Tweet

Happy Holidays!

Looking for a special holiday gift for the gardeners, cooks and green food lovers in your life? This first installment of our Holiday 2010 Green Food Gift Guide contains 3 clever, thoughtful and fun ideas that were featured on WTNH’s Good Morning Connecticut Show on Saturday, December 6.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be notified when the next Holiday 2010 Green Food Gift Guide post is published. New gift idea will be published each day on the Blog over the next two weeks.

For the Gardener:

Heirloom Seeds from Comstock, Ferre & Co. in Wethersfield, CT

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.

Comstock, Ferre & Co., located in historic Wethersfield, CT, is the oldest continually operating seed company in New England and is set to celebrate its 200th anniversary this summer. Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company of Missouri recently purchased Comstock, not only saving it from demolition, but also committing to restoring Comstock Ferre to its original state.

The retail and catalog heirloom seed businesses are now up and running and the 260 seed varieties being offering this year were part of the original 1820-1950 heirloom seed collection. An heirloom seed is one that is at least 50 years old and has been selected to be saved and passed down from generation to generation because it grew well and tasted good. Heirloom seeds, unlike hybrids or GMOs (genetically modified seeds) will reproduce true to the parent strain. Rewarded with the same excellent vegetable they remember from past years, gardeners would again save seeds for the next season’s planting. You can save seeds too!

Historic art work originally commissioned by Comstock from local artists will once again grace the covers of heirloom seeds packets sold by Comstock.

Many of the heirloom varieties sold by Comstock are at least a few hundred years old and trace their roots to the founding of our country. Squash and pumpkin, so-called New World varieties, are native to the Northeastern US and the seeds were originally acquired from Native Americans. Others were introduced to this country by the Pilgrims and other European immigrants, including the bulb onion (not to be confused with native wild onions).  The legendary Wethersfield Red Onion served as a major cash crop in the 1800′s and today remains “an icon and logo of Wethersfield” according to the catalog where it is sold in packets of 300 seeds.

Illustrations of vegetables from antique seed packets found in the company archives now grace the covers of heirloom seed packets and decorate the newly minted 2011 catalog, all of which are sure to become collectors’ items. To order a Comstock seed catalog, register at the Baker Creek web site and anyone in the Northeast will automatically be sent one.

Note: No catalog orders are being taken until after Christmas.

How to Purchase Comstock Heirloom Seeds:

Seed packets are available for purchase at the retail store in Wethersfield, CT, just 5 minutes south of downtown Hartford. Comstock, Ferre & Co. is located at 263 Main Street in Old Wethersfield, and is open Monday through Friday from 9-4. Phone: 860-571-6590 or visit them online at www.ComstockFerre.com (this site is under construction)

For the Cook:

A Woolly Pocket Kitchen Herb Garden

Woolly Pockets are made in the USA from recycled plastic bottles and come in a wide variety of sizes and colors.

Bring the garden indoors this winter in a Woolly Pocket Garden container so your favorite cooks have easy access to fresh culinary herbs. Made in the USA from recycled plastic bottles, Woolly Pockets make indoor gardening fun and easy because they are specially designed to keep plants moist and surfaces dry.

Woolly Pockets should be filled with good quality potting soil and healthy herb plants that will grow well indoors. Remove the guess work by heading over to Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens in Westport to talk to one of their experts. They steered me towards the Aussie basil because it grows straight up and does well indoors. Pictured here is the peacock blue Tina model from Woolly Pocket Garden’s freestanding Island line with Aussie basil, parsley, thyme, orange mint, and garlic chives from Gilbertie’s. Be sure to pick up a complimentary copy of Raising Herbs Indoors when you check out so the gift can be properly cared for.  Also, Gilbertie’s is hosting a winter farmers’ market each Thursday from 10-1 starting December 9 and will offer free gardening lectures at 11 am.

Woolly Pocket garden containers ship flat and include all the instructions you need to get a garden started. Add some soil and healthy plants to make a thoughtful and useful gift that keeps on giving.

The gift that gives again: When you make a purchase on WoollyPocket.com, they will donate a Wally One modular wall system (above) to the school of your choice to help them build their Woolly School Garden.

Bonus: When you make a purchase on WoollyPocket.com, the company will donate a Wally One modular wall system to the school of your choice to help them build their Woolly School Garden. Wally One can be hung from a door or wall to bring the vertical space to life with living art.

For the Chocolate Lover:

Organic Fair Trade & Direct Trade Chocolate

Organic Fair Trade and Direct Trade chocolate is made from the highest quality sustainably grown and harvested cacao.

Organic Fair Trade and Direct Trade chocolates make a delicious stocking stuffer that’s good for both people and planet. Organic growing practices protect and preserve fragile ecosystems and the Fair Trade Certification signifies that farmers receive fair wages and work under fair labor conditions.

Two of my favorites are Taza Chocolate and Equal Exchange.  Taza Chocolate is a Somerville, Massachusetts-based sustainable and socially conscious company which produces a line of 100% stone ground organic chocolates made in the authentic Mexican style. According to the company, Taza Chocolate purchases cacao beans through a Direct Trade Agreement that provides high quality producers “with the economic security and flexibility necessary to conserve natural resources and protect the rights of workers.” These handmade chocolates are available in bars or discs in a wide range of flavors including Salted Almond and Guajillo Chili and fit neatly into a stocking or gift basket. Children especially enjoy making Mexican hot chocolate with the discs and I recommend viewing Taza’s head chocolate maker’s “How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate” video on the site’s recipe page. Taza Chocolate can be purchased online via the company’s web site, where shipping is free through December 15 on orders over $50, or at Walter Stewart’s Market in New Canaan, Fairfield Cheese Company in Fairfield, and Caseus in New Haven.

Equal Exchange is a leading producer of high quality organic Fair Trade coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, healthy snacks and bananas. Cacao beans are sourced from over 40 small sustainable farm co-operatives in Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Panama, and then made into fine chocolate bars in Switzerland. The 65% cacao Orange Dark Chocolate is reminiscent of dark chocolate dipped orange peels and new flavors include Organic Chocolate Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt (55% Cacao) and Organic Ecuador Dark Chocolate (65% Cacao). Equal Exchange chocolates can be purchased at major retailers including Whole Foods Market and via the company’s web site.

April 11, 2010

Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide was interviewed by Matt Scott on News Ch. 8′s Good Morning Connecticut Show about green food for Earth Day.

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

Buy locally grown food from a farmers’ market and learn to cook with the seasons.

Michel Nischan's latest cookbook is perfect for anyone looking for inspirational ways to cook with the seasons

Best-selling author, restaurateur and Wholesome Wave Foundation founder Michel Nischan’s new cookbook, Sustainably Delicious, presents over 100 recipes for home cooks looking for delicious and nutritious ways to prepare seasonal food that is good for the environment, for animals, for farm workers, and for our tables. Michel advises us to “Eat what’s available in season, celebrate variety, respect the land and eschew waste”. His mission is to show that choosing local and sustainably grown food offers innumerable rewards, including some of the very best flavors Mother Nature has to offer. Who thought a humble parsnip could be this delicious?

Choose locally produced food from specialty or grocery stores.

The Farmer’s Cow milk is humanely-produced in Connecticut by a cooperative of six family-owned dairies and is free of artificial growth hormones (rBST). When you choose this fresh milk you support local farms, lower your carbon footprint by reducing food miles, support the local economy and ensure farmland preservation.

Choose organic where it matters most.

Download the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides or iphone app from Environmental Working Group, familiarize yourself with the worst offenders (the Dirty Dozen), and commit to buying organic instead. Lettuce is a among the worst so choose organic from 2 Guys, a hydroponic greenhouse farm that produces year-round gorgeous vegetables for chefs, retailers and consumers. They are at many area farmers’ markets.

Choose eco-friendly wines.

Parducci Wine Cellars, America’s greenest winery, uses farming practices that result in healthier soil, balanced grapes and higher quality wines. Try their Sustainable White and Paul Dolan Vineyard’s Pinot Noir, made from organic and Biodynamic® grapes grown in certified vineyards. A vineyard that is certified biodynamic meets and typically exceeds the standards and regulations for organic certified farming. Biodynamic agriculture began in the 1920s, predating organic agriculture by 20 years.

Choose organic, fair trade chocolate, coffee and tea.

Kallari single origin, USDA organic, Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate is truly a chocolate lover’s dream and possibly the greenest chocolate available. 100% of the proceeds go to the Kichwa farmers in Ecuadorean Amazon who both grow the cacao and manufacture the chocolate. Available online and at Whole Foods Markets.

Use reusable lunch bags instead of single use plastic lunch and snack bags.

Lunch Skins are a completely food and dishwasher safe alternative to single use plastic lunch and snack bags. Use this coupon code for a 10% discount off your online purchase of Lunch Skins: FGFGED10. They’re a hit with the kids and you’ll love knowing that every time you use them, you’re avoiding throwing away a plastic bag.  LunchSkins has an attractive co-branded fundraiser program perfect for any school or organization.

Swear off bottled water.

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. I love this wide mouthed one from Thermos that lets you guzzle the water and keeps the water cold even in blistering heat.

On Friday, April 23, Audubon Greenwich is pleased to host a very special screen of  “Tapped“ an unflinching, award-winning documentary about the bottled water business. As a special bonus, Stephanie Soechtig (the Director) and Sarah Olson (the Producer) will be there to field questions from the audience. Reception at 7:00 pm / Movie at 8:00 pm. There will be a bottle exchange during the reception so bring an empty plastic water bottle (… hopefully your last) and get a brand-new steel water bottle from the film’s producers (while supplies last) Click here to RSVP.

Grow at least some of your own food.

Buy a potted herb or vegetable plants to start an edible container garden and invite your children to join in the care and harvesting. The one show here is from Moorefield Herb Garden, a vendor at the Fairfield farmers’ market at the Fairfield Theater Company. One easy and inexpensive way to grow what you love is to buy organic vegetable bouquets from Two Guys from Woodbridge at a local farmers’ market and give them a second life. After removing the edible portion of the vegetable, plant the root ball in a raised bed or container where it will produce a second harvest.

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. You call learn all about sustainable seafood in a fabulous new exhibit called Go Fish! at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk. Pick up one of Seafood Watch’s pocket guides to take home and don’t miss the movie  in the sustainable seafood theater, sustainable seafood “cafe”,  and the tank of LI fish including cod, striped bass, Atlantic salmon and wolfish. It’s perfect for adults and children.