Food and Drink
Veggie and Fruit Wash Soap Labels
Now those stickers on your fruit can serve a purpose other than at the register. Scott Amron has come up with a clever dual purpose UPC label sticker which not only tells the checkout clerk how much to charge, but also will clean the fruit once you are home.
For those who are unaware, fruit can be covered in all kinds of pesticides, wax, fertilizer, bacteria and nastyness, so it’s always a good idea to wash your fruits and vegetables, whether they are organic or not. This label just makes it easier since the wash comes on the fruit rather than buying it separately!
Engineered to only dissolve when rubbed with water, it is actually water resistant and won’t fall off before it reaches the check stand, and can always be peeled off if desired. It is also made from organic biodegradable materials which won’t harm the environment. › Continue reading
Fearless Raw Organic Chocolate
The folks over at Fearless Chocolate sent us over a friendly care package filled with delicious chocolate treats from their latest batch. Fearless organic raw chocolate is just that, unroasted and minimally processed at temperatures below 118 degrees to preserve the antioxidants, minerals and nutrients naturally found in cacao.
It is also better than fair-trade, it’s direct trade. Collaborating directly with family farms in Bahia, Brazil to ensure complete ‘bean-to-bar’ manufacturing straight from the Mata-Atlantic rainforest. Rounding out the green package, it is organic, minimally processed, vegan, gluten-free with no refined sugars, and if that wasn’t enough, they are also Kosher.
Flavors include super-foods and exotic spices such as chia, matcha green tea, ginger and hibiscus. Donating 1% of profits to change-making organizations of your choosing (you can enter your choice on their website, but you do need a batch number from a purchased chocolate bar), they are helping to give back as well.
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Sustainable Sushi in Seattle – Mashiko
I am a true sushi lover, but getting information about the fish I am eating can be a difficult ordeal. Most sushi places aren’t very forthcoming on where they get their fish, or even what kind of fish it is you are actually eating (Hamachi is often labeled as yellowtail when it actually should be Amberjack, although it can vary between several species depending on the restaurant – same with Tai or snapper).
The Monterey Bay Aquarium puts out a wonderful Seafood Watch sustainable sushi guide both as an app, and on their website as a printable card, and Sustainable Sushi has great information too, but this can still pose a problem when it comes down to sourcing (many ratings are high for wild caught or sustainable fisheries, but low for farmed or catch method, like bottom trawlers).
Enter Mashiko, a sushi restaurant in West Seattle that maintains a fully sustainable seafood menu. Mashiko is also Seattle’s first fully sustainable sushi bar
We have solid relationships with several top seafood sustainability experts. We appreciate the support we have received from both customers and industry insiders. Our education has been intense, and it will be ongoing.– Hajime
Local Seattle Vodka & Gin – Sound Spirits
It’s pretty amazing what you can find just leisurely walking around Seattle. Case in point, the other day I decided to take a walk down 15th near the Interbay area and ran into Sound Spirits, a Seattle craft distillery producing primarily Vodka and Gin (with an Aquavit coming soon!) under the label Ebb+Flow.
Billed as Seattle’s first distillery since prohibition, Sound Spirits uses local ingredients to distill each batch by hand at their Interbay facility.Their entire operation is contained within this single building, including the distillery itself, tasting room and store. › Continue reading
Local 360 Restaurant in Seattle
Local 360 is a relatively new restaurant in Seattle’s Belltown area serving locally sourced breakfast, lunch and dinner. The premise behind their name and their philosophy is every raw ingredient is sources within 360 miles of Seattle, and they really do mean it. Browse even their drink menu, and you won’t find a spirit, liquor or wine produced any further away than Idaho (most are from Washington and Oregon).
Our products are always sourced from the most humane farms we can find. Ideally, 90% of our raw ingredients come from within 360 miles of Seattle. Lemons, limes, coffee and a few other items just don’t grow in Cascadia anytime of the year.
We source these items Certified Organic from the closest place possible. Nothing we are doing is innovative or new- on the contrary, we are returning to a simpler way of functioning as a business. We have stopped asking “what is new,” and have begun asking, “what is best.”
Fair Trade Organic Chocolate
It’s almost Valentines day again, and we are quickly approaching chocolate season! Equal Exchange has come out with two new chocolate bar offerings, a chocolate caramel with sea salt bar, and an Ecuador origins 65% cacao bar.
Last years Valentines Day chocolate from Equal Exchange was equally as delicious and well received. Lucky you, we have a special coupon code for $5 off and for those who comment or tweet this article will be entered into a free giveaway! See below for a coupon code and details!
Genetically Modified Organisms – GMO Month
With the month nearly over, you may not have realized that October is GMO month. A very controversial topic, Genetically Modified or (also known as Genetically Engineered) crops are becoming increasingly abundant in ingredients of common foods without your knowledge. How common you ask?
Based on USDA (US Department of Agriculture) data, it is estimated that GMOs are now present in more than 80% of packaged products in the average U.S. or Canadian grocery store.
According to the USDA’s figures for 2009, 93% of cotton, 93% of soy, and 86% of corn grown in the U.S. were GMO. It is estimated that over 90% of canola grown is GMO. Other commercially produced Genetically Engineered plants include varieties of sugar beets, squash and Hawaiian Papaya.
With corn products (primarily high fructose corn syrup) being present in everything from soda to salad dressing, you may be consuming more GMO foods than you think. But is this a bad thing? According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), it is perfectly fine, and they are the ones who are protecting our food, aren’t they? Depends on if you believe GMOs should be proven safe for us, or by us.
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Kanon Organic Vodka
A hot new introduction from a 400 year old distillery, Kanon Organic Vodka originates from the Gripsholm Distillery in Sweden. Dating back to 1580, this old world distillery with royal history was the largest distillery in Sweden supplying its foundry workers with high quality spirits from locally grown organic wheat. High quality organic vodka offerings from Europe are ever increasing with very little competition from state-side distilleries.
It is not just history which sets Kanon Organic Vodka apart from other organic liquor, it is also the unique organic process avoiding an ‘over-distilled’ vodka, providing a clean distinctive natural flavor without the typical vodka burn. I found it quite appealing on the rocks as well as paired with a mixer.
Going beyond just organic, the Gripsholm Distillery is run on wind and hydro power with all by-products being renewed. Even the Kanon bottle is made from 60% recycled glass giving it another bump on the eco-friendly scale. Locally produced organic wheat cuts down on transportation costs, and supports the local farmers.
