The Green Life

Book Roundup Wednesday: Books About Eating Green

Every Wednesday, we review a selection of new and upcoming books addressing a specific aspect of environmentalism. Since the last time we recommended books about food and its relation to the environment, a new crop of books on the same topic has found its way onto our desks, so here’s another roundup of books that’ll help you eat green.

Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes & Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle (by Jackie Newcent, $25, Wiley, Apr. 2009): This chunky volume is well-designed and packed with non-intimidating recipes for people committed to eating conscientiously. Sprinkled in are tips for greener cooking, such as which coal to use when barbecuing (natural-lump charcoal from sustainably sourced hardwood), and using the microwave instead of the oven, thereby conserving two-thirds the amount of energy.

Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming (by Laura Stec with Eugene Cordero, $25, Gibbs Smith, Sept. 2008): Recipes are just part of the equation here: The rest of this colorful book provides the context for why your dinner might be linked to global warming (the authors call the standard American diet [SAD] “a Hummer on a plate”), what you can do about it, and a discussion of “America’s changing palate.”

Eating Seasonally: Prosciutto-Wrapped Roasted Asparagus

We've talked a lot about the benefits of eating seasonally in past blog posts (here and here as well). Now that it's spring, there's a whole new assortment of great produce items that are in season, including artichokes, asparagus, peas, shard, spinach, strawberries, and raspberries. So in the spirit of eating seasonally, we thought we'd share an incredibly simple spring recipe that involves asparagus. And to snub our noses at the swine-flu hullabaloo, this recipe from the Food Network also features prosciutto:

Prosciutto-Wrapped Roasted Asparagus

- 1 pound asparagus (about 19 stalks), trimmed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 to 8 paper-thin slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place asparagus spears on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Wrap each asparagus with about half a slice of prosciutto, exposing tips. Arrange on a platter and serve at room temperature.

--reported by Michael Fox

Fast Food and the Geography of Poor Health

"After school, I go to the public library, down the street from McDonald's" explains a middle-school student in Berkeley, California.

Is it any wonder that American youth navigate their communities using fast-food restaurants as landmarks? In an interview with the New York Times, Andrew F. Puzder, the chief executive of CKE Restaurants (parent company of Carl's Jr.) recently admitted, "We decided the people we wanted to target were young, hungry guys. You set your target at a group that is cool or appealing and you get a much broader scope of people. We target hungry guys, and we get young kids that want to be young hungry guys."

5 Green Facts for St. Patrick's Day

On St. Patrick's Day, it's easy being green. Here are a few tips and conversation starters to help you celebrate.

• Really Green Beers: Kick off the festivities with your favorite local, sustainable brew (we've got a few suggestions). And remember, buying in bulk is best: Keg or draught beer is greener than individual bottles. Bottles, in turn, are slightly greener than cans.

• Delicious Dishes: Irish recipes favor potatoes and cabbage. These staples can be found in some farmers' markets well into winter, making them great bets for year-round locavores. Use organic veggies and local, grass-fed beef to make Irish stew or corned beef and cabbage. Try substituting seitan or kidney beans to make meatless versions of these traditional dishes.

• Ireland's Environment: A report from the Irish American Climate Project predicts that global warming will endanger the Emerald Isle's verdant fields, cause a drought-induced reduction in the the country's famous potato crop, and lead to more "bog bursts" (think mudslides). Talk about a buzz kill.

• What Climate Change? Don't bother trying to convince Ireland's environment minister, Sammy Wilson, that the island's green fields might turn brown: Wilson doesn't believe in human-caused climate change and has tried to ban public service ads aimed at raising eco-awareness.

• A River Runs Through It: Chicago celebrates St. Patty's Day by dyeing its eponymous river a distinctive shade of green (this year, the Obamas brought the tradition to the White House). While this act seems dubious, a spokesperson for Friends of the Chicago River seems to agree with other environmentalists that the dye is small potatoes compared with the toxins already in the water. Let's hope the attention-grabbing color gets people talking about cleaning up the Chicago River.

--Della Watson

Weeding the Waste out of Our Gardens

Not interested in planting polypropylene this season? Every year, we send more than 300 million pounds of plastic cell packs, flats, and nursery pots to American landfills. But a healthy, abundant garden doesn't have to generate an abundance of waste. This spring, consider making newspaper pots for seedlings:

Gardeners can plant newspaper cells directly into the soil, eliminating some of a plant's stress during transplanting. As the seedling grows, the newspaper cell will decompose, gradually introducing the maturing plant to its new environment.

--Melissa Weiss

Tell us about other ways to weed the waste out of gardening.

Green Your Garden: Natural Pest Control

Want to be the ultimate locavore? You needn't go farther than your own backyard. This week we'll provide tips to help you plan a garden that'll be brimming with fresh veggies this summer.

Tip #2: Protect Plants Without Pesticides

If you're a new gardener, chances are you'll be surprised by some sort of infestation before the growing season is over. Connect with local gardeners to determine the most common problems in your region, then look for organic fixes. Many pest control solutions can be concocted from household items: For example, aphids are deterred by garlic and cayenne pepper, slugs find eggshells unappealing, and ants (who can exacerbate an aphid problem) dislike coffee grounds and vinegar. Before you apply organic treatments, be sure to research their effect on beneficial insects like ladybugs.

Share your tips: What are your most effective recipes for organic pest control?

Green Your Garden: Water

Want to be the ultimate locavore? You needn't go farther than your own backyard. This week we'll provide tips to help you plan a garden that'll be brimming with fresh veggies this summer.

Tip #1: Be Water-Wise

Water is a precious resource, so when you're designing a garden, consider options for collecting or reusing water that would normally be "wasted." Set up a rainwater collection system or reuse bathwater with a graywater recycling system. Once you've collected the water, remember that the best time to give plants a drink is in the morning, when less will be lost to evaporation.

Share your tips: How do you conserve water?

Tip #2: Protect Plants Without Pesticide

Tip #3: Turn Food Scraps Into "Gardener's Gold"

Tip #4: Special Tip: Sell (Or Buy) Stuff For The Sierra Club On Facebook!

Good Eats: A Recipe For Campsite Scones

A few extra ounces in your backpack can turn a bare campsite into a gourmet kitchen, contends Robin Donovan. She wrote Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors (Quirk Books, $16, 2006), a cookbook filled with delectable dishes she made while camping, like lemony couscous salad, coconut shrimp, and jambalaya. Here's her recipe for a hot-biscuit treat:

SKILLET SCONES

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

At home: Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Store the mixture in a ziplock bag.

At campsite: Combine all ingredients, including the mixture you made at home, in a bowl, using your hands to form a soft, sticky dough. Break off a chunk, roll it into a ball, and flatten it to a half-inch-thick, two-and-a-half-inch-wide patty. Repeat with remaining dough. Grease a skillet with butter and place over medium-low heat. When the skillet is hot, add the patties, pressing them down a bit. Cook covered, turning the scones over after four minutes, or when the bottoms have browned. Replace the lid and cook four minutes more, or until the bottoms are golden brown and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot. Makes about 16 small scones.

Tonight's Special: Edible Ethics with a Side of Healthy Soil

Going out to eat used to mean leaving edible ethics at home, sacrificing all knowledge of where ingredients came from and the conditions under which they were grown. It was a sacrifice that many Americans were willing, even thankful, to make. Eating at a restaurant meant convenience. We didn't have to think about what to put on the shopping list or how to make wholesome, balanced meals. We didn't have to set the table or wash the dishes.

But today, America's top chefs are pulling thoughtless food from their menus and, whether we're hungry for it or not, are serving up a healthy portion of land ethic. It turns out that the most delicious food comes from healthy soil and the best chefs aren't afraid to expose the dirt contributing to their food's flavor. Restaurant menus are gaining more transparency and it's no longer uncommon to find the name of an entrée alongside information about a farm, ranch, or fishery.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

As more of us take steps to eat locally and seasonally, a growing trend is community-supported agriculture (CSA), which connects local farmers with local consumers. Here's how it works: Individuals support a farm by becoming "members" (or "subscribers" or "shareholders") and pledge to cover the costs of the farm operation and the farmer's salary in return for a weekly delivery of produce, dairy, or meat. Typically, CSA farmers are paid in advance by the season, although some accept weekly or monthly payments. Some CSAs also ask that members work a few hours on the farm.

CSA members get the health (and taste) benefits of farm-fresh food and the spiritual nourishment of knowing they're helping the local economy and getting involved in the growing and distribution process. In turn, they share with the farmer the risk of a poorer-than-expected harvest, fostering a true sense of community.