Column Spend your money at farmers market and the money stays in the community. Spend it at the big box grocery store and it goes elsewhere.

After a lot of road trips in many different places, I have come to a conclusion. When you drive through the countryside and come across a small town, one of two things happens:

1. You think to yourself, “ugh, this place is full of box stores and has no feeling at all. Get me out of here!” You proceed to drive to the next destination on your map.

2. You think to yourself, “ah, look at all these independent stores and quaint streets, I want to live here!” You stay and hang out, grab a coffee, and maybe even stay for lunch.

I had this feeling recently as I passed through Willunga, Australia. Willunga is a small town south of Adelaide, equidistant from the ocean and vineyards; the kind of landscape that feels like paradise. The main street of town is a collection of small, independent stores. There’s the organic grocer, the butcher and the handful of cafes and wine shops which remind you that you’re in a hub of agriculture and viticulture. It was nearing lunch time and people were out; the small town felt vibrant and active.

Immediately I had the “I want to move here” feeling.

I mentioned this to a woman working in one of the cellar doors (that’s Australian for “tasting room”).

“There’s so much going on here, so many places selling local produce and food.”

“That’s because the city decided to invest in the farmers market,” she responded.

It’s true. Nowadays Willunga is known for its weekend organic farmers market. People drive in from around the area. According to the woman working at the cellar door, it was thanks to this that the town had exploded.

I started thinking about this and community building.

What is it that makes us have that feeling of “I want to live here”? It’s not just a street full of stores. It’s a sense of community; a feeling that there’s a thread that ties everyone together. So often, that thread is food. Food is essential; it’s what keeps us alive. It nourishes us both in the physical and the emotional sense, and it’s what brings us together.

It brings us around the table in the home, and it’s what brings us around the proverbial community table, so often a market.

Think about your local grocery store for a second. Are you compelled to stay a little longer and chat with a neighbor? Do you feel the same sense of pride when you pick up a jar of honey that comes from across the world as the one that comes from 10 miles down the road?

Community doesn’t just come together on its own. It takes work. As we think about how we continue to evolve our communities, and build new ones, some people have started using the phrase “placemaking.”

According to the Project for Public Spaces, “Placemaking is how we collectively shape our public realm to maximize shared value. Rooted in community-based participation, Placemaking involves the planning, design, management and programming of public spaces.”

As our world population grows, we have to think serious about our management of public spaces, and for me, that means thinking about food. Because investing in food and farmers markets has a positive economic impact.

When it comes to farmers markets specifically, there are the direct and indirect benefits. Certainly a farmer benefits when he or she can sell their produce without a middleman, but there are also economic benefits for the community that come from keeping things local.

In 2009, a study found that farmers markets in Oklahoma had generated a total of $3.3 million in direct sales, but $6 million in total economic impact. That’s almost double.

A study done by the USDA found that fruit and vegetable farms engaged in local food sales (i.e. local and regional markets) employ 13 full-time workers per $1 million of sales. Those fruit and vegetable farms that not engaged in local sales (think: big farming)? They only account for 3 full time employees per $1 million of sales. A local food economy creates more jobs.

According to a UK report, “spending in smaller independent local food outlets supports three times the number of jobs than at national grocery chains.” And in another study done in Salt Lake City, locally run businesses return 52 percent of their revenue to the local economy, whereas for national chain retailers, or box stores, it’s only 14 percent. Above and beyond that, when it comes to restaurants, local operation put 79 percent of their revenue back into the local economy, but for big national chains it’s only 30 percent.

This can face a huge impact, particularly when we’re looking at growth of farmers markets. Portland Farmers Market recently accounted that it would stay open all year round. And around the US, int he last decade, farmers markets have grown exponentially. Imagine if they kept growing, if they kept supporting local agriculture and they kept ensuring that local communities could eat well. Shopping locally doesn’t just put hands in the pocket of the farmer; it’s a direct investment in community health and when it comes to placemaking, supporting more farmers markets is a smart move.

We live in a world of “bigger is better.” We strive for efficiency and high production at low cost. But let’s not kid ourselves: we don’t need bigger with more choice. We need smaller with more quality. We don’t need to consume more; we need to consume better.

