Farm to Table

Which Is Greener: Shopping Local or Shopping Online?

jplatt — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Shopping locally uses less energy, right?

Not necessarily, according to a study by Carnegie Mellon's Green Design Institute. The study looked specifically at Buy.com's e-commerce model, and found that shopping online through that site "reduces environmental impact with 35 percent less energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions than what is produced in the traditional retail shopping model."

Obviously, this isn't going to work for every online retailer, or compare to every brick-and-morter store in your area, but still, these results are surprising.

The study found that "approximately 65 percent of total emissions generated by the traditional retail model stemmed from customer transport to and from retail stores." This could change if you drive a hybrid or ride a bike (or god forbid, walk to the store!), but it does illustrate the effect of short drives on our environment.

Buy.com also has a unique element that reduces its carbon footprint. If you order something from their site, it doesn't ship from Buy.com, but from the company that made the product in the first place. By comparison, Amazon.com maintains huge warehouses; products must first ship there, after which they get shipped to customers. Buy.com's model cuts out a step, and saves emissions.

So, while this study shouldn't necessarily cause you to change your buying habits, it does give us some ideas to think about when shopping. Every time a product moves from one place to another, it inspires the release of greenhouse gases. The fewer times it moves, the better. So if you can buy a product that hasn't moved very far or very often, you'll be doing yourself -- and the environment -- a favor.

Shop Sustainable Seafood

scleaver — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:11:37 -0500

GreenPeace released the supermarket rankings on their seafood sustainability. As reported in The Food Section, Greenpeace graded 20 supermarket chains (national and regional) on their seafood purchasing and sales policies and practices.

Of the national and regional chains, none earned a “good” grade. Four supermarkets earned a passing grade: Whole Foods, Ahold, Target, and Harris Teeter. Right after the “passing” supermarkets, however, was Walmart. And, the lowest ranked four were Price Chopper, H.E. Butt, Meijer, and Trader Joe’s. Find your favorite supermarket on the Scorecard.

But, perhaps of more importance, Greenpeace also published a list of their favorite sustainable seafood retailers. (See the full list here.) On that list: Andronico’s Market in San Francisco, Hanover Co-op Food Stores, Davis Food Co-op, and my old favorite when I lived in the DC area, My Organic Market.

To find Greenpeace’s rating of a supermarket near you, use their Supermarket Search tool.

Image of an albacore tuna from Greenpeace.

From The Bog To The Table

scleaver — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:41:41 -0500

It’s Thanksgiving, and that means its cranberry time! What holiday meal isn’t complete without a splash of red cranberry sauce? But, cranberries are more than just colorful, they’re also good for you.

We all know about cranberry’s power when it comes to preventing UTIs. According to OrganicAuthority.com, cranberries are a major source of antioxidants, and phytonutrients that protect against cancer, heart disease, and more. A study from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, found that compounds in cranberries were toxic to a variety of cancer cells, from breast cancer to leukemia cells.

So, you want to incorporate these prize-fighting fruits into your holiday meal? Make sure your cranberry sauce is chemical free by buying organic cranberries from Cranberry Hill Farm in Massachusetts (or find a local organic cranberry blogger by using the Local Harvest tool on the River Wired Home Page).

Get any and all cranberry recipes from Ocean Spray. Here’s an easy cranberry sauce recipe. Epicurious.com has cranberry recipes for the advanced cook. And, here are cranberry bread recipes to help you use up the cranberries that don’t make it onto your Thanksgiving table.

Photo from VegPod.com.

The Economics of Organics

scleaver — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:49:07 -0500

After months of bad financial news, it comes as no surprise, the economy is making us second-guess every purchase we make, from a new car to a loaf of bread. As Alternet.org reported, The Nielsen Company found that organic food sales increased only 4 percent in the month that ended in early October, compared to a 20 percent growth in previous years. In the current economy, any growth could be considered good, but such a dramatic drop shows just how much impact the economy has on food purchasing. And, considering that organics cost at least 50 percent more than conventional foods (according to Alternet.org), it’s no wonder that they’re the first to go when we start pinching pennies.

If you’re still buying organics, take heart. That price increase is for good reason:

Organic food is more expensive to produce because farmers have to spend more time growing it without fertilizers and pesticides.
When you buy organics, you’re often supporting small farmers that don’t have the cost-saving benefits of growing food using economies of scale.
Right now, more people want to buy organics, so demand is greater than supply, which drives prices up.
Organics don’t benefit from farm subsidies. When you calculate how much you spend on a conventional batch of produce, factor in tax dollars that go back to farmers in the form of subsidies and the cost difference will definitely shrink.

But, you don’t need to give up on organics just yet. Here are Alternet’s suggestions for buying organic during tough economic times:

1. There are certain fruits and veggies that are best bought organic. Here’s the complete list from Delicious Organics.

2. Join a co-op, you’ll put in a few hours of volunteer time each week and will save on food expenses. Use this Co-op Directory to find one near you.

3. Shop around to find the best prices and buy local when you can.

4. And, of course, grow your own. Here’s how to grow herbs on a windowsill.

Photo from TreeHugger.com.

Mini-Vegetables: A User's Guide

scleaver — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:16:59 -0500

Heading into the Thanksgiving season, mini-vegetables are one way to get some green on the table, while increasing the cute-ness factor. The Detroit News suggests steaming or roasting your mini-veggies (baby squash are especially good sautéed), cutting them up for a vegetable platter, or using them as decoration in your tablescape, a baby-vegetable cornucopia comes to mind.

How do baby veggies come about, you ask?

