Become a Kid at the Natural Candy Store

Getting lost in the sugary enchantment of the first 100% natural candy store is quite easy with an assortment of hard candy, chocolate, and other treats that tickle your sweet tooth with organic, fair-trade, vegan, and natural ingredients. Explore the Natural Candy Store and you'll find all-natural breath mints made from organic crystallized cane juice, organic Vermont maple syrup, and chai tea. The candy store also offers a fascinating collection of international delights. Click further to see vegan marshmallows, fair trade chocolate sauce, and natural herbal licorice candy. Become a kid in the candy store and explore the sweet treats and benefits of a family-run green business that provides the largest selection of natural and organic candy. The Natural Candy Store actively seeks out recycled and biodegradable supplies, such as using home-compostable cellophane bags to package their bulk candy. They also support fair-trade practices and businesses. A few sweet standouts include: Turkish Delight Awaken your taste buds with a variety of interesting selections of Turkish Delight – a jelly-like confection comprised of starch, sugar, and other natural ingredients. Indulge in the taste of Manuka Honey (from New Zealand) and Rainforest Lemon Turkish Delight made with vegan sugar, wheat starch, manuka honey, and lemon myrtle oil. The Natural Candy Store also offers the following exotic Turkish delight flavors: Licorice, Pomegranate, Honey and Hazelnut, Citrus, Rose, and Christmas – a blend of holiday spices and orange peel. Organic Jellybeans Made in the USA, Surf Sweets produces a mix of USDA certified organic jellybeans consisting of organic evaporated cane juice, organic tapioca syrup, organic grape juice concentrate, and other natural flavors. While the jellybeans are considered vegetarian, they may not completely satisfy vegan expectations due to the confectioner's glaze. Comes in five flavors: Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange, Cherry and Grape. Organic Fruit Lollipops Mix Pure Fun is a new company responsible for churning out a deliciously satisfying line of organic hard candy, including an assortment of colorful, tasty lollipops. With about 70 individually wrapped pieces per pound, you'll enjoy bursts of lemon, green apple, watermelon, tangerine, and pomegranate in their USDA certified organic lollipops made with organic evaporated cane juice, organic rice syrup, natural coloring and flavors. French Candy The Natural Candy Store offers exotic delights, including a handful of French sweets like the Montelimar Nougat Bar (made by Arnaud Soubeyran), which offers French honey nougat styled in a soft confection. Arnaud Soubeyran has a reputation for making delicious nougat since 1837 using Provence almonds and honey from the Alps to produce the highest quality. Ingredients include lavender honey, pistachios, and natural vanilla aroma. The Natural Candy Store also offers Arnaud Soubeyran's Calissons de Provence – traditional marzipan-like confections from Provence with a slightly chewy texture. One box includes 12 candied Cavaillon melon pieces mixed with whole almonds, sugar, and a hint of orange rind. Fudge Sea Salt Caramel Crumbly Fudge (made by Burnt Sugar) is a fairly new treat offering a blend of sweet and saltiness. Take care in knowing that this English-style crumbly fudge contains fair trade golden sugar, golden syrup, whole milk powder, and clotted cream. When purchasing this fudge, you support the Kasinthula co-operative in Malawi, which grows the unrefined, fair-trade certified sugar. Another fudgy option comes from Earth's Sweet Treasures – considered one of the first options in 100% USDA certified organic fudge. This traditional chocolate-walnut blend takes full advantage of fine organic ingredients (like vanilla and marshmallow crème) and fair trade chocolate. Toffee Elaine's Toffee Company uses a family recipe to create a flavorful Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee made in the USA. Dark chocolate coats buttery almond toffee with a dusting of crushed pecans. Crunchy and tender all at the same time, you'd swear Grandma made it. Burnt Sugar also offers their Squidgy Toffees at the Natural Candy Store, which supply a delicious mix of unrefined fair-trade sugars heightened with a hint of balsamic vinegar. Image Credits: Natural Candy Store

