Anticipating Organic Goodness

This weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- is THE best fair around. Honestly, I don't think there is anything else like it anywhere. I'm told it is the longest running and largest organic fair in the country.

Sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association, the Common Ground Fair is 3 days of organic goodness. You can gather information, watch demonstrations, eating amazing food, march in the vegetable parade, dance to terrific music, shop for local artistic wonders and bask in the happiness that surrounds you.

I know, it sounds a little too good to be true. Trust me, it's not. You even take a short hike through the woods (or alternatively ride a horse drawn wagon) to get to the fairgrounds -- how charming is that? The only bummer in my book is that there is no chocolate or coffee there (a little pick-me-up would be helpful mid-day!)...not Maine grown, after all.

Anyhow, our little family looks forward to this all year long -- and, each year that we attend we buy one of the posters to add to our collection on our kitchen walls. And, I'm in love with this year's--what a happy rooster!

Will I see you at the fair? If not, stay tuned on Monday for posts on all the organic goodness.

Eating Sustainably

I'd like to think I was a bit of a locavore before being a locavore was trendy.

Honestly, though, it was anything but intentional. It was just the way life was. We grew up on a tiny hobby farm with chickens who gave us eggs, with a garden that put veggies on our tables, with pigs that became our bacon, with sheep that provided us with--well, lamb and wool--and blueberry fields that filled our muffins! :) Of course, we didn't live entirely on local food...but, a good start, for sure. (By the way, thanks Mom and Dad for doing this!)

But, like most Americans, I've become accustomed to buying whatever food I want (more or less), regardless of whether it is in season or from here or across the planet. But, I am trying to return to a more sustainable way of eating. (I have to tell you - probably deserves a post of its own -- my husband and I cooked an entirely locavore Thanksgiving 2 years ago -- and, it was SO much fun. A bit pricey, but, fun!) I personally think that even doing one or two things a little more sustainably is a HUGE step in the right direction.

In any event, despite my intentions, sometimes it's hard to sort through it all -- all the mixed messages, the contradictions, etc. But, I loved a list (gotta love lists!) I saw from a recent issue of Whole Living. I modified the list some. It was called 50 Ways to Eat Sustainably. Well, I've reduced that number...and I'd like to name it, "A Bunch of More Sustainable Choices".


A Bunch of More Sustainable Choices

1. Use the whole vegetable. That's right, don't just eat the broccoli florets, but, peel eat the stems too!
2. Get to the root. Look for loose greens (or other things) with the roots attached. You'll use less (none, actually!) packaging and can either eat or compost the stems.
3. Be a farmer's market regular. 
4. Buy heirloom. Sure, buying heirloom is trendy, but it also means the seeds have been passed down for generations and grown in small crops that restore the soil.
5. Stock up when produce is in season -- then freeze it, pickle it or preserve it. (Then, when you are craving strawberries in January, you can have them, without buying a quart that has been shipped across the country!)
6. Ask your local farmer for recipes--in all likelihood it will expose you to something new!
7. Have a farmer's market challenge -- for one week eat only that which you can buy at the local farmer's market!
8. Buy local eggs.
9. Put your basement to used as a root cellar--and keep "winter crops" like squash, sweet potatoes, turnips for four to six months.
10. Join a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm. Don't know where to look? Try www.eatwellguide.com or www.localharvest.org.
11. Be package conscious. Try to buy things with the least packaging -- or in containers that are recyclable in your community.
12. Know your milk. Until the USDA revised standards last year, 30 to 40 percent of milk sold in the U.S. that was labeled organic was actually from factory farm-raised cows. Check out your brand of milk at www.sustainable.org
13. Use unprocessed grains.
14. Soak beans and grains overnight --it cuts cooking time (and energy use!) in half.
15. Read labels. 
16. Buy local bread -- you'll eliminate packaging and a fuel-burning journey. (Chances are the bread is also made with healthier ingredients!)
17. Make breadcrumbs from stale bread instead of tossing it.
18. Read PLU codes. If the number on the produce sticker starts with a 9, it's organic.
19. Cut out processed corn -- 85 percent of corn grown in this country has been genetically modified.
20. Eat local corn! :)
21. Wash less wastefully--submerge greens in bowl of water instead of rinsing while the water is running.
22. Put that cooking water to use. Repurpose that water you used to blanch vegetables (nutrient-rich) in soups or for boiling pasta. (Or, water your plants with it if it is unsalted and oil free.)
23. Eat safer seafood. 
24. Buy whole chickens. You can more meat for your money - less waste - and a chance to make stock (see #25!)
25. Make stock. When you've used up the last of the chicken or turkey, throw the carcass in a pot with enough water to cover--add an onion, a carrot, a celery stalk, a few garlic cloves and a couple of sprigs of herbs. Simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours, occasionally skimming the foam on the top. Strain it, pour into jars, let cool an freeze!
26. Fill the oven. When you are roasting a chicken or baking a casserole, throw in some vegetables or a loaf of zucchini bread--you'll turn on your oven less!
27. Pick healthier pots and pans. Skip nonstick pans which are petroleum based.
28. Have a green BBQ. Use carbon-neutral briquettes such as Green Hearts Natural Charcoal Briquettes.
29. Be a smart carnivore. Choose antibiotic and hormone free. 
30. Sweeten with honey--it's renewable and doesn't use the massive amounts of water in production, like sugar.
31. Try growing something. A pot with an herb. Some lettuce. 
32. Compost your kitchen scraps.
33. Drink fair trade or bird-friendly coffee.
34. Use organic olive oil--most mass produced olive oil is grown with pesticides.
35. Make your own salad dressing!
36. Use glass storage containers instead of plastic. 
37. Wrap baked goods with dishcloths instead of plastic wrap.

Etsy Love: Sustainable and Personalized Blocks

As I've mentioned, I'm a total Etsy junkie. My friend Kate is, too. (Sorry, Kate, just had to have company on this.) Sometimes we compare guilt stories. And, we always rationalize our purchases by the fact that we are supporting artisans.

Anyhow, I was shopping for a personalized baby gift (I love personalized baby gifts) for my dear friend Chrissy who had just had a baby boy (with one of my very favorite boy names!) and found these wonderful wooden blocks made by Hudson Block Company.

The blocks are made of Missouri maple and are free of paint and stain. They are sanded super smooth -- just perfect for a baby! The personalized blocks arrive in a muslin drawstring bag with the name/personalization hand stamped on the outside.

I'm smitten with the blocks, can you tell?

Anyhow, the blocks are an obvious baby gift -- but, I think they have lots of gift potential.
A family name for a newly married couple. A message for a loved one. Holiday greetings for mantels and window sills. Oh, the possibilities!

Too Good To B. True?

In case you haven't figured this out about me, I'm a wee bit picky about what my kids play with.

I like toys with what I deem LPV (long play value).

I really despise noisy toys (which really means I despise toys with batteries).

I really don't like plastic toys.

And, I get really cranky with all the packaging (in part because I can't remove half of it!) that comes with most toys.

But, as you might know, historically, it hasn't been easy to find really good toys. Moreover, it takes a lot of training to get the major gift givers (aka grandparents) to see eye-to-eye on this. (I'm pleased to report that my Mom has made much progress in this area. At Christmas she was so pleased to have found baby Rose a toy telephone that makes noise without batteries. I have come to realize that it is impossible for grandparents to comprehend, let alone accept, the "no noise" rule, so I'm letting that one slide.)

Recently, I went on a last minute search (which is never a good idea if you are picky) for a couple of little gifts for my daughter's first birthday. I went to Target, well, because I could (For those of you who know me, I have a weakness for Target which makes me ignore all my anti-big box store values.).

Of course, I found the cutest little keys--just perfect for my girl. They were super fun colors and grown-up looking (which, I thought might deter her from using our keys and car remote). Sigh. Should I just ignore my usual toy standards?

Well, good news -- I didn't have to! I'd hit the toy jackpot.

{Baby R enjoying her Funkeys. I love the photo on the left -- it looks like she's contemplating 

what road she's going to travel next.}

As it turns out, the "Funkeys" are manufactured by B. Toys -- a small toy company started last year. The company not only makes super cute, super fun and super hip-looking toys, they are also a company we can feel good about.

B. Toys is owned by long-time (since 1897!) toymaker Battat, a family-run company based in Montreal. While Battat owns the company and distributes the toys, the creative, environmental and charitable direction is led by chief toymaker (what a cool title, huh?), Gisela Voss.

B. Toys' mission is to create toys that inspire individuality -- and they are doing it in a eco- and child-friendly way....just check out some of these B. Toys features:

• Good Plastic (Ha. got your attention, didn't I?). Any plastic used in the packaging is made from the most recyclable plastic out there -- #1! And, the plastic used in B. toys are phthalate-free and bpa free.
• Less (or Reusable!) Packaging. The packaging for B. toys is made from recycled materials that can easily be recycled again...and printed with soy inks and water varnishes.Some toys come in pretty re-usable bags instead of other packaging. And, some packaging (like that on the keys I purchased) is designed to be easily reversed (to hide all that silly stuff that manufacturers include) to become a gift box. Brilliant!
• Toys that Give Back. B. Toys is giving ten cents for every toy sold to Free The Children. Started 15 years ago by a 12-year-old, Free the Children has now built over 500 schools in communities around the world, providing education (the only way out of poverty) to 50,000 children every day. 

Well, today, B. Toys launched their website. I am here to tell you it is THE coolest website I've seen in a very long time. You just look at the webpages and feel a magical world come alive. And, there are all kinds of bells and whistles that not only let you explore the toys in-depth, but also allow you to share some of your own creativity (I think I'll write a whole separate blog on this!). B. sure to check out B.Toys site. You won't b. disappointed.

Seems to B. that toymakers are moving in the right direction with toymaking. Thank goodness! Way to go B. Toys!

Doormats that Give Back

Not to worry, I'm not straying from my fish theme. Honest. Read on, you'll see.

(photo from The Maine Float Rope Company)

Historically, Maine lobstermen have used float-rope to tether together multiple traps on the ocean floor. 

Unfortunately, this float rope sometimes entangles whales, typically leading to injury and death (of the whales). So, not too long ago, new regulations (seems Maine's fisherpeople are often dealing with new regulations that change the way they do their work) were put in place that require lobstermen to replace float-rope with sink-rope. Good idea, for the whales, at least.

But, what about all that no-longer-in-use float rope? We're talking about hundreds of thousands of pounds of rope.

Well, thanks to the clever-ness of Maine-r Penny Johnston, all that "wasted" rope is getting put to good use--doormats! The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation purchases the turned-in-float-rope from Maine lobstermen (this gives financially-strapped lobstermen both an incentive to switch out their rope, and a little welcome financial relief). Then, Ms. Johnston's company, The Maine Float Rope Company, collects the rope and turns it into colorful and virtually indestructible doormats. All from the coast of Maine!

Now, this is a doormat you can feel good about. It is cool-looking; recycled; indestructible--and it was created out of rope that is no longer putting whales at risk. If that isn't enough to sell you, you'll be happy to know that a portion of the proceeds from the doormats are given to organizations that benefit Maine's lobstermen and whales.

Man, Maine-rs are such clever people. Seriously.

It Doesn't Get Any Fresher

(photos from Port Clyde Fresh)

At the very tip of the St. George peninsula in Midcoast Maine, you will find the small fishing village of Port Clyde. Port Clyde sits at the confluence of Muscongus and Penobscot bays, providing key access to a myriad of fishing grounds.

In Port Clyde (if you live there year-round, that is), it is all about the fishing -- and it has been for some 200 years. Historically, when the fish were running, the village's church bells would ring, calling all the women in the community to the fish factory where they would clean and package the fresh catch.

Today, Port Clyde's fishing heritage prevails--albeit on a much smaller scale. A dozen fishing vessel make up Port Clyde's fleet, catching haddock, flounder, cod, pollack and hake. Determined to preserve their heritage and the resources they depend on, the fisherpeople of Port Clyde community have developed the Port Clyde Fresh Catch™ brand to bring you fish and shrimp harvested from the icy waters of the Gulf of Maine using environmentally sustainable fishing methods.

So, now, with the click of your mouse or a quick call, you can have the freshest catch delivered to you, no matter where you are. Check out Port Clyde Fresh Catch™.

Not interested in cooking your own seafood, but want the good stuff? Look here to see where Port Clyde Fresh Catch is being served in Maine and beyond!