CT Green Scene

Green Gifts

by Jessica Levinson

If your life is anything like mine, the month of December is an endless stream of holiday parties. A lot of the my friends are so busy between Thanksgiving and the holidays that we save our social gatherings until the beginning of the New Year (which has the added bonus of starving off those winter blues for another few weeks).

While I love a good party, I am always searching for something new and note worthy to bring to the host or hostess. If you are tired of all the old standards and want a bit more of an environmentally friendly gift, then read on! This isn’t to say your homemade cookies should be forgotten or that beautiful rum soaked fruit cake should be tossed, but these are just some suggestions on ways to compliment those homemade treats.

My first rule is to look for a host gift that they can either use immediately or for themselves later on after the last guest has gone home.  This eliminates taking your host or hostesses time to arrange or fuss with while guests are mingling. Fresh flowers not in a vase or goodies that need to be plated or heated are a bit of a nuisance for someone who wants to enjoy their party.  I always think food is a wonderful addition since it is one less dish your host needs to prepare. (To be courteous, ask what you can bring before hand. There are plenty of hosts out there who think your pigs in a blanket a bad match with the Beluga caviar!)
 
If food is on your mind too, why not give them food served on a nice platter? Green Bow Gifts in Branford, CT has some wonderful dip dishes and cheese platters made from recycled wine, liquor, and olive oil bottles. The bottles are melted flat, but retain the curves of the bottle. Some are melted with a bowl for dips, others flat like a board. Add some of your fresh made tapenade and crackers and you are ready to hit the party! Or try a selection of local cheeses. If you arrange the tray before hand, your host can just place it out on the hors d'oeuvres table.

Greening the Holidays

by Eileen Weber

Now that the holidays are upon us, it’s time to reflect on ways to be green. I know, I know. We do this every year. But it’s always nice to have a refresher course. Even the White House has gone green this year. So if Michele Obama can do it, so can the rest of us.

To some, these recommendations may be new or interesting information. To others, it will seem like common sense. Like suggesting one should bathe frequently and floss often. (There are some people I know who actually need those little pearls of wisdom on personal hygiene.)

Here are some fabulous options if you haven’t thought of them already:

1)    Cut your own tree. Nothing beats a local Christmas tree. We buy one every year at the Jones Family Farm in Shelton on the second Saturday in December. We’ve been doing that for almost the last ten years—ever since I was pregnant with my first child, who was nearly two weeks overdue, and I thought the hike up the hill would induce labor. (It didn’t.) And don’t forget to recycle. A fake tree can’t be recycled and is, frankly, just an environmental nightmare. But a live tree can be repurposed as mulch or even a handy homemade bird feeder. (A little peanut butter and bird seed go along way.) And if you’re lucky enough to live out west, try CarbonSync.com. They are a Canadian company that will “rent” you a potted Douglas Fir Christmas tree (up to 6 feet). They pick it up when the holiday is over and replant it. Et voilà. Christmas accomplished.

How to Green Your Thanksgiving

by Analiese Paik, Founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide

Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating the harvest and giving thanks with friends and family for the food that sustains and nourishes us. This year I challenge you to choose at least one new way to “green” your Thanksgiving. Think of reducing your “foodprint” as a way of giving thanks to Mother Earth. Bonus Feature: A Guide to Buying Local and Sustainable Turkeys.

#1 Source locally grown foods and eat with the seasons. When we choose local, we know our “food miles” are low and our food is farm-fresh and delicious. Choosing locally-grown, seasonal foods supports family-owned farms, farm stands and farmers’ markets as well as the independent and specialty grocers that carry their products.  Keeping food dollars local supports the local economy while investing in the future of a local food shed. Additionally, many locally grown foods are not packaged at all since they are sold loose at farm stands and farmers’ markets, thereby cutting down on waste. Apples, pears, New York chestnuts so delicate they can be eaten raw, winter squash, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, turnips, honey, maple syrup and artisan cheeses are available locally because we actually still have some working family farms. Yes we have turkeys in Connecticut! Please consult the Guide to Buying Local and Sustainable Turkeys below.

#2 Choose organic whenever feasible. Agricultural practices related to growing food are significant contributors to greenhouse gases. “Food miles”, however, are not the main contributors to food chain greenhouse gases, agricultural practices are and animal agriculture is a big percentage of that. Indeed, choosing organic and other sustainably grown and produced foods over conventional is an excellent means to further reduce one’s “foodprint”. Make your holiday meal extra special this season by choosing an organic, free-range or Heritage turkey since it will surely be the most delicious turkey you have ever served. Many farms, specialty grocers, and mail order businesses sell these gourmet turkeys, but please place your order early, expect to pay a price commensurate with the quality you are receiving, and follow the cooking directions specific to your breed for optimal results. Yes we have Heritage, organic and free-range turkeys in Connecticut! Please consult the Guide to Buying Local and Sustainable Turkeys below.

#3 Don’t buy more than you’re going to cook. Stop buying fruits and vegetables in bulk if you frequently find them in your refrigerator or on your counter going bad. We think we’re doing right by our family by saving money from buying in quantity, but throwing out food is just wasteful. To avoid spoiled leftovers, portion and freeze food from your Thanksgiving meal that will not be eaten in the next few days.

