Juliette's Whale

Just scooped up this handmade whale (the blue one) for Juliette from the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this weekend. Love supporting local and handmade! Click here for a link directly to Clay Wood & Cotton, where you can purchase Kate Durkin's whales or browse her other goodies! I'm desiring those owls now!

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10 Reasons To Eat Local

Looking for a reason to get on the "eat local" bandwagon? Here's 10:

1. Local food tastes better! Why? Because it hasn't traveled as far and is fresher, also the food is picked when ripe.

2. Local food is better for you! Why? The closer your food is to the original source (ie the ground) the less time it took to get to you, and the less nutrients it lost en route.

3. Local food preserves genetic diversity! Why? Small farms often grow a variety of foods to provide a long harvest season.

4. Local food is safer! Why? Your local farmers aren't anonymous like the big companies are.

5. Local food supports local families! Why? Because you cut out more of the middlemen and keep local family farms in biz.

6. Local food builds communities! Why? Because you get to know your farmer, honoring a time honored tradition between farmer and consumer.

7. Local food preserves open spaces! Why? Think about it, the more farms you have locally the less industrial space is taken away from nature.

8. Local food keeps taxes down! Why? Farms give more in tax money than they take in services, so be keeping your farms close by you keep the tax dollars available for other things.

9. Local food benefits the environment and local wildlife! Why? Smaller farms tend to be better environmental stewards, they keep the soil fertile instead of stripping it of all nutrients. Also less travel for the produce means less emissions into the air.

10. Local food is an investment in the future! Why? By supporting local farms, you help keep them in business, ensuring their future success.

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UB has a new blogger! Meet Kim!

It's not always easy being green...but it certainly is getting easier! I live outside of the city and across the Hudson River with my boyfriend Mark in a cute little brownstone apartment. We have been in this part of Jersey for about 9 months now and have used this time and our location to better eco-fy our lives. You see, we actually both grew up in Morris County and never heard too much about Green living or Eco-friendly lifestyles while we were younger. I have to admit, for a long time all I thought there was to "doing your part" was to make sure that you recycle...but oh man, there is so very much more!
Transitioning yourself to make better, healthier and more eco-friendly choices is a constant learning process. Mark was definitely skeptical and hesitant at first...and sometimes he will still poke fun and tease me, but he's come a long way and has become incredibly open to making these changes in our lives as well. In fact, he recently added "reusable cups" to our grocery list, which prompted us to go out and purchase our own set of reusable stainless steel bottles. A little back story on our drinking water - previously to moving out here we were both use to drinking water straight from the tap. I never really drank filtered or bottled water. Once we moved, we heard from the landlord that many people filter or buy their own - so, as an effort to both avoid bottled water AND save money - we went with a filter for our tap. It has been great! I love not having to purchase water each time we shop and it feels great not to add to the world's never ending collection of plastic bottles. We also had a recent renovation to our bathroom that really made me smile. It's tough sometimes when you rent and some of these choices can not be your own because you do not own the property, but our landlord decided to replace the toilets in our building with ones that use about 2/3 gallons less water with each flush than the old toilets we had. There are 4 toilets in our building...that's quite a lot of water saved! I'm sure he did this in an effort to cut back on water bills - but what a smart way to do so...but, enough about water for now.
We are certainly still in the exciting phase of eco-fication - or let's be honest, I'm definitely the ring leader of this whole lifestyle makeover in our home - but it's something that I've become more and more passionate about, to the point where it just feels right. I witness acts of careless, thoughtless, wastefulness and it just hurts my heart...and I'm not completely innocent myself. If you went back a couple years and told me I'd be saying things like this I would probably laugh at you. But I think one of the huge attractions to me - was that not only can these changes that I make help to reduce my impact on the world around me, but they can actually benefit my own personal health and the health of my loved ones. These are things that you just can't help but feel good about. I'm sure you've all read Lindsay's blogs about produce and the horrible chemicals that can be found in our everyday food. Not to mention the intolerable treatment of factory animals. Because of everything I'm still learning, I started purchasing organic options whenever and wherever I can. Let's face it, this is not always the cheapest way to go, but personally, it's worth it to me. And call me crazy, but I swear I notice a difference in freshness, taste and even the overall health of my body. You just can't beat that. The best part of doing all of this right now is that organic options are more readily available everywhere you look. The closest Whole Foods to me is a good 20-30 minute car ride away, same with Trader Joes. But the selection I've lucked out with at my nearby Stop & Shop really makes grocery shopping that much more enjoyable. Just this week I noticed something new that reminds me again of why we shop there. They had a whole section of their produce department set up with local state produce, from local farms. Jersey Fresh - I snapped a picture really quick of the sign - I'm pretty sure that was the point in which my boyfriend walked away acting as if he didn't know me...