We need farmers and we need farmers markets. Because above all, we need community. And if you want to build community, you have to invest in it.

Related on EcoSalon

How Food Builds Strong Community: Foodie Underground

Local Food, Local Community: Foodie Underground

What if All Food Markets Were Local Food Markets: Foodie Underground

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: Anna Brones

The post Farmers Markets, Food, Placemaking and Smarter, Stronger Communities: Foodie Underground 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

Related on EcoSalon:

Food by Boat: The Appeal of Floating Farmers Markets

7 Lessons from Canada’s Environmental Pragmatism

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

ColumnA bag full of tomatoes, bread, and fresh cheese.

It was Saturday, the sun was shining and the central square of Carcassonne, France was packed with people. It was market day.

When in new places, I am always drawn to markets. In some cities they’re easy to find – the main event of the weekend – and in others they take a little more research. But at a market, you get the sounds, smells and sights of a place. You step into an everyday routine of wherever you are.

At a market, you wander. This is not expedient grocery list shopping; this is living in the moment. Taking up a bunch of tomatoes to see what they feel like. Smelling a container of strawberries. Holding a basket of chard. Asking the cheese monger what he recommends today. This is simple enjoyment. It’s no surprise that in our modern lives – most often defined by stress and deadlines – that we appreciate a moment to slow down.

I made my first round of the market. Because you always make a first round. Rule number one of market shopping: get a feel for the market and know what’s available.

Tightly packed into the main square, it was hard to determine where outdoor terraces ended and food stands started. The line to the organic baker wove around a few tables with coffee drinkers. The baker was doling out samples. “Un brownie sans gluten!” he exclaimed, cutting off a bit of the gluten free baked good. In bake-centric France gluten-free is rare to find, but sometimes you stumble across a nice surprise. We grabbed one for the following day’s river picnic. His fingers did a kind of dance routine, flitting back and forth between stuffing dense loaves in paper bags and doling out change. The kind of man that loves his job.

Next to him an old man sat behind a sea of wooden crates filled with salad. That’s another reason that we love markets: the personalities. These are not robotic cashiers, these are characters. These are farmers whose hands are cracked from working in the soil. These are bakers that have mastered a loaf of seed bread. Craving interaction, at a market we get just that. At a grocery store, you may just hand over money and leave with a “good bye” but at a market, there’s always something extra. Maybe it’s a discussion about the weather. Maybe it’s a joke about the food. Maybe it’s simply a comment that this is the best thing you have ever tasted. Whatever it is, it’s a human to human exchange, something for which we desperately yearn.

I made the rounds again. Handmade olive salami. From a local and organic producer. Only 4€.

It’s silly to even think about what you pay when you’re at the market; ultimately the market isn’t necessarily about the food, it’s about the experience.

Basil and tomatoes at the next stall. The cloth bag I was carrying was now full of picnic goods. Nothing processed, nothing imported, just good ingredients that would go well together.

Why do we love markets? Because they’re simple. Because they remind us of our relationship with food; that from what we eat, we draw happiness. And if we don’t take time to celebrate that happiness – that simple moment of picking up an apple to see how it feels and smells – then we are lacking something primal. We love markets because they bring us back to that connection, the connection that sustains us, physically and emotionally.

Food is joy, and a market is simply a wonderful manifestation of that.

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Images: Anna Brones

The post Foodie Underground: Why do We Love Markets? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Food by water.

When we talk about eating local, we often forget that for centuries, eating local wasn’t a choice. It just was. If it didn’t grow on your farm, or your neighbor’s, you most likely didn’t eat it. But as time went on and transportation improved, new foods popped up. This was especially true if you lived close to a waterway; boats and barges have for centuries been an essential method of food transportation. It comes as no surprise then that just as there is a return to localism, there is a return to food by boat. Enter the floating market.

It is no surprise that Europe, for example, has such a strong boat market culture, given its network of canals and rivers that have allowed its cities to flourish. If you’ve traveled, you may have discovered the floating markets in destinations like Thailand, Vietnam and Venice.

Current-day floating farmers markets allow not only access to food, but a discussion of the regional food landscape. In Vermont, Erik Andrus is raising money to launch a floating farmers market, building a 39-foot canal barge, that will take products from Vermont to New York City. The boat will be able to carry up to 12 tons of nonperishable goods, and the journey will take about 10 days. Slow travel, slow food.

