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, with the Holiday Food Box. 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.

The post The Holiday Food Box: Because Everyone Loves Food Edition! appeared first on EcoSalon.

To-do list: shop, prep, make easy appetizers, think now about what to do with leftovers.

Your guest list is done, the menu is planned – now the fun part begins. Whether it’s vegan tofurky, a traditional elaborate menu, or the potluck path, here are some tips and ideas for making the day as easy on the host as possible.

How to shop:

There is nothing more frustrating than pushing through crowds of shoppers while you crisscross the store. You want to hit each aisle precisely one time. Here’s how:

•  Now is not the time to shop in an unfamiliar store—plan to go where you know.
• Write your list according to the grocery store layout putting all dairy items together, all produce items together, and so on.
• Make two shopping trips, if possible. Visit the store early in the morning or late at night as early in the week as possible for the non-perishable goods, and then swoop in at the last minute for the turkey and salad fixin’s the day before Thanksgiving. Bike if you can or bring a friend to circle the parking lot if parking is an issue.

 What to make now:

You want to prep as much ahead as possible so that your day of cooking is as relaxing and easy as possible

• Cranberry sauce, salad dressing, and homemade broth can all be made up to five days in advance.
• Make the pie crust ahead and the filling too and put them together the morning of Thanksgiving.
• Cut the bread in cubes for the stuffing and leave out to dry two days ahead. If making cornbread stuffing, bake the cornbread ahead of time.
• The day before: prep the celery, onions, herbs, and other aromatics for the stuffing, make herbed butter to baste the turkey, make soup (if serving), wash and prep the vegetables and salad greens.

Restorative snacks for the cook:

Here are a few ideas to help you stay light on your feet, but energized:

• A hard boiled egg and avocado on toast
• Apples and nut butter
• A handful of dried fruit
• A bowl of yogurt and fruit
• A pile of lettuce tossed with some canned salmon or sustainable tuna and a simple vinaigrette

Simple Appetizers:

Thanksgiving is not the time to roll out the fried chips and cheese platters. Light, healthy, palate awakening appetizers are key in advance of this decadent meal:

• A selection of interesting artisanal pickles
• Radishes and salt
• Olives and a few spiced nuts
• A yogurt based vegetable dip with vegetable sticks
• Ceviche

Wine Pairings:

Turkey pairs well with red, white, or bubbly. But big fruit and alcohol bombs won’t do, so drink what you like best, making sure to choose lighter, food friendly varietals with plenty of acid to cut the heaviness of the meal.

• Reds: California Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Nouveau, Dolcetto, Montepulciano
• Whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Arneis, Verdicchio, Muscadet
• Roses and sparkling wines—light, not too fruity, or sweet is the way to go

Non-Alcoholic Drinks:

Provide plenty of refreshing, non-alcoholic drinks to keep guests hydrated and sober enough to drive home.

• Pear spritzers (sub bubbly water for Prosecco), pomegranate spritzers with pomegranate juice and bubbly water.
• Hibiscus iced tea
• Apple Ginger Sparklers

 What to do with leftovers:

Once you’ve had your fill of turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches, what to do? Don’t waste food! Here are some unusual ideas to make sure you eat it all up:

• Turkey tortilla soup
• Vietnamese Turkey salad, or simply mix cubed turkey with mayo, halved grapes, poppy seeds, celery, and salt and pepper for an all-American version for sandwiches.
• Turkey enchiladas
• Turkey Gumbo or follow your favorite chili recipe, leaving the ground meat out and add shredded turkey just before you serve it.
• Mashed potato cakes

Images: Vanessa Barrington, davidmarcel, shankbone, derek gavey

The post Last Minute Ideas for a Seamless Thanksgiving Day appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Super Committee and the Secret Farm Bill.

If the words “Farm Bill” make your eyes glaze over and your head start bobbing, you’re not alone, but slap yourself awake because the Farm Bill is not just for farmers; it’s for all eaters. And it matters.

During a recent panel discussion at the Community Food Security Coalition Annual Conference, I got a historic view of why Federal food policy in the guise of the Farm Bill matters, and what we can do to influence today’s version.

First a little history, Dan Imhoff, author of Food Fight, the Citizen’s Guide to Food and the Farm Bill, and several other books on food system issues, reminded us why the farm bill exists. I paraphrase below.

