By Jennifer Spaide

Make these beautiful and delicious truffles at home with your favorite ingredients.

Making homemade truffles is a simple, yet multi-step, process.  One of the keys to a great truffle is using quality chocolate.  I chose Guittard’s AKOMA* Extra Semisweet chocolate chips, which I purchased at Whole Foods.  Not only is Guittard Fair Trade Certified, but as it reads on the bag, Akoma represents “heart” in traditional Adinkra symbols of West Africa where cocoa beans for this chocolate are grown. So I thought it particularly fitting to choose this variety for my Valentine’s Day truffles.  But feel free to substitute your favorite organic and/or Fair Trade brand.

For the Ganache Filling

• 12 oz bag of Guittard AKOMA* Extra Semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp liquor (such as grand marnier, triple sec, framboise, kahlua, rum, etc)
• 1 cup organic heavy cream
• 1 tsp instant espresso

Step 1:  Make the ganache filling.  Place the chocolate chips and liquor in a bowl.  Set aside.  In a small sauce pan, heat the cream and instant espresso over medium-high heat.  Bring just to a boil.  Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for about 10 minutes, allowing the heat of the cream to melt the chocolate.

Pour the cream over the chips and let them sit and melt.

Remove the plastic wrap and stir the chocolate and cream together until smooth.  If a few lumps remain, pop your ganache into the microwave for intervals of 15 seconds, stirring in between, until you have a completely smooth ganache. Cover ganache with plastic wrap and chill for several hours, or overnight.

Your ganache should be free of lumps and quite soft. Refrigerate to harden.

Step 2:  Remove the ganache from the refrigerator.  Let it sit out at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.  Then scoop out small spoonfuls of ganache onto a piece of parchment paper.  Continue until all the ganache has been scooped out.

Drop balls of ganache by the spoonful onto parchment paper then get ready to roll.

Step 3:  Gently, and quickly, roll the ganache into balls between your palms.  Keep a damp towel close by to clean your hands frequently.  Once all the ganache balls have been formed, chill them again for 30 minutes to 1 hour while preparing the coating station.  You could even pop them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to speed up the process.

Round and ready!

For the coating

• 12 oz bag of Guittard AKOMA* Extra Semisweet chocolate chips
• Coconut flakes, unsweetened
• Chopped nuts
• Cocoa Powder
• Sea Salt

Step 4:  Set up your coating work station.  Place your desired toppings- chopped nuts, coconut flakes, cocoa powder, etc- in small containers.  Sea salt can go in a small bowl.

Set our containers filled with the coatings of your choice.

Step 5:  Prepare the initial chocolate coating by melting your chocolate chips in a double boiler.  To do this, place the chocolate in a small heat-resistant bowl.  Fill a small saucepan with 1” of water and heat to a gentle simmer over medium heat.  Place your bowl of chocolate on top of the pan.  The steam from the water will gently melt the chocolate without burning it.  You can remove the pan from the stove when ready to coat the ganache, but keep the bowl of chocolate on top of the pan while working.  If it starts to harden, simply return the double boiler to the stove and reheat.

Coat each truffle then roll it in a coating or sprinkle the coating on top.

Step 6:   Remove the ganache balls from the fridge or freezer.  Dip the ganache balls in the melted chocolate, tap off the excess, and then gently roll around in your coating of choice.  Place on parchment paper to set.  Or, instead of rolling in the coating, dip the ganache balls in the melted chocolate then place on parchment paper.  Sprinkle the topping on top and let set.  This is the method to use if using sea salt.  Repeat until all the ganache balls have been coated.

Valentine's Day truffles present especially well on a white plate.

Step 7:  Cover and chill your truffles for several hours before serving.

Step 8:  Eat and enjoy!

Jennifer Spaide is a natural foods chef, writer, and mother. Spaide received her Masters in Human Nutrition at Columbia University and attended culinary school at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Jennifer grew up with an innate appreciation for fresh-from-the-garden foods and wants to share that passion with others. Her online magazine, Simplicious, gives readers fresh recipes that are healthy and easy to prepare, bites of tasty information that help bring health into the home, and breaks down complex topics into easily digestible table-talk that even the kids will understand. In addition to her magazine, Spaide maintains a bi-monthly column in the New Canaan Advertiser, and continues to work as a freelance writer and recipe developer. www.simpliciousmag.com.

