thanks to the persistence of chefs like Acheson, who don’t want to see a monoculture destroy the historical or agricultural legacy of the South. Acheson and fellow Southern chefs like Sean Brock of Charleston’s Husk have been instrumental in helping to revive and make relevant family farms, as the demand for specialty produce, meat, and poultry grows.

“Rice grits are one of the defining grains of the New South, to me; I have very strong opinions about Southern food for a Canadian,” jokes Acheson. “It’s not greasy buckets of fried chicken; that’s only been the fast food culture of the last 50 years. If we make fresh, wholesome food available to our kids, that culture of heritage foods, home cooking, will be there for the next generation. If we don’t, we’ll continue to poison the well as we have been for the last few generations.”

Image: Adrianne Behning Photography

As Acheson pointed out, the “New South” is one largely comprised of new ethnic groups, most notably Koreans and other Asian immigrants. For his demo, he prepared a dish that he feels is representative of this new food culture: Rice grits with kimchi and pork belly, and quick-pickled scallion and radish (see recipe below). The dish is garnished with local roasted peanuts, in a nod to both Southern and Asian influences. When it comes to sourcing ingredients, says Acheson, “I’m not a zealot, but I feel that “farm-to-table has become too much of a marketing term. I prefer to say I cook from my community. It’s just what we do.”

Try Acheson’s comforting fall recipe for rice (grit) pudding with butternut squash and sweet milk tea.

Save the date! The 2014 FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen will be held June 20-22.

Top image: robholland

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The post Discovering Rice Grits & the New Southern Food Culture with Chef Hugh Acheson appeared first on EcoSalon.

Granville Island in Vancouver is home to one of the North American continent’s great public markets: visitors love British Columbia’s progressive, green capital, which boasts an eclectic, multi-cultural dining scene. For regional produce and other edibles, Granville Island is a must-visit.

Granville Island was settled in the late 19th century, along with the rest of Vancouver (which was originally known as Granville). By the 1970s, Granville Island had become, according to its official tourism website, “a declining 37-acre industrial wasteland” of former sawmills, factories, and shantytowns. Its location on False Creek didn’t help, and typhoid and sewage issues further contributed to the island’s decline.

Fortunately, city officials had the foresight to reclaim the polluted land and creek, and turn it into a public space with parkland, housing, and public exhibition space.

Today, the island has been restored and renovated. There are cobbled streets, renovated factories, performance spaces, galleries, boutiques, restaurants, a lovely hotel, boat tours and a ferry dock, and the Public Market, which was built in 1979. The market is full of rotating “day vendors” selling edibles and crafts, as well as permanent eateries, and there’s a Thursday farmer’s market, that runs from June to October.

Image: Dominic Schaefer

I’ve long been obsessed with public markets, and have been fortunate enough to help open two of America’s best: the San Francisco Ferry Building, and Seattle’s Melrose Market. Yet I’d never been to Granville Island. On a recent layover, I decided to spend the time scouring the market to stock up for a 20-hour journey I was making on VIA Rail Canada. I love nothing more than hitting a farmers or public market, bakery, or regional grocery store before departing on a trip, so I can try the local cuisine in transit.

I arrived at the market ravenous from my flight, and the first place I visited was Siegel’s Bagels. For years, I’d heard about Montreal bagels and smoked meat (similar to pastrami), but never having been to Quebec, I hadn’t had the opportunity to try them. The owner of Siegel’s is a Montréalais, hence the focus on his native cuisine. And now, after eating a chewy bagel stuffed with the juicy, tender, lightly smoked meat, I understand what all the fuss is about.