The first Farm Bill was written in 1933 under conditions of misery for farmers and eaters across America. Dust clouds drifted across Texas, taking with them precious topsoil. Without price supports, low crop prices meant farmers just planted more to get ahead, farming more and more marginal and vulnerable areas, and causing prices to drop even lower. Farms failed and the government stepped in and started paying farmers not to plant crops. Meanwhile, the government took control of surplus grain stocks and distributed these to the needy. The first farm bill was designed to support farmers and reform agriculture through grain credits and price supports, while promoting conservation of farming areas and distributing food to people in need.

Today though the bulk of the money goes toward nutrition programs for the needy, much of the remainder is spent in the form of subsidies for a narrow class of crops that are used for ethanol, animal feed, and processed food ingredients, corn being the biggest recipient. Little money goes toward fresh food crops that people actually eat in their unprocessed form, which is why critics say the Farm Bill promotes obesity and our epidemic of diet related diseases.

According to Imhoff, when the first farm bill was written in 1933, there were 6 million family farms. Today there are only 2.2 million farmers and 84% of them are losing money. This is because a small group of mega farms are the biggest beneficiaries of the system. Under the farm bill, fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts (the ones we should be eating) are considered “specialty crops” and receive little support from the farm bill.

As an illustration, the new USDA 2010 Nutrition Guidelines or “My Plate” recommends that half of our nutrients come from fruits and vegetables and one-quarter from grains. Imhoff showed us a visual of what the ag subsidy plate would look like with only 2% of the subsidies going toward what people should be eating most of. For a detailed look at where the subsidies go and who gets them, check out The Environmental Working Group’s Farm Subsidy Database.

So what can we do to fix this lopsided situation?

Some say that all subsidies should be scrapped and let the free market decide. Others say that price floors should be favored over subsidies to give family farms (regardless of size) a leg up in competing with agribusiness.

Every five years we have a chance to influence federal food and farming policy when the farm bill comes up for renewal. The 2008 Farm Bill brought some real, though modest, gains for small family farmers, conservation, and hunger programs. With the Good Food movement in full swing, folks were hoping for more from the 2012 Farm Bill, but that was before the Super Committee,  charged with cutting the overall deficit, was formed. The four ag representatives on the committee, Frank Lucas R-Okla., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Pat Roberts, R-Kan., propose making $23 billion in cuts to agriculture. Some say these four will essentially decide the 2012 Farm Bill behind closed doors, amounting to what some, including Mark Bittman, are calling a Secret Farm Bill.

Big ag lobbyists will be clamoring for cuts that will benefit their constituents, but there is hope. Another speaker on the panel, Democratic Representative Chellie Penigree from the state of Maine, spoke about a bill she introduced with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) on November 1 called The Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act (SB 1773 and HB 3286). She outlined some of its provisions for helping local and regional farmers and ranchers, preserving and promoting nutrition programs, improving access to healthy foods, and supporting both family farms and new farmers. Pingree stressed that it’s up to us to let the four representatives on the committee, as well as our own senators and representatives, know that we support this act. The bill was introduced with 34 sponsors and has gained more since, proving that there are people in Congress who support the kind of food system we want. We just have to make sure we speak out loudly enough to drown out the chorus of lobbyists.

The decision could be made before Christmas, so get on the phone right now and call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121, tell them where you live, and ask for your epresentative. Tell the staffer who answers the phone that you want to support local food and family farmers through The Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act.

Don’’t go back to sleep. Follow the progress of the Farm Bill at Food Democracy Now, and The Environmental Working Group.

Your food future depends on it.

Images: Fishhawk and Vanessa Barrington

The post Wake Up to the (Secret) Farm Bill appeared first on EcoSalon.

Fun ways to ensure a waste-free harvest season.

It’s a sad fact that nearly 50% of the food we grow goes to waste. Some of that is wasted in the fields, after harvest, and some in distribution. Out of the food that actually makes it to the store, we, as consumers, throw away nearly 1/3 of the food we buy and take home.

Clearly we need to work on using what we have on hand. Even if you routinely use up your produce before it turns to mush in the crisper, if you’re a gardener, or a farmer’s market deal shopper, you’ve probably ended up with a bumper crop of vegetables and a shortage of ideas.

In honor of the harvest season, here are some tips for dealing with large quantities of produce.

