Recycle your #5 containers  at Whole Foods Markets in the Gimme 5 containers located in the café area.

Most eco-conscious consumers have already sworn off bottled water, wouldn’t be caught shopping without a reusable bag, and are in the habit of recycling their metal, plastic and glass containers. But #5 containers, which are used to package foods like yogurt, hummus and cottage cheese, are not recycled by many municipalities.  Whole Foods Markets collects #5 containers in their stores for recycling into new consumer products under their Gimme 5 program. So save your #5 containers and recycle them at the store instead of letting them end up in a landfill. If you don’t live near a Whole Foods Market, you can ship them directly to the recycling center.

For more tips on how to go green in your kitchen, watch the video Green Food Resolutions for the New Year.

Analiese Paik, Founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide,

Presented A Local and Sustainable Valentine’s Day Celebration

On News Ch. 8’s Good Morning CT

with Chris Velardi at 7:45 am on Sunday, February 7, 2010

Click Here to View Video Clip on wtnh.com and Comment

A trip to the Indoor Winter Farmers’ Market at the Fairfield Theater Company provides everything you need to prepare a special Valentine’s Day meal. Open Saturdays from 10-2 on Sanford Street, Fairfield.

• Organic greens and herbs from Two Guys from Woodbridge.
• Organic root vegetables from Starlight Gardens including celeriac, carrots, and potatoes.
• Cheese, milk and yogurt from the Ladies of Levita Road.
• Honey, maple syrup, bread, pies, meat and poultry from other vendors.

Local wines for a local meal.

1.       Hopkins Vineyard’s (Warren) fine sparkling wines made using the same methods and grapes (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) that are used to make Champagne and are perfect to serve with Valentine’s Day dinner. Many of the wines from this 30-year-old winery on a 200+ year-old family farm have won multiple awards in both American and International competitions.  Visit the web site to order online or visit the winery for a tasting.

2. CT Valley Winery’s (New Hartford) Black Bear (a port-style wine) goes great with chocolate! Jason Ferraro and his father are the team that runs this CT winery that was voted Best Small Winery and won ten medals in the 2009 Big E Northeast Gold Wine Competition.Visit the winery for a weekend tasting or  reserve a seat now for a special Valentine’s Day dinner with wine pairings at the winery!

A Few Favorites from the 21 Bar Tasting of Organic and Fair Trade Chocolates

Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Very Dark Chocolate, 71% and 80% cacao, , USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar.

Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 70%, 75% and 85% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon and they are the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity.

Newman’s Own Organics Signature Series Dark Chocolate, 54% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Rainforest Alliance Certified. The new Signature Series line of Chocolate Bars is formulated with fine Certified Organic chocolate made from cocoa beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms.

365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate, 52% cacao, USDA Certified Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This is Whole Foods Market’s Everyday Value brand of chocolate that’s made in Switzerland using beans from the Dominican Republic.

Note: The Whole Trade Guarantee^TM label identifies companies with a commitment to ethical trade, the environment and quality products in accordance with Whole Foods Market standards. The Whole Planet Foundation receives 1% of the retail sales of Whole Trade Guarantee^TM products, helping to further its mission of ending poverty in the developing world.

The Fair Trade Certified^TM label guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. Fair Trade principles include fair prices, fair labor conditions, direct trade, sustainable agricultural practices to preserve human health and fragile ecosystems, democratic organizations and community development using Fair Trade premiums.

Please visit www.fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com to read the complete article about our 21 bar sustainable chocolate tasting and article about a local and sustainable Valentine’s Day Dinner.

If someone had told me there were more than 20 different companies that made premium, organic and fair trade chocolate bars, I might have doubted the veracity of that statement. But there I was at Whole Foods Market Westport, in chocolate heaven, scrutinizing the sustainable labeling on beautifully wrapped bars of Dagoba, Equal Exchange, Newman’s Own Organic, Kallari, Divine and 15 more chocolate companies, each just begging to be chosen for the sustainable chocolate tasting I was holding with the help of CT Bites. I couldn’t choose; they all had to come home. It was only fair.

I found All Chocolate’s advice about setting up a tasting indispensable and used it to write a guide to lead the 12 panelists through the blind tasting. Yes, it was really blind, and we tasted, smelled, wrote, cleansed our palates with room temp water, tasted some more, compared notes, voted for our favorites, and had a lot of fun. We obviously had no idea which bars we were tasting, but by the time we got to the fourth flight, we had gotten so good at evaluating what was in our mouth that some of us were able to identify the single origin chocolates. Others were suffering from palate fatigue, including one panelist who reported being cured of her chocolate addiction. So I ordered a short break with some Fairfield Bread Company bread and room temperature water to cleanse our palates. That was the cure.

At the conclusion of each flight, we reviewed the bars by inviting panelists to call out the tastes and aromas they had scribbled on their tasting sheets: fruity, milky, smooth, creamy, chalky, bitter, spicy, coffee, caramel, burnt caramel, butterscotch, toffee, velvety, floral, tannic, sour, orange, raisin, vanilla, balanced, acidic, intense chocolate/cacao, red wine, tangy, hemp, cedar, earthy, popcorn, buttery, tobacco, burnt black coffee, espresso. Maybe some of these seem a bit strange, but we’re not talking bulk bean bars here, these are premium bars made from rare (less than 10% of cacao production worldwide) flavor beans, some of which were single varietal or single origin, or both.

