Season's Greenings
Northwest Palate’s Guide to Sustainable Giving
By Kathleen Bauer
Mahen I was a kid growing up, my brothers and I would spend weeks before the holidays combing the toy section of the giant mail-order catalogs, reading descriptions of the latest baby dolls and racing cars, making and prioritizing lists of the gifts we absolutely must have or we’d die. (At least that’s what we’d tell our parents.)
The thought that the ability of the household, much less the planet, to sustain that level of consumption simply never occurred to us.
Now that I’m older and wiser (let’s hope), I search out gifts that are self-liquidating; that is, they can be used indefinitely or consumed completely—well, aside from some recyclable packaging—soon after being given.
This year I’m thinking baskets packed with goodies from my local farmers market, like polenta made from farm-ground heirloom corn, pepper jellies, organically grown heirloom dried beans, and locally made wine. For gifts that will last longer, I’m eschewing anything that would need to be dusted and instead heading for the practical: garden tools, kitchen knives, and favorite vegetable or flower seeds fit the bill.
Thinking sustainably and supporting an eco-friendly lifestyle is a hallmark of the Northwest and a paragon for other regions. The key is acting locally, which not only means purchasing products that are produced locally, but also buying from neighborhood stores that are more likely to support the economy in your area.
With that in mind, we’ve asked a few luminaries in the sustainable community to assemble their suggestions, and we’ve also put together a few ideas of our own. They might just make the holiday joy last for years to come.
COMPOST CONSCIOUS
When Seattle-area chef Holly Smith (Café Juanita, Poco Carretto Gelato) cooked at the James Beard Awards’ gala dinner this year, she impressed diners and fellow chefs alike with her green solution for plating her dish. Smith served 1,000 people using bamboo plates, which went into the recycle bin rather than the trash. “It was as important for me to think about how I’m going to serve the dish as what I served,” she says.
As a high-profile chef—in 2008 she won the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef: Northwest, and this year she appeared on the cable television series, The Next Iron Chef—Smith feels it’s her and every chef’s responsibility to think not just from farm-to-table, but all the way to the garbage pile. “I’m such a big consumer as a restaurant owner that I have to get to the forefront of that,” she said, noting that all of the to-go containers and utensils used at her restaurants are either compostable or recyclable.
“And it’s so easy [to recycle and compost] in the Pacific Northwest,” she adds. “I went to Las Vegas last year, and there was no recycling or compost in any of the hotels,” she said with dismay. “I spent half my time talking to the executive chef of the Venetian about how they can bring that into practice there.”
The other thing that Chef Smith did this year was to install a water filtration system at Café Juanita, thereby eliminating bottled water. “If people would stop buying water in plastic and glass bottles, that would be awesome. Now, if we can only figure out about the wine,” she mused.
A few Northwest wineries have heard Chef Smith’s call and are offering innovative refilling programs that are proving popular with local wine lovers. Show up at a holiday party with a 1.5-liter bottle of Bistro Rouge ($25) by Sandpoint, Idaho’s Pend d’Oreille Winery (powine.com), and leave it as a gift for your hosts—but make sure to tie a note around the bottle reminding them that it can be refilled with more wine when it’s empty for $16. Springhouse Cellar Winery (springhousecellar.com) in Hood River, Oregon, also sells a 1-liter “Growlier” for $5, which can be filled for the price of any standard 750 mL bottle—that’s 33% more for free.
Set a green table—and dispense with the post-meal dish detail—by using compostable and recyclable plates, cups, and bowls made from renewable resources like sugar cane, potatoes, and corn. Buy in bulk from Bend, Oregon-based Biodegradable Food Service and save even more. For ordering and more information, visit bdfs.net.
Give the gift of contaminant-free water to your whole family. Filling up reusable water bottles with filtered tap water prevents thousands of plastic and glass bottles from winding up in landfills. There are a variety of countertop and faucet-mounted water filtration systems, so consult with your local water filtration specialist to find the best solution for your home.
GIFTS THAT GROW
Matthew Dillon, Director of Advocacy for the Organic Seed Alliance in Port Townsend, Washington, suggests giving a Northwest gardener the gift of season extension with floating row covers or fleece tunnels. Seed saving kits, including cleaning screens, desiccants, and containers, also rank high on his list: but make sure to get sizes appropriate to the recipient’s needs, he advises. [Kits are available through local nurseries or online at territorialseed.com.]
For garden tools, he has two favorites: soil thermometers and pruners. “If you’re like me, you feel a burning desire to start planting green beans and summer squash on those rare early warm spring days,” he said. “Planting seeds in cold soil is a sure way to get poor germination and/or unhealthy plants, and a good soil thermometer will help you get the timing right.” Then there’s the classic Felco pruner: “I recommend the No. 2. It’s the tool for any gardener to have, from pruning to clipping seed heads.”