Everything we do is still just one step at a time, but each day they grow together in order to become a piece of the bigger picture... I look forward to sharing more of my adventures and steps along the way with all of you!

That's all for now,
xoxoxo - Kim

I just heard about a new documentary on the food industry and I couldn't be more excited to share this with you all.

The film is called Fresh and focuses on the growing chemicalization of our food, the factory farming industry and what is going on to change that trend. The way we can get back to fresh, natural and healthy food. The trailer promises an educational and inspirational film.

The film features Joel Salatin, who if you've read Omnivore's Dilemma you remember, he was the farmer who used the rotational system on his farm. Each animal had its purpose and he was truly inspirational.

Click here to read all about it and watch the trailer.

Oh I can't wait to see it!

Pasture Raised Turkey Day

For those non-vegetarians out there counting the days until Thanksgiving, rest assure, you can have your pasture raised Turkey and eat it too. This is the opportunity to support a family farm that gives their turkeys good lives, letting them roam in the sunshine, eating what they would eat normally (that which is on pasture of course)

There are many health benefits to eating pasture raised turkey this year:

*Less fat, less calories: Because the birds are free to roam, they gain muscle and are healthier

*More Omega 3 fatty acid (the good kind!)

*More CLA (Conjungated Linoleic Acid, the type of fat that has been proven to help fight cancer as well as converting fat to lean muscle in our bodies

*Increased amounts of beta-carotene (found in the grass they eat, instead of the grains they are forced to consume on large scale factory farms) beta-carotene is known to help reduce cancer risk

*More Vitamin E which helps boost the immune system and decreases the risk of heart disease

If you're not sure where to find a local, pasture raised Turkey and learn about the benefits choosing pasture raised meat/poultry/eggs/dairy, check out these links, you can order straight from the website! Better yet, do your own research and find a local farm you can support.

Apple Cheek Farms

Good Earth Farms

Local Harvest

Eat Wild

(Image: AppleCheek Farms)

Save Some Green

As the economy continues to spiral, it's important to tighten those purse strings, but at the same time not forget what's important. I've been blogging about the importance of eating local, organic and whole foods because they are not only better for your health but better on the environment. This is no time to throw out all we've learned. Just modify your choices. Here are some ways to keep the environment and your wallet in mind.

1. Choose your organics by the most and least contaminated, Eco-Mama has blogged about this as well, here's a list of the most and least contaminated (by pesticides and herbicides)

Most Contaminated
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Spinach
Nectarines
Celery
Pears
Cherries
Potatoes
Bell Peppers
Raspberries
Grapes (imported)

Least Contaminated
Sweet Corn
Avocado
Pineapples
Cauliflower
Mango
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Onions
Broccoli
Bananas
Kiwi
Papaya

2. Choose what is in season, despite what I mention in #1 you need to remember, what is in season is cheaper and better on the environment, due to the reduced transport time.

3. Bring your own lunch to work & cook more. Have a potluck night with friends instead of meeting out for a bite. Share recipes and tips with your family, they've got the goods you know!

4. Eat less meat, it's much more expensive than whole grains and vegetables and you can get your protein in other ways, trust me.

More ways to come this week....

9 Reasons To Go Local

Locavore, locally sourced, local, we've heard it all....now here's 10 reasons going local is the way to go, or eat rather:

1. Food tastes better! It's newer and fresher!

2. Science says it's better for you, nutrients are lost over time, so the quicker it gets from farm to table the more nutrients are retained

3. It's safer, hopefully. Local farms are held more accountable because of their size, their names really do mean everything to them

4. Local food supports local farms and their families. The amount of traditional farmers in this country has dropped drastically and we've gotta get them back working the land! We don't want machines doing everything do we?