In the Pacific Northwest, a similar concept is alive and thriving. Farm Boat Floating Market on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington is a 125-foot wooden vessel that opens up for a market once a week, selling local produce and artisan goods. But the boat is also part of a larger project, one that will ultimately consist of Floating Markets in 18 different ports in the Puget Sound region. That and taco boats.

On the other side of the country, David Berry of Merrymeeting Farm brings Maine’s island residents a fresh batch of produce and other local goods on what locals call “the vegetable boat.” In the case of food boats, sometimes it’s as simple as making the connection between supply and demand. As Berry told Down East, “I had the boat, and I had the [goods]. I’d been down the peninsulas delivering poultry from my parents’ farm when I was a teenager, and I knew that the people in those places — and on the islands — didn’t have good access to fresh produce. It was a wonderful combination, pulling my interests together into another enterprise.”

The same idea is behind Marché sur l’eau, Paris’ floating market. Allowing city residents to buy local products from the Île-de-France region; produce comes to Paris on the boat and is sold right on the quai at different locations during the week.

Expanding beyond the market concept, New York Sun Works’ The Science Barge puts a new spin on urban agriculture and is home to a a small farm that’s sustainable in every sense of the word. Launched in 2007, it’s now run by Groundwork Hudson Valley and docked in Yonkers.

In a world of semi-trucks and fast food, floating markets might not be the entire answer to the problems of our food system, but they’re certainly a part of it, and ultimately, remind us to slow down and think about what we’re eating and where it comes from.

Image: Russ Bowling

The post Food by Boat: The Appeal of Floating Farmers Markets appeared first on EcoSalon.

7 ways to be planet and body friendly while in London for the Olympics.

London is this summer’s hottest destination – maybe not for the heat, but indeed for the buzz! Whether you’re heading to the UK for Olympic festivities or are passing through any time of the year, it’ll do your body and social consciousness a favor to get going with the following seven suggestions.

Run Like a Royal

What’s free and a fantastic way to stay in shape? Outdoor jogging. MapMyRun.com is the ultimate resource for not only getting in a good workout but also seeing a city from a completely different perspective. The site provides you with visual tracks that other runners have trod before. You can also create your own route, tailoring it according to your distance and terrain requirements. Check out the nearly 9,000 routes already mapped out in London.

Hydrate Organically

Need a morning fix that will keep your energy levels high for the rest of the day? Sip on a refreshing and hydrating organic vegetable and fruit juice from Planet Organic. The market has a juice and smoothie bar with plenty of vegan, vegetarian and organic options to satisfy a breakfast, lunch or dinner appetite. There are locations in Devonshire Square, Muswell Hill, Islington, Torrington Place, and Westbourne Grove, so there is always one at a reasonable distance. Each location offers food, natural beauty, and health and well-being products.

Eat Kindly

London is emerging as an epicenter to the raw and vegan food movement in Europe, but before these venues were established, hailing strong were the numerous farmers markets spread throughout the city. Berwick Street Market is one of the city’s oldest. It has been running in Soho since as far back as 1778. It is open Monday-Saturday, 9am-6pm. Marylebone Farmers Market is also a fantastic market that has a something for everyone. Going beyond produce and general goods, the market has stalls offering prepared food from a variety of cuisines. Both the Berwick and Marylebone markets have organic options. Find a full directory of markets in London, check out official London Farmers Market page.

If sit-down dining is more your style, support local restaurants with your patronage and enjoy the city’s take on food fit for a health nut. Some of the standouts include:

• Saf (63 Kensington High St, London W8 5SE)
• VitaOrganic (74 Wardour Street  London, Greater London W1F 0TE)
• InSpiral Lounge (Camden High Street, London NW1 8QS)
• Bonnington Café (11 Vauxhall Grove, London Borough of Lambeth, London SW8 1TD)
• 42Raw (6 Burlington Gardens, City of Westminster, London W1S)
• Wild Food Café (1st floor  14 Neil’s Yard, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DP)
• Vx (73 Caledonian Road, London N1 9BT)
• Green Note (106 Parkway, London, NW1 7AN)
• Ms. Cupcake (408 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8LF)
• Greenz (5 Station Rise, Tulse Hill, London SE27 9BW)

While the Olympics may be enough of a party, if you are looking to entertain or partake in a clean-eating cleanse while traveling, contact Raw Fairies, a no-cook food delivery service whose menu can be tailored to your needs. Meals include juices, salads, entrees and desserts! Rainforest Creations, too, is a healthy catering alternative that offers modern cuisine with an organic flair.

