Silent Sundays: Happy Halloween

Reduce, Reuse: Seattle Chidren's Consignment Stores

 

Upscale Consignment: Le Petit Shoppe

Recycling is great, but I feel bad for Reduce & Reuse, because Recycle gets all of the attention, while the other two get ignored like the ugly step sisters of the family.

Maybe reducing consumption, and reusing what we already have, is not as much fun as rinsing out glass bottles and squashing aluminum cans. Sacrifice just isn't fashionable.

"Buying new things makes me feel kinda icky," my friend Sharon told me over lunch this week.

"Its like a game to me to see how little I can spend and still look good." Its a game I think she is winning, she looks great to me. I am pretty sure that the money she saves buying used clothes and picking up free furniture is spent on her hair stylist. 

"Its funny," I told her, "Feeling icky is how some people feel about pawing through other people's used clothes." I think it's about time for a used-clothing image make-over. Get rid of the image of stained tourist tee-shirts on crowded racks - Seattle's consignment stores cater to the latte sipping crowd looking looking for a bargain that no one will know they made.

I hear that Big Ag is hiring the creator of the Got Milk? campaign to make over their image by “reversing consumers’ negative perceptions about a broad range of issues including so-called ‘factory farming,’ the use of agricultural chemicals, livestock management practices, processed ‘industrial food,’ and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).” Well, I figure if he can do that, he could probably turn used clothes into mainstream cool. 

We should start with some re-branding. "Used" is not a good selling point. Maybe, "proven"? Or "tried-and-true"? Or "new-to-you"? Or we could take a hint from car salesmen and go with, "pre-owned."

While you are pondering the image make over, let me tell you about a few of Seattle best children's consignment stores. I like the concept of consignment stores, because not only will they re-sell your clothing while selling you fashionable second-hand clothing, they will donate anything that doesn't sell quickly. I call that a win-win-win.

Le Petit Shoppe: a mix of new and used

Paron's Closet 

Located in Wallingford Center
1815 N. 45th Street, Suite 204
Seattle, WA 98103

206.695.2455

Paron's Closet Best Bets: The new kid on the block, Paron's Closet is housed in Wallingford Center, a former school building whose former classrooms are now independently owned shops. When you are done browsing baby clothes and carriers (very good condition), you can grab a Trophy cupcake and check out the toy store and fabric shop down the hall. 

 Le Petit Shoppe

Located one block East of University Village

3432 NE 45th St
Seattle, WA 98105

206.525.0619

Le Petite Shoppe Best Bets: A vast collection of shoes and second hand clothing that looks nearly-new is the highlight of this upscale consignment shop. The friendly owner has a great memory for faces and will likely remember you on your return visit. Just don't come back on a Sunday or Monday - you will find the doors closed.  

Labels Consignment Clothing

7212 Greenwood Ave N.

Seattle, WA 98103

206. 781-1194

Labels Best Bets: Labels has been re-selling designer labels (this season's or last's) out of their little storefront for 20 years. They sell mostly women's clothing and accessories, and also carry children's clothes and shoes. Why not bring in those too-tight pre-pregnancy jeans and trade them in for a warm sweater for baby? Or better yet, bring in baby's newborn clothes and trade them in for a Coach purse for mommy.

Kids on 45th 

Located one block from Walingford Center

1720 N 45th street

Seattle, WA 98103

206.633.5437 

Kids on 45th Best Bets: This shop has been around long enough for me to remember playing with toys in the back of the store when I was a kid. Clothing and toys are in good condition, and prices are low. The front of the store has new clothing and accessories, including a wide selection of tights and leggings.

Giveaway!

Paron's Closet and Le Petit Shoppe are giving away gift certificates to one lucky Food.Soil.Thread reader! 

Le Petit Shoppe

Paron's Closet

Congrats to Heidi for winning the two gift certificates - happy shopping to everyone!

Photos of Le Petit Shop by Heleyna Holmes Photography

Silent Sundays: Floating Heart

Local or Organic?