Puree it—Pureeing produce can whittle large amounts of produce down to more manageable quantities. Take a large winter squash for instance. You can roast it and puree the pulp and use it in soups, risottos, pancakes, muffins, cookies, quick breads, and even oatmeal. Pureed squash also freezes well. You can roast and puree small quantities of odds and ends like summer squash, eggplant, peppers, and even greens like spinach and mix and match them to make a variety of delicious dips like Ajvar, spinach dip, and more.

Soup it—Of course you can puree anything (broccoli, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, greens, squash, tomatoes) and turn it into soup but you can also make a chunky, brothy, minestrone like soup with many different types of vegetables. Mix in some cooked beans for added protein. Green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, shredded greens, summer squash, and sweet potatoes all lend themselves well to this method. It’s fine to focus too. If you have a lot of leeks, onions, and garlic, and not much else, simply sauté in butter, add broth, and puree for an elegant allium soup.

Salad it—Anything can become a salad. Lettuce not required. Roast a bunch of beets, potatoes, squash, or sweet potatoes and combine with a tasty, full flavored dressing. Add protein if you like, herbs, green onions, cheese, toasted nuts. Anything goes. Some of these vegetables lend themselves to mixing with grains. Beet and farro salad anyone?

Dip it—If you have an abundance of peppers, carrots, fennel, and other sweet and crunchy vegetables, you may consider cutting them into sticks and making crudités. There’s no better excuse for making Bagna Cauda, a warm anchovy and garlic dip from the Piedmont region of Italy; a luxurious French brandade, or baba ghanoush.

Stock it—Lots of odds and ends, especially aromatics? Make up a big batch of vegetable broth and freeze it for soups later on. Or freeze the scraps from prepping over several weeks and make a big pot of stock once you have a good stash. Carrots, celery, leeks, onions, potatoes, mushrooms (including stems), garlic, chard stems, lettuce, and corn cobs, really just about any other vegetable that’s not too bitter is fair game for vegetable stock. Just make sure you include a balanced assortment.

Freeze it—We talked above about freezing pureed vegetables. Skip the potatoes, as they don’t freeze well. Fruits like berries and stonefruit are also great for freezing. Sliced plums and peaches will serve you well all winter in pies, cakes, and crisps. Too many tomatoes? Make a big batch of salsa and freeze it. The texture will suffer slightly but it will still taste better than store bought salsa come January. Cut corn kernels off the cob and freeze them in bags to add to casseroles and soups all winter long.

Shred it—Summer squash is easy to shred. Freeze it or use it right away to make savory cakes,  quick breads, and salads. Shred potatoes or sweet potatoes for potato pancakes.

Dry it—Make your own “sundried” tomatoes by cutting them in half (or slices), salting them, and putting them in a very low oven for several hours. This process concentrates their flavor and makes for a very versatile ingredient in soups, stews, pastas, and on pizzas. And then, of course, there’s the ubiquitous kale chip, which, when you get right down to it is dried kale, and an excellent way to use up a lot of kale in one fell swoop.

Can it—Saving the obvious solution for last…don’t forget canning, a method of preservation used by our foremothers (because they had to or risk starvation) and by plenty of current cooks (for pleasure and fun). Order a book and go to town. Or visit one of the many great websites focusing on canning and preserving. Two of my favorites are Punk Domestics and Food in Jars.

Happy Harvest! Use it or lose it!

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: Vanessa Barrington

The post Easy Tips for Using the Last of Summer’s Produce appeared first on EcoSalon.

 Umami, known as the fifth taste, is what makes certain foods savory and deeply flavorful.

When you taste something with complex layers of flavor that fill the mouth and satisfy the soul, it’s likely you’re tasting umami. Umami is famously present in many animal products including cheeses, aged meats like salami, salted fish like anchovies, and fresh meats and seafood that have been caramelized at high temperatures. Luckily for vegetarians and vegans, umami exists in any food that contains the amino acid L-glutamate, including many plant-based foods.

Great vegan and vegetarian cooks know how to use umami-containing or umami-friendly ingredients to their best advantage to unlock the flavor in their dishes. Read on to learn their secrets.

Soy Sauce or Tamari—Fermentation is one way to develop umami in food. Soy sauce and tamari, both made from fermented soy beans, are rich in umami and salt. A tiny dash in salad dressings, drizzled into soups or veggie stews, or onto plain steamed vegetables can intensify the flavors of the other ingredients.

Bragg’s—Bragg’s Amino Acids is another fermented soybean product. Popular in raw food preparation, Bragg’s contains 16 of the 20 amino acids needed for balanced health. Use it as you would soy sauce or tamari.

Ume Plum Vinegar—A Japanese condiment that is derived from traditional Japanese pickled plums, this vinegar is salty, and a little bit sweet, with lovely floral characteristics. When you taste a dish and think that it just “needs something,” this might be the something it needs. Much more complex than Bragg’s or soy sauce, it can be used in the same ways suggested above. Don’t be afraid to tweak a Western vegetable soup with this Eastern condiment. It works.

Nutritional Yeast—Available in health food stores -and hip, independent theaters that sell popcorn- nutritional yeast is beloved by vegans for its nutty, cheesy flavor. Sprinkle it on popcorn, add to mashed or baked potatoes, or stir it into vegan casseroles.

Toasted Nuts and Seeds—Toasting seeds and nuts really brings out their flavor, and truly makes a difference in the umami quotient of your cooking. Grain salads, pilafs, and green salads can all benefit from the savory addition of toasted pumpkin or sesame seeds, or nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, and peanuts.

Dried Mushrooms—Mushrooms are treasure troves of naturally occurring umami. Drying them simply concentrates what’s already there. Reconstitute some dried shiitakes and add them to a winter squash stew or a brothy Asian noodle soup. Dried porcinis make swoony risotto and will help your barley soup sing.

Miso—Adding a spoonful of this fermented soybean product is a great way to add depth to vegetarian soups. Simply stir it in at the end of cooking, when you’re adjusting the seasoning. When combined with lemon juice, garlic, and herbs and spices, it makes a great marinade for grilled or roasted vegetables. These same ingredients can also double as a salad dressing.

Nori—why is sushi so crave-worthy? Partially because of the toasty, unique flavor of the nori that it’s wrapped in. You can buy nori in sheets and use scissors to snip it over vegetarian soups, stews and salads, or purchase it in flake form in the versatile Japanese condiment furikake, which is used to season plain rice. When buying furikake, read the ingredients, as some versions contain bonito or other fish.

Tomato Paste or Dried Tomatoes—Like mushrooms, ripe tomatoes contain a naturally occurring form of umami. When dried or concentrated into a paste, the umami characteristics are amplified. Add dried tomatoes or tomato paste to beans, marinades, or vegetable stews for a more complex flavor.

Caraway Seeds—Though spices don’t technically contain umami, they can bring out the umami in certain foods. Caraway seeds add a light smokiness and have a particular affinity for cabbage and potatoes. Add them to potato salads, coleslaws, and breads or rolls.

Cumin—Toasted cumin seeds can make almost any bean or lentil dish better. They have an intense savoriness of their own that adds a meaty character to foods into which they are incorporated.

Smoked Paprika—Adding smoked paprika to a bean dish or split pea soup is a great way to make as if you’ve used bacon. Need I say more? Even if you’re not into pretend meat, you might like to stir a little smoky paprika into potato salad, your favorite vinaigrette, hummus, baba ganoush, or a marinade for grilled vegetables.

Images: Rooey, Creative Tools, thepinkpeppercorn, jmurawski, fboyd, arminflikr, jackson3, miansari66

The post 12 Umami Boosting Secrets to Making Vegan and Vegetarian Fare Tasty appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnAdvertising tricks from the food world.

In this edition of Fit to Eat, we’re focusing on advertising and marketing: the good, the bad, the ugly and some gray areas in between. The very bad form award goes to one well-known seafood chain using the prospect of ocean species extinction as a marketing campaign to sell menu items; Chipotle, the burrito chain, enlists Willie Nelson to cover a Coldplay hit to highlight the company’s commitment to supporting small scale farmers; Yum! Brands, the grease factory that brings us Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell, is working state by state to make it possible for food stamp recipients to use their Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars on fast food (I can see the billboards now); Con Agra is being sued in a class action for advertising its genetically modified corn oil as “100% natural”; and Dean Foods touts that its chocolate milk is made from…milk! Imagine that, real milk, coming soon to a school lunch tray near you.

“Save the Salmon” says Legal Sea Food, but not because salmon are an important part of the food chain, or because they are a sacred food to Native Americans, or because they are amazing creatures. Nope. Save them so that Legal Sea Food can sauté them with lemon butter sauce. Same goes for trout and crab. Yeah, it’s supposed to be funny, but environmentalists aren’t laughing.

Chipotle, the only national fast food chain that sources hormone and antibiotic free meats, produced this animated video of farmers going back to the old ways of doing things with Willie Nelson covering the haunting Coldplay song “The Scientist” in the background. Cynical marketing campaign or sheer brilliance?

Ever looking for new markets, Yum! Brands is applying for inclusion in the food stamp programs in several states. On one hand, it looks like a giant government subsidy for fast food, but the company says fast food is one of the few food options available to homeless food stamp recipients and others without kitchens or the ability to prepare meals.

Some clever lawyers turned the GMO industry’s own language against it, suing Con Agra for its use of the verbiage “100% Natural” on cooking oil that is likely to be made from genetically modified plants. Zeroing in on this definition of GMOs from Monsanto, “Plants or animals that have had their genetic makeup altered to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs,” the lawsuit contends that consumers are being misled by labels that convey that the product is a natural, wholesome product.

Aiming its new high fructose corn syrup-free chocolate milk squarely at school lunch programs nationwide, Dean Foods unleashes a marketing blitz to tout the attributes of its TruMoo chocolate milk product, among which is the selling point that it’s actually milk! Nutritionists are split on whether or not chocolate milk should be allowed in schools. What’s your take?

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.

The post Fit to Eat: News from the Food World – Marketing and Advertising Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnHow processed is it?

While sleepily shaking your cereal flakes into a bowl, and absently pouring the milk over them, have you ever stopped to think, just before taking a big, slurpy bite, “How is this stuff made?”

If you went ahead and took the time to find out, you’d be surprised to learn that no matter how healthy and natural the advertising on the packages makes those crunchy bits of wheat, oats, and corn seem, they are actually a highly processed food whose nutrient value is questionable.

But that wasn’t how it was supposed to be at all.

First marketed in the late 1800s by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and his brother Will Keith as a health food, the original breakfast cereal consisted of unsweetened flakes made from wheat that had been baked, ground and then mixed into a dough. The dough was then pressed between giant rollers and flaked off before being cooked again.

Kellogg was a Seventh Day Adventist who ran a church-affiliated sanitarium. His religion informed his rigid ideas about lifestyle and diet. He was an early advocate of vegetarianism, believing a high fiber, plant based diet was healthiest, and also that eating meat contributed to sexual desire—which was to be avoided at all costs. He’s well known for his cruel attempts to cure adolescents of their propensity to masturbate, and also for being an enthusiastic early advocate of enemas. But that’s another story.

Though early cereals didn’t contain the artificial colors, flavors, added vitamins, preservatives, sodium, and sugar of most of today’s cereals, the actual manufacturing process hasn’t changed that much. Cereals have always been highly processed. Maybe Dr. Kellogg’s ideas about health were as questionable as his ideas about sexuality.

From Field to Flake

Whole grains are crushed, ground, and put into a giant vat where they may or may not be mixed with flavorings and vitamins and then cooked for several hours over high heat. The resulting porridge can then take one of two journeys:

1. It may be dried slightly and then conveyed to giant rollers that flatten the grains into flakes that are then moved to a super-heated drum that sprays sugar, vitamins, and other additives onto the flakes and then dries them.

2. The slurry of cooked grains may be moved to a cooker-extruder where it is mixed with water, sugar, additives like food coloring, vitamins, minerals, preservatives, and salt, and cooked and agitated over high heat with a giant screw. It is then extruded out, and cut into any number of shapes, before being dried and packaged. For a narrated visual, check out this video showing how flakes are made.

Leaving aside the long list of added sugars and additives that appear in the ingredient list of your daily Froot Loops or Frosted Flakes, the actual process of making the cereal robs the grains of their inherent nutrients. With most of the outer layers of the grain removed during processing and with cooking temperatures as high as 250 to 300 degrees F, it’s hard to imagine that much nutrition remains in this food so many of us eat as “our most important meal of the day.”

What does the industry have to say?