We were genuinely surprised as brands were revealed and it was especially interesting to see how different our taste perceptions and preferences are. A true revelation was how unique and complex the flavor profiles of the single origin and single varietal bars were. Single origin bars come from a single cacao cooperative in a country like Madagascar, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Panama, Ghana and Venezuela. Unique and intensively flavored, these bars varied widely in their flavor profiles and a few may be too exotic or intense for consumers used to mass market chocolates made from bulk beans from Africa, Brazil and Indonesia. Premium chocolates are made from the rarer, more difficult to grow noble or “flavor” varietals including Cacao Nacional, Criollo, Trinitario, Venezolano, & Blonde Cacao. When you think of these bars, don’t just think organic and fair trade, think biodiversity and preservation of species. One of the outstanding bars we tasted is made primarily from a rare single varietal  from the Ecuadorian Amazon called Cacao Nacional. It turns out that we have Slow Food to thank for giving this varietal a much needed sustainability boost in 2004 when they selected it for their prestigious Presidium Award (footnoted below). According to Slow Food, “Nacional Cacao is a descendant of the cacao trees first developed and cultivated by the Mayans in South America. It is an exceptionally flavorful and delicate cacao type, found only in Ecuador hence its patriotic name.”

In nearly every flight each of the bars received at least 2 votes for best in flight. That means there were no clear winners. But for what it’s worth, I asked for a show of hands to vote for the favorite bar in each flight and overall. Our results are listed below, but I recommend you hold your own tasting as a Valentine’s Day celebration! I recommend a dedicated single origin/single varietal tasting since they are so unique.

Note: The Whole Trade Guarantee^TM label identifies companies with a commitment to ethical trade, the environment and quality products according to Whole Foods Market standards. The Whole Planet Foundation receives 1% of the retail sales of Whole Trade Guarantee^TM products, helping to further its mission of ending poverty in the developing world.

The Fair Trade Certified^TM label guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. Fair Trade Certification is currently available in the U.S. for coffee, tea and herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, flowers, sugar, rice, and vanilla. TransFair USA licenses companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict international Fair Trade standards.

Green and Black’s announced on January 28, 2010 that it will move to using 100% Fair Trade cocoa in all its products in all markets. Green and Black’s chocolate bars are widely available at retail so consumers now have easy access to a delicious and sustainable chocolate.

Favorite Bar in Each Flight (received the most votes of 12 cast for each flight)

Flight #1         52%-65% cacao

1C: Lake Champlain Chocolates Organic Dark Chocolate, 55% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International. Made in Burlington,Vermont in their factories.

Flight #2         70% cacao only

2B: Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate, 70% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Green & Black’s announced on January 28, 2010 that it will convert its entire range of chocolate, worldwide, to use only Fair Trade Certified ingredients. This bar is made using organic Trinitario cocoa beans sourced from the Dominican Republic, a flavor variety of cocoa bean that makes up only about 2 percent of the world’s crop yet is more complex in flavor than ubiquitous, ordinary bulk beans. This chocolate contains enough sugar to balance the inherent bitterness of the cocoa. “Cocoa is amongst the most highly sprayed food crops in the world. At Green & Black’s, we choose to grow and make our chocolate organically to bring out the signature intensity and flavor in our cocoa beans. We ensure that every one of our ingredients is grown using natural, sustainable farming methods with no pesticides. This allows the true cocoa flavors to shine through and our chocolate to taste the way it was meant to - deep, fruity and full.”

Flight #3         71%-77% cacao

3A: Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Very Dark Chocolate, 71% cacao, , USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. This is a top seller at on their retail web store - a delicious and rich dark chocolate experience. Vegan and gluten-free.

Flight #4         80%-91% cacao

4C: Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 85% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box . 100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

Favorite Bars Overall (received at least one of 12 votes cast)

1A. 365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate, 52% cacao, Fair Trade Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This is Whole Foods Market’s Everyday Value brand of chocolate that’s made in Switzerland using beans from the Dominican Republic. The Whole Trade Guarantee symbolizes a commitment to Ethical Trade, the Environment and Quality Products. Whole Trade Guarantee products must meet Whole Foods Market’s high Quality Standards, provide more money to producers, ensure better wages and working conditions for workers and utilize sound environmental practices. February is Fair Trade Month at Whole Foods Markets across the country and 1% of sales from products carrying their Whole Trade Guarantee are donated to the Whole Planet Foundation. The mission of this foundation is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply their stores with products.Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship - including direct micro-credit loans and tangible support for other community projects - the Whole Planet Foundation seeks to create prosperity in emerging economies.

1B. Newman’s Own Organics Signature Series Dark Chocolate, 54% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Rainforest Alliance Certified. Newman’s Own Organics was established as a division of Newman’s Own in 1993, and became a separate company in late 2001. The Newman’s Own Foundation has given over $250 million to thousands of charities worldwide since 1982. The new Signature Series line of Chocolate Bars is formulated with fine Certified Organic chocolate made from cocoa beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms.

1C. Lake Champlain Chocolates Organic Dark Chocolate, 55% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International. Made in Burlington, Vermont in their factories.

3A. Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Very Dark Chocolate, 71% cacao, , USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. The top seller at their retail web store - a delicious and rich dark chocolate experience. Vegan and gluten-free. 3.5oz per bar.

4A. Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Extra Dark Chocolate (Single Origin) Panama, 80% cacao, USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. This 80% cacao content bar is Equal Exchange’s darkest yet. Unlike many high cacao content bars that are dominated by a bitter or sour note, this bar is perfectly balanced in a way that allows the true chocolate flavor of the Panamanian beans to shine. Vegan and gluten-free.

4C. Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional (rare single varietal), 85% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box .100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

A Complete List and Description of the 21 Sustainable Chocolate Bars Tasted

Flights are ordered from lowest to highest percent cacao with descriptions of each bar from the company’s web site.

Flight#1          52%-65% cacao

A. 365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate, 52% cacao, Fair Trade Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This is Whole Foods Market’s Everyday Value brand of chocolate that’s made in Switzerland using beans from the Dominican Republic. The Whole Trade Guarantee symbolizes a commitment to Ethical Trade, the Environment and Quality Products. Whole Trade Guarantee products must meet Whole Foods Market’s high Quality Standards, provide more money to producers, ensure better wages and working conditions for workers and utilize sound environmental practices. February is Fair Trade Month at Whole Foods Markets across the country and 1% of sales from products carrying their Whole Trade Guarantee are donated to the Whole Planet Foundation. The mission of this foundation is to create economic partnerships with the poor in those developing-world communities that supply their stores with products.Through innovative assistance for entrepreneurship - including direct micro-credit loans and tangible support for other community projects - the Whole Planet Foundation seeks to create prosperity in emerging economies.