Talking Turkey

by Eileen Weber

I caught a cooking show that nearly stopped my heart: Paul Prudhomme, famed chef from New Orleans, deep fat-frying a turkey. After injecting butter-laden gravy under the bird’s skin with a cooking needle “to marinate it from the inside”, he dunked the carcass in a vat of boiling oil. I had a small myocardial infarction just watching it.

But why not deep-fry it? Who wants a dry turkey anyway?

That’s why Whole Foods Market in Westport held a turkey tasting event last Friday. With so many options to choose from, here was an opportunity for consumers to find the turkey they liked best. As an added bonus, Analiese Paik, founder of Fairfield Green Food Guide, was there to help customers consider their options.

“It can be really confusing for people,” said Paik. “With so many options, all natural versus organic, people can feel a little overwhelmed by the labelling.”

Getting Pinched for Cash: The Canton Volunteer Firefighters' Lobsterfest '09

by: James Simpkins

I don’t really like lobster. Being a chef, this makes me somewhat of a pariah among colleagues as lobster is known as a dish in the upper echelon of gourmet cooking. But almost everyone I know has that one little ‘thing’ about what they put-or won’t put- in their mouths. Mine’s lobster. Now that I think about it, it’s just the tail I don’t care for. If I could just order the claws, I would not only be content, I’d be a fan! But in 100% of my dining experiences that has never been an option. I was hoping (to no avail) my lucky break would come this past weekend in Canton, CT where the 29th annual Canton Volunteer Firefighters’ Lobsterfest ‘09 kicked off on Friday, August 14th.

A big fund-raiser for the station, I was told originally it was “someone’s hare-brained idea” that turned into a smashing success. Apparently its current incarnation is a lot better executed, however; the joke around the station is that it’s taken all twenty nine years to figure out how to do it efficiently. After seeing the production first-hand, it is no joke. Here are just the mainstays of what they ordered this year:

·        5,000 wild-caught lobsters from Maine & Massachusetts

·        100+ bushels of local sweet corn (from The Pickin’ Patch in Avon, CT)

·        15 ½ barrels of Budweiser beer (that’s about 2500 bottles)

…and LOTS of chowda to go with it. Sadly, this was concentrated clam chowder from SYSCO and the only culinary snafu of the event. I wondered, though, of the 5,000 lobsters that were ordered, how many do they actually use?

All of them.

The guys at the firehouse told me that in the last four years they haven’t had a single lobster leftover—and they ordered 4,000 each year. This time around, determined to grow their numbers and break that glass ceiling, they added another 1,000 and crossed their fingers. The event starts Friday night, then all day Saturday, and from 9am Sunday until they’re gone. With 1500 lobsters sold on Friday night alone (just four hours), it was no contest.

Red, White, and A Little Green

by Eileen Weber

A sunny Fourth of July. Barbecue with friends, a little beach time, and some fireworks tonight. What could be better? How about putting a little green in your Red, White, and Blue?

There are a number of web sites that promote some fun ideas to keep your life a little greener on this explosive holiday.

According to one site, Greenzer.com, grilling your food on a gas grill instead of a smoky charcoal one helps. Some other tips include not using plastic utensils and plates. You can use biodegradable supplies, like the party kit offered from Inhabitat.com that serves 50. Or, you can go even more sustainable with bamboo like the disposable ones from Eco-Wise.com.

Packing local, organic foods for your next picnic is also a must. Just a quick trip to your farmers’ market and you’ve got a number of tasty treats to choose from. Locally made breads and cheeses, fresh fruits, a few greens and that’s a succulent meal.

One interesting point to note that has been highlighted recently is the pollutant effects of fireworks. There are some pyrotechnical experts looking for a more environmentally friendly option. According to PhysOrg.com, a site that focuses on science and technology, states “Researchers…have developed new pyrotechnic formulas that replace perchlorate with nitrogen-rich materials or nitrocellulose that burn cleaner and produce less smoke.”

It’s a great idea. But until federal regulation comes into play, it may be a while before we see a little “green” in the sky.

Happy Fourth of July! Be safe and be well.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Green in Any Color

by James Simpkins

James Simpkins will be a contributor on this site every Wednesday. A former chef and Le Cordon Bleu culinary instructor, he is a PhD student at UCONN putting his culinary know-how to work studying American food culture. He will be writing about anything and everything related to food in the Farmington River Valley. Having grown up in Ohio, he has been living for the past two years in the Canton area.

I thought I should start my first article by defining “green”. The official definition is a: relating to or being an environmentalist political movement b: concerned with or supporting environmentalism c: tending to preserve environmental quality (as by being recyclable, biodegradable, or nonpolluting.

Pretty much what I thought, but I was excited to learn that there was a more than a touch of grey to the whole concept (note “c” above). In other words, there’s not just one definition of what’s “green” or not. This is what really gets me excited about food and food culture--especially here in the Farmington River Valley--is that there are so many variations of it. So it’s this many-flavored point of view that I bring to this blog and my own take on what’s “green” in my neck of the Connecticut woods.