Image: Dominic Schaefer

Other stalls worth checking out include Benton’s Fine Cheese, where you’ll find a case full of French and Canadian cheeses. At The Lobster Man, get Dungeness crab and lobster cooked to order; Longliner Seafoods has BC salmon and halibut. There are delis with stuffed saucisson,  and various produce stands (don’t miss Okanagan Valley fruit: depending upon season, berries, stonefruit,or  apples or pears are available. I sprang for two pints of luscious raspberries). At South China Seas Trading Co, you’ll find everything from fresh wasabi and shiso leaves to dim sum wrappers. Don’t forget to pick up some pastry (like the decadent caramel bars) at Stuart’s Bakery, and smoked or candied salmon at the Salmon Shop.

Image: Granville Island

For souvenirs, lunch, or dinner, check out Edible Canada’s bistro and retail shop, across from the market. There, I scored some Noble Bourbon-barrel-aged maple syrup and maple sugar candy, but there’s also a jewel-like array of preserves, oils, and vinegars. Before you leave the island, drop by Liberty Wine Merchants for some spectacular BC Wines (I’m loving Blasted Church Vineyards’ Hatfield’s Fuse).

Granville Island is easily accessible by taxi, bike, boat, foot, or the #50 False Creek bus from downtown Vancouver, and is approximately 20 minutes on public transit from Vancouver International Airport.

Tours of the Granville Island Public Market can be arranged through Edible BC.

Top image: Granville Island

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The post Vancouver’s Granville Island Market: One-Stop Shopping for a Taste of Canada appeared first on EcoSalon.

Got a hankering to see the continent, but short on time/funds/without wheels? Travel by train is a lower-impact, relaxed, and budget-conscious way to go, especially in Canada.

Serious travelers have likely logged time on the rails, be it  sleek, high-speed European or Japanese trains, or the clapped-out versions found throughout parts of Latin America and Southeast Asia.  Here in the states, unfortunately, long-distance rail travel can be time inefficient and pricey. 

In general, however, train travel  is a greener way to go. Recent freak accidents in Spain and Quebec notwithstanding, trains are statistically much safer and less expensive than driving (when you factor in gas and depreciation), and far more efficient if you’re not in a hurry. After all, you can nap, read, or work.

Personally, I just like to zone out and  stare out the window, taking in the  scenery. Having traveled by train on four continents, I’ve experienced the good, the bad, and the seriously fetid. So it’s with good authority that I say VIA Rail Canada—the country’s national passenger rail system—rocks. Another eco-plus: Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station is just a 20-minute ride from the Vancouver National Airport on the efficient Canada Line rapid transit system.

VIA recently underwent a $22 million dollar renovation and eco-consciousness is notably a part of their promotional campaign  (Canadians are impressively on the ball when it comes to green practices and ethics). Perhaps being an enormous country with a low population, fragile ecosystem, and massive foodshed is a good thing?

The VIA website addresses environmental issues and cites statistics, such as this: “Last year, 4 million VIA rail passengers traveled more than 851 million miles (1.37 billion kilometers)? Despite all these trips, they produced only 0.03% of greenhouse gas (GHG)  related to transportation, while motorists alone have produced 13% of GHG emissions.”

This isn’t to say that you should believe everything you read, but the fact that travel by train is environmentally cleaner than plane, car, or cruise ship is nothing new. I’ve always loved taking the train, so for me, VIA’s makeover was an excuse to go to British Columbia for a week, and travel two of the province’s most famous routes.

The Canadian line runs from Vancouver to Toronto, but I chose to travel from Vancouver to Jasper (which is actually just over the border in Alberta), home of the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. Because the Canadian travels trans-provinces, it offers both Economy (which includes a sleeping berth) and Sleeper Plus class, which includes full-service dining, and by far the sweetest room I’ve ever seen on a train.

VIA isn’t the Orient Express, so don’t expect bells and whistles, but the cushy chairs fold down into a full bed with a duvet, and there’s a private bathroom; showers are shared. There were even functional electrical outlets (are you listening, Amtrak?), but Wi-Fi capability depends upon route; in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, forget about phone and internet…which I gladly did. In fact, I was so cozy in my room, I had to force myself out and into the glass-ceiled and -sided Dome and Panorama cars (access may depend upon route and travel class).