B. Newman’s Own Organics Signature Series Dark Chocolate, 54% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Rainforest Alliance Certified. Newman’s Own Organics was established as a division of Newman’s Own in 1993, and became a separate company in late 2001. The Newman’s Own Foundation has given over $250 million to thousands of charities worldwide since 1982. The new Signature Series line of Chocolate Bars is formulated with fine Certified Organic chocolate made from cocoa beans grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms.

C. Lake Champlain Chocolates Organic Dark Chocolate, 55% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International. Made in Burlington, Vermont in their factories.

D. Dagoba Organic Chocolate, Dark, 59% cacao, USDA Organic. Dagoba is dedicated to pursuing Full Circle Sustainability with high standards in Quality, Ecology, Equity and Community. Chocolate bars are made in small batches from cacao sustainably sourced from Latin America, South America and Madagascar in their Ashland, Oregon facility.

E. Chocolove Organic Belgian Dark Chocolate, 61% cacao, USDA Organic. Make in Boulder, CO from Belgian chocolate made with Caribbean beans. “On a Caribbean Island, organic farming has stimulated the cocoa trees to produce cocoa beans that are full of character. The big fruity flavor, acidity, and bitterness of the beans are artfully crafted into a balanced full-bodied premium chocolate as only the Belgians know how to do. Upon eating, the extra cocoa butter softly gives way to tangy, bittersweet cocoa flavor.”

F. Theo Madagascar (Single Origin), 65% cacao, Whole Trade Guarantee. “This is a single-origin organic chocolate from the island nation of Madagascar. The dynamic fruit and wine notes in this dark chocolate reflect the unique and diverse environment of this exotic land.” “As the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, all of our ingredients are carefully screened to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. Theo’s standards and practices include: Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible. Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families. Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process. Using green energy sources to power our factory. Using sustainable packaging and printing methods. Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory.

Flight #2         70% cacao only

A. Theo Jane Goodall Organic Dark Chocolate, 70% cacao, Fair Trade Certified, USDA Organic, Whole Trade Guarantee. “As the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, all of our ingredients are carefully screened to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. Theo’s standards and practices include: Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible. Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families. Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process. Using green energy sources to power our factory. Using sustainable packaging and printing methods. Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory. As a leader of the environmental movement for over 40 years and a United Nations Messenger of Peace, Jane Goodall has created her own “Good For All” seal to reflect her personal commitment to supporting high quality, ethically produced products from the developing world. Our two newest Theo chocolate bars carry Jane’s seal, essentially her seal of approval, and truly are “Good for All.” Proceeds from the sale of these chocolate bars will benefit cocoa farmers, promote conservation in the tropical rainforest and directly contribute to the Jane Goodall Institute’s efforts to save chimpanzees, develop community centered conservation efforts and direct youth education programs around the world.

B. Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate, 70% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Green & Black’s announced on January 28, 2010 that it will convert its entire range of chocolate, worldwide, to use only Fair Trade Certified ingredients. This bar is made using organic Trinitario cocoa beans sourced from the Dominican Republic, a flavor variety of cocoa bean that makes up only about 2 percent of the world’s crop yet is more complex in flavor than ubiquitous, ordinary bulk beans. This chocolate contains enough sugar to balance the inherent bitterness of the cocoa. “Cocoa is amongst the most highly sprayed food crops in the world. At Green & Black’s, we choose to grow and make our chocolate organically to bring out the signature intensity and flavor in our cocoa beans. We ensure that every one of our ingredients is grown using natural, sustainable farming methods with no pesticides. This allows the true cocoa flavors to shine through and our chocolate to taste the way it was meant to - deep, fruity and full.”

C. Divine Dark chocolate, Ghana (Single Origin) 70% cacao, Fair Trade Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Divine Chocolate is today a leading Fair Trade UK brand and pioneer in the world of socially responsible enterprise that is partially owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana. Kuapa Kokoo, which means good cocoa growers, is a farmers’ cooperative which began trading its own cocoa and eventually set up a chocolate company of their own in order to return even more benefits to cocoa farmers. With investment from The Body Shop and Twin Trading, and support from Comic Relief and Christian Aid, Divine Chocolate was born. Its mission is to empower farmers in their efforts to gain a dignified livelihood, to increase women’s participation in all of Kuapa’s activities, and to develop environmentally friendly cultivation of cocoa. At present, there is no national program for organic certification of cocoa in Ghana.  In 2006, Divine Chocolate Inc. opened in Washington DC to bring fantastic Fair Trade chocolate to US consumers. The farmers of Kuapa Kokoo own one-third of Divine Chocolate in the US. Additional investment is provided by Divine Chocolate Ltd. in the UK, Lutheran World Relief, Oikocredit, and SERRV International.

D. Endangered Species Organic Smooth Dark Chocolate, 70% cacao, USDA Organic, Certified Vegan, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Whole Grade Guarantee. Endangered Species Chocolate (ESC) was founded in 1993 in effort to spread awareness and to make an impact on the growing number of plant and animal species that are disappearing from Earth. Since then the mission has grown to embrace a new definition of “endangered” - that all species, habitat and humanity are endangered on our planet, not just animals on a list. 10% of net profits of this Indianapolis, Indiana-based company are donated to help support species, habitat and humanity. Organic Smooth Dark Chocolate features the Karner Blue Butterfly on the outside of the 30% post-consumer FSC certified paper wrapper and the plight of this delicate creature on the inside. Made from ethically traded, shade-grown, organic-certified chocolate, Organic Smooth Dark Chocolate is also certified vegan, gluten-free and kosher. Since it is ethically traded, we ensure farmers humane working conditions and a fair price for their cacao.

E. Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 70% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box .100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

Flight #3         71%-77% cacao

A. Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Very Dark Chocolate, 71% cacao, , USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. The top seller at our retail web store - a delicious and rich dark chocolate experience. Vegan and gluten-free. 3.5oz per bar.

B. Chocolove Organic Belgian Dark Chocolate, 73%, USDA Organic. Make in Boulder, CO from Belgian chocolate made with Caribbean beans. “On a Caribbean Island, organic farming has stimulated the cocoa trees to produce cocoa beans that are full of character. The big fruity flavor, acidity, and bitterness of the beans are artfully crafted into a balanced full-bodied premium chocolate as only the Belgians know how to do. Upon eating, the extra cocoa butter softly gives way to tangy, bittersweet cocoa flavor.”

C. Dagoba Organic Chocolate, Conacado (Single Origin) Dominican Republic Origin, 73% cacao, USDA Organic, Whole Trade Guarantee. Full of rich, deep and earthy flavors, this dark chocolate hails from the Conacado Fair Trade Cooperative in the Dominican Republic. Dagoba is dedicated to pursuing Full Circle Sustainability with high standards in Quality, Ecology, Equity and Community. Chocolate bars are made in small batches from cacao sustainably sourced from Latin America, South America and Madagascar in their Ashland, Oregon facility.

D. Dagoba Organic New Moon Chocolate, 74% cacao, USDA Organic. Dagoba is dedicated to pursuing Full Circle Sustainability with high standards in Quality, Ecology, Equity and Community. Chocolate bars are made in small batches from cacao sustainably sourced from Latin America, South America and Madagascar in their Ashland, Oregon facility.

E. Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 75% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box .100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

Flight #4         80%-91% cacao

A. Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Extra Dark Chocolate (Single Origin) Panama, 80% cacao, USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Kosher Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. Our organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. This 80% cacao content bar is Equal Exchange’s darkest yet. Unlike many high cacao content bars that are dominated by a bitter or sour note, this bar is perfectly balanced in a way that allows the true chocolate flavor of the Panamanian beans to shine. Vegan and gluten-free.

B. Theo Ghana (Single Origin), 84% cacao, Whole Trade Guarantee. “The Fair Trade Certified^TM cacao used in this single-origin dark chocolate bar is from the fertile growing region surrounding Kumasi, Ghana. The perfectly fermented and dried beans yield slightly floral notes over golden and round chocolate flavors. As the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, all of our ingredients are carefully screened to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. Theo’s standards and practices include: Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible. Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families. Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process. Using green energy sources to power our factory. Using sustainable packaging and printing methods. Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory.”

C. Kallari Single Source Organic Cacao Nacional, 85% cacao, USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Whole Trade Guarantee. This single source USDA organic chocolate made by a cooperative of 850 indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadoran Amazon and they are “the only farmers’ cooperative in the world that harvests, markets and enjoys all profits from its own line of organic chocolate” according to The Kallari Story printed inside the box . 100% of the proceeds go back to the farmers so they can lead a good life and preserve the Napo region, home to “some of the most species-rich forests in the world”, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Made primarily from a rare cacao varietal called Cacao Nacional that flourishes in this area and once faced extinction, these rare beans were singled out for protection by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and the Nacional Cacao Presidium was established to improve the quality of the production. Later that year, the community presented their first chocolate bars at the international Terra Madre meeting, marking the beginning of a more profitable enterprise.”

D. Dagoba Organic Eclipse Extra Strong Dark Chocolate, 87% cacao, USDA Organic. Barely sweetened cacao with a hint of coffee flavor. Dagoba is dedicated to pursuing Full Circle Sustainability with high standards in Quality, Ecology, Equity and Community.

E. Theo Venezuela (Single Origin), 91% cacao, Whole Trade Guarantee. “A blend of Venezuelan cacao from Barinas, Merida and Tachira. The delicate flavors of these remote western regions are highlighted in this very high cacao percentage dark chocolate.” This special bar is available for a limited time only and you may see it already replaced on the shelf with a Costa Rica Origin bar. “As the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, all of our ingredients are carefully screened to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. Theo’s standards and practices include: Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible. Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families. Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process. Using green energy sources to power our factory. Using sustainable packaging and printing methods. Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory.”

About the Slow Food Presidia: (from the web site)

The Presidia began in Italy in 1999 as the working arm of the Ark of Taste. The Ark had catalogued hundreds of products at risk of disappearing, but with the Presidia, Slow Food decided to make a concrete contribution to the world of food production. Presidia are local projects that focus on a group of producers of a single product, developing production and marketing techniques to allow their work to be economically viable. The Presidia program is the tool that Slow Food uses to assist producers directly in the commercialization, protection and promotion of their products. The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity supports the development and promotion of the Presidia around the world. Created in 2003 with the assistance of the Tuscan Region, the Slow Food Foundation promotes a new agricultural system that respects local cultural identities, the earth’s resources, sustainable animal husbandry, and the health of individual consumers.

This event was made possible through the generosity of Whole Foods Market Westport. Special thanks go to Stephanie Webster, Founder/Editor of CTBites, and the guest panelists including chef/author Nicole Straight, food writer Elizabeth Keyser, mompreneur Alexandra Wells, Sarah Green, Deanna Foster, Fairfield Parent magazine writer Karen Demeter, and Marcy Shinbaum.