And he’s got a unique idea for donating to the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA). “You can support healthy seed systems by having a winter garden catalog party. OSA staff will come to your home or garden club and give a short presentation of heirlooms and organic seeds. Afterwards we’ll thumb through catalogs and share what we look for in a seed company, what questions you should be asking, our approach to trying new varieties, as well as a few recommendations on our favorite varieties.” For more information, visit seedalliance.org.
All Seasons Indoor Composting Kit consists of a bucket with spigot and a gallon of bokashi—an anaerobic composting system that is practically odorless. Check your local nursery or amazon.com.—$75
Gift of Pollination Starter Kit is the way to ensure that area apple, cherry, or other fruit trees produce plentiful fruit. The kit includes a cedar nester box, a set of pre-packaged nesting tubes, the book The Orchard Mason Bee, and a coupon for a set of 20 Orchard Mason bees—and worry not, these bees don’t sting! Check your local nursery, apiary supply store, or knoxcellars.com.—$63.95
Earthbox Ready to Grow Kit is perfect for friends or family members who don’t have gardens but do have patios or outdoor space. The kit includes a planter box, watering tube, covers, potting mix, fertilizer, and dolomite. Check your local nursery or earthbox.com.—$59.95
FARM-TO-TABLE
The year-round farmers markets in the Northwest are on the mind of Chris Curtis, Director of the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance in Seattle. “If someone gave me ten pounds of local organic potatoes, I’d be thrilled,” she said, acknowledging that it might not be everyone’s idea of the perfect holiday gift.
For more conventional presents, she said that farmers will be offering what are called “value-added” products like preserves, jams, dried fruits, shelled nuts, and wines that make a terrific gift basket for foodie friends or for taking to holiday and office parties.
She said that cheese lovers would do well to check out the markets for local cheeses. “Farmers markets are some of the best places to get local farmstead cheeses,” she said, especially from hard-to-find specialty cheesemakers who don’t produce enough to sell to larger supermarkets.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share. Many farms in the Northwest offer subscriptions, or “shares,” to community members. It’s an investment in a local farm, in healthy and seasonal eating, and will likely open the recipient’s eyes to a new meal or two. For a list of CSAs, visit localharvest.org.
Meat shares work the same as the CSAs, but instead of produce you can purchase a side of beef, pork, or lamb and share it with your friends and family. For a list of producers raising livestock on a small scale by family farmers, visit localharvest.org.
A selection of local honeys tastes and smells of the Northwest like few other products, and ships well to far-flung relatives and friends. Imagine how magical it will be when that jar is opened for a holiday breakfast! Check your local farmers market or natural food store.
The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally by Portlander Ivy Manning. As America’s desire for local, natural ingredients continues to grow, Ivy Manning offers this spectacular collection of recipes, including special dishes from some of the most touted Northwest chefs and restaurants that have made their marks using the freshest local ingredients.—$30 from sasquatchbooks.com.
“GREEN” WINE
If you’re looking for “green” wines to gift or serve at holiday gatherings, look for bottles bearing the Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW) logo on the label.
In 2008 the Oregon Wine Board, led by Executive Director Ted Farthing, launched the OCSW program to highlight sustainable practices both in the vineyard and in the winery. The program guarantees that any wine carrying its logo is made using environmentally responsible agricultural and winemaking practices, which are verified by an independent certifying agency. Presently 100 Oregon wines have earned the distinction, led by Adelsheim, Amity, Anne Amie, Bethel Heights, Cristom, Montinore, Panther Creek, Ponzi, WillaKenzie, Willamette Valley Vineyards, and Wooldridge Creek.
“I think a perfect gift is a product that is authentic and reflective of the place it was made and of who created it,” says Farthing. OCSW-certified wines must be made from 97% certified organic grapes, all of which were grown in an Oregon appellation.
For a complete list of OCSW wineries, visit ocsw.org, and then either visit the winery directly or purchase using the Oregon Wine Finder at oregonwine.org.
Sokol Blosser Winery extends their commitment to sustainable practices all the way to your doorstep. The winery paired with greenshipping.com to offset the carbon generated during shipping of wine to its wine club members. To gift someone with a wine club membership, visit sokolblosser.com.
Recycle corks for cash: Through the end of 2009, diners can save up to $25 off their bill at Ethan Stowell’s four Seattle-area restaurants (Union, Tavolàta, How to Cook a Wolf, and Anchovies & Olives). The catch? $1 will be deducted from your bill for every wine bottle cork (up to 25 per table) you turn into the Cork Re-Harvest program, a collaboration between Willamette Valley Vineyards, Whole Foods Market, the Rainforest Alliance, and Western Pulp Products. For more information about the program, visit corkreharvest.org.
Barbeque Blocks, made from recycled wine barrels, add a robust flavor to your culinary creations when used on the grill or in a smoker. To purchase, visit Seattle-based online retailer truefabrications.com.—$10
GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Lindsay Coulter is the Queen of Green at the David Suzuki Foundation, which works with government, businesses, and individuals to conserve the environment by providing science-based education, advocacy, and policy work.