In response to criticism that breakfast cereal is a highly processed food devoid of good nutrition, the Kellogg company produced this video to clear up “misunderstandings” about breakfast cereals. Chock full of meaningless statements like, “Consumption of sweetened cereal and other nutrient dense foods is positively associated with children’s and adolescent’s nutrient intake,” and “Sugar in ready to eat cereals is a small percentage of overall sugar consumption,” it’s a laughable piece of marketing. Speaking of marketing, to address criticisms that cereal companies irresponsibly market unhealthy foods to children, Kellogg assures us that the company is “an active participant in expanding and improving marketing self regulatory programs around the world.”

So what should you eat instead of breakfast cereal?

-Steel cut oats or whole grains cooked in a big batch overnight in the crock-pot and then portioned into individual, microwavable jars for the office. Stock your desk drawers with toppings of your choice.

-Spend 40 minutes on the weekend making a batch of your own granola and eat it throughout the week with unsweetened yogurt and honey.

-Hard-boil eggs the night before and eat with whole grain bread and avocado.

-Bake bran muffins ahead on the weekend and freeze individually to take on the go.

-Whole grain toast with nut butter and a side of seasonal fresh fruit.

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: Sanbeiji, butkaj, the impulsive buy

The post Field to Flake: How Breakfast Cereal is Made appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnOur top columns on how to eat ethically.

Whether you’re new to Ecosalon, or just beginning to navigate the choppy waters of ethical eating, you’ll find the following 14 links instructive in helping you eat (and live) both well and deliciously.

1. How to Cook

Despite your best intentions, do you find yourself letting vegetables rot in the produce drawer while you rely on takeout? Learn how to integrate cooking into your daily life and you’ll find yourself eating in more frequently.

2. How to Eat Locally

Why does grocery store produce taste like an inferior imitation of that which you buy at a farmers’ market or grow yourself? It’s likely not in season, it was picked too early, and shipped from afar. With piles of produce from all over the globe, a trip to the typical grocery store is hardly instructive if you want to know what’s in season. Start here to learn.

3. How to be a Semi-Vegetarian

Not quite ready to go vegetarian, but would like to lower your consumption of meat for your health and the environment? Learn how you can have your chard and eat your chicken (once in awhile) too.

4. How to Shop at a Farmers’ Market

Have you ever headed to the farmers’ market with the goal of buying your weekly produce but become so overwhelmed by the crowds, the music, the tasty pastries, that you left with a jar of jam and a loaf of bread? Learn how to shop—really shop—at a farmers market.

5. How to Choose Sustainable Seafood

Part of the reason that our oceans are in trouble is because we’re stuck in our ways. We eat way too many of just a few types of fish, mostly from the top of the food chain. Mix it up with 11 sustainable seafood choices, which you may not have considered.

6. How and Where to Get Protein

If you’ve been trying to cut down on meat but are afraid you won’t get enough protein, learn how much protein you really need and how to obtain it from a variety of foods.

7. How to Source Ethical Coffee

You may chat up the farmers at your local market every week, but do you know where your coffee came from or who grew it? Ethical Joe is within your reach.

8. How to Clean your Kitchen Green

What do you do when icky raw chicken juice splatters on your counter? Do you stare at it in horror or douse it in toxic bleach? Learn tips for disinfecting your kitchen without bleach.

9. How to Choose Humane Meat

Concerned about factory farming? Learn who’s behind the different humane certifications for meat and eggs and how the standards are codified.

10. How to Choose the Right Cooking Oil for the Job

Oil, oil, toil and trouble. Peanut oil for frying? Canola for salads? Oh, wait! It’s toxic? Get the scoop on cooking oil here.

11. Why Bio-Plastics are Not Always a Green Choice

If you’ve been feeling good about your local casual fast food outlet or local food truck because of their use of compostable bioplastics, learn why you probably shouldn’t.

12. Why you Should Read Labels

Ever wondered what soy protein isolate is or what’s really in those fast food burgers? Find out if you dare.

13. How to Cook a Whole Chicken and Other Lessons

Innocuous boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Not so much. Discover why they’re not so benign and learn three ways to cook up a whole chicken.

14. How to Make a Sustainable Fish Taco

Did you ever wonder what type of fish is in those fish tacos that you see on menus everywhere? If it doesn’t say, you might not want to know. But then again, you should. Then go ahead and make your own.

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: Michigan Mom, Ron Dollete, Puuiki Beach, Andrea Nguyen, Wongaboo, Vanessa Barrington

The post How to Eat: 14 Greatest Hits from The Green Plate appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnReaders tell us what they’re growing in their summer gardens.