Analiese Paik, Founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide,

Presented Green Food Resolutions for the New Year

On News Ch. 8’s Good Morning CT

with Chris Velardi at 7:45 am on Sunday, January 10, 2010

Click here to watch the video and comment

Resolution #1

Recycle your #5 containers. Most eco-conscious consumers have already sworn off bottled water, wouldn’t be caught shopping without a reusable bag, and are in the habit of recycling their metal, plastic and glass containers. But #5 containers, which are used to package foods like yogurt, hummus and cottage cheese, are not recycled by many municipalities.  Whole Foods Markets collects #5 containers in their stores for recycling into new consumer products under their Gimme 5 program. So save your #5 containers and recycle them at the store instead of letting them end up in a landfill. If you don’t live near a Whole Foods Market, you can ship them directly to the recycling center.

Resolution #2

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 that will not be eaten in the next few days.

Resolution #3

Make your own vegetable stock with vegetable trimmings. Save vegetable ends, peelings and trimmings to make homemade vegetable stock.  Simply add raw vegetable trimmings to a container as your create them, and keep it refrigerated or frozen until you’ve accumulated enough to make a vegetable stock of your own. Vegetable stock is easily prepared in 45 minutes, is more delicious than store bought, and provides you with a great start to a soup, sauce, gravy, braise, rice pilaf or risotto. Celery (stem and leaf), carrots, onions (peel too), leeks, parsley stems, turnips, garlic and mushrooms make great stocks.

Resolution #4

Compost your unusable vegetables and fruits, coffee grounds, tea bags and egg shells. Get yourself a compost pail, line it with a BioBag (fully compostable and biodegradable), and accumulate your raw food waste for use in a composter. Many people have a composter in the backyard, but new composters in the form of small electronic kitchen appliances allow you to compost right in your own home without the use of soil, leaves and worms. The Wall Street Journal did a nice review of home composters recently and the bottom line is it’s never been easier or more convenient to compost at home. Important note: food waste that winds up in landfills is trapped in an anaerobic environment where it is unable to decompose and return nutrients to the soil.

Resolution #5

Choose post consumer recycled napkins, paper towels, and aluminum foil and biodegradable kitchen garbage bags. There’s a double bonus to using post consumer recycled products. Recycled content means the waste that would have wound up in our landfills (or incinerated) is now being repurposed into a consumer product. As a bonus, fewer trees need to be cut down and less of our precious natural resources like aluminum are required to make additional product.

Resolution #6

Choose glass containers to safely store and reheat leftovers and make ahead foods. By avoiding the purchase of storage containers made from petroleum-based plastics, we achieve the twin goals of safely storing our food and avoiding a product made from a non-renewable resource which requires a lot of energy to refine and when burned, emits CO₂, the most prominent greenhouse gas in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Resolution #7

Allocate at least 10 percent of your food budget to locally grown and made foods. Shop the farmers’ markets, ctffe.com, and independent and specialty stores which support local vendors. Buy your wines directly from the wineries or a wine merchant that carries local wines.

Shop the Winter Farmers’ Markets on Saturdays from 10-2

1) Fairfield at the Fairfield Theater Company on Sanford Street

Beltane Farms (Lebanon) makes artisanal, farmstead goat’s milk cheeses. The chevre is their fresh goat cheese and it is sold plain or dressed in fresh herbs.

Video from opening day at the farmers’ market is available for viewing on YouTube: Beltane Farms and Starlight Gardens.

2) Norwalk at 61-65 Wall Street (across from the Garden Cinemas)

Greenscapes (Danbury) carries fresh produce and a wide variety of pantry staples including jams, jellies, and honey.

Shop CT Farm Fresh Express

This online retailer of exclusively CT-grown and made foods provides the convenience of online ordering with home delivery each Friday. www.ctffe.com. Choose from CT grown fruits and vegetables, grass fed meat, cheeses, dairy products, bread and other baked goods, and a wide variety of organic products. Urban Oaks(New Britain) organic braising greens were featured on the show.

Local Beverages

1.       The Farmer’s Cow milk is produced by a group of 6 family-owned dairy farms and is free of added growth hormones. The cows eat grass and corn grown on the farms. The milk has a very fresh and rich flavor not only due to the grass, but also the fact that it’s traditionally rather than ultra-pasteurized. The Farmer’s Cow products are widely available in supermarkets and specialty stores. Visit their site for a complete listing.

2.       Twelve, a sophisticated, non-alcoholic beverage made by a Fairfield, CT company. This all natural, no sugar added, lightly carbonated drink is sophisticated, festive, and food-friendly. Created by the legendary chefs David Burke and Alfred Portale, it is now made by a company headquartered in Fairfield which outsources production to a winery in Ohio. The clever and catchy name is derived from the 12 hours which span the drink’s recommended consumption time - from noon to midnight. The base is white grape juice to which organic teas, herbs, spices and citrus essence is added, along with a light carbonation. Twelve makes a great base for mixed drinks too -try vodka or dark rum. You can find Twelve at Whole Foods Market, Palmer’s Market in Darien, and Balducci’s in Westport.

3.       Hopkins Vineyard’s (New Preston) fine sparkling wines made using the same methods and grapes (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) that are used to make Champagne. Multi award winning wines in both American and International competitions. A 30-year-old winery on a 200+ year-old family farm.

4.       CT Valley Winery’s (New Hartford) Black Bear (a port-style wine) and Black Tie Cabernet Franc, an elegant and sophisticated red table wine. Jason Ferraro and his father are the team that run this CT winery that was voted Best Small Winery and won ten medals in the 2009 Big E Northeast Gold Wine Competition. The Black Tie is their most awarded wine.

Local Artisan/Specialty Foods

1.       Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm’s (Lyme) premium ice cream (Lyme) (Walter Stewart’s)

2.        Bear Pond Farm’s (Glastonbury) line of nut-free pestos made with organic basil and non-GMO canola oil. (Walter Stewart’s, Whole Foods Markets and )and new line of Skinny Dips - Greek style yogurt based dips are made from grass fed dairy and organic herbs. Choose from Kalamata Olive, Blue Cheese and Dill-Chive.*

Please visit www.fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com for continued support in your New Year’s Green Food Resolutions. Happy New Year!

