Food
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
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 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.”
CRAVE Green in Seattle
| What: | CRAVEGreen day of Eco-Indulgence |
| Where: | URBAN enoteca 4130 1st Ave South, Seattle |
| When: | May 11, 2011 from 6-9 p.m. |
| Cost: | $35 and $50 Tickets |
Taking place on May 11, 2011 from 6-9 p.m. at URBAN enoteca (4130 1st Ave South, Seattle), CRAVEgreen is an eco-event of luxury and eco-indulgence. Featuring Natural and Organic spa services from Elaia Spa, an eco-friendly fashion show with the latest in sustainable style with designers such as Eileen Fisher, and fresh local and organic foods and wines catered by URBAN enoteca.
Android Seafood Watch App
For all of you with Android phones looking for eco-friendly apps, here is my top pick! As many of you know, the Monterey Bay Aquarium puts out a Seafood Watch list of sustainable fish choices when it comes to dining or shopping. I used to print and carry around the paper version, but the great thing about it is that it updates itself so you get the most up-to-date information on fisheries and status.
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Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch App
Platform: iphone & android
Cost: Free
Details: Provides up-to-date information on sustainable seafood choices for dining or shopping in an easy to search or browse format.
Plus there is so much more, with interesting facts, illustrations and more. This guides you with ratings of ‘Best Choice’, ‘Good Alternative’ and ‘Avoid’ so you can make the best decision for the planet and your health. Since many of these fisheries are contaminated with high levels of mercury, even the USDA recommends pregnant women avoid these fish. › Continue reading
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.
› Continue reading
What Foods to Buy Organic
I’m preparing to get married in September, and I’ve been working super hard to keep my diet healthy, while still saving money for the wedding. Even if you’re not getting married soon, you’re still probably on a budget with the way the economy is right now, and buying organic food can start to add up when your budget is tight. While it is always a better idea to eat organic food, I realize that sometimes it’s not always an option. After consulting the Environmental Working Group’s lists, and other environmental groups, I’ve compiled a list of fruits and veggies to go organic with, or to bypass if the budget won’t allow. A good rule of thumb is to consider the thickness of the skin. Melons of any type have thick skins and so pesticides have a harder time getting in. Peaches, berries, and other soft skinned fruit however eat the pesticides up like water, and tend to be highest on the pesticide scale.
Don’t forget meats, dairy, and eggs too. While they are sometimes hard to find in organic depending on where you live, they are very important to buy organic, sometimes more important than fruits and vegetables. There are so many pesticides and toxins in what animals are eating, let alone the products themselves.
Foods aren’t the only things that you should be seeking the natural approach for either. If you suffer from allergies or other health issues, environmental toxins may be to blame. It’s a good idea to buy almost anything in your bedroom, organically. You spend (hopefully) 8 hours out of every 24, sleeping in your bedroom. That’s a third of your day, and that doesn’t include other activities that you might do in your bedroom, such as work, or reading! Switching to an organic mattress or pillows might make all the difference in the world.
Crayon Health Bars
There are many fantastic and interesting inventions out there, with new ones happening every day. (Even paper chips!). One that really caught my eye is a remarkable idea for a health bar – a crayon. Luxirare (a combination of Rare and Luxury) is a weekly, elegant, webzine that focuses on portraying the beauty of fashion and food. The webzine concentrates on one item at a time and spends a lot of time towards executing the creation and presentation of that item. In this case, Luxirare has created crayon health bars, and captured the attention of many.
Luxirare created the crayons out of colorful foods, all listed on the back of the box, and many of the ingredients are very healthy and an appealing change from normal fruits and vegetables. The yellow crayon, for instance, includes processed corn, nuts, yellow Fruity Pebbles, dried bananas and bee pollen (which is super healthy). Luxirare separated many different types of foods in small containers and captured the creation process and end result in many striking photos. › Continue reading