The Wonderful World of Cheese

There are few things I find more enjoyable than cheese. Be it melted or cold, by itself or incorporated into a dish, I consider cheese to be the utmost in culinary delight. When it comes to which variety or brand of cheese to eat, however, the choices can be complex. Cheese can come from cows, goats, buffalo, or sheep. Some varieties of cheese are more or less energy intensive, and some farms even make organic cheese. While I consider all cheese to be good, having an environmentally sound cheese can make it truly great. I therefore hope to provide a slice of guidance on how to find eco-conscious, delectable cheese. Food Miles The easiest and perhaps most effective way of making eco-conscious decisions about cheese depends on the location of origin. Knowing your approximate distance from different locations can help you determine how far your block of cheese traveled to reach you. While there are some specific regions in the United States—such as Vermont, Wisconsin, and California—that are well known for their cheeses, a local version might be just as delightful. If the above are your only choices for cheese decisions, however, it is very important to know which one of these national cheese havens is closest to you. The closer the origin, the less fuel used in transport. If you cannot find cheese produced in your state at your grocery store, a local farmer’s market might be the place to find it. Many farmers make their own cheese and bring it to sell. This fresh cheese can be some of the most delicious and most environmentally sound. The Organic Option Organic cheese is another way to be environmental about your delicious decisions. Organic cheeses are those that have many specific features, including:

• all organic animal feed, meaning produced without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or genetically modified grain
• no antibiotics are given to the milk producing animals
• beyond milk, all other ingredients of the cheese must be organically produced

These tight restrictions can yield very delicious cheese from organic farms. Some farms will go beyond organic, offering cheese from grass-fed animals or from animals that live in a free-range environment. These practiced are in place to ensure that the cheese-producing animals are treated well. And so, organic cheese is a good option for great tasting and environmentally friendly cheese. Energy Intense Varieties Cheese.com provides a great deal of information about cheese, including which varieties take more energy to make. Generally, the rule of thumb to follow is the softer the cheese, the less energy use. This rule means very soft cheeses such as ricotta, cottage, and cream cheese the least energy intensive (and consequently the easiest to make at home if you so desire). Those with a bloomy or white rind such as brie or camembert require more energy, and even more for “washed-rind cheeses” which generally have a orange or yellow colored soft rind. Pressed, uncooked cheeses such as cheddar are often considered “semi-hard” and require a more intensive process of coagulation. The pressed, cooked cheeses such as Parmesan are generally known as the hard cheese and require even more energy in the cooking process. The major exception to the softest to hardest rule of thumb is that of processed cheese such as American. Processed cheese is made by taking a previous forms of cheese, often the pressed cooked or uncooked, and melting it down. The manufacturers then add a variety of different ingredients at high temperatures, stretch it out, slice it, and package the cheese. Processed cheese is, probably unsurprisingly, the least eco-conscious variety. So, the next time you peruse the cheese isle or explore the farmer’s market coolers for a delicious luxurious treat, I hope you will consider these tips to keep your enjoyment of cheese environmentally sound. Image Credit: IGourmet.com, The Sun Blog, Artisanal Cheese, Vivant Fine Cheese