I received an e-mail from a reader this week, asking a question about my version of the "Locavore Pledge" in my Food Manifesto. The reader, who runs small Autumn Grove Farm, in Virginia, asked:

I understand buying locally to support local farmers (we are farmers) and to help reduce the carbon footprint, but if you don't know the farming practices of the local farmer, wouldn't organic be better?  Should I just assume it is meant to buy local if you can trust their farming practices?

What a great question! I think that formulas like the Locavore Pledge are meant to help simplify complex decisions that we, as conscious consumers, have to make every time we go to the grocery store.

Autumn Grove Farm

If not local, organic. 

If not organic, family farm.

Absolutely, it is always best to research the source of your food, and investigate their practices. I was shocked to find that the certified organic milk that I was buying did not live up to my own ideal of what the label should stand for. After doing the research on what brands of organic milk are available in my area, I know have a short list that I fall back on. 

Autumn Grove's pasture raised cows

But, it gets even more complicated when you try to weigh the practices of one farm against another and then consider the environmental impact of shipping. World Watch magazine points out that, "It is better...for Swedes to buy Spanish tomatoes than Swedish tomatoes, because the Spanish tomatoes were grown in open fields while the local ones were grown in fossil-fuel-heated greenhouses." 

photo courtesy of Farm Curious

But, I am overwhelmed by the idea that I would have to research every grocery item I buy, and then try to calculate an unknown number of variables to make the right choice every time! This is where ideas like the Locavore Pledge and the Dirty Dozen (a list of most pesticide laden produce) really come in handy.

My brother, a very smart young environmental economist, says that these ideas act as a "Proxy" for what we really want. In other words, even though buying local or buying organic won't always have the exact environmental, health and community impact that we want it to, it can be fairly good at standing in for detailed investigation of each and every potential supplier.

Photo courtesy of Adam Stevens Photography

Back to the issue of local vrs. organic, I conducted a small poll amongst my food-obsessed twitter friends. The almost unanimous response was LOCAL first. So, why local first?

1. Most of our local choices support small farmers.
2. My brother says so. Just kidding. What he really says is "many small farms, just because of their size, do not participate in many of the practices that degrade our environment and health."
3. Plenty of responsible, ethical, small farms don't go to the expense of becoming certified organic.
4. Buying reduces the amount of fossil fuels burned in transportation. 
5. The Elanor at the Ethicurian says, "I buy from a variety of local farms when at all possible because if I don't, I will probably be eating from a stream of food that has passed through the hands of a tiny number of massive companies. And if those companies' hands have salmonella all over them, well -- look out, world."

To answer the question of the reader who e-mailed me, I would say that it is always best to know the practices of the producers of our food. Without research, we can not assume that the practices of a mega-agriculture, certified organic, producer is better than the small local farmer across the hill, and vice versa.

Autumn Grove chickens running free as a bird!

While it is not perfect, in absence of detailed research and personal relationships with producers, I buy local (and in season!) first, and organic second.

What do you think? How do you make thoughtful food choices in a world where few of us know the people who produce our food?

local and in season, Adalyn Farm's peas

Silent Sundays: Harvest Moon

Food-Soil-Thread's Manifesto

Oh the World Wide Web we weave...

I have mentioned my admiration of the funny and cleaver Everywhereist before. I thoroughly enjoy following her wanderings around the internet, to which she posts links like a little treasure map marking where she has been. Its kind of like a brain map. A really funny (funny ha ha AND funny weird) brain map.

I am again following suit this week with a little brain mapping of my own. Here are the places that my brain has gone this week, in the real world and the virtual world.

In real life, I enjoyed another installment of Modern Quilters Guild this week. A fellow quilter, from Sleepy Owl Studio, had these sweet little purses that she had made, which I love. She has directions for them on her blog.

Another quilter made this little tote. Apparently its more complicated than it looks, and I am not good with directions, so I will just admire.

I worked on a quilt that was started at my baby shower. Family and friends used scraps of fabric (prepared ahead of time with iron on backing) and fabric pens to create messages for the baby. I'd like to get it done before the baby leaves for college.

Regarding people I do not actually know in real life, the talented hands behind I'm a Ginger Monkey reminded me just how inadequate my holiday craftiness is going to be this year.  I am an advocate of anti-consumer, home-made, holidays. But, dang, its hard work. 

Speaking of things that I am an advocate of, I found this great blog today called Not Your Average Ordinary. She has some examples of personal manifestos and I really want to make one now. I am starting one today. Check it out.

In more real life news, two friends of mine just celebrated the early arrival of their little boy. They named him after a little bird. He is very sweet. I love babies and I love new mamas. I hope that they find time to create some great baby-scapes with him. What? You don't know what a babyscape is? Lookie here.

Thanks to friends of Facebook, I found the video that I will leave you with today. I can not begin to describe adequately, in this forum,  why watching this video makes me emotional.



If you want to see more of what this group of young men, Turf Feinz, are doing, you can check out their website.

Mad Knife Skills - How to Chiffonade Greens

You can check out all of the FOOD NINJA contenders and vote for your favorite by clicking here!

I readily admit that I enjoy a bit of competition. Last week I couldn't resist the Top Chef Just Desserts challenge of one fellow blogger, despite the fact that I do not watch the show, nor am I an accomplished baker.

Now, I am being sucked into another contest this week. A trio of bloggers: Salty Seattle, Fuji Mama, and Bell'alimento are "co-conspirators" who are hosting a food ninja contest for folks who "heat up the kitchen with smokin' skill." I have to join in too, otherwise I will feel left out.

I don't know about smokin' skill, but when I thought about being a food ninja I thought about these things: mad knife skills, slick black outfits, and... well that's it.

I am going to run with the knife skills idea. Since fall has arrived, root vegetables, apples and leafy greens are on the menu at regular intervals in my house. If you read my blog often, you know that I love beets, in part because they are both a root vegetable and a leafy green - a two'fr (two for one!). Beet greens, kale, spinach, chard: they are available locally all year long.

Don't know what to do with leafy greens? Just about anything - as long as you don't cook them to death! Follow these simple steps to add greens to any meal.

Step one - wash 'em

Step two - Julienne the greens into a chiffonade. Ha ha - Gotcha! I said that this would be easy. This just means cutting the leaves very thinly into ribbons. I have included a photo illustration of my mad knife skills below.

Step three - toss the greens with a vinaigrette (raw!) and feta cheese OR add to the pasta pot for the last minute and toss with sauce OR add to a stir-fry OR... what is your favorite way to use greens?

Top Chef Challenge: Zucchini Coconut Bread

A few other bloggers and I are joining in with the contestants on reality cooking show "Top Chef - Just Desserts"  to make a dish that meets the challenge presented each week on the show. Last week, the challenge was to make a dessert based on a cocktail. Despite not drinking alcohol, watching the show, or being an accomplished baker, I gave it a whirl. I got my apples drunk and spiced up some panna cotta.

This week, the challenge was to create a "Glee" worthy bake sale goodie. Bake sale items should be easy to transport, since people are buying them to take home. Since they are being eaten by families, I think that they should strike a balance between tasty and healthy.

I am just arriving at the end of my summer vegetable harvests and have been turning my zucchini into baked goods all month. This last week, I was playing around with altering the World's Best Coconut Bread into Darn Good Zucchini-Coconut Bread. My son gobbles it up, and it freezes very well. Although it still has plenty of sugar, the addition of whole wheat flour, and the reduction of oil, make it a decent breakfast or snack for the wee ones. Did I mention that it is darn good too?

for baby: zucchini coconut muffins (minus the walnuts)

Zucchini Coconut Bread
Makes 2 standard loaves

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cups oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the grated zucchini in a colander and allow the excess water to drain.
Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs on high speed with an electric mixer, to incorporate air, until doubled in volume. This takes about two minutes. Add the oil and coconut extract and beat until well incorporated.

Mix the dry ingredients together, and add to the wet ingredients in thirds, alternating with buttermilk, and ending with the dry ingredients. Add the shredded coconut, the zucchini, and chopped nuts, and blend until smooth.

waiting for his muffins to be done

Prepare metal bread pans with butter or non-stick spray. Bake for 1 hour, or until the tester comes out clean.

loaves, ready for their glaze

To glaze the bread, melt two tablespoons of butter. Stir in 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of hot water. Add a dash of coconut extract. Whisk until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the hot bread, after baking.



* I found the coconut flavor at PCC