Strike a Pose

Find your inner Zen in the chaos of London and head to one of the most comprehensive studios in the city – Tri Yoga – for a £20, 2-week access to all of its yoga and pilates classes. Operating since 2000, the studio currently offers a list of bodywork therapies, including massage, acupuncture, reiki, reflexology, and psychotherapy. Find Tri Yoga in Primrose Hill, Chelsea Soho, and Covent Garden.

With locations in Notting Hill since 1993 and Islington since 2001, The Life Centre is a fixture in London’s yoga scene and draws a loyal clientele. It also cuts visitors a break, offering unlimited yoga at an introductory price of £20 for 20 consecutive days.

If you have special needs or are traveling with children, check out the Special Yoga Centre. The studio supports children and those with physical limitations, gladly offering 20% concessions to those who qualify as well as community payment classes.

Park Yourself

Grab a blanket, a friend, and a few sandwiches and spend the day looking up at the sky rather than at a blur of traffic. London is full of green space and spending an afternoon at the park is a cheap and fuss-free way to escape the city without ever leaving it. With so many parks to choose from, Time Out London has jumped the gun and organized a directory. Check out the list of parks here, which are categorized under “local parks,” “public gardens,or “hidden oases of green,” and never bore of nature. Challenge accepted.

Reduce Your Footprint

Ditch the taxi, car, bus, metro, or any engine-run mode of transportation and opt for a cleaner way to explore the city. The London Bicycle Tour Company provides daily Central London and West End bike tours, each for £18.95. Flat Tire Bike Tours is also a popular service that offers Royal London and River Thames bike and walking tours. Get a workout and an education all at once!

Shop Friendly

Do London in style, eco-friendly style that is. The city boasts a selection of boutiques and shops with fair-trade, conscious clothing and accessories.

Equa is a small Islington boutique that sells organic, fair-trade clothing from approximately 20 different designers. For children and infants, Green Baby houses organic and fairly-trade baby and mother goods, from clothing to beauty to nursery items. The Family Tree sells lamps, shades, hooks, tables, and jewelry, all of which are made ethically and locally. The store also carries People Tree, a fair-trade clothing store in operation since 2001.

Looking for the perfect shoes to go with that fair-trade blouse? Terra Plana is a shoe company that uses recyclable products. It compensates for its CO2 emissions through donations and uses vegetable leather, leather without chromium, and its self-created “E-Leather,” which is a mix of leather and textile fibers. Terra Plana has a store in Covent Garden, Brushfield Street and Westfield.

For more brands with an eco-friendly backstory, check out the annual Eco Design Fair’s directory of designers. Each listed designer incorporates the following elements in its creations: recycled/recyclable, organically grown, fair-traded, non-toxic, low energy-consuming in production/use, and cruelty-free.

Web portals dedicated to bringing eco-friendly products to the UK are My Eco Store and Ethical Superstore. Both are stocked with just about any household appliance and clothing item. Browse through their inventories and enjoy the vast selection.

Image: Australia Photos, Abigail Sylvester, nakedsky

The post 7 Ways to Love the Planet and Yourself While In London appeared first on EcoSalon.

If you’ve been shopping at Northern California Farmers’ Markets for several years, you may have noticed that the farmer demographics are slowly shifting and that the farmers selling produce are more ethnically and racially diverse than in past years. You may also notice that many of these farmers are Latino. Some of these newer farmers are graduates of a program called the Agricultural and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA).

A little background: The passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 can be directly linked to immigration from Mexico to the United States.

Subsidized corn from the US flooded Mexican markets, forcing farmers to leave their farms in search of other opportunities.