During daylight hours, if you’re lucky, you’ll have an engineer who slows the train for photo ops of stunning visuals, like the towering Pyramid Falls, visible only from the tracks en route to Jasper.

The 20-hour overnight journey offers distinctly beautiful scenery. There are jagged peaks, meadows of wildflowers, farmland dotted with bales of hay, and usually, loads of wildlife (I seemed to be napping or peeing every time someone saw a moose, Grizzly bear, or bald eagle, but they’re out there, I promise- there were plenty of animals in Jasper). You’ll see crystalline glacial lakes, and cruise alongside the milky jade waters of the Fraser River.

In Jasper, I boarded the famed Jasper-Prince Rupert line, formerly known as “The Skeena” because it follows the dramatic river of the same name. This two-day, 720-miles run heads west, going from the Rockies to the rugged Pacific Coast. There are no sleeper cars on this route; instead, the train stops overnight in the sleepy city of Prince George (recommendation: the stylish Sandman Signature Hotel).

While the first day has attractive, pastoral scenery, the second day is money. From the jagged, glacier-swathed peaks of the Coast Mountains to the misty sandbars of the swift, wide Skeena, it’s Canadian wilderness at its best.

Prince Rupert itself is a delightfully quirky little port, and a great place to kick it for a couple of days. The highlights of the region (besides the views of the Alaskan Coastal Range, just 40 tantalizing miles away) are the stellar humpback whale watching and grizzly viewing.  I took a six-hour round-trip boat ride up the Northern Inside Passage with the excellent, family-owned Prince Rupert Adventure Tours.

We watched humpbacks “lunge-feeding” just yards away from the boat, spotted porpoises and harbour seals, and watched bald eagles snatching fish scraps out of mid-air. The highlight of  the week, however, was seeing grizzly bears in the Khutzeymateen Valley.

Although completely wild, the bears live in a protected region known as a “sanctuary,” how close to shore the boats can get to the animals, which spend summers foraging onshore for dandelions, grass, and clams, depends upon their mood. Many of the passengers on the boat were the same folks I’d spent the last two days riding the rails with. It had been a running joke amongst us  that we’d ask for a refund if we didn’t see any whales or bears on our trip. It turns out that traveling to the edge of the continent is worth every cent.

All images: VIA Rail Canada

Related on EcoSalon :

10 Things to Love About Rail Travel

7 Lessons from Canada’s Environmental Pragmatism

The post Why Travel by Train Rocks, Especially in Canada (Hint: It’s Relaxing and Green) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Who knew that the hand-crafted ricotta in your shopping cart had a seasonal shelf-life? Surprise: milk is actually one of the most misunderstood ingredients from the farm, and a truly seasonal food.

EcoSalon readers will agree that as a farmers market-shopping, tomato-growing, eco-conscious subset of society, we’ve become pretty savvy about where our food comes from. We understand that asparagus and peas are worth waiting for, and that pastured-raised chickens and their eggs really do taste better.

Yet, few food-loving folk people are aware that cheese is a seasonal food. Since its discovery sometime around 2000 BC, fresh cheese has been a way to use surplus milk. The process of aging cheese is actually one of the earliest methods of food preservation, and it provided vital protein and other nutrients during the winter months, when certain species of ruminants (cud-chewing mammals with four-chambered stomachs) aren’t lactating.

Image: June Mita Photography

Milk, of course, comes from lactating mammals, i.e., those that have recently given birth. The stomachs of ruminants are specially adapted to break down their entirely plant-based diet, and the end result is an especially rich milk, and the main ingredient in cheese. The normal lactation period for the three main dairy species—sheep, goats, and cows—ranges from six to ten months. Factors such as breed, climate, diet, and topography all influence lactation time and the flavor and chemical composition (the ratio of water to solids) of milk, as well.

This is why fresh (unaged) cheeses such as mozzarella, chevre, and ricotta were traditionally only available during the spring and summer, when animals began their lactation. Aged cheeses such as cheddar, Gruyère, or Parmigiano-Reggiano were consumed during the lean winter months. As agriculture became industrialized, dairy species were domesticated and genetically selected to produce more milk, and extending the lactation cycle was adopted as a practice in most commercial dairy farming.

A longer lactation results in a higher milk yield and profit (in the short term, at least). The problem with continuously lengthening lactation and overbreeding a dairy animal is that it stresses their system, which is not exactly humane or conducive to quality dairy products. Ultimately, this results in a shorter “working” life, and potentially makes the animal more susceptible to disease and injury.

Image: George Wesley & Bonita…

Despite advances in the dairy industry over the centuries, cheesemaking has changed very little, which is why, for small cheesemakers, it remains a highly seasonal food making endeavor. From a financial standpoint, fresh cheese equals immediate profit, while aged cheeses mean a source of income during the off-season.

This is why you likely won’t find that incredible yogurt or chevre from your favorite local, small-scale cheesemaker during the winter months: their animals aren’t producing milk. There’s nothing wrong with purchasing fresh cheeses from larger producers or those using frozen milk in the colder months (or summer, for that matter). If, however, you want to support local or small-scale cheesemakers, be sure to purchase their winter offerings, as well.

Want to know more about cheese? Check out my book, Cheese for Dummies.

top image: mark notari

The post Celebrate Summer With Cheese: The Surprising Seasonal Food appeared first on EcoSalon.

Green design for the home is hardly newsbreaking. But a forward-thinking collaborative in Boulder, Colorado, makes  sustainable home furnishings, clothing, and little luxuries accessible to everyone.

As a resident, I feel confident stating that Boulder practically invented the ethos of green living. Yet even amongst the  city’s (third party-certified, controlled wood) forest of eco-chic boutiques; green design firms;  grocery stores and restaurants defined by locally-sourced ingredients;  hybrid automobiles; LEED-certified buildings;  cyclists, and non-profits devoted to planetary salvation, madelife stands out.

Formerly known as factoryMADE (the branding transition is happening as you read), this groovy, green design showroom located just off happening East Pearl Street is a store and collaborative artist space boasting cutting-edge products made from reclaimed or ethically-made, – sourced-and-shipped materials. Eighty percent of the stock is made by Colorado artists, designers, and other creative folk.

Before you start envisioning hand-loomed hemp yoga mats and recycled beer bottle bongs, allow me to explain: madelife’s largely consignment-based inventory is super-stylish, and undeniably cool. The vibe might best be described as “agrarian-urban-mod,” or, perhaps, “etsy-meets-Design Within Reach.” There are trendy threads and funky dining tables made from repurposed basketball court hardwood. Shed antlers are gilded and decorated with beguiling curlicues (Suggested use: hat rack or necklace display.).

Jewelry, both delicate and chunky, is crafted from copper wire, old bike parts, feathers, antler, leather, metal scraps, and other odds and ends. Luscious apothecary goods are chock-full of natural ingredients like beeswax, essential oils, and other botanical goodness. Woodblock-printed pillows accentuate modernist sofas sheathed in nubby fabric; wee woodland dioramas are housed in old cigar boxes. Once, I dropped by and discovered a gloriously refurbished, peony-pink Frigidaire; you never know what kinds of treasure you’ll find at madelife, but the place never fails to inspire or incite desire.

This is why they also offer workshops and events for all ages (The company website states, “We curate + cultivate creative talent, community, and culture;” they also do custom video, music, and design for select clients, and donate 10-percent of their net profits to “underserved young people with creative potential.”).

Kids’ summer camps this year include classes on storybook making and functional art. Big people can try their hand at silversmithing, making beauty products, constructing terrariums, sewing, and reupholstering furniture. Check out the summer schedule and get your craft on.

Images: (top) madelife (All other images) whimseybox

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