Babycat Milkbar, a pop-up store which opened in Wilton in May, was conceived by mompreneur Jeena Choi as a great place for locals to gather and enjoy coffee, tea and wholesome treats. The Milkbar can be found  inside New England Historical Connection, a retail store selling custom-made furniture from New England craftsmen. Whether you need a refuge from the cold, a spot to commune with friends, or a source for artisan treats and gifts, the Milkbar is your destination.

The Milkbar is offering free gift boxes and shipping on all Mamacat Q. Tea orders for the month of December.

Begin with a cup of Mamacat’s Q. Tea, Choi’s line of fine, hand-blended and packed 100% organic teas. Born out of a desire to enjoy caffeine-free, refreshing teas that were gentle and tasty enough to share with children, Mamacat’s Q. Tea flavors include Ruby Slippers, Emerald Wonderland, Amber Maharani, Blossom Hill, Casablanca Mist and Golden Slumbers. Choi describes Emerald Wonderland as a mellow, beautiful blend of French lavender and Goji berries. With Casa Blanca Mist, she wanted to create a Moroccan green tea, which is traditionally super sweet and caffeinated. By choosing spearmint instead of mint and blending in rose petals, licorice root, elderflower and stevia, Choi created her “favorite new elixir that’s both rejuvenating and relaxing.”

Shopping for tea for someone out of town? The Milkbar is offering complimentary shipping and gift boxes for all online tea sales throughout December! No minimum amount, just specify that you’re ordering a gift in the “special instruction” section during check-out. SHOP NOW

We’re excited about two gift boxes featuring the best of local food artisans now available at Babycat Milkbar.

Mamacat's Q. Tea and Savor cookies make a sweet Tea and Cookies gift box.

Tea and Cookies, a top pick for a teacher, babysitter, letter carrier, school bus driver, or any other person that makes your life just that much easier, is a best seller at $19. Included in this gift box: a pack of organic Mamacat’s Q. Tea, hand-blended and packed by Jeena Choi, and Savor cookies, made in Waterbury by a baker dedicated to local and sustainable ingredient sourcing.

Macat's Q Tea's organic teas, Peace Tree Desserts' Cajeta Caramel sauce, Winding Drive's jam, and a chocolate bar from The Little Chocolate Company make up this Deluxe Artisan gift box. Design your own box from the Milkbar's line of fine artisan food products.

The Deluxe Artisan Gift Box, perfect for the foodies on your list, includes 5 of the finest local artisan food products from their line for $35. Here’s a list of artisan foods to choose from when creating a custom box just right for your gift recipient:

Connecticut grown and made with local and organic ingredients, Hoardable Hot Sauces would also make excellent stocking stuffers or hostess gifts.

Hoardable Hot Sauce in Springdale, CT – delightfully robust “hot” sauce sure to perk up any dish or savory snack. The hot sauces are produced in small batches using locally grown, organic ingredients.

The Little Chocolate Company in Old Greenwich, CT – artisanal chocolate bars and barks studded with dried fruits and berries that are handmade in the Greenwich shop using the finest Belgian chocolate and local-sustainable ingredients. Bark flavors currently in stock are white chocolate with coconut, milk chocolate with peanuts and sea salt, and milk chocolate toffee.

Mamacat’s Q. Tea – organic, premium hand-blended herbal blends produced in Wilton by Babycat Milkbar owner Jeena Choi. Enjoy the teas hot or cold, day and night. The bright and colorful packaging makes for a terrific stocking stuffer or gift box item. Choose from 5 different custom blends.

Peace Tree Desserts in Westport- authentic Mexican style caramel dessert sauces made from Connecticut goat’s milk. These decadent sauces pairs well with cheese, fresh fruit, fondue, and are amazingly good in coffee, over waffles, pancakes and ice cream.

Red Bee Honey in Weston- as local as local gets! Beautiful, single-nectar source honey from hard working Italian honeybees. Seasonal flavors range from buckwheat to alfalfa and orange blossom.

Savor cookies in Waterbury- hand made in Waterbury by an artist turned baker with a dedication to local and sustainable ingredient sourcing. Sophisticated, delicious shortbread cookies in unusual flavors including roasted leeks, lavender, mocha/ginger and rosemary/lemon. A little savory, a little sweet, the cookies pair well with both wine and tea.

Winding Drive Jams and Jellies in Woodbridge – award winning, distinctively flavored seasonal jams and jellies made from Connecticut Grown fruit. The Milkbar carries their best-selling flavors including apple pie, limited edition holiday jam (pear, cranberry orange, cinnamon), British style orange marmalade, roasted garlic and caramelized onion, and habanero gold jelly.

Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee in New Canaan- roasted fresh daily by Zumbach’s, the Milkbar offers 1/2 lb bags of the organic Gold Coast blend (mild), Five Star (bold) and Midnight Magic (decaf, but so smooth, you wouldn’t think so!).

Babycat Milkbar

300 Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT (inside NE Historical Connection)

http://www.mcqtea.com/Home.html

Phone: 203-493-1656

Freshly harvested wet beans travel from the farm to the Swiss processing facility on the very same day.

By Analiese Paik

Cacao Nacional, a cacao species considered to produce the finest single varietal chocolate in the world, was blighted and obliterated in its native Ecuador in 1919. Believed to be extinct, the chocolate has been absent from the finest professional kitchens for almost 100 years. Now, two Americans – Dan Pearson and his stepson Brian Horsley – have remarkably rediscovered Cacao Nacional while working in Peru. The pair accidentally found the lost species in the Marañón Canyon of Peru on the land of an organic farmer named Don Fortunato. The DNA from Fortunato’s “mother tree” proved to be a 100% match to the original Cacao Nacional from Ecuador, officially blessing the discovery and creating a frenzy in the world of fine chocolate.

The rare and wonderful Cacao Nacional, believed to be extinct for almost 100 years, is now available in 2 ounce bittersweet bars from Moonstruck Chocolate Co. and other fine chocolatiers. Photo c/o Moonstruck Chocolate Co..

Marañón Chocolate company was born and Cacao Nacional, hailed as the finest chocolate in the world, soon began drizzling back into professional  kitchens where it’s highly prized by pastry chefs and chocolatiers for its fruity and floral flavors and aromas and complete lack of bitterness, a quality attributed to its white beans. Incredibly, there’s now enough of this rare chocolate for it to be made into bars for retail sale. A short list of retailers sell the 68% cacao bittersweet chocolate bars, dubbed Fortunato No. 4 to signify the fourth tree tested on Fortunato’s property. This rare and wonderful single varietal, single origin chocolate is our #1 eco luxe gift pick for the holiday season. Seriously, you can’t go wrong.

Where to Buy:

Online sales can be placed exclusively through a short list of select chocolatiers including Moonstruck Chocolate Co. in Portland, Oregon.The ultimate in chocolate eating and eco-luxe gift giving awaits you at $12 for a 2 ounce bar. Moonstruck also sells Tumbled Chocolate Beans, Fortunato beans covered in Fortunato chocolate, at $12 for a 3.5 ounce box. Click here for a complete list of worldwide sellers.

Here’s to supporting good taste, biodiversity, sustainable growers, and artisan food entrepreneurs in 2012 and beyond!

By Analiese Paik

Candy or no candy? That is the question on Halloween. I’ve reached the conclusion that it really is okay to give kids candy in moderation, once in a while, as long as it’s done with a clear conscience. The problem with Halloween is there is no moderation, thereby complicating things.

If you want to give candy to trick-or-treaters, it’s important to know that child labor and slave labor are two pervasive practices in the chocolate industry, making most conventional chocolate an unacceptable and unsustainable choice in Halloween candy (and candy in general). Additionally, candy bars, lollipops, gummy and hard candy and other popular Halloween treats typically contain sugar (which may now come from genetically modified sugar beets), corn starch and corn syrup (likely made from genetically modified (GM) corn), partially hydrogenated oils (including soybean which is likely GM), artificial colors and flavors, etc., etc . It’s just too scary!

My solution is to buy bags of individually wrapped single serve portions of organic and Fair Trade chocolates, treats, raisins, or pretzels. Buying Fair Trade certified foods is a consumer vote against unfair and inhumane labor practices. Choosing organic is not only the best way to avoid pesticide residue, but also a guarantee that foods are free of sugar from genetically modified sugar beets, GMO corn derivatives, and otherwise undesirable ingredients that we choose not to feed our children (and give to other children). True, bulk bags can make us wince just thinking about the waste from excess packaging, but they’re mandatory in today’s society where we look askance at anything unwrapped or wrapped at home. Who touched it? Is it tainted? Dirty? Yuck!

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s currently available in stores:

Organic Halloween candy and single serve snacks can be found in nearly any grocery store these days, and there are budget-friendly options.

Organic lollipops:

* Best Value: Trader Joe’s is selling USDA Organic, fruit-flavored lollipops for $2.99, right near the register.  There is no count on the container, which is recyclable, but mine had 26 pops in it.

Stop ‘n Shop has Yummy Earth USDA Organic fruit-flavored lollipops which “may” contain carrots, black currants, apples and pumpkin! They’re on sale for 2 for $4.00, but at 15 count per bag, they’re still not cheaper than Trader Joe’s.

Whole Foods Market Fairfield has sold out of their Yummy Earth USDA Organic bagged lollipops, probably because they were on sale. Bulk containers of 150 Yummy Earth pops for $19.99 are slightly more expensive than Stop ‘n Shop’s (as long as they’re on sale 2 for $4.00).

Organic bulk candy:

Neither Whole Foods Market Fairfield nor Mrs. Green’s had bulk bags of organic snacks or chocolates, but the new Shop Rite in Fairfield has Annie’s USDA Organic Bunny Fruit snacks in bulk bags of 24 for $5.49. They’re double the price per serving of a lollipop (23 cents), but you also get a lot more.

Organic single pack raisins:

Both Mrs. Greens and Whole Foods Markets sell six packs of single serve USDA organic raisins, but Whole Foods Markets’ 365 value pack is much cheaper at $2.69 than the Newman’s Own pack selling for $3.99 at Mrs. Green’s. You’re still paying 45 cents per box though, making them a luxury purchase.

Trinkets are rather inexpensive and something I always offer, sometimes to the exclusion of candy.

Most years I take a more balanced approach and offer revelers a choice between a small trinket, a quarter, and a sustainable treat. Finding a small and fun yet inexpensive top, decal, puzzle, tatoo or Halloween-themed pencil is easy at Party City. Today I picked up a 120 count tattoo mega value pack for $5.99, 6 sticker strips for $1.49 and 12 pencils for $1.99. The tattoos are 5 cents each, making them a great value and something to occupy little hands instead of candy. As for how green these treasure are, I can’t say, but they’re better in my mind that adding more sugar to an already sugared up child. I’ll still offer quarters this year, because they’re the most sustainable choice. I didn’t need to go anywhere to buy them, they can be distributed without fear just as they are, nobody is going to throw them out, and maybe, just maybe, one will be the quarter that completes some child’s state quarter set.

The Halloween dilemma, however, involves both the giving and receiving of candy. I let my kids get their “yayas” out trick-or-treating with the agreement that there will be a Good Witch exchange of the candy stash for a toy or game of their choice. Many years ago a friend told me about this annual ritual practiced in her home, and I immediately co-opted it. The exchange must be made in full within three days. My kids never say no. They get a new toy or game and I get to stop worrying about them ingesting chemicals that can damage their health. (Okay I admit to ransacking their bags to remove the worst offenders.)

What to do with the bags of “Good Witch” candy though? Nobody should be eating them, I know, but some groups are collecting unwanted candy to send to our troops abroad. Some years I hide the bags in my closet and then ultimately toss them, reasoning that they’re stale and nobody would want them, or they could make someone sick. I hate how wasteful that is. I’m counting the years until my kids will be old enough to have Halloween parties at home and I can convince them to bob for apples that have coins tucked inside, something I remember fondly from my youth.

How will you be greening your Halloween this year?

Sport Hill Farm opens for the season on on Saturday, May 14, with organic spring lettuce mix, kale mix, red butterhead lettuce, bok choy, chives, award- winning Flaxette bread from Fairfield Bread Company, and  other local goodies at the farm stand. Farmer Patti Popp reported that “local farmers are 2 plus weeks behind with things because of the overcast days and cool weather” so please be patient while early crops mature.