Coulter suggests giving paper new life. Recyclable papers made from newspapers, magazines, and envelopes can be made into cards, bookmarks, gift tags, and small gift boxes, and can be embedded with seeds that grow herbs and flowers indoors in pots or outdoors in the spring. Plus, crafting is a great family, kid-friendly activity. For paper-making recipes, visit davidsuzuki.org.
Coulter also recommends buying used goods, whether recycled, vintage, pre-owned, or antique, which minimizes the carbon footprint attached to the gift. One more idea: “Consider giving experiences instead of stuff,” she says. Gift certificates to restaurants, for instance, make great gift card stuffers. “Throw in bus tickets or passes for an extra shot of green,” she adds.
Eco-Guides puts homeowners on the path to sustainability with in-home consulting on home energy conservation, waste reduction, toxics reduction, water conservation, and green gardening. The Portland, Oregon-based service offers a three-session package that has estimated per home savings at $466 per year, much less than the cost of the service. Go to eco-guides.us for more information.
Taste of the Oregon Coast gives you a delicious way to support the protection of Oregon’s wetlands habitat. Along with a $100 donation, you’ll receive a can of Local Oceans Seafood Smoked King Salmon and a bottle of Rogue Beer, plus a personalized thank you letter. Go to wetlandsconservancy.org for more information.
A recycled bike chain bottle opener says love to your dearest beer aficionado. Visit resourcerevival.com.—$14
Fat of the Land by Seattleite Langdon Cook. This book explores the Pacific Northwest via adventures in foraging and discovers a regional stew of food, natural history, and unusual characters.—$27 from powells.com.
HELPING OTHERS
John Haines is the Executive Director of Mercy Corps Northwest and leads one of the most successful and innovative microfinance institutions in America, helping low-income entrepreneurs in the Portland metro area by offering loans, financial education, and a variety of technical-assistance programs.
His ideas for sustainable gifts, as you might expect, focus on helping people help themselves, like giving a gift of a Mercy Kit in the recipient’s name. “A Children’s Food Kit helps children eat better to get strong and healthy so they can play, learn, and grow,” he said. “A Children’s Health Kit provides immunization, nutrition, and health education programs to make a lifesaving difference for children, and a Family Garden Kit supports agricultural programs that help families plant and maintain home gardens and harvest fresh fruits and vegetables.” For more information, visit mercycorps.org/mercykits.
Classic Wines Auction Winemaker Dinners pair esteemed Northwest winemakers with gourmet cuisine prepared by regional chefs, with proceeds benefiting local children’s and family charities. Go to ClassicWinesAuction.com for more information.
Support your local Northwest food bank with a donation in a recipient’s name and have a direct impact on the lives of people in your community. Many offer more than one way to give, from giving money and donating goods and services, to sharing extra produce. Go to OregonFoodBank.org, NorthwestHarvest.org (WA), or FoodBanksCanada.ca.
TisBest Charity Gift Cards are offered by this Seattle-based organization, founded in 2007, and benefit the charity of the recipient’s choice. Choose from a number of national charities, including many that strive to end world hunger—and coming soon is a registry of local charities in Portland and Seattle. Go to TisBest.org for more information.
DIY FOOD & DRINK
Eric Pateman,
President of Edible BC at Vancouver’s Granville Island Public Market, was impressed when he heard that a local creamery, Little Qualicum Cheeseworks on Vancouver Island, started a program to purchase a share of a cow for the milk it produces. Check with your local cheesemakers to see if they have something similar, or ask your local cheesemonger about a cheese-of-the-month club.
He’s also quick to recommend Mara Jernigan’s hands-on cooking classes at Fairburn Farm—choose from five-day intensive boot camps to basic and advanced skills classes. For more information, visit fairburnfarm.bc.ca.
Pateman adds, “Of course, Edible BC itself has cooking classes, and our market tours offer people an insight into local cooking and eating. The 800-plus locally produced products in our retail store make great gifts as well.” For more information, visit edible-britishcolumbia.com.
DIY Cheese Kits from Urban Cheesecraft allow you to make fresh mozzarella, chèvre, queso blanco, paneer, and other cheeses in your own kitchen. Created by Portlander Claudia Lucero, you supply the milk and the kits have everything else you need. Available at urbancheesecraft.etsy.com.—$17–$26
Water Bath Canning Kit includes an aluminum canning pot and rack, a jar lifter, a lid wand, and a wide-mouth funnel. Glass jars are not included but can be ordered separately. Available at most local kitchen supply stores.—$69
Home Brewing Starter Kit includes everything you need to make five gallons of your choice of six beers. Available at fhsteinbart.com.—$99
A Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home by Janet Chadwick. Simple step-by-step instructions give you the confidence and know-how to freeze, dry, can, root cellar, and brine the abundance of our region’s produce.—$15 from powells.com.