Renewable Resource Alert: 10 Facts About Hemp

In an ongoing fight to shake a bad reputation, hemp is successfully reclaiming its identity as a renewable, sustainable resource with a wide-range of possibilities. An increasing number of people no longer associate hemp with the mood-enhancing drug marijuana and are aware of the many benefits to cultivating industrial hemp, which produces a versatile fiber and oil found in many new products on the market. In this post, explore the ins and outs of hemp and some of the ways you may experience its potential. 1) Completely natural product. Despite millions of wild hemp plants currently calling the United States their home, marijuana laws prevent farmers from making a living off of the same plant – even though the low THC content isn’t enough to classify it as an illegal drug. 2) Pesticide and herbicide-free. When compared to cotton, no need to worry about harmful pesticides and herbicides tainting the healthiness of your hemp products. 50% of the herbicides and pesticides used in the world are connected to cotton production. Each year, just 1 acre of hemp will generate as much fiber as 2 to 3 acres of cotton. Interestingly, hemp fibers are stronger and softer than cotton. They last twice as long and do not mildew. 3) Body care. From lip balm to healing salve, the lack of chemicals used during growth and production if hemp certainly comes in handy when making body care products. Many of the products contain hemp seed oil, which offers a high amount of essential fatty acids (EFA) and delivers a healthy dose of nutrients to your skin and hair. For example, use hemp seed oil salve to treat rashes, poison ivy and oak, wounds, burns, and dry skin. 4) Save a tree. No offense to trees, but the quality of hemp paper surpasses tree-based paper. It will last hundreds of years without degrading and continues a recyclable life far longer than tree-based paper. During the manufacturing process, less toxic chemicals are used. Hemp also produces stronger and lighter fiberboard. Replace our current fiberboard with a hemp alternative and we can save our forests. 5) Nutritious foods. Soybean protein is good, but the more nutritious and economical hemp seeds contain a protein that easily transforms into veggie burgers, cheese, pasta, butter, salad dressings, ice cream, and even milk. Ground the hemp seed (which does not produce intoxicating effects) to create baked goods, including cookies, breads, and other products like Hempzels Hemp Sourdough Pretzels – a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch hard variety consisting of shelled hemp seed and unbleached winter wheat flour. 6) Clean-burning fuel. Following in the footsteps of corn, hemp easily converts into clean-burning ethanol fuel and has the potential to become a major player in the world of transportation. With the ability to grow in an extensive number of locations and climates, hemp plants could become the future of ethanol fuel. 7) You trust your Presidents, right? Praise for the hemp plant came from none other than our earliest presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who grew and used hemp products. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper and Benjamin Franklin owned a mill that produced hemp paper. 8) Hemp housing. Mix the THC-free woody inner core of the Cannabis plant and you have an eco-friendly material for housing construction. The plant absorbs silica from surrounding soil and when combined with unslaked lime – a chemical bond takes place. The result is comparable to cement that is not only waterproof, but also resistant to fire. 9) Worldwide connections. In the past, the Soviet Union held the honors of largest hemp producer between the 1950s and 1980s. Other significant hemp producing countries include China, Hungary, the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland, France, and Italy. During the 1990s, Canada, United Kingdom, and Germany advanced their commercial production interests. In Britain, hemp serves as bedding for horses. Germany transforms the fiber into composite automotive panels. Food products, cosmetics, and textile grade fibers top the list for the most popular uses for hemp fibers. 10) Versatility. The number of products associated with the hemp plant is more than 25,000… and counting. Just some of the selections that take advantage of the wide-ranging properties of hemp, include:

• Hemp dog collars and leashes
• Hemp chew toys for pets
• Hemp rope for jewelry making
• Hemp guitar straps
• Hemp wallets

Sources: Hemp Basics; North American Industrial Hemp Council Image Credits: The Body Shop

Dolce Vita Diaries - The Story of Nudo Olive Oil

We here at the Green Connoisseur are big fans of Nudo Olive Oil. There's just so much to like about the business, from its delicious flavors to its innovative production model. Recently, founder Jason Biggs got in touch to remind us of an exciting development that's taken place since they were featured on the website - they've published a book! The Dolce Vita Diaries, by Jason and co-founder Cathy Rogers, describes their adventures as they left careers in London to start an olive farm in Italy: "It's a very funny, deliciously different foodie travelogue about the trials and tribulations of setting up a olive oil business in rural Italy. It's a warts-and-all account of what it's really like to throw it all in, follow your dream and end up in the middle of a European nowhere untouched by modernity. At the end of each chapter are delicious recipes which we used along the way." I haven't seen the book yet, but it sounds like a great summer read. The recipes in particular should come in handy for anyone who's expecting a shipment of oil from an adopted olive tree!

Locavore 1.0 iPhone App

Rejoice, locavores, because there is now an iPhone application just for you! Locavore 1.0, developed by Buster McLeod, is actually a suite of related digital services that promote and simplify the idea of eating mostly local, seasonal foods. The program uses GPS technology to determine the user's location and recommend foods that are currently in season, as well as those that will soon be in season in that area. In addition, Locavore connects users with recipes (from Epicurious) and Wikipedia information on the 234 types of produce in its database, and lets them know where to purchase local produce at the nearest farmers' markets. Locavore 1.0 works on iPhones and the iPod Touch, and can be used anywhere in the United States. The program costs $2.99 for the first 1000 users at the iTunes App store.

Got Juice? Exotic Flavors, All-Natural Goodness - Bolthouse Farms Does!

I'm always on the lookout for new organic and natural products, especially while shopping at my regular grocery store.  Last week, I picked up a couple bottles of juice from Bolthouse Farms when I noticed them on sale.

Bolthouse Farms Juices are not organic, but they are all-natural and the taste and variety are rather addictive!  After browsing the product selection online, I'm a bit disappointed with my local selection but I do plan to look for their new yogurt-based dressings the next time I shop.  

I tried out the Mango Lemonade - it's definitely a drink to fall in love with!  The fresh taste of southern lemonade is pleasantly sweetened with the hint of exotic mango flavor.  A Berry Boost Smoothie was my husband's pick.  Made with 5 different berries, apple juice, and bananas, this drink was equally delicious.  I'm also wanting to try the strawberry-banana smoothie and the mocha cappuccino protein drink.

About Bolthouse Farms 

William Bolthouse began Bolthouse Farms in 1915 in Michigan.  By the 1950's, the farm was supplying leading food manufacturers and restaurants with fresh produce for their own products.  Carrots became one of the farms most popular crops and in 1972, the company relocated to sunny California where their high-demand carrots could be grown year round.  

Today, Bolthouse Farms harvests acres of carrots every single day, operating a variety of processing, packaging, and bottling facilities in the Bakersfield, CA area.  An acacia berry farm is also owned and operated by the Bolthouse family, located in Belem, Brazil.  

Environmental Responsibility

While the crops at Bolthouse Farms may not be organically grown, the company values both social and environmental responsibility.  

• All products boast recyclable packaging.
• Solar panels generate the power needed to irrigate fields.
• High speed rail transports products from Bakersfield to Chicago, reducing carbon emissions drastically compared to truck delivery.
• Spray Safe pesticide techniques are used to minimize the harm pest prevention can have on people and foods. 
• Great care is given to the nutritional value of every product, from growing to packaging.

I highly recommend trying a Bolthouse Farms juice when you have the chance!  Let us know your favorite flavors in the comments and take the time to visit the recipes section of the website for some excellent smoothie and carrot dish ideas.

Photos via BolthouseFarms.com

Winter Delicacies

It's easy to get excited about eating seasonally in June, when the strawberries are starting to ripen, or in August when you're inundated with seasonal bounty. But when January, February, and even March roll around, you may begin to wonder what you've gotten yourself into. Seasonal eaters, take heart! Though you may have to search a little harder, there are plenty of winter delicacies that are perfectly appropriate to the season. Winter Produce - Hearty vegetables like carrots, cabbage, leeks and onions can help keep you warm through the cold months. Winter squash, including the acorn and butternut varieties, are a special treat this season, and can be baked alone with butter, brown sugar and salt for a simple and filling meal. Potatoes and yams are also a reasonable choice. Winter fruits include pears and tangerines (and their close relatives, clementines). It's also a reasonable time to buy tropical fruit, especially if you need a blast of summer, since it's generally shipped quite far regardless of the season. Apples are slightly past their peak, but still quite good in many locations. Dried and Preserved Foods - Winter is a great time of year to eat nuts, dried fruits, pickles, preserves, sausage, and canned produce from your garden. With these foods, a little often goes a long way to add some interest to a dish. Delicacies that fall into this category also include aged cheeses and alcoholic beverages, which are appropriate at any time of year. Seasonal Meats - For omnivores, beef and pork are traditional cool-weather meats, and wild ducks and geese are in season if you can find them. Bread and Cakes - There are few things cozier than spending an afternoon baking bread or pastries, and grains are a good hearty food for the winter. Maintain your own sourdough culture, use a bread machine, try the book Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day, or buy frozen dough to bake at home -- it's hard to go wrong with fresh bread, cake or cookies. Soups and Hot Drinks - Keeping a soup or stew simmering on the stove smells great, builds up complex layers of flavor, and even helps humidify your kitchen. Mulled cider, hot chocolate, and hot carob are all simple, welcome treats at the end of a snowy day. Spices - Whatever you're cooking, spice it up. Spices gently increase your circulation and metabolism, helping you feel warm and energetic. From curry to cloves, they also add a festive and flavorful touch to the simple but hearty foods that are the staples of the winter season.

Vegan Tofu-Nut (Cheese) Ball

If you're looking for a festive snack suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike, try this take on the traditional holiday cheese ball. It's not exactly like cheese, but I've never had any complaints. 1 block extra firm, refrigerated tofu (not silken) 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes 1 cup cashews and/or almonds 1 cup whole pecans 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon cider vinegar 1 teaspoon salt Grind the cashews and/or almonds as finely as possible in a food processor. Add the tofu, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic powder, lemon juice, vinegar and salt, and blend until well combined. Chop the pecans roughly and spread on a plate or cutting board. Form the tofu-nut paste into a ball or log, and roll in the pecans until the outside is thoroughly coated. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Variation: add a small splash of red wine or a few drops of liquid smoke during the blending phase for a slightly different flavor. Note: nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast cultured on molasses. It is frequently used in vegan recipes because it has a somewhat cheesy flavor, and is often supplemented with vitamin B12. Nutritional yeast flakes can be found at almost any health food store.

Vegetarians, Vegans and Thanksgiving

When faced for the first time with the prospect of preparing Thanksgiving dinner as a vegan or vegetarian (or for vegan or vegetarian guests), many people feel slightly overwhelmed. After all, preparing a regular Thanksgiving dinner is daunting enough - or so conventional wisdom would have you believe. When you think about it a bit more, however, this problem is almost as odd as the common question, "What do vegetarians eat, anyway?" Considering that Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrating the (vegetarian) harvest, the question of which Thanksgiving foods are inappropriate is actually much easier to consider. The answer, of course, is Turkey, and anything with Turkey in it. While most vegetarians or vegans would be very happy with a traditional selection of vegetable "side" dishes, there are some entree options you should consider. The ubiquitous Tofurkey may sound a little funny, but it's actually quite delicious if you or your guests enjoy meat substitutes. If you're looking for a slightly more elegant solution, this pumpkin stuffed with wild rice sounds unique, seasonal and appetizing. When it comes to side dishes, most standards can be suitable for both vegans and vegetarians, provided that they are not prepared with turkey broth or baked in the turkey (or, in the case of vegans, prepared with milk, cream, butter, cheese, eggs, or honey). When you shop for your dinner, make sure to pick up some soy milk and creamer (or oat milk if you are concerned about soy), vegetable broth or vegetarian "chicken" broth, and non-hydrogenated soy margarine such as Earth Balance. You can easily substitute these ingredients into most recipes with little change in flavor. On the other hand, if you prefer to stick with whole ingredients, just use a good olive oil instead of butter to dip bread, enrich mashed potatoes, and top vegetable dishes. When it comes to dessert, most choices are suitable for vegetarians. For vegans, consider an apple pie prepared with oil or soy margarine instead of butter, or try a tofu pumpkin pie if you're feeling adventurous. Of course, vegetarians and vegans all have their own standards and preferences, so for the last word in meal planning, check with your own family and guests. (Creative Commons photo by Alice Popkorn)