Well, one example: farmers at Babe Farms produce 100 mini-vegetables, the most successful of which is the baby carrot. Their baby carrots are engineered and designed to grow only so big, which means that they’re sweeter. Many of the other veggies are grown mini by packing them close together, which forces the vegetables to compete for light and water so they don’t grow as big.

Here are some other mini-veggie resources:

Buy mini-vegetable seeds from RainGardens.com.

Make mini-veggie lasagnas with a recipe from Creative Eats. Or, whip up a mini-vegetable stir fry with a recipe from Racheal Ray.

Photo of a baby vegetable basket from Harry and David.

The Future of Meat

scleaver — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

When Bill Niman started Niman Ranch near San Francisco, CA, he had a few head of cattle and a determination to raise them self-sufficiently. The basic idea, is that the better a cow, or any animal, is treated, the better the meat. Over the years, Niman’s meat has been on Alice Water’s restaurant menu, his pork has been in Chipotle’s carnitas, and his bacon and sausage are in grocery stores around the country.

But, as the New York Times reported, Niman recently left the company in August 2007 and is now re-entering the meat business with a herd of goats and a vegetarian wife (nicknamed Porkchop). Already, his BN Ranch goat meat is in restaurants on both coasts, and it’s predicted (by some) to have a bright future as a meat.

Want to try the up-and-coming meat? Here’s why you should and how:

Look for meat from a local farmer or at least a U.S. farmer. Apparently, local goat meat, as opposed to imported meat, is more delicate and succulent.

Ask about the breed that you’re about to eat: Boer goats are muscular, Spanish goats have lighter meat.

Ask for grassfed. Pasture raised goats, like Niman’s goats that are pasture raised until just before slaughter when they’re fed grain, have marbled meat with a traditional corn-fed flavor.

Learn more about goat meat at The American Meat Goat Association.

Photo from: Groovy Green blog.

One Steaming Mug at a Time

scleaver — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A new organic tea company is working to save the world one tea bag at a time. Ocean of Tea was recently started by Terry Godier and Bob Liddle in St. Louis, MO. As Eat. Drink. Better. explained, so far Ocean of Tea is off to the right start in terms of making a sustainable business, they’re recycling, using compact fluorescent lights, using carbon stats to manage their carbon footprint to set the base and, within three years, they hope to be 70 to 80% off the grid.

What’s in it for you? Organic tea in eco-friendly packaging, a program that encourages consumers to send back tea tins to reduce waste, and, a portion of your order goes towards carbon credits to offset the emissions produced sending the tea to your door.

Join the green tea conversation during a Twitter Tea Party Friday at their Twitter page. Bottoms Up!

Image of Ocean of Tea’s Green Tea.

Chicago's New Green Groceries

scleaver — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Food shopping options in Chicago are expanding, and going green. The Chicago Tribune reported that Jewel recently opened a green store at 370 N Desplaines that has vegetation on the roof and an automatic cooling and heating system that adjusts depending on how full the store is to save energy.

And, across town, the Department of Cultural Affairs opened a farm stand in the Loop (66 E Randolph St) earlier this month. The Farmstand will sell food from a 250-mile radius, including local pies, Michigan apples, and produce, of course.

I, for one, am definitely heading to the Farmstand. Have you shopped at either of the new green stores yet? Any recommendations?

Photo from ExploreChicago.org.

Seafood Delight

scleaver — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:16:42 -0400

For those of us who love a good sushi dinner or fried seafood platter, sustainable fishing is high on the list of sustainable farming practices to watch. Over at the Chocolate & Zucchini blog, fish were a hot topic this week. Apparently, because of overfishing, unsustainable fishing, overconsumption, and pollution, some fish species (including those that we like to eat) may be extinct by 2050.

How to address this?

Chocolate & Zucchini suggests becoming a more informed consumer—pick up a pocket seafood guide that you can refer to next time you sit down to dinner or stand in front of the fish counter. Here’s a regional guide from The Monterey Bay Aquarium.

I like the services from the Blue Ocean Institute. Find your favorite species to see sustainability and health concerns, or download a fish guide.

When you are shopping or dining out, don’t be afraid to ask questions, like, is this farmed? How was it caught? Where did this come from?

And, of course, the number one defense is a good offense, become better informed: Read more RiverWired posts about seafood and the environment: Sustainable seafood gained traction earlier this year, The Monterey Bay Aquarium is working to address seafood sustainability, and, earlier this year, Salmon were in trouble.

Photo from The Sydney Morning Herald about a wholesale fish market.

Energy-Efficient Freezers Help You Store Organic, Local Food All Year Round

jplatt — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:13:49 -0400

We're off to a big organic food festival this weekend, and plan on coming home with a trunk full of local fruits and vegetables -- more than we can eat any time soon, but enough to keep us in good, local eats all winter long.

But before we can do that, we need to buy a new freezer. Our goal for this week is to pick up a dedicated unit (not a fridge-freezer combo), preferably a chest freezer like the one illustrated here.

Chest freezers, which have a lid on the top of of the unit rather than on the side, are 10% to 25% more efficient than upright freezers, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

According to the ACEEE, the most energy-efficient chest freezers on the market today at the Whirlpool EH151FXR (around $425) and the DC-powered SunDanzer (around $1,000).

The ENERGY STAR program offers several tips for buying energy-effienct fridges and freezers. (ENERGY STAR also recently upgraded its criteria for refrigerators, so the newest models are even more efficient than they were just six months ago.)

I don't recommend picking up a freezer unless you're going to stock enough food to fill it. But if you live in a area like me (coastal Maine) where the winters and long and local food is hard to come by, then a freezer could end up being your best friend.