Saturday 5/14 special events:

Lil’ Farmer Johns-10:30-11:30

Our children will help keep farming alive for the next generation, and this event will introduce them to some of the activities on a real, working, organic farm. Farmer Patti Popp will lead young your Lil’ Farmer John on an exploration of her farm’s fields where they may encounter a few tadpoles, feed the chickens, plant an herb for them to bring home & have some other fun. Please make sure boys dress appropriately. Parental supervision required, but the adults can sit & enjoy the farm while I keep the little ones busy. $10 per child. This event targeted for ages 4-7. RSVP via email to Farmgal596@yahoo.com.

Country Chicks-Farmhouse Flowers-1:30-3:00

Don’t settle for the mass produced plastic potted floral arrangements, unleash your inner creativity instead. Come to the farm and create a beautiful outdoor centerpiece using a variety of flowers, herbs and found objects. See just how beautiful and unique your arrangement can be. $25 per participant; all supplies are included. RSVP via email to Farmgal596@yahoo.com.

Upcoming Events:

“Meet Me At The Farm”: Tues 5/17 from 11:30-1:00

Come join Amie Guyette Hall , Holistic Health Counselor & Cooking Coach on the farm and see just how easy it is to prepare fresh, local , healthy produce. Tour the gardens and enjoy a farm fresh lunch with take home recipes. Reservations are a MUST. 24 hour CANCELLATION policy in effect. Seating is limited. Come with a friend and enjoy the afternoon. $40 per person. RSVP via email to Farmgal596@yahoo.com.

Cacao Cowgirls: Friday 5/20 from 7:00p.m.- 9:00p.m.

Come join Amie Guyette Hall on the farm for some casual fun and learn the health benefits of raw chocolate. Enjoy a farm fresh salad, fresh bread, drinks, and a raw chocolate tasting. Bring a friend and enjoy some down time on the farm. Please RSVP so we know how many to we need to feed. $25 per person. RSVP via email to Farmgal596@yahoo.com.

FREE Organic Gardening program with Easton Resident Shira Freidman: Saturday 5/21 from 2:00-3:00

Visit the website for a complete calendar of events. http://www.sporthillfarm.com/Events.html

The farm is open from  9:30-6:oo pm  7 days a week in May. Effective June 1, 2011, hours will change to 10am -7:30p.m. Crop Cash customers are free to shop at the market from now through December 30, 2011.

Sport Hill Farm, 596 Sport Hill Road, Easton, CT (past all the other farms, just past Snow’s, on the right side of the road. Look for the red flag.)

Farmer Patti Popp can be reached at farmgal… or on the farm’s Facebook page.

Red Bee Apiary & Gardens hosts plein air honey tastings that are beautiful arranged and formally structured, much as a wine tasting would be.

Red Bee honey tastings are formal, white linen events organized and led by owner, beekeeper, and author Marina Marchese. Guest are treated to a tour of Red Bee Apiary & Gardens, a honeybee talk, and finally a formal honey tasting at farmhouse style tables en plain air. Participants are encouraged to engage their curiosity through discussions while learning about the many types and styles of unique nectar source honeys. The menu is a carefully orchestrated “Tasting Flight” of seven single-origin, local honeys perfectly paired with locally produced, seasonal accompaniments including cheese, fruit, chocolate, nuts, bread, spices or herbs.

Event: Honey Tasting Laboratory Workshop with Honey Sommelier Marina Marchese

Location: Red Bee ® Apiary and Gardens, Weston, CT MAP QUEST

When: Sunday, May 29, 2011 from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm. This event takes place outside at Red Bee in the apiary gardens.

Cost: $35.00 per guest and includes all food and beverage, including a welcome glass of Prosecco.

RSVP and pre-payment are required to reserve your spot.
Please visit Red Bee’s website, scroll down to the event listing, and click “Add to Cart” to reserve your seat.

Questions? Email Marina Marchese at redbeehoney@gmail.com

Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper is a great summer read and the honeys are a culinary delight.

Marina Marchese’s  book, “Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper” has just been released in paperback after a successful publication in hardcover. Carol Herman, the Books Editor at The Washington Times, named Marchese’s HONEYBEE as one of the “Books We Loved” in 2009.  Red Bee Honey is listed in the most recent edition of Patricia Brook’s “Food Lovers’ Guide to Connecticut”, a best of the best foodie guide to Connecticut.