Many rural farmers from corn producing states in Mexico migrated to urban centers and many others migrated to the United States to find work. Plenty of those former Mexican farmers ended up as low-paid, seasonal farm workers, with little hope for their family’s future.

The same agricultural system that benefited from newly opened markets benefited from the cheap labor that entered the US as a result of opening the markets. This is a fact that immigration critics rarely acknowledge and immigration reform must take into account.

But there is hope for a better future for some of these farm workers, and an opportunity for them to contribute to rural and overall economic development here in the states. ALBA is a farm incubator where farmworkers and aspiring farmers can grow their own crops on organic land in Monterey County, CA., and learn the skills they need to market those crops and, one day, start their own farms.

This is important for a sustainable, stable food system. We are losing family farms to development every day, farms are consolidating into larger operations further from urban centers, and the average age of farmers is increasing – just as consumers are beginning to see the value in buying locally produced foods .

ALBA farmers can not only provide consumers (and themselves) with more sources of locally grown, organic produce at reasonable prices, but an influx of new farm families may even help save the family farm.

But the ALBA program does much more than that. ALBA teaches farmers how to farm in a way that is better for the environment than conventional, petroleum-dependent farming. Situated on two parcels of organic land, with a total of 305 acres, ALBA provides economic opportunity while teaching ecological land management techniques, habitat restoration, and conservation.

And though many of the beginning farmers in the ALBA program do hail from Mexico – especially the rural states of Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán and Oaxaca – some of the graduates of the program have come from Argentina, Armenia, Iran, Chile, El Salvador, and Vietnam. The program welcomes all undercapitalized beginning farmers.

Over the past 20 plus years, ALBA has graduated over 600 farming families from the program. About 100 of those families have left the incubator and have leased or purchased their own farms.

If you shop at Bay Area and Northern California farmers’ markets, you are likely to encounter an ALBA farmer or two. I especially appreciate the ALBA farmers I see at my weekly market stops (Avalos Organic Farm and Catalan Family Farm) because the farmers and their families are on-site selling their own crops, providing a more direct consumer to producer connection, quality is high, and the prices are very reasonable.

ALBA also does advocacy work to help rework the farm bill in a way that will benefit both eaters and small farmers, and also works with state legislators to increase food stamp recipient’s access to fresh food from farmers’ markets.

“Our work has helped catalyze more discussion and action around small business education and development. It needs to be recognized as an option right alongside expanding good employment options. The economic activities of farmers from ALBA have generated and supported a tripling of farmers’ markets in the past five years, and many more people are now able to access truly local, organic foods,” said Gary Peterson, Deputy Director, ALBA

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Images: Courtesy of ALBA

The post How Family Farming Revitalizes Local Economies appeared first on EcoSalon.

If you plan on stocking up on fresh produce at your farmers’ market this weekend, why not pick up a few items for your pets as well? Commercial dog food may be harmful to the environment, but you can lessen the amount of kibble you feed your pup by adding in-season produce (bonus points if you find locally-grown options).

So which of the summer produce work for your pets? Surprisingly, you have many options that add very few calories to your pet’s diet. Though you should introduce foods to your pet slowly to watch for any reactions, your dog or cat is bound to discover a fresh, new favorite.

Here are a few to consider when you’re shopping the market this week:

Vegetables:

• cucumbers
• summer squash (cooked and pureed is best)
• corn
• green beans

Fruits:

• watermelon (seedless)
• strawberries
• cantaloupe
• blueberries
• raspberries

Bonus: For a special summer treat to help beat the heat, freeze a variety of fruits to provide nutritious munchies that help keep your pet hydrated.

Image: The Left Field

The post Farmers’ Market Finds for Fifi and Fido appeared first on EcoSalon.

Maybe it’s the result of an economy that requires a skill for penny pinching or maybe it’s just a renewed love of food, but whatever the reasons behind it, amateur involvement in culinary culture is happening big time, bringing the power of being a foodie into the hands of everyone who wants a taste. Call it indie, call it DIY, but this trend is simply expanding on something we’ve done for centuries: create sustenance.

Independent food markets are taking place more frequently in underground economies, providing an outlet for small-time food vendors to take a stab at doing what they’re best at and at the same time turn a profit. In places like these, a friend’s, “Mmm… that’s delicious, you should sell it!” is no longer just a compliment, it’s motivation for business.

