Archive for September, 2009

Celebrate local harvest at Evergreen's Picnic at the Brick Works

Like me, many Torontonians are sitting on the edge of their seats, eager to taste what the third annual Picnic at the Brick Works will bring. Locavores and foodies will once again head down to Toronto's beautiful historic Evergreen Brick Works this coming Sunday to sample delicious local bounty.

This year's theme is Saving Diversity, and top chefs from all over the city will use local farmers' harvests to create tasty dishes to represent the many ethnic groups that make up Toronto.

And how will we wash all this delicious food down? I hear that many local wineries will be on site to showcase their great products too.

You can buy tickets to Picnic at the Brick Works from Evergreen at a cost of $110 per person (food and drink included, of course). Proceeds from ticket sales go to Evergreen and Slow Food Toronto.

If you're in or around Toronto, do you plan to attend to celebrate the sustainable food movement? If not, how does your community celebrate their local harvest?

Congratulations to ... (more...)

How often do you put your car in park?

Yesterday was World Car Free Day, and I hope you joined folks all over the world in leaving your car at home and put on your walking shoes, getting on your bikes or riding your local transit system.

I think World Car Free Day is a great way to reflect upon the harm cars can do to our environment, the state of our public transit systems and the way our cities have developed. But as responsible citizens, we should do better that once a year.

Have you contemplated leaving your car at home often? Say, once a week, or once every two weeks? Do any of you take part in a car-sharing program?

Cars produce over 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year (not to mention the amount of mining that goes into manufacturing cars and harmful petroleum extraction), so imagine the difference if we all dramatically changed our driving habits. Cycling and using public transit are great ways to explore a city, and think of how much less frustrated you'll be because you don't have to sit in traffic.

How have your driving habits changed?

I realize some of you might live in rural communities, where you have to be much more dependent on cars, but have you been able to make any changes?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway and you could be one of two winners. I'll announce the winners on Friday!

Sunlight's new Green Clean laundry detergent

I just learned that Sunlight now offers eco-friendly detergent. Sunlight Green Clean contains no chlorine or dyes and is bio-degradable.

Here are some of my fave eco-friendly detergents that you can try:
• PC Green Concentrated Laundry Detergent
• Nature Clean 3x Concentrate Laundry Liquid
• Seventh Generation Laundry Liquid

Of late, I've been considering making my own laundry detergent. Apparently it's rather easier, and far less expensive I imagine.

Have you switched to environmentally responsible laundry detergent yet? Have you ever made your own detergent? Care to share your recipe?

Sure, sometimes we all find bees to be pesky little insects that buzz around our sweet peach pie, but truth be told, we'd be nowhere with the curious, little bee. Apparently Albert Einstein said that if bees disappeared, "man would only have four years of life left". After all, these little pollinators are pretty much the reason our food grows.

In recent years, I've been watching the media closely, following stories about Colony Collapse Disorder and learning all I can about bees. I must say, I'm surprised and enthralled by these tiny workhorses.

Did you know that the lifespan of a bee is barely five weeks?

When I came across Candace Savage's book: Bees: Nature's Little Wonders, I was pleasantly surprised. Her book offers wonderful insight into the world of these industrious creatures. The book itself is beautiful, with pretty images and odds and ends of poetry and myths.

For a chance to win one of two copies of Bees, leave a comment here telling me how you feel about bees. Do you love them? Hate them? Has all the press on Colony Collapse Disorder made you think twice about them?

I'll pick a winner randomly on Friday, September 25. Don't forget, you must be a subscriber to win.

Store summer in a jar!

Sounds tempting, doesn't it? I would give almost anything to have the sweet taste of an Ontario peach in my mouth in mid February, when winter just doesn't seem to end! If you aren't already a seasoned veteran, this is the year to start canning, pickling and preserving.

In order to get you started, I've rounded up some of our best articles about pickling, canning and preserving below.

Do you preserve your summer bounty? Do you have any tips for beginners? Are you a beginner and are going to try your hand at canning this year?

• Essential home-canning tools

• Perfect summer preserves: Tips for canning success

• How to tell if your jam or jelly is set

• Canning and preserving: Chili sauces and salsa recipes

• Juicy jam recipes

I know we're all up to our eyeballs in Mason jars right now, it being the height of canning and pickling season and all. But besides using these beautiful and simple jars for jams and salsas and other preserves, do you consider using them for storage?

I love garage sale season! I scour the sales for old Mason jars (the ones with the glass tops) and fill them up with my lentils, barley, quinoa, icing sugar ... whatever. They look very pretty on display with a wide array of colourful goods stored inside. Plus, they're far better for your health than plastic. When using plastic we have to worry about BPA, antimony, dioxins and other harmful chemicals that can leach into your food. Glass jars and bottles don't give off any chemicals when in contact with food. Also, glass is far easier to recycle than plastic.

Don't worry if you've missed out on garage sale season, you can usually find Mason jars at antique stores for a reasonable price.

And don't look past those little glass jars in your fridge. Caper, Dijon mustard, artichoke and other small jars are perfect for storing spices and small amounts of leftovers.

What do you use for storage?

My pup, being part lab, loves to eat anything. I'm talking dog food, treats, sticks, socks, USB keys ... I've even caught her a number of times with glass in her mouth. Because she loves to eat she has been great to train, as she does anything for food. As I like to know exactly what goes into her mouth (sometimes this is easier said than done), I decided it was time I made my own treats for her.

I tried my hand at these Dog Breath Biscuits. They're super easy to make and my doggy just loved them. By making your own dog cookies, you'll reduce the amount of packaging you bring into your house, you'll be sure there are only wholesome ingredients in her food and you'll save money.

Now, if I could only keep her from darting at squirrels ...

Do you make your own dog or cat treats?