Know Why Organic Matters

As farmers’ markets shutter for the season and backyard gardens go to seed, many of us will retreat to the grocery store for the bulk of our food purchases. The question is, when “local” options dwindle, will you opt to buy organic?

Book Find: ECO LOGICAL

Joanna Yarrow’s Eco Logical is like a groovy guidebook for navigating eco topics. She uses boiled-down-to-the-essence graphics and info-bites to tease out the main arguments of a topic and help us understand what’s at stake on both sides, and then leaves us to choose how to incorporate the information into our daily practices.

Yes . . . We Can

Odds are you have a food bank in your community. It’s not something we think of often, if at all; yet it’s nice to know it’s there to take care of those in need. But what if that food bank were to run out of food? That’s the question that Aletha Soule from Slow Harvest, a program that connects excess food with the people who need it, is helping to answer.

Time for Lunch

It seems I'm meant to talk about kids' lunches right now. This past Tuesday, I did a segment on ABC-TV's View from the Bay on making healthy lunches fun for kids. But even better than peanut butter banana spirals is the fact that, right now, we have an opportunity to be a part of re-framing the school lunch program in America. Here to tell us all about it and how we can get involved is one of our talented new Contributors, Kurt Michael Friese, who I'm proud to welcome aboard.

Three Tips for Greener Summer Entertaining

Now that we’re in the dog days of summer, I thought it a good time for a post on how to make your summer get-togethers a touch more green. For help, I turned to our new Green Entertaining Expert, Nicole Aloni, author of the website and upcoming book A Conscious Feast and passionate advocate of environmentally-wise entertaining. Here, how to enjoy greener grilling, picnicking and bug-free feasts.

The Kitchen That Sings

La Cocina Que Canta; the kitchen that sings. It’s the name of the cooking school at Rancho La Puerta Spa in Mexico where I’ve been teaching classes this week. This is healthy cooking. This is cooking that’s gentle on the earth. This is cooking that brings a smile to the soul . . . and to everyone seated at the table. Si, this kitchen sings indeed.

A Farm by Any Other Name . . .

There is a fundamental difference in the way small—particularly organic—farms function and the way large, industrial outfits do, and it needs to be acknowledged not just in the Food Safety Enhancement Act bill, but in the way we view agriculture in America.

Start a Conversation About Seafood

Landing sustainable seafood on your plate may seem tricky. But it's as simple as asking your fishmonger a few smart questions. Here's what you should know.