5. Local food builds your community spirit, you are aware of your actions and their impact

6. The more you support local farms, the more farm land will be preserved from being paved over.

7. Local food supports the environment by keeping fuel usage down for example

8. Supporting local farms is like investing in your future and the future of your community. By ensuring your local farms maintain their business against bigger, more machine driven farms.

9. Local farms sell to many places, but the most obvious is your local farmer's market! It's so meaningful buying directly from the farmer, they make more money by dealing with their consumers directly, they cut down on fuel, and like shouting I CARE ABOUT MY FOOD FUTURE to the world!

Support Local Farmers!

(Images: www.eatlocal.net)

Green Markets!

Walking through the Union Square farmers market is such an experience. Everywhere your eye can see fresh fruit and vegetables delight the eye and wet the palate. Ethically responsible meat and poultry is sold and local flowers dot the line of booths. Chefs all over New York City rush to the markets to gather fresh ingredients and locals stroll, snacking on the baked good offerings and fresh juices. It's like Mecca for locavores and organic foodies. I just started a new job merely a few blocks away and I can't wait to incorporate the farmers market into more of my weekly shopping routine. So, if you live in New York City, you can find local, organic and fresh food easily here at the market, in fact there are green markets all around the city. Look these up in your own hometown, frequent them, meet your farmers and connect to your food!

Jet Lag for Food?

1,500 miles: that is the average number of miles your food travels from farm to plate. Eat Local! It's up to you to check the label, shop where you know they serve local produce and products and ASK questions when you're shopping.

While I am writing this, I have CNN on TV and they just began a news spot discusing how much oil is used to transport food/goods across the country and all over the country. All of those trucks bringing you out of season fruit whenever you want (that for some reason doesn't always taste as good as when it's fresh) are guzzling a lot of gas! Think twice before you support that industry.

For a great short film about this go to www.youtube.com and search 'Watch Your Odometer' in the search box and click on the first image that comes up calleed 'Watch Your (Fo)Odmeter. Tell me what you think, I loved the simplicity of it and the great message.

(Image:www.dot.ca.gov)

Website Spotlight: www.EatWellGuide.Org

Website Spotlight: EatWellGuide
You may have noticed a new green box on the bottom of Urban Branches where you can type in your zip code. Go ahead, you can stop reading to try it….
Ok, now that you’re back…you typed in your zip code you got to a page where you can select to see all of the food related organizations results. Those results are a well selected list of co-ops, butchers, farmers, restaurants, organizations, bakers, caterers, personal chefs, stores and online shops that cater to the sustainable, organic and local food markets. The site stresses their commitment to finding food vendors that don’t use hormones, antibiotics and is produced in ways that is healthy to the animals, the farmers/producers and the environment. All so you can live healthier and happier. How nice are they!

The sites additional resources include a ‘Hormone Free Dairy Map’ where you can find products sold in your state as well as the ‘Seasonal Food Guide’ to find out what’s grown in season in your state, making eating fresh that much more of a no brainer!
You can also add vendors that they will review and put up on their site.

They are partnered with SustainableTable which is a site I will review next. Stay tuned, but in the meantime, type that zip code in if you haven’t already…Stay tuned, but in the meantime, type that zip code in if you haven’t already…

www.eatwellguide.org

Definition: Locavore

Locavore- a person who tries to consume food grown, produced, processed (if needed) and distributed within a 100-mile radius. By doing this the consumer supports local agriculture and/or businesses and cuts down on the travel time thus cutting out the large amounts of fuel used to ship, drive or fly food around the country and around the world.
You can take part in this movement by purchasing locally produced goods, frequenting farmers markets, joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) that delivers you local farmed produce, dairy and sometimes flowers and eating what’s in season and grown locally (eating strawberries in December might be yummy, but I can bet they were shipped or flown in from far away where weather conditions allow them to grow during winter).

Locavore the word is said to have been coined in 2005 by a small group of women in San Francisco. Oxford American Dictionary declared ‘Locavore’ the Word of the Year last year! Yay!

So, find out what your state and cities around you produce locally, support those businesses and bam, you can call yourself a locavore! Easy as pie (made with locally and organically grown fruits of course!)

Go to www.localharvest.org and type in your zip code, state or city to find out what is available near you! Great site full of information! (Image:images.jupiterimages.com)