Consider what I know of off the top of my head: There are no fewer than five fantastic farms (some to be discussed in future posts) within 10 miles from my place, not to mention a ferocious Farmers’ Market culture from Norfolk to Southbury that has just kicked off the summer season. Add in countless community events, restaurants, and my neighbors’ gardens…well, suffice it to say there is no shortage of gustatory glam to share with you. Weirdly enough, however, I found my first inspiration of the season in my P.O. Box: A bright pink postcard announcing the 58th Annual Strawberry Festival at the North Canton Community United Methodist Church. Since I love strawberries (eating some right now, as a matter of fact) and they mentioned homemade biscuits, I decided to check it out.

Happy Mother’s Day

by Eileen Weber

This morning, my three anxious daughters impatiently awaited their mother’s peaceful slumber to dissipate. Three sets of beady little eyes all on me. Do you know how hard it is to sleep like that?

Honestly, I gave a valiant effort at ignoring them. But when they asked one another if they thought I might be awake in a soto voce “whisper” (note the quotation marks), I thought it best to open my eyes.

I found a stack of cards. One of them, as my oldest proclaimed with verve and gusto, was the “biggest card ever!” Yes, yes it was. It was about the size of a Lexus. It probably had its own zip code. In fact, I would hazard a guess that there are some third world countries that occupy less space than this card.

My first thought was, “This isn’t going to fit nicely into the recycle bin.” What do you do with old cards? It seems a bit ridiculous to throw them out. There must be something creative you can do with them. After all, they are made from paper.

A cursory search on the web brought back a number of sites that gave the same inspiring concepts. Many of the sites focused on Christmas cards. But the same process can still apply with more generic holiday and birthday cards. Hopefully, you will find one or two that work for you:

• Use them in scrapbooking.
• Make gift tags out of them.
• Cut them up and use them as postcards.
• Use them in decoupage.
• Make new cards of out of them for someone else.
• Take some of the cards with more attractive designs and frame them. Instant art!
• Cut them into long strips and use them as book marks.
• Cut into circles, laminate them, and use them as coasters. No more drink rings!
• Send your cards to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. (Check their site for details.)
• Don’t give paper cards in the first place. Use e-cards!

For all the moms and moms-to-be, Happy Mother’s Day!

Green Day for Mom

by Eileen Weber

So what are you getting your Mom this Sunday? If you’re like most people, you’ll opt for the simple solution: flowers. You can’t go wrong with a few pretty posies on Mother’s Day.

If fresh-cut tulips fit in your plan, why not try organic ones? Organic Bouquet has a nice selection online. They have all the usual suspects from roses to lilies to Gerber daisies. According to their web site, they have “sustainably grown and certified Organic, VeriFlora or FlorVerde” flowers and stand by their commitment to supply their customers with “only the finest eco-friendly flowers fresh from our partner farms.” Mom should be so proud.

If flowers aren’t her thing, don’t despair. Look for fair trade clothing and accessories from The Fair Trade Federation. Plugging in Connecticut, Flavours Of Life popped up with sustainable gifts like their cotton and jute handbag or their tree resin beads and nickel free metal necklace. For something truly different, you may want to get her the finger piano with cymbals. Now that will be a Mother’s Day gift that won’t wilt on the dining room table!

If perfume is something more desirable, try Honoré de Prés, a 100% certified organic fragrance without harmful chemicals such as phthalates. For an honorable mention, try Rich Hippie, Blissoma Blends and Ecco Bella, fine alternatives to the usual petroleum-based fragrances on the market. They use natural oils and aromas from flowers, herbs and spices. And if Mom’s a fan of lavender, try Hood River Lavender Perfume from Oregon. They grow their own lavender organically and process the essential oils in a same-day harvest.

If Mom likes to cook, get her some fresh organic fruits and vegetables with a membership to a community supported agriculture (CSA). Just click on the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut’s web site for a list of CSAs in each of the state’s counties.

And if that’s not your idea of a sustainable gift, you can always plant tree. Try Pell Farms in Somers for locally grown nursery trees. What’s good for Mom is good for the environment!

Photo courtesy of Organic Bouquet.

Hopping Down the Green Bunny Trail

by Eileen Weber

This morning at some ungodly hour, my three daughters burst into our bedroom with lots of chatter and more energy than anyone should legally possess. The Easter Bunny had arrived. They were sure of it.

Flopping down the stairs in my flannel jammies, fuzzy slippers, and a sleep mask perched above my weary eyebrows, I followed my progeny into the living room where the infamous rabbit had left baskets of goodies.

Upon opening said baskets, it occurred to me the amount of waste and plastic involved. The Easter Bunny needs to hop on the eco-friendly bandwagon. The baskets were covered in plastic wrapping. There was enough excess cardboard and tape inside you could gift-wrap a Lexus with it. There was only slightly less garbage than Christmas, for Pete’s sake.

There are plenty of people who agree with that statement. “Easter is yet another plastic crap-filled holiday,” said Lisa Sharp on April 1st in her Retro Housewife Goes Green blog. “Plastic baskets, plastic eggs, plastic grass, candy wrapped in plastic, the list goes on and on.”