Want to make your own food gifts for the holidays? Here are two recipes – one for homemade cranberry jam courtesy of Whole Foods, one for homemade applesauce courtesy of me – that are simple, delicious, and guaranteed to inspire anyone who receives them to lick her lips!

HOMEMADE JAMS FROM CRANBERRIