For years now, I've been hearing about the Fancy Food Show. I'd see clips of it on the Food Network, or read about it in the New York Times, until this week, it had never been something I got to experience personally. And now that I've lived through my first one, I'm struggling to find a way to write about it.

You see, it's a big event. Thousands of people are there, selling, buying, tasting and sipping. I only sampled a fraction of the available goods and by the end of each day all I wanted was a crunchy green salad to serve as a simple foil to all the chocolate, cheese, cookies, crackers, salsas, jams and gourmet popcorn I had munched.

I discovered that herbal flavors are the New! Big! Thing! in sweets, beverages and vinaigrettes, so expect to see lots rosemary, lavender and mint in both sweet and savory items going forward. Another popular flavor combination I encountered was Pear-Ginger. It is a lovely marriage and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it on the store shelves. My gluten-free friends will be happy to hear that lots of companies are working on producing the best in gluten-free cookies, crackers and breads (I'll have more specifics in another post). And lastly, everyone is looking for a way to make their products more natural, organic and artisanal.

I'll have more on the show soon, including specific products that I loved. I'm still working my way through a lot of the samples I brought home with me (the image above is my coffee table after I unpacked my suitcase). Don't forget to check out Kat's Day One Favorites!

Sister site Green Daily has a great new feature: the Sustainability Series is composed of several videos about production and consumption of organic food in America. GD contributor Alexia Prichard interviews several people in the environmental and sustainable food sectors in order to uncover some oft-unknown details about organic and "natural" foods. They're full of depressing facts, like that most food travels, on average, 2500 miles before we get to eat it.

Prichard acknowledges that the USDA organic regulation system is a confusing one, and that most consumers - even otherwise environmentally-conscious ones - are frustrated and baffled by the labels emblazoned on their food. "Organic," "free range," and "natural" are terms that we once thought we understood, but that now take on entirely different meanings within the confines of the USDA's rules.

Learn about "re-localizing" your diet and how to overcome challenges that keep you from getting the healthiest, most local food you can.

Larabar specializes in making healthy, delicious snack bars from a blend of fruits, nuts and spices. Their energy bars are completely unprocessed, uncooked, non GMA, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan and kosher - and despite their simple makeup (each has less than six ingredients) they taste great thanks to the natural sweetness of the high-quality ingredients that they use.

Last year, they added Lemon Bar and Cinnamon Roll to their lineup of bars, bringing the total number of bars in the line to ten for a few months, but the reaction was so positive that they just announced that another pair of new flavors are being launched on March 5th: Key Lime Pie and Pistachio. Hopefully, the Key Lime Pie will have the same bright, almost juicy flavor that the excellent Lemon Bar does.

The other recent addition to Larabar's offerings is the Jocalat line. Jocalat has evolved from the Maya bars that the company was offering last year and are a more candy-like product than the standard Larabars because they use fair trade certified organic chocolate in each one, in addition to their standard fruits and nuts. The bars are available in Chocolate, Chocolate Orange, Chocolate Coffee and Chocolate Mint (the coffee is my favorite) and each has just 190 calories, in addition to being entirely organic, high in fiber, protein, good fats and antioxidants.

Stop what you're doing. Kraft is about to revolutionize the cheese industry with - are you ready? - parmesan cheese that comes in a ready-to-grate block form.

Shocking, I know.

The product, called Kraft Grate-It-Fresh Natural Parmesan Cheese, was actually first introduced last year at the 2006 Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Supermarket Convention, and was available at some east coast distributors as of last November. Now, much to the chagrin of those who like their parmesan cheese to be fresh and not prepackaged, it is now nationally available.

The "natural" cheese block is packed inside a disposable, plastic grater that utilizes a "clockwise twisting motion [to keep] the cheese in place" until ready to use. Kraft is promoting it as the perfect way "to bring the restaurant experience home... without the hassle of pulling out your grater." It is aimed at those who are looking to shave off those three seconds it takes to get out your own grater (a kitchen gadget that is so inexpensive and so handy that even dorm-dwelling college students own them) and use it with a fresh chunk of parmesan.

Kate, the Accidental Hedonist, noted the same thing when she reviewed this product just after its initial introduction and was not a fan. Others, however, liked its convenience and child-friendly usability, so there appears to be a market for the product. In the long run, a cheese grater (nondisposable) will run you less than $10. You can buy the Grate-It-Fresh in a 7oz. size for $4.99 and you'll have to pay for that disposable grater every time - and you'll still have to have a regular cheese grater at home for other uses.

If you check out the labels on natural food products, you'll see agave syrup listed as an ingredient more and more often. Agave syrup - sometimes called agave nectar - is a natural sweetener that is marketed as a healthy alternative to processed sugars, as well as an alternative to honey, corn syrup and similar liquid sweeteners. The syrup is made from blue agave, a type of succulent, cactus-like plant that is also used in the production of tequila. The thick liquid comes in light and dark forms, the latter being unfiltered, and tastes similar to honey.

So what makes this syrup "healthier" than other sweeteners? It has a very low Glycemic Index (GI) value, so although it is noticeably sweeter than sugar, it doesn't cause the same type of "sugar rush" that other sweets do. Table sugar has a GI value of 68, on a scale from 1 to 100, while honey comes in at 55. Agave syrup has a value of around 15.

Agave syrup can be used in baked goods, with a reduction in the amount of liquid in the recipe to account for its presence. Starting with a recipe that already calls for honey and substituting it in is a good way to start, but as a general rule, you'll will need to spend some time playing around with your favorite recipes to get them to work, especially if you want to substitute it into a recipe that calls for crystallized sugars. The syrup will dissolve easily in liquids and is a good choice for sweetening iced tea or lemonade.

All it takes to enjoy caramel is a sweet tooth and, fortunately, I happen to have a large one. I say fortunately, because that sweet tooth is what prompted me to try Caramoo caramels at the SF Winter Fancy Foods Show this weekend. The all-natural caramels are loaded with European butter and full-cream milk, hand made in small batches and individually wrapped. They have the unusual property of being delicate and crumbly, so that with each bite the candies almost seem to dissolve on your tongue. It is a sharp contrast to the very commonly found chewy caramels, but a welcome one, as each buttery candy is incredibly satisfying. They come in original and honey flavors. The latter clearly tastes like honey, but I happened to have a slight preference for the classically flavored original.

The company also stocks Caramoo Creme Fudge in Chocolate, Vanilla and Mocha, each of which starts with the same caramel base as the original caramels and ends with a product that is light, creamy and delicious.

Most of the candies seem to be heading towards wholesalers at the moment, but you can easily place an individual order on the company's website.

The strawberry milk that is sold by Horizon Organics is white, unlike the pink strawberry milks sold by some of its competitors. The company is having a hard time finding a natural, organic coloring to give it the familiar color that consumers associate with strawberry-flavored milk.

And they are not alone.

For a company to use the "USDA Organic" label, the ingredients must be organic and the colorings must be natural. The colorings must be from organic ingredients for a product to claim that it is 100% organic. Fresh produce and other products don't usually have issues with colorings, but other organic products do, which can give them a disadvantage in the marketplace because consumers expect their food items to look a certain way. Strawberry milk, for example, is generally a shade of pink.

So organic food processors are looking for natural plant sources that will produce the colors they want and trying to encourage farmers to produce organic versions. Beets are used for red, carrots for orange and turmeric for yellow in many products, but many categories are left without coloring. To help alleviate the problem and not put organics at a disadvantage, the National Organic Standards Board is planning to meet this spring "to devise a precise list of natural colors that can be used in organic foods until organic colors are commercially available."

The words "all natural" on the packaging of Capri Sun juice drinks have prompted a Florida woman to file a lawsuit against Kraft Foods, Inc., the drink's producer, the Associated Press reported. Assisted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Linda Rex of Boynton Beach, Fla., claims that the inclusion of high fructose corn syrup is what makes the drink in the little silver pouch less than "all natural." You might remember the CSPI from when they filed and then withdrew lawsuits against Kentucky Fried Chicken over trans-fat use last year, or for their similar actions against Starbucks. A recent press release from CSPI points out that the organization has also challenged 7UP's use of the word "natural." A statement from Kraft says that the "all natural" label was already on the way out and will soon be replaced with packaging that claims "no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives,'' the AP reported. CSPI's always-witty executive director Michael Jacobson, coiner of phrases such as "venti-sized health problems" and "Kentucky Fried coronary," said HCFS "would more accurately be called 'Fresh from the Factory.'"

I have had good luck when I have tried my hand at making dairy-free ice creams in the past, so the idea of a whole cookbook devoted to them is appealing, if for no other reason than it would expand my dessert horizons. Vice Cream: Over 70 Sinfully Delicious Dairy-Free Delights is full of wonderfully creamy and creative desserts that are all vegan and suitable for anyone with lactose/dairy intolerance. There is even a selection of completely raw recipes, which you probably won't find anywhere else.

Many cookbooks that focus on specific dietary requirements also cast an eye towards health conscious recipes, which is not the priority in this book. The recipes here are intended to be at least as rich as "real" ice cream and just as satisfying by using ingredients like maple syrup, agave nectar, peanut butter, raw cashews and fresh fruits. The Vice Cream lineup features Chocolate Chip, Mint Carob Chip, Strawberry, Blueberry, Black Forest, Peanut Butter and Apple Strudel. The majority of the recipes are easy to prepare and have short ingredient lists, but you will definitely need an ice cream maker and something to blend all the vice cream bases together, like a food processor or blender. Top each serving of the finished product off with one of the topping recipes at the back of the book and you will have a dessert worthy of the description "sinfully delicious"

I am always looking for alternative sweeteners to my standby, pure cane sugar. I really love the taste of maple syrup and jumped up and down in my chair when I just heard about Equinox Organic Maple Flakes with a teaspoon having half the calories of a teaspoon of sugar. Made in Quebec, Canada; Equinox Organic Maple Flakes are 100% pure, kosher, organic maple syrup that has been freeze dried at an extremely low temperature and made into small flakes. It dissolves fast, is sweet, and adds that great maple flavor as well. Suggestions for use are on pancakes, waffles, French toast; as well as in coffee, tea or hot chocolate. anywhere you would use sugar you can use maple flakes. Also they are great to use in a maple glaze for salmon or chicken, or you could just sprinkle them on top of fish and poultry, along with some other spices, and broil, for a quick and easy maple coated dish.

Equinox Maple Flakes come in regular maple and cranberry maple flavors in 4 oz. containers, and they also have an attractive Maple Flake Mill, pre-filled with 2.5 oz. of flakes so you can grind the flakes into a fine powder in the kitchen or at the table. So if you feel like a little luxury and a boost of maple taste try these maple flakes.They sound good to me. They are just launching in the United States and are available at Food Emporium in New York. As I find out any more info I will update this post.

Oregon Chai has two seasonal holiday Chai products, Chai Cider and Chai Nog. Both are made with natural and organic ingredients, spices, etc. You just pour the concentrate into a pot or mug, add an equal part of water or milk, and serve hot or cold.

The Chai Cider is a crisp and tasty blend of apple cider, black tea, honey, vanilla, ginger, and other Chai spices. The company recommends you try it plain or with whipped cream and caramel syrup for a super tasting treat.

The Chai Nog is dairy and egg free for those of you who have less than an omnivore nature, and are looking for holiday drink alternatives. It also contains black tea, honey, vanilla, ginger, and Chai spices. Since it was introduced six years ago it has become the #1 bestselling Chai during the holiday season. here's a great review from The Road blog, who is an obvious Chai Head.

If you can't find the products in a store near you they sell them online for your convenience. The one quart containers retail for $5.49, but I have seen them for much less in stores.

In a bid to compete with Coca Cola's Odwalla line of smoothies and vitamin-fortified fruit drinks, which the company acquired in 2001, Pepsi has bought the company Naked Juice. Naked Juice offers a line of more than 20 different juices, juice blends and smoothies, all of which are 100% natural and free from added sugars, preservatives and artificial colorings. A privately held company, their annual revenue is about $150 million, which has led financial analysts to speculate Pepsi probably paid around $450 million for Naked Juice, although the terms of the sale were not disclosed. Naked Juice will benefit from this new partnership by gaining access to more retailers and a much bigger marketing department, which they will be able to take advantage of to promote their "super premium" juices, raising their brand awareness for health and wellness conscious consumers.

Stevia is not a sweetener that is approved for use by the FDA. It is actually classified as a dietary supplement, an herb, that happens to be sweeter than sugar and can be - and is - used as a sweetener. It is all natural, has no calories (or carbs) and is getting more and more popular, though it makes up only a small portion of the non-sugar sweetener market.

Its popularity is due to an increased awareness for the product, thanks to well-placed advertisements and hard work on the part of the SweetLeaf Stevia brand's LA marketing firm, which has made sure that high end restaurants and even stores carry the product, prompting even more coverage from newspapers and magazines.

The only problem with Stevia, according to both the manufacturers and consumers, is that it is still hard to find. Not all stores carry it. Some stores, like Trader Joe's, try to make the product easily visible, but because it is an herb, it is often stocked in the supplements aisle in other stores, not in the section of the market with the sugars and sweeteners. Clearly this is not a huge setback, however, because the sales of the sweetener are steadily increasing. In the last year alone, they have increased almost 40%, though overall sales are only one tenth of the sales of Splenda, the top selling non-sugar sweetener.

If the interest in the product keeps growing at this rate - and it seems likely to - we could see Stevia become more widely available and used in more packaged products in place of artificial sugars.

We saw a woman try to bake cookies in her car, with good success, yesterday. But the gold standard of "natural" cooking would be frying an egg on the sidewalk, though car engine cooking might be a close second. Many people say that this method works.

Egg whites coagulate between 144 and 149F and yolks need an even higher temperature, so the sidewalk would have to retain a significant amount of heat for the experiment to work. Black asphalt can be 10 degrees hotter than lighter pavement, so you may want to work in the street, to increase your odds of success.

There are any number of people who have attempted to fry an egg on the sidewalk, but the problem is that many people live in places where it doesn't get all that hot. The Alberta Egg Board says that the experiment will work when the temperature is over 35C/95F, but I couldn't find any evidence of that working for anyone. The two hottest videos I found were this one, where it reached 106F just outside of San Francisco recently, and a video in Arizona, where it was also 106F. Neither worked.

I don't know if I believe that this will work, but if you've ever tried it, let us know!

Starting today, the UK supermarket chain, Waitrose, is launching a new project that will promote the sale of  less-than-perfect seasonal fruits and vegetables, in addition to their standard produce. They will be offered at a discounted rate, 50p to £1 off from the original price, and marketed as being ideal for use in cooking. Supermarkets have long been criticized for only wanting to buy and sell totally unblemished products, a stance than has furthered farmer's efforts to produce hearty produce, sometimes at the expense of flavor or through an increase use of pesticides. With the new plan, not only will more produce be used, but consumers will gradually be introduced to the idea that not ever apple or tomato is always perfectly round or perfectly red.

Think of it as shopping at a discount store where the products have tags indicating that there is a manufacturer's defect, like a small run in the side or a crimp in the hem, because the principal is similar. The quality of the product will be the same, if not better, but the goods will not be quite as pretty. The range will include will include year-round fruits like rhubarb and Bramley apples, in addition to seasonal plums, cherries, pears and berries.

Not every strawberry can be without a slightly smushed edge from shipping nor can every pear be perfectly pear shaped. With a discount as incentive, Waitrose is hoping that its customers will see those things, too.