The feature story this week is on the "greening" of Chicago, with farmers' markets returning to new locations with sustainable produce. The Tribune shares some tips for shopping at the farmers' market, as well as recipes from cookbooks that focus on market fresh produce: Scallops with three peas and prosciutto from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes, Savory mashed potatoes with garden herbs from Rosalind Creasy's Recipes from the Garden, Butter Lettuce Salad from Fresh, and Watercress, snow pea and shiitake mushroom stir-fry from The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally.
Here at Slashfood we occasionally provide you with "green" information, whether that's an alarming statistic about how much energy it requires to get your food to your table or a new eco-friendly food or kitchen product. If, however, you are interested in going all out and want all the information in one place, kitchen appliance manufacturer Sub-Zero (and Wolf) have launched a website for just that.
Granted, GrowAGreenKitchen.com is a microsite on their own manufacturer's site, so it can be construed as marketing, but still, the information is there. The site is divided into three main sections: energy, construction, and everyday tips, all intended for consumers, builders and kitchen enthusiasts alike. Likely, you aren't going to tear out your old kitchen right now just to build a brand new one, but the every day tips could help you help the environment.
We don't know why we're feeling especially green this weekend, but we were tickled when we came across news that Safeway, the nation's third-largest grocer, announced that it will convert its entire fleet of trucks to run on biodiesel. This will reduce Safeway's carbon emissions by 75 millions pounds each year.
The move is just another step in the grocery chain's full-scale initiative that executives call their "green energy tree." The program includes recycling, energy efficiency, and using sustainable sources of fuel like solar power in stores and now, biodiesel based on soy in their 1,000 trucks.
If you pay any attention at all to celebrities or fashion or celebrity fashion, then you might know something about Anya Hindmarch's "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" bag that created quite a mad rush when they hit US stores. Many designers took advantage of the cheeky eco message, some simply creating more re-usable shopping bags, and others taking and tweaking the "I'm not a ___" message, like Decor Craft Inc., which has created the "I Am Not a Paper Cup" cup. Naturally, coffee mugs are reusable, but DCi's "I Am Not a Paper Cup" reminds coffee drinkers that even when taking coffee to go, you can help the eco cause by not using the disposable paper cups that will end up in landfill somewhere. The cups are porcelain with a silicone lid
There really isn't anything that special about this following list of recipes for vodka cocktails, other than the eco-inspired names and the fact that they are made with 360 Vodka, a brand new, environmentally friendly premium vodka. 360 Vodka is made entirely from American grain and bottled using 85% recycled glass and biodegradable packaging. The manufacturer, McCormick, is setting aside $1 for every 360 Vodka bottle closure returned through its unique "360 Close the Loop" program that will allow it to support recognized environmental organizations. Recipes for Green Princess, Green-tini, Enviromintz, Green House Gas, and Eco-tini after the jump:
Of course we know that Earth day should be every day, but sometimes a special day like Earth Day, which is Sunday, April 22, is a good reminder to take good care of this planet on which we live.
One way to do that, aside from choosing earth-friendly chocolate when indulging, is by using bamboo kitchenware. Bamboo is a plant that grows quickly, which means it is highly renewable, which means it works for sustainable living. Anything in your kitchen or on your dining table that is plain old "wood," you can switch to bamboo -- serving trays, salad bowls, dinner plates, and cutting boards. And what a lovely thing that bamboo looks so pretty, too.
Everyone needs to grocery shop at some point, fueling the continuing desire to live, even if you're not a big fan of
doing your own cooking. Grocery stores have their own standards for packing bags based upon how to enable your foods to
travel well: cold items with cold items, produce in one bag, don't cram too much in. The last rule is the one that gets
tricky because sometimes it seems like you end up with 10 bags for 10 items when you're leaving the store. It could be
more, if some of the plastic ones are doubled-bagged. Recycling the paper and plastic bags is an excellent idea, but
switching to canvas grocery bags is an even better one. They are reusable, so they help cut down on waste, and many
stores will even give you a per-bag discount for bringing them in! The bags can be purchased at many supermarkets, as
well as being available online, and will pay for themselves in a few uses. They
usually cost from $7-12.
The feature story this week is on the "greening" of Chicago, with farmers' markets returning to new locations with sustainable produce. The Tribune shares some tips for shopping at the farmers' market, as well as recipes from cookbooks that focus on market fresh produce: Scallops with three peas and prosciutto from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes, Savory mashed potatoes with garden herbs from Rosalind Creasy's Recipes from the Garden, Butter Lettuce Salad from Fresh, and Watercress, snow pea and shiitake mushroom stir-fry from The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally.
We don't know why we're feeling especially green this weekend, but we were tickled when we came across news that Safeway, the nation's third-largest grocer, announced that it will convert its entire fleet of trucks to run on biodiesel. This will reduce Safeway's carbon emissions by 75 millions pounds each year. 
Everyone needs to grocery shop at some point, fueling the continuing desire to live, even if you're not a big fan of
doing your own cooking. Grocery stores have their own standards for packing bags based upon how to enable your foods to
travel well: cold items with cold items, produce in one bag, don't cram too much in. The last rule is the one that gets
tricky because sometimes it seems like you end up with 10 bags for 10 items when you're leaving the store. It could be
more, if some of the plastic ones are doubled-bagged. Recycling the paper and plastic bags is an excellent idea, but
switching to canvas grocery bags is an even better one. They are reusable, so they help cut down on waste, and many
stores will even give you a per-bag discount for bringing them in! The bags can be purchased at many supermarkets, as
well as being 
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
Morbid thoughts? Have a cookie