As a fun way to look at what’s in season across the country and in other parts of the world, we took this month’s Seasonal Superfoods on the road. We asked our readers via Facebook and Twitter what they’re growing, where they’re located and how they prepare the goodness from their gardens and compiled the results below.

If you didn’t get a chance to participate, leave a comment below and let us know what you’re doing with your garden’s bounty!

Lisa: Toronto, Canada—Lisa says she’ll be eating her Heirloom tomatoes sliced or like an apple.

Teresa: Boise, Id—Heirloom tomatoes in tarts and sauces will be all the rage in Teresa’s kitchen.

Katy: Rhode Island—Tired of kale chips? You aren’t the only one. “We are sick to death of kale chips,” says Katy. She suggests trying something different and putting Kale in green smoothies.

Leslie: Oakland, CA—If in Oakland, Black Mission Figs eaten off the tree or preserved are par for the course.

Susan: Merced, CA—For those lucky enough to have sage grow year round like at Susan’s place in Merced, the opportunity for it to be folded into Thanksgiving stuffing with lemons from her very own tree is the plan. She also likes to add her extra to turkey, chickens, pork chops, tomato sauces, vegetable curries, frittatas and chicken soup. “Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow and great eaten in salads or right off the vine.”

Wade: Lebanon, OR—Blueberries, lots of blueberries! Wade likes to eat them “hot or cold in breakfast cereals or frozen in a bowl with milk poured over them. And of course nothing is better than picking and eating the big plump ones in the garden.”

Haven Bourque: Oakland, CA—”I wrap fresh-caught sardines stuffed with garlic and herbs in the fresh-picked, blanched grape leaves from my native California grape vine and grill or roast, and serve topped with garlic yogurt sauce. You eat the whole thing- leaf, sardine and all. Accompany with roasted tiny okra, over rice.” Purloined from Claudia Roden’s Middle Eastern Cooking.

Oliver: Oakland, CA—”Herbs, lots of fresh herbs: parsley, thyme, dill, marjoram, spearmint, oregano, and basil. They’re great in nearly anything we make. One of our favorite easy dinners is a cheese and herb omelet, but also stews, soups, pastas, and bruschetta with fresh heirloom tomatoes and grated parmesan and pecorino. Spearmint in mojitos and in frozen pops with fresh fruit.”

Laiko: San Francisco, CA—Laiko’s Early Girl tomatoes, sage, two different kinds of oregano, rosemary, lavender and Meyer lemons all grow to full-on fruition on her back deck in San Francisco. We think she’ll be starting her own tomato sauce business soon enough.

Susie: Berkeley, CA—”Tomatoes but they have this problem on the base from lack of calcium,” she says, and because of that, she’s become an eating machine gobbling them straight off the vine.

Sarah Bird Lewis-Hammond: Brighton, UK—Sarah’s Purple Runner Beans and Lemon Crystal Cucumbers are more than adequately growing this summer. How is she eating them? “Lemon and orange glazed salmon with bean and bulgher wheat salad. Cucumbers got eaten as they were. Delish.”

Marianne Swallie—Marianne is all about oven roasted tomatoes. “Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, whatever herbs you have growing in the garden and bake slowly at 170 degrees. When they are withered and yummy, cool them off, then pop them into your mouth and enjoy! If you can force yourself to part with a few, they freeze very well and come out in December to add a little bit of summer to your winter-time pasta recipes.”

Abigail Wick: Berlin, Germany—Cherry tomatoes and potted basil are growing crazy on her terrace. “We make vegan thin-crust pizzas with them, plus arugula, toasted pine nuts, and browned garlic. In short…bliss.”

Amy Stevenson Hall: Auburn, AL—In Alabama? “Peas, eating fresh and freezing, putting up cucumber pickles and banana pepper pickles (and just eating raw). Sadly, the tomatoes, okra, and squash have run their course. Sweet potatoes weren’t very sweet this year.”

Blissoma Natural Body Care and Candles: St. Lewis, MO—There’s no shortage of okra, cucumbers, green beans, squash, cantaloupe and watermelon in St. Lewis. “Our pumpkins are still just babies right now and our tomatoes went in late. We’ve made several gallons of refrigerator pickles, and we eat a giant melon-based fruit salad every morning. We’re going to make a giant batch of oven baked/breaded squash fries as well. Yum!!!”

