Food

Are you still stuffed from those Thankgiving leftovers? (Considering my family decided to host Thanksgiving fashionably late, I'm still in a food-coma.) "Tis the season for parties and mountains of food... which equals lots of excess waste.   Between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, our food waste TRIPLES in the United States.  What can you do to cut back this statistic for the holiday season?

Where's the beef?! Apparently a CowShare system popped up in my inbox from DailyCandy this morning: There's Farm CSA shares, Car Shares like Zipcar and many other "shares" to hit Philly. For those who want to improve their carbon footprint from eating meat but can't cut the habit completely, Philadelphia CowShare seems like a

CSA and me, best of friends... For those unfamiliar, a CSA, or a Community Supported Agriculture is a (now) popular way to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Essentially, the farm will offer a certain number of "shares" to the public - normally including a box of veggies, but other produce can be included. Consumers buy a "share" or membership and pick up their share on a weekly basis. My good friend Sara's been participating in a local, Chester-County CSA this summer and was on vacation... So she was nice enough to give me her CSA share for the week! Sara (find out more and see CSA pics, after the jump!)

In the summertime I get the urge to eat out more. The longer days and opportunity for al fresco dining (one of my favorite little pleasures in life) just make restaurants that much more enjoyable for me. I frequent establishments that boast the use of organic and local ingredients, along with lots of vegan and vegetarian hot spots. But, I also head to restaurants that aren't necessarily well known for any of these things. While dining I’m often on the lookout for how restaurants measure up in the eco-friendly department. Here are some practices that help keep businesses in the food industry greener. Don’t be shy - suggest some of these next time you’re at one of your favorite spots. Green restaurant practices:

It finally feels like spring! The warmer weather has my body craving seasonal fruits and veggies that feel like a treat after the long winter. You really can get delicious produce in the Philadelphia region that doesn’t have a ridiculous carbon footprint. (New Jersey tomatoes anyone? ) Here’s some of what’s in season in the Northeast for Spring:

As those who know me can vouch, I'm pretty budget-savvy. I balance the saves with spending money when it counts (which for me normally equals vacation, friends & an occasional shopping spree.) I compete in coupon-clipping contests with my retired Dad and love the Groupon Deals or PhillyHalfOff promotions that arrive in my inbox. Yet, this Thanksgiving, I offered to buy the turkey. A free-range, local, organic turkey from Koch Farms that will set me back approximately … $50. I (briefly) debated canceling my offer to buy the bird (Read more, after the jump!)

Thanksgiving is all about two things: 1. Giving thanks, being grateful , reflecting on all we have. 2. The food! Let's focus on the latter for a moment, and talk about how we can celebrate this Thanksgiving's feast in truly green fashion. Here's 4 simple ways:

Guest blogger Angelita Williams is a seasoned writer at online courses. Today she shares her research on green eats in Philly. With fast food chains, burger joints, and pizza parlors all at your convenience, eating healthy is hard and finding a green friendly way to eat may be even harder. But if you live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, you actually have a few restaurants just around the corner that can help your body and the environment:

A highlight of my week is picking up produce from my CSA share. I consider it a culinary challenge to base my meals around what's in the box each week. Furthermore, I love that the produce doesn't have to travel far to make its way to my table. But, when Fall rolls around I recognize that there is perhaps a more eco-friendly way to get my fruit - pick it.