Apple Sage “Sausage” Chestnut Stuffing

Each and every year, at this very same time, we go in search of unique and delightful recipes to share with our Holiday guests. Since so many of us are making nutritional decisions based on our ethical values, it is always nice to be able to share a dish that doesn’t compromise any living creatures.  This year, The Green Connoisseur will be sharing some of it’s new found favorites for you to put on your dining room table. Today we’d [...]

Recycle Your Pumpkins

Do you wince every time you have to throw out a perfectly good pumpkin, after it’s been carved? This is the point in your life when your CFL light bulb should come on, as you recognize your level of environmental stewardship.

More than one billion pounds of pumpkin are purchased in the US every Halloween. The majority of those end up in the trash after their sole life purpose has been to sit on the front porch with a candle in [...]

Six Great Ways to Celebrate the Season

November is here. The leaves are changing color and falling down. Frost is starting to appear. While we are moving quickly into winter, here are some late fall gems to keep you going for the rest of the season.

1) Multi-color Leaf Creations

If you live anywhere near trees as they are losing their leaves, you are probably overwhelmed at this time by the magnitude of leaves accumulating in the street, on the sidewalk, and in yards everywhere. [...]

Flexitarian: Mostly Meatless

Back in the ’60s and ’70s, when vegetarianism was first catching on in the United States, the term was used more loosely than it is today. Any modern vegetarian, used to being offered fish or chicken by well-meaning hosts, will tell you that this word usage just isn’t practical.

Today, vegetarians generally agree that they won’t eat any food with a face. Still, with more and more households interested in the vegetarian movement but not willing to forgo meat entirely, there’s [...]

Somewhere Over the Co-op

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I encountered a luxurious and eco-friendly paradise. Welcome to Rainbow Cooperative Grocery. Located in the Mission district of San Francisco, this mural-filled warehouse come organic supermarket has an incredible commitment to both quality products and the environment.

The Co-op

While there are many cooperative grocery stores in San Francisco and all over the country, Rainbow has a long and distinguished history. Since 1975, Rainbow has been offering high quality and ecological products [...]

Renewable Resource Alert: 10 Facts About Hemp

In an ongoing fight to shake a bad reputation, hemp is successfully reclaiming its identity as a renewable, sustainable resource with a wide-range of possibilities. An increasing number of people no longer associate hemp with the mood-enhancing drug marijuana and are aware of the many benefits to cultivating industrial hemp, which produces a versatile fiber and oil found in many new products on the market. In this post, explore the ins and outs of hemp and some of the ways [...]

Cultured Food From the Grocery Store

A while back, we featured a post about the amazing health benefits of fermented foods (also known as cultured foods). In short, fermented foods contain helpful probiotic bacteria, as well as high concentrations of protein and vitamins. There’s a whole world of fun to be had experimenting with fermenting at home, but it’s just as easy to get these health benefits at your grocery store. Fermented foods are as diverse in taste and nutrition as the corners of the world [...]

Zocalo Cafe: Community, Earth-Minded Coffeehouse

Here’s a concept – build a planet-friendly coffee shop that strengthens community ties and serves up in-house roasted brews and specialty teas. You might say it’s been done before, but does it compare to the Zocalo Coffeehouse – the only certified green café in San Leandro, California? This independent, locally owned establishment and roastery is open 365 days a year, standing by a commitment that the people and planet come before the product.

Green Efforts

The green efforts of Zocalo begin [...]

REAL FOOD IN SCHOOLS DAY

We think of Labor Day as a time to consider the working lives of adults, but this September 7th, why not do something active for the working lives of children? Slow Food and other local organizations are sponsoring a National Action Day to Get Real Food into Schools. In case you don’t know it, the national school lunch system is in need of serious overhaul. Jan Poppendieck, whose prior work has been on emergency food, non-profits, government accountability, and hunger, [...]

Moosewood: a Sustainable Food Tradition

The Moosewood brand is familiar in many natural households because of the line of popular vegetarian and pescatarian cookbooks by that name, but before Moosewood was a cookbook it was a restaurant.

Moosewood was founded in 1973, in Ithaca NY, where it is still run by a workers’ collective including many of the original members. Moosewood restaurant is dedicated to serving fresh and delicious vegetable-based dishes. While there are many great vegetarian restaurants today, Moosewood was an early and lasting success [...]