*Samples of the new product line (Greek style yogurt based dips) were provided by the company.

Missed last Friday’s Turkey Tasting & Sustainable Discussion at Whole Foods Market Westport? Sabrina, the demo chef, roasted some beautiful birds and shoppers got to taste three different kinds. Read Eileen Weber’s post on CT Green Scene. Turkey tips included!

This morning I had the great pleasure of  appearing on News Channel 8’s Good Morning Connecticut with Chris Velardi. I’m so happy for the opportunity to spread the word about the wonderful food being grown and made by our farmers and help you find it! Please find a list and links to what I talked about with Chris on this morning’s show below. To watch the Ch. 8 video from this morning, click here.

A Local and Sustainable Thanksgiving

• Local and sustainably-raised turkeys
  • Local vs. store bought

The turkeys shown were a USDA Certified Organic Black Spanish (a Heritage breed) turkey from Old Maids Farm in S. Glastonbury, CT and Whole Foods Market private label all natural free-range turkey from Jaindl Farms in PA (the same one that supplies the White House).

o   How to order a CT-raised turkey

• Connecticut Farm Fresh Express (CTFFE), the online retailer of exclusively CT Grown foods, is offering fresh turkeys from Ekonk Hill Farm and frozen turkeys from USDA Certified Organic Old Maid’s Farm for special order and home delivery. Please follow the ordering instructions on this link.

o   A guide to buying all natural, free-range, organic and kosher turkeys in Fairfield County

• Turkey Tasting Event
  • Whole Foods Market Westport Holiday Turkey Tasting and Sustainable Discussion, Friday, November 13 from 4-7 pm
• Connecticut’s Fall Bounty - Seasonal fruits and vegetables and where to buy them
  • Farmers’ Markets still open for the season

• Darien
• Greenwich
• New Canaan
• Westport, both locations
• Stratford
• Branchville
• Fairfield at the FTC beginning Dec. 5

o   CT Farm Fresh Express, the online retailer of exclusively CT Grown foods, delivers to your doorstep.

• Restaurant-made local, organic vegetarian Thanksgiving side dishes
  • Health in a Hurry Organic Vegetarian Cuisine to Go
    • Green Bean Casserole, Roasted Vegetable Platter, Potato Tartlettes, and Stuffed pumpkins
    

    Health in a Hurry's Organic, Vegetarian Thanksgiving Side Dishes

• Select wines from the CT Wine Trail, available at Harry’s Wine & Liquor and other fine wine shops

• Sharpe Hill Vineyard’s Ballet of Angels
• Hopkins Vineyard’s Cabernet Franc
• Westford Hill Distillers’ fruit brandies, available at Harry’s and other fine wine shops
  • Fruit eaux-de-vie (fruit brandies) Poire Prisonierre
  

  From left: Sharpe Hill Vineyard's Ballet of Angels, Hopkins Vineyard's Cabernet Franc, Westford Hill Distillers' Poire Prisionniere and four eaux de vie (fresh fruit brandies). Courtsey of Harry's Wine & Spirits, Southport, CT.

Looking forward to seeing you again in December!

The Green Market Exposition held all day today at the historic Barnum Museum in Bridgeport kicked off with a speech by Mayor Finch announcing numerous initiatives being undertaken by Bridgeport to green the city. Shortly thereafter guests began to pour into the exhibition area and didn’t let up until late afternoon.

My only regret about exhibiting at this extremely well organized and attended event, instead of just being a guest, was that I was unable to visit all the other exhibitors to learn about their businesses or listen intently to any of the panel discussions being held adjacent to the exhibition area. I was so busy with guests that I managed to have only two quick conversations! Talking with Michelle at Origins I discovered that they will accept ANY cosmetics container at their cosmetics counter for recycling. And Planet Zero Gravity has two new 17 ounce thermoses, one of which fits perfectly into a lunch box and the other into a bicycle water bottle holder. I personally love their large thermos and use it to store smoothies in the refrigerator for easy access by the kids.

News Channel 8 was there and posted an online article with some event footage and photos. No question this event will be a repeat next year. Kudos to the organizers. Thanks Daphne! See you at Green Drinks Fairfield and maybe even the newly minted Green Drinks Bridgeport.

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF EASTERN FAIRFIELD COUNTY

GETS TO THE CORE OF HEALTHY EATING

New Program, in Collaboration with Wholesome Wave Foundation, Helps Make Local, Affordable Produce Accessible to
Mercy Learning Center Students

Fairfield, CT, October 8, 2009 - The Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County (JLEFC) (www.jlefc.org) has teamed up with Mercy Learning Center to promote good nutrition with the new “Healthy Eating” program. The pilot program will provide fresh and affordable produce to twenty-five students from the not-for-profit, Bridgeport-based Mercy Learning Center and will teach them how to cook traditional meals in more healthful ways. Students will have the opportunity to purchase fruit and vegetables at a farm stand in Bridgeport with the help of Wholesome Wave Foundation, a not-for-profit founded to make locally-grown, sustainable foods available to all.

The JLEFC will kick-off the innovative “Healthy Eating” pilot program with a field trip to the Marina Village Farmers’ Market, located in the South End of Bridgeport and a project of Wholesome Wave Foundation and the Healthy Bridgeport Alliance, on October 8^th from 10:30am-12:00pm. University of Connecticut nutrition expert Heather Harrington will explain to the Mercy Learning Center students the benefits of fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to increase awareness and use of these neighborhood farmers’ markets. Each student will receive $20, funded by the JLEFC, in Wholesome Wave tokens to purchase produce at the market. Any change will be returned as tokens to encourage the students to return to the market.

The second part of the “Healthy Eating” program will take place in November when Analiese Paik, founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, will do a hands-on cooking demonstration and tasting for the students. She will focus on ways to use nutritious alternatives for commonly-used but heavily processed ingredients.

“This year, the JLEFC’s community outreach programs focus on improving health, nutrition and literacy for women and children,” says Susan Zaveruha, President of the JLEFC. “We are so pleased to collaborate with such outstanding community organizations in this pilot program and look forward to giving other students at Mercy Learning Center a similar opportunity to access and learn the benefits of fresh, local produce.”

By providing basic literacy and life skills, the staff at Mercy Learning Center helps over five hundred functionally illiterate women in the greater Bridgeport area improve their skills and earning potential, creating a more hopeful future for themselves and their children. “Trying to eat healthy within a very strict budget is a daunting task for anyone. But for our students at Mercy Learning Center, this concept is an even bigger challenge,” said Sharon Sanford, Student Enrichment Coordinator, Mercy Learning Center. “The Junior League’s initiative empowers our women to take steps to provide more nutritious meals for themselves and their families.”

Analiese Paik is on a mission to bring fresh, local and sustainable food to consumers of Fairfield County. Her online Fairfield Green Food Guide includes a Buying Guide and searchable database for local green food resources, a blog and a calendar of green food events.

“The trend towards buying and eating processed food is shifting towards eating fresh and local but this is generally not an easy feat to accomplish for low-income families,” says Analiese Paik, founder, Fairfield Green Food Guide. “When the Junior League presented an opportunity to educate the Mercy Learning Center students about healthier meal options, I immediately thought of Wholesome Wave’s Park City Harvest farm stands as a way to bring local, affordable produce to these women. This program represents local to its core: local community organizations using local resources to help local residents, and I am excited to be a part of it.”

Founded by chef and food policy advocate Michel Nischan to make locally grown, healthy sustainable foods available to all communities, Wholesome Wave Foundation runs three “farm-to-community” programs, including the Park City Harvest farm stands in Bridgeport, as part of its nationwide “Nourishing Neighborhoods” campaign.

“Through vegetable stands in various Bridgeport neighborhoods, Wholesome Wave strives to provide the city’s residents with affordable, healthy and convenient alternatives to conventional food shopping, while encouraging easy preparation of healthy, farm fresh foods at home,” says Michel Nischan, President and CEO, Wholesome Wave Foundation. “Mercy Learning Center’s students live and work in the heart of a historically excluded community but through the Junior League’s new program, we hope to positively impact their families’ health and wellness and help prevent a deepening health crisis.”

Made possible by a contribution from the Fairfield County Community Foundation (FCCF), Wholesome Wave Foundation recently purchased a refrigerated truck for food storage, augmenting its current farmers’ markets by making fresh, local and affordable produce even more accessible for Bridgeport residents. FCCF provides philanthropic advisory services to individual donors and helps to connect them with local causes in their own backyard.

“When we learned about the impressive work of Wholesome Wave Foundation in Bridgeport, we shared its story with a donor who has an interest in bringing fresh farm produce to cities,” said Karen R. Brown, vice president of programs, FCCF. “The donor ultimately recommended a generous $25,000 grant to be presented to Wholesome Wave Foundation for its needs for a refrigerated truck. FCCF was thrilled to connect this donor with Wholesome Wave Foundation and we are excited to see how the truck has already been put to great use, especially for the ability to bring local and affordable produce to the students of Mercy Learning Center.”

To learn more about the Junior League and its programs, please visit www.jlefc.org.

ABOUT THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF EASTERN FAIRFIELD COUNTY

The Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County (JLEFC) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Communities represented by the JLEFC include Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Newtown, Redding, Shelton, Southport, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston and Westport. The Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County is part of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) which has developed the award-winning Kids in the Kitchen program to combat childhood obesity through education about healthy eating and exercise. For additional information, including membership and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.jlefc.org.

ABOUT MERCY LEARNING CENTER

Mercy Learning Center of Bridgeport, Inc. provides basic literacy and life skills training to low income women using a holistic approach within a compassionate, supportive environment. All women are welcome without regard for race, religion, color, creed, sexual orientation or national origin. Learn more about Mercy Learning Center at www.mercylearningcenter.org.

ABOUT ANALIESE PAIK

Analiese Paik, Founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, LLC, is a local/sustainable food advocate, avid organic gardener and home cook. Recognizing an opportunity to marry her love of food, wine and gardening with her business and marketing expertise, Analiese launched fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com in 2009. The website features a blog, searchable database of green food resources, event calendar and e-newsletter subscription to help consumers source fresh, local and sustainable food in Fairfield County. She partnered in August with Pequot Library to host Connecticut’s first large community screening of the documentary food film FRESH, after which guests enjoyed a panel discussion by leaders in the local/sustainable food movement and an exhibition of area resources including farms, farm stands, farmers’ markets, school gardens, organic restaurants and not-for profits organizations. Analiese is a member of Slow Food USA and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut.

About Wholesome Wave Foundation

Michel Nischan, President/CEO of Wholesome Wave Foundation, is chef/author/policy advocate and a leader in the sustainable food movement. He founded Wholesome Wave Foundation - with seed funding from the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation - in an effort to make locally grown, sustainable foods available to all. Nischan is a 2008 James Beard Foundation Award winner for his work on the PBS series, Victory Garden and author of two best-selling cookbooks - Taste Pure and Simple; Chronicle Books 2003 (a Beard award winner in 2004) and Homegrown Pure and Simple; Chronicle Books 2005. He serves on the boards of the Amazon Conservation Team, the James Beard Foundation and Harvard’s Center for Health and the Global Environment. Learn more about Wholesome Wave Foundation at www.wholesomewave.org.

ABOUT HEATHER HARRINGTON, MS RD

Heather is an assistant extension instructor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut. The primary role of this position is to function as a public health nutritionist, reaching individuals of economic disadvantage with effective nutrition education program to improve dietary quality commensurate with the State Nutrition Education Plan. The secondary and complimentary role is to function as a preceptor for dietetics students in their community nutrition supervised practice working on this nutrition education plan. A Connecticut native, Heather attended the University of Connecticut and graduated with a B.S. degree in Nutritional Science meeting the didactic requirements in May 2005. She completed a 50 week Dietetic Internship at Yale New Haven Hospital in August 2006. She recently graduated from the Masters in Allied Health Sciences program in August 2008.

PR Contact, JLEFC

Charlotte Vinci

Cell: 843.271.7755

Email: charvinci@yahoo.com

PR Contact, Wholesome Wave Foundation

Diane Stefani

Direct: 212.255.8224

Email: diane@rosengrouppr.com

by Eileen Weber

Joel Salatin is a religious man. He is a believer that nature should be left to nature. But above all else, he is a farmer. Going against the tide of industrialism where hormones and antibiotics are fed to livestock, he lets his chickens have their “chicken-ness” and his pigs have their “pig-ness”. They roam free to peck and forage as they please across Salatin’s rolling hills of Polyface Farms in Swoope, Va. By some, he is considered a lunatic. For others, he is a genius.

Mr. Salatin is not alone. There are others who have the same core values he does. Will Allen, a former basketball player and subsequent marketing manager, is an urban farmer in Milwaukee, Wis. growing vegetables without any chemicals or fertilizers on only three acres of land. His secret is compost and he’s not shy about grabbing a fistful to make his point. After being gored by one of his hogs with the resulting infection resistant to scores of medication, Russ Kremer, a farmer in Frankenstein, Mo., is now a proud and sought after hog farmer. He took the extreme measure of exterminating his herd to begin anew, swearing off antibiotics and hormones.

We can see these farmers in their fight against an industrialized food system in the highly acclaimed film FRESH. Last night, the Pequot Library in Southport held a viewing of the movie, a film produced and directed by Ana Sofia Joanes. There was a panel discussion afterward and close to a dozen local exhibitors displayed their wares in the library’s adjacent Reading Room.

The event was the brainchild of Analiese Paik, Founder of Fairfield Green Food Guide. With the idea and her enthusiasm, she approached Dan Snydacker, Executive Director of the Pequot Library. The efforts of six tireless weeks of work paid off. There was a huge turnout. While the seating could only accommodate 200 people, there was a wait list for the event and some were turned away at the door. What a clear indication of how important an issue food is to this community.

The film’s subtitle says it all: “New thinking about what we’re eating.” But is it really new? The film celebrates the environmentally aware farmers, Salatin, Allen and Kremer being prime examples. But what each of these men has achieved is not a novel concept. Letting nature be nature without the use of chemicals is an age-old farming technique. Let the grass grow. Let the cows and chickens roam free. Let their manure fertilize the grass so it can grow some more. The cycle of life continues.

“We’re farming grass,” said Salatin of how he sees its role in farming animals. “If we take care of the grass, it will take care of us.”

Michael Pollan, author of such agriculturally provocative titles as The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, inserted his own commentary in the film. “Industrialized food is cheaper but nutritionally deficient,” he said as scenes of well-known brands in a supermarket’s freezer aisle flicked across the screen. “The more processed it is, the less nutritious.”

But many people, especially those in urban areas considered a “food desert” because local produce is not available, will buy the cheap food. In a tough economy, having any food on the table is better than having none. So many kids grow up eating little if any vegetables that don’t come with a colorful box top and a plastic toy.

That was the case for Karen Parker, Co-Director of Growing Power, Inc., the organization founded by Will Allen in urban Milwaukee. She admitted that she and her kids ate whatever came from the closest drive-thru without ever buying much in the way of fresh produce. After working with Allen, she has changed her tune.

“I used to say, ‘That’s too fresh! My food don’t have a name!’ But now it does,” she said of Allen’s first attempts to get her to eat the different varieties of vegetables he grows.

Too many Americans buy processed food on a weekly basis and eat at fast food chains. As a result, there is an epidemic of obesity and diabetes in this country. Slowly but surely, that trend is starting to shift. But that shift begins within each community.

“We are the local food movement,” said Sue Caldwell, owner of Fairfield’s Health In A Hurry restaurant and one of last night’s panelists. “The biggest message in Fresh was showing the labels with that long list of ingredients. They kept talking about food, food, food. But that’s not food.”

“We don’t need to teach kids how to read labels,” said panelist Amie Guyette

Hall, Holistic Health Counselor and Cooking Coach working with the Fairfield district middle schools, “because there are no labels to read when you grow your own food.”

So grow your own vegetables. Have pots of herbs. Plant flowers and let the butterflies come. Eat locally and eat fresh. As Analiese Paik said of the resources available in Connecticut, “There’s no excuse for not eating locally.”

Indeed. No excuse.

Fairfield County Child is a blog dedicated to informing parents about all the unique places to eat, shop and play with your little ones in Fairfield County. Blogger mom Meg Robustelli is prolific in her posts, many of which include special offers and giveaways. She was recognized as an influential suburban blogger by the New York Times last summer and her site is worth a regular visit.

Now through June 4, I am offering the Fairfield County Child subscriber who refers the most new e-newsletter subscribers to the Fairfield Green Food Guide a free pair of Lunch Skins reusable lunch bags. The runner up wins a free 1 liter stainless steel water bottle from Planet Zero Gravity. Meg tied the giveaway to an article about how to find a farmers’ market in your town using The Buying Guide on the Fairfield Green Food Guide. Check it out!

I got to thinking that you might enjoy this contest too! So here it is - all you do is copy and forward this message to your friends via email and invite them to subscribe to the Fairfield Green Food Guide’s e-newsletter. Be sure to ask them to type your name in the “How did you hear about us” field. The reader who refers the most subscribers wins a pair of Lunch Skins and the runner up wins a free stainless steel water bottle from Planet Zero Gravity. Got green foodie friends? Join the contest! Your friends can sign up for the e-newsletter from the icon in the left sidebar of the Fairfield Green Food Guide home page.