Growers and Grocers

Optimism, the mood of choice, suggests preparations for hosting various upcoming parties, from an auspicious 20th of January, to homemade salons, film screenings, and readings. While keeping creativity alive through the winter, tempt your guests with wine that is both eco chic, and resourcefully gentle on your finances.
Biodynamic, a term denoting farming without the use […]

I’m pretty new to this whole…”green living”…thing. I’ve lived most of my life in a very sheltered little bubble where Abbey did what Abbey wanted to do. But, I guess I’ve grown up recently, because now I suddenly see the world in a while new light.
As I’ve begun my own personal journey into making our […]

What is a Mantis Shrimp?
Well, you are looking at three of them in the photo above. I was walking through the IBSS and came across some Southeast Asian seafood purveyors who had some interesting displays, this one included. These animals are much larger than most shrimp, you would likely need two hands to hold one […]

The Salmon Safe Label
One of the most damaging side effects of agriculture is the soup of fertilizer, pesticides and sediment that flows from farmland after rain or irrigation. Salmon, one of the Northwest United States’ signature fishes, are particularly sensitive to water contamination: they need water that is clear, cold, and pure.* Streams and rivers […]

CBS News reports that despite a rule disallowing the “USDA Organic” designation for fish, some fish is being labeled that way.  Currently, if you see seafood labeled as “organic,” it means that the fish is not from the United States and therefore may have been produced with chemicals and antibiotics aimed at keeping the fish […]

Earlier in the month, a flurry of articles and blog posts covered an article in Science magazine which predicted that without significant changes in fishing practices, coastal development, and how humans treat the oceans, the population of fish stocks could permanently collapse. This weekend, I ran across two stories about the subject of fish stocks, […]

The November 3rd 2006 issue of the journal Science reported that in as early as 2048, we could be facing the loss of seafood due to overfishing and pollution. Environmental stresses, including global warming and destruction of habitat, add to the challenges faced by marine animals in survival.
“We really see the […]

The AFP reports that “Japan has accepted a major slash in its international quota for prized southern bluefin tuna as punishment for overfishing.” The conclusion that Japan was overfishing was reached by the international Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, which ruled that Japan’s annual quota would be reduced from 6,065 tons […]

Dried gamet sheets
Photo courtesy of ilocostimes.com
Harvesting gamet is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it for the slow-footed. Citizens of Burgos, Ilocos Norte, a province north of Manila can attest to this, as they have lost three members of their community to gamet harvest since 1970. Others have been injured. Only the well-trained […]

I had a bit of trouble obtaining a copy of Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket, by Brian Halweil. First, I checked my local library. Then I checked the local Barnes & Noble, who drove off all of the independent booksellers in my hometown a while ago. Then the not-so-local Borders. Finally, I […]