In Brooklyn, $20 gets you a six-foot folding table at the Greenpoint Food Market, where you’re welcome to sell whatever concoctions you wish. “Some of my vendors just sell granola bars wrapped in saran wrap or foil and that’s about as far as they want to go,” market founder Joan Kim told Chow.

In San Francisco, kombucha is pitted against jam in a competitive audition to get into the Underground Farmers Market. So far, there have only been a handful of the markets hosted, but interest is at a high, feeding both people’s desire to sell something they’ve made themselves, and also, to buy homemade goods that don’t have a commercial flair.

Independent markets like these give people with a penchant for crafting creative edibles the opportunity to try their hand at the food industry, but with very low barriers to entry. The result is a diverse array of foods, with something to please every taste, that is as empowering as it is cutting-edge.

But even those not willing to devote late nights to baking up a storm and hauling the goods to the local market early on a Saturday morning are still taking part in the changing food movement.

At Forage in Los Angeles, the restaurant depends on connecting with its customers to provide seasonal fare at a reasonable prices. When a chef is on the lookout for a special ingredient, they don’t turn to a distributor, they turn to urban foragers, depending on the restaurants clientele to bring them the taste of the day – be it lavender or bundles of citrus fruit. Chefs sample and select which produce will make it to the restaurant’s palate. The concept is aptly named Harvest Call.

The result is a menu that is inherently more local, but also more communal with various clientele getting to take part in deciding what they eat. Taking the idea of urban foraging to a new level, restaurants like Forage encourage interaction with food, not just a passive experience of it.

This idea of gastronomic equality, making everyone an equal part in the food process, may just be an edgy passing fad – people do in fact still love the occasional 5 star experience – but in the meantime, it’s truly changing how we think about food and our relationship to it. And encouraging all of us, no matter what our foodie level, to get more involved with what we eat.

Editor’s note: This is the debut of Anna Brones’s new column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.

Images: ginnerobot, Greenpoint Food Market, R Stanek

The post Foodie Underground: Amateur Is the New Black appeared first on EcoSalon.

Every time you leave the water running while brushing your teeth, you vow you will break the habit soon because you care deeply about the planet’s resources. Eating meat makes you feel sad, knowing we are no longer hunters who cannot survive without animal protein, yet those subliminal burger ads are bringing out the Edward in you. And every time you leave the TV on all night, you wake up without the proper REM sleep and a higher power bill.

Be compassionate with yourself. Baby steps, dude. Baby steps.

At EcoSalon, we are proud to hold your hand and walk you through those first steps to becoming the conscious citizen of the world you envision. Here are 10 resolutions to get you from A (affluenza) to Z (zooplankton).

1. Phantom Energy

The no-brainer action you can take right now in your home to eliminate daily waste is to pull the plugs on appliances, machines and lights not in use. You will discover the savings and rewards by checking out this post.

2. Downer Meat

If you are what you eat, do you really aspire to be a sickly cow, pig or chicken? That’s exactly what you are pumping into your bloodstream and your family’s diet every time you buy and serve meat that has been treated with growth hormones and antibiotics and raised in inhumane, filthy conditions. Review how to avoid this putrid protein which is not only harming your body but the natural resources we treasure. Eat this up.

3. Over Dependence on Electric Appliances

Hanging your laundry out to dry will not bring down the hood! Give it a go and see how much it cuts down your power bill. Also, switch to Energy Star appliances to reduce the waste. Other steps include buying rechargable solar batteries, watching commercial-free television (meaning less TV) and yes, finding a mate more satisfying than your computer and other electric gadgets. Turn on here.

4. Refusal to Compost and Recycle at Home and at Work

Seriously, this is the new way of keeping up with the Joneses. It’s not about the new car in the garage but the bins on the curb. Our landfills are rapidly filling up, and said to be the most telling time capsules of our history as a modern people. Reuse and composting is everything because when you are throwing something out, remember, there is no “out.” Get on board, January 1! Back peddle to find out more.

5. All Driving and No Biking

We’ve told you how to improve your gas mileage, but you should also do what you will be forced to do in the future: Drive less because gas is pricey and bad for the air. Bike when you can, walk or take public transportation and get more fit a the the same time. You’ll also save on dreaded parking tickets! Looks good!

6. Wasting Water

Turn off that tap, shorten that shower, switch to a low water flush toilet, use towels more than once, switch out your green lawn for succulents. It’s that easy to make a difference for a thirsty world – growing more thirsty every day. Extra reading here.

7. Using Plastic and Other Disposables

Buy reusable water bottles and challenge yourself at the market to avoid single use plastic bags and packaging of all sorts. Take reusable bags with you, and when you forget, keep reusing the paper ones the market issued until they are ready to be recycled. Carry a reusable lunch box to work. Use cloth napkins, biodegradable utensils and plates. Say NO to plastics no matter what you hear in The Graduate. Save paper, and save trees! More info here, here and here.

8. Being Too Rushed to Buy Fresh, Local and Organic

You love your body, right? Not loving it means not taking the time to shop and eat sustainably, whether frequenting the local farmer’s market to choosing organic from the shelves of your neighborhood market. It’s not just about shedding pounds in the new year, but taking stock in the crock, and slowing down on the cooking and consuming. You will find healthiest people love their bodies this way.

9. Not Shopping Eco Wear

Wear your green on your sleeves in the coming year by investing in eco wear. It’s a matter of putting quality above quantity and supporting emerging vendors of garments woven of healthy fibers sans the harsh chemicals and dyes. Shop the top online eco boutiques.

10. Consistently Exposing Yourself to Chemicals You Can Avoid

Our moms got their hair and nails done weekly, and used make-up laced with poison that seeped into the skin. We don’t have to expose ourselves to chemicals in our everyday beauty and household products, but it takes discipline. Beauty background here.

Image: Sally M

The post Give It Up for 2010! EcoSalon’s Round-Up for Creating a Greener Year appeared first on EcoSalon.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but the excess fruit from a neighbor’s yard can make your diet richer and it won’t cost a dime. Shouldn’t we share the wealth?

That’s the thinking of Neighborhood Fruit, created by San Francisco urban farmers to reduce the tragic waste of fruit, which is forbidden in their vision of sustainability. Their website lets subscribers find and share fruit locally both in backyards and on public lands.

Since planting the seed in June, they’ve attracted between 3,000 and 5,000 visitors a month and located a total of 10,000 trees nationwide and growing.

Much of the fruit the nation consumes is grown in water-intensive orchards far from our homes and shipped at the high cost of fuel. Instead, co-founder Kaytea Petro sees a future where the bulk of seasonal backyard fruit is utilized and shared between neighbors for snacking, baking, putting up organic preserves, even setting up a lemonade stand – any good uses you might have for the bounty.

“I first thought of the idea when I lived on Bernal Hill and my neighbor had an apple tree with a lot of excess fruit that she would never share,” says Petro, who decided to refine the fruit network notion for her graduate thesis at the Presidio School of Management, where she received an MBA in sustainable business.

“We’re a nationwide tool that helps people connect locally,” says Petro. “The typical user is someone with a plum tree who knows what a pain it is when the fruit comes in because it all comes in at once. Those seeking the fruit are into making pies and jams or to show their city kids where food comes from.”

The mechanics of connecting are simple. I register my lemons and oranges and when the fruit arrives, I put out the word on the site. “Come and get it!” I decide if I want to pick it myself or have interested takers come over with their bushels to help pick what they want.

It seems to be attracting those who don’t want to go through the red tape of becoming a registered producer who sells at the farmers’ market, the only way to sell fruit legally.

“It can be a lot of paperwork,” observes Petro, who adds that 25% of her users are people with fruit trees. And for obvious reasons, those with trees in L.A., Miami and Austin see more of a year-round yield than those in Boston and Seattle.

In addition to making connections, Petro and co-founder, Oriana Sarac, manage a monthly newsletter, The Grapevine, featuring the voices of gardeners, bee keepers and other experts in the field, as well as a blog for sharing timely articles, recipes and success stories.

They call their neighbor fruit sharing network Fruitfillment. Anyone who believes in this vision for making use of our abundance knows the ripe concept is fulfilling a mission, indeed.

Images: DieselDemon, Seph Swain, Neighborhood Fruit

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