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: Manjithkaini, Joe Quick, Richard BH

The post The Best Superfoods Are the Ones Growing in Your Garden appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnCould you eat on $4 a day?

There are more people on Food Stamps, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), than ever before in the United States. As of May, 45,753,078 Americans were enrolled in SNAP, an increase of over 60% since the recession began in April 2008 and a jump of 12.1% over May 2010. That’s nearly 15% of the U.S. population, or around 1 in 7 people. Additional program data can be found here.

Though the program was designed to be supplemental, according to data collected by The New York Times, about 6 million Americans receiving food stamps report they have no other income.

Who relies on food stamps?

• 49 percent of all participants are children (18 or younger), and 61 percent of them live in single-parent households. 33 percent of households with children were headed by a single parent.
• 52 percent of SNAP households include children and 76 percent of benefits go to households with children.
• 9 percent of all participants are elderly (age 60 or over).
• The average gross monthly income per SNAP household is $673.
• 43 percent of participants are white; 33 percent are African-American, non-Hispanic; 19 percent are Hispanic; 2 percent are Asian, 2 percent are Native American, and less than 1 percent are of unknown race or ethnicity.

What’s it like to rely primarily on food stamps to put food on the table?

The average amount food stamp recipients receive is $4 a day per person. In 2009 the amount was raised temporarily from $3 to $4, which makes a big difference. However this temporary increase was instituted as part of the economic recovery program and is due to expire in October 2013. To be eligible to receive any food stamps, gross income for a family of four must not exceed 130 percent or less of the Federal poverty guidelines ($2,389 per month/$28,668 per year for a family of four)

What can you buy for $4 a day?

You can buy a fair amount of cheap, processed, sugar-laden food. What you can’t buy is very much unprocessed, organic, responsibly raised fresh food. And you can forget about extras like coffee, wine, nice cheese, expensive fruit like peaches or berries, and welcome a whole lot of starch into your diet. Also, if you want to fulfill your caloric needs in a somewhat healthy way, you need to know how to cook and you need the time to do it. You’ll also need regular access to a kitchen and some basic kitchen utensils. Not everyone has those things.

For two years in a row I participated in the San Francisco Food Bank Hunger Challenge, which gave me a tiny snapshot of what it’s like to live on food stamps. After just one week, I was hungry, angry, bored, and tired. And that was with the luxury of time to cook, a well-stocked kitchen, and the lucky addition of a few extra items of fresh produce that would have been available to clients of the San Francisco Food Bank during that time.

During the 2009 Hunger Challenge I shopped for one week for 2 people and spent $41.08 out of a budget of $56.

My shopping list:

One Stick Butter  .88
Cooking Oil $2.59
1- Quart Milk $1.39
1 Organic Chicken  $8.85
Peanut Butter $2.99
Long Grain Rice from Bulk .75
1/2 pound Pinto Beans from Bulk .55
3/4 pound Ground Beef $2.47
Dozen Cage Free Eggs $2.85
1 Loaf Wheat Bread $2.49
Oatmeal from Bulk Bin $1.08
Corn Tortillas $2.39
Canned Tomato Sauce .79
Canned Enchilada Sauce $3.89
Monterey Jack Cheese $3.09
1 pound Sweet Potatoes $.54
1 piece fresh ginger .49
1 bunch cilantro $1
1 bunch green onions $1
1 bunch bok choy $1

Budget for Two: $56
Total Spent: $41.08

Cushion: $14.92

If you want to read in detail what I did with these items, read all the posts from my Hunger Challenge week in 2009. Other participating bloggers also blogged about their experiences in detail. Amy of Cooking with Amy made a new friend in oatmeal and learned that purchasing jam without high fructose corn syrup at a price she could afford was nearly impossible. Genie of The Inadvertent Gardener had an anxiety provoking shopping trip that had her choosing value over nutrition. Faith at Blog Appetite got creative with menus to help future challengers and food bank clients. Gayle at Been There Ate That notes that the Hunger Challenge is just a tedious, frustrating, eye-opening activity she does once a year, but for the 150,000 San Franciscans facing hunger every day it’s a way of life.

Find out for yourself what it’s like to live on food stamps in America and sign up for the Hunger Challenge this year. I promise you’ll learn something.

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:Jetheriot,  AJ Mexico, Andrea_44.

The post Hunger Pains: 6 Million Americans Struggle to Eat appeared first on EcoSalon.