Red Bee Honeys can be purchased at: the New Canaan farmers’ market (Sat. 10-2), Fairfield’s Brick Walk farmers’ market (Sat. 9-12), Fairfield Cheese Company (Fairfield), Catch a Healthy Habit Café (Fairfield), Aux Delices (Greenwich/Darien), Plum Pure Foods (Old Greenwich),  Practically Green (Ridgefield), Jones Family Winery (Shelton), Artisan Foods (Southbury), and McLaughlin Vineyard (Sandy Hook).

Restaurants using Red Bee Honey include LeFarm (Westport), Scoozi (New Haven), Winvian Luxury Resort (Litchfield), Billy Grants (East Haven), and The Unquowa School (Fairfield).

Organic and Fair Trade chocolate is exploding in popularity and this year chocolate bunnies and eggs perfect for Easter baskets are easier to find. Lest anyone get the wrong idea and think hunting down these certified chocolates is an exercise in elitism, know that child labor and slave labor are two pervasive practices in the chocolate industry. Buying Fair Trade is a consumer vote against these practices and gives one permission to indulge guilt free.

Lake Champlain's USDA Organic solid milk chocolate bunny and Divine's dark chocoalte mini eggs and milk chocolate speckled eggs are perfect for a child's Easter basket.

Whole Foods Markets is carrying two very exciting chocolates this year that will be making their way in to my children’s Easter baskets. Lake Champlain’s new USDA Organic solid milk chocolate Easter bunnies are handcrafted in Vermont and quite cute.  Each bunny is  individually wrapped is clear plastic and finished with a beautiful grosgrain ribbon bow. If you want the dark chocolate bunny, you’ll have to order it from Lake Champlain’s online store. Divine’s Fair Trade Certified gold foil wrapped dark chocolate mini eggs and pastel-colored milk chocolate speckled eggs come boxed but are perfect for scattering throughout the basket. You can find all these chocolates on a display near the cash registers, not in the chocolate or specialty food sections.

Vosges' fanciful bunny with a story is a gorgeous and delicious Easter gift perfect for anyone.

Fairfield Cheese Company offers a fantastic and fanciful Easter selection from Vosges, a company so committed to sustainability that their incredibly far-reaching green mission statement is spelled out in black and white on their web site. The Barcelona Bunny is a solid 2.5 ounces of deep milk chocolate flavored with mineral-rich sea salt and hickory smoked almonds. Each chocolate bunny is beautifully packaged in a lavender box relating the story of its origin. Next is the purple box of 5 dark chocolate half eggs decorated with hens in relief and filled with bacon caramel. Bacon & Eggs never tasted this good! While these chocolates are not certified organic or Fair Trade, Vosges does source mostly organic chocolate according to the company and recently started using organic sugar, butter, cream and nuts in their confections. Visit Vosges’ online store to peruse their entire Easter collection.

Vosges' Bacon & Egg boxed truffles are a testament to bacon's never-ending popularity.

Retailers:

Whole Foods Market – Greenwich, Darien, and Westport

Fairfield Cheese Company, 2090 Post Road, Fairfield. (203) 292-8194.

Note: Belgique Chocolatier on 88 Elm Street in New Canaan carries a wide variety of beautiful and delicious artisan Belgian Easter bunnies, eggs, hens and chicks made from Callebaut Chocoalate, a company with a very strict policy against child labor. (203) 801-0538.

One of the easiest ways to celebrate Earth Day every day is to green your kitchen. Here are some delicious and fun ways to reduce your family’s “foodprint” while also eating well.

• Bring your own bags wherever you shop. Try keeping a soft, collapsible bag in your pocketbook so you always have one handy.

• Reuse grocery store vegetable bags as liners for your kitchen compost pail. You’ll save money on composting supplies and give the bags and second life.

• Use recycled products. Choose from post-consumer recycled aluminum foil and paper products (napkins & paper towels), phosphate-free dish-washing liquid and dishwasher soap, and biodegradable garbage bags.

• Recycle #5 containers and cork at Whole Foods Markets instead of throwing them in the garbage. Whole Foods collects #5s and cork for recycling (feel free to pop in just to drop off your recycling). Recycling costs you nothing but is a huge gift to the environment.

• 

  Lunch Skins are eco-chic, reusable lunch and snack bags that are cute enough to give as a gift.

  Use reusable bags instead of single use plastic lunch and snack bags. There are many on the market and they have become so mainstream that they are now available at Linens ‘n Things.

• Use thermoses instead of buying water bottles. Ditto for kids’ single serve milk and juice boxes. Plastic water bottles are made from petroleum and are designed to be used once, resulting in a product that is thousands of times more expensive than tap water and no safer, according to a report by Food & Water Watch. Most of these bottles wind up in landfills where they take hundreds of years to break down and can leach harmful chemicals into the ground. Carry a stainless steel thermos instead.

• Compost your food waste. Food that’s thrown out instead of composted releases methane gas, contributing to global warming and climate change. Compost is a fantastic soil amendment and it costs you nothing, so you’re saving money in the end. Use an empty flour container, bowl or other receptacle to gather your food scraps in the kitchen (or a dedicated kitchen compost pail) and empty them regularly into your compost pile. Not sure how to compost?  Visit Rodale’s web site for some immediate expert advice.

• 

  This pre-World War II photo shows just a few of the 11 historic buildings and barns that date back to the 1700s when Comstock was founded. Amish crews from parent company Baker Creek have begun to restore the buildings and preserve the antique equipment, transforming the campus into a living agricultural history museum. Photo c/o Comstock, Ferre & Co

  Grow some of your own food. Seeds are very inexpensive, and if you make your own compost, you’ll likely wind up saving money by growing your own. A fantastic source of inspiration and advice for home gardeners is Kitchen Gardeners International, the group behind the campaign to replant a kitchen garden at the White House. Comstock Ferre & Co., a 200-year-old seed company in Wethersfield, CT, offers a wide variety of heirloom seeds via their catalog or online store. Read more about Comstock here.
  

• Buy locally grown food from a farmers’ market or farm stand, CSA, or online ordering and delivery service. A complete list of Fairfield County farmers’ markets and farm stands can be found here, CSAs here, and home delivery services here.

• Choose locally produced food from specialty or grocery stores. The Double L Market in Westport, Palmer’s Market in Darien and The Pantry in Fairfield all carry some local food.

• Choose organic whenever possible to protect the environment and human health. There are over 40 certified organic farms in Connecticut, and many more that meet or exceed the National Organic Program’s (NOP) standards but do not carry the certification. That means a lot of choice for the consumer! Click here to read more about what the NOP standards mean as well as other eco farm and food labels.
  

• Choose organic and biodynamic wines. These so called “natural” wines rely on low impact methods for solving common problems that plague vineyards. For instance, birds of prey are brought in to control for varmints. Organic wines are cultivated without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides so they do not deplete the soil, damage the environment or pose threats to human health.

• Choose organic, Fair Trade coffee, chocolate and tea. Fair Trade means farmers are compensated fairly for their work, no child labor is used, and farms employ sustainable growing practices.

• 

  Whole Foods Markets stores started using a seafood labeling system for their wild caught products based on Seafood Wach's ratings to help the consumer at point of purchase.

  Choose sustainable seafood. Download the Sustainable Seafood Guide or iphone app from Seafood Watch and commit to limiting your consumption to sustainable seafood choices under the Best Choices and Good Alternatives categories. Whole Foods Markets stores have started using a seafood labeling system for their wild caught products based on Seafood Watch’s ratings to help the consumer at point of purchase. You can learn all about sustainable seafood in a fabulous new exhibit called Go Fish! at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk.  It’s perfect for adults and children.

Happy Earth Day 2011! Please add your suggestions for greening your kitchen under comments below. Looking forward to seeing you at Wilton Go Green’s Expo on May 1.

Today marks the tenth year the CT Specialty Food Association has held a Product Awards Competition, and I was pleased to be invited to judge along with at least two other food bloggers, one former specialty food producer (whose pickles I still miss) and numerous chefs and cooks. It was pretty much all business as we received our tasting sheets, clip boards and pens then headed off to the tables to taste and evaluate the entries in the categories we had been assigned. Much to my relief, the tasting was blind, and therefore free of bias.

Can't Beet It! Hot Beets & Horseradish, Winding Drive Jams & Jellies Peach Jam, Killam & Bassette Chocolate Raspberry Jam, Dondero Orchards Strawberry Jam and Dondero Orchards Blueberry Rhubarb Jam were the best products I tasted in my assigned categories. Dondero's Blueberry Rhubarb was my favorite.

Jams, quick breads, snack foods, hors d’oeuvres and oils were my category assignments. I wondered how I would make it through 17 jams without suffering palate fatigue, but the diversity of flavors made it easy. There were four standouts in this category:  blueberry rhubarb, strawberry, peach and chocolate raspberry. The pieces of whole fruit in the first three signaled that they had been treated gently and held the promise of best of summer fruit flavors. I was right-consistently the jams that had whole fruit in them also had the best flavor and consistency. I admit to rating the first three best in show (we could only nominate from the categories we tasted).

The fourth jam that really interested me was the chocolate raspberry. Now raspberries are so fragile that I’m not sure it’s possible to make a  jam from them that actually has whole fruit in it, so that was never the expectation. I knew I had tasted raspberries and chocolate together before and thought the flavor was divine. Yes, it was The Farmer’s Cow Black Raspberry Moo Chocolate Chip ice cream. Raspberries and chocolate work. I can easily see this jam on the table at tea in a fine restaurant or hotel or on a breakfast plate with a freshly baked croissant or baguette.

In the hors d’oeuvres category, it was refreshing to see so many vegetable-based products. My favorite was the beet and horseradish dip, basically the most vibrant red beet finely grated, spiked with horseradish, and seasoned with some sugar, vinegar and salt. We’re all supposed to be eating more vegetables, right? So why not sneak some into in an appetizer we can prepare at home? Put the bread and crackers aside, I’m getting my Swedish up!  Tomorrow I’m hard cooking some eggs, halving them lengthwise, removing the yolks and filling them with the beets and horseradish.

After the judging closed, we were able to match what we tasted to the producer, and I was not at all surprised to see that my first and second-ranked jams were made by an orchard. Dondero Orchards blueberry rhubarb jam is my favorite, and their strawberry jam a very close second. Winding Drive’s peach jam bursts with the pure fruit flavor and was my third place pick.

The results of today’s competition will be released to the media no later than Monday, February 21, so check back for the results. I wonder if any of my picks will take first place or best in show. Whether they do or don’t, these products are worth seeking out.

Nothing says “Be My Valentine” like Cheese and Chocolate!
Forget flowers. Stop in to Fairfield Cheese Company to pick up the perfect foodie gift for your Valentine.  Begin with beautiful heart shaped chèvre from Certified Humane Capriole Farms, available in:

Capriole Farm's heart-shaped chevre says "I love you and goats too!" because it's Certified Humane.

• 6oz. fresh cheese heart with pink peppercorns
• 6 oz. ripened heart
• 6 oz. Bourbon-chocolate cheese heart

Capriole Farms has been producing artisan goat cheese in Southern Indiana since the early 1980’s. Their goal was to build a working goat dairy farm that would provide a sustainable lifestyle model for others. Since there were no guidelines for commercial goat dairying, they based this trial and error model on an older, more traditional one centered on herd health, longevity, and productivity, and on animals who are born, live, and die in the same place. They did this not only because they loved their animals, but because it worked and since they were not proper dairyman, they let the animals ‘tell’ them what was needed. When they became Certified Humane in 2009 they didn’t have to adjust management and procedures. They’d been in place for over 20 years.

NuNu Chocolates are available in CT! These salt caramels are made from single origin, Fairly Traded, sustainable cacao.

Nunu Chocolates is an incredible story of successful entrepreneurship and fortunately, a side story about sustainability. These chocolates enjoy a cult-like following in Brooklyn -home to their sole retail store- owing in equal measure to their gifted chocolatier Justine Pringle and the fine, single origin, Fairly Traded cacao used in their confections. Sourced from a sustainable and family-run plantation in Santander, Colombia, the cacao is transformed into a line of intensely flavored caramels and ganache-filled truffles including exotics like Absinthe Delight and Mezcal Chili.

Salt Caramels in a heart box are luscious squares of melt-in-your-mouth caramels hand-dipped in chocolate then dusted with Fleur de Sel. What better way to say “I love you?”And for your littlest Valentine’s Nunu’s heart-shaped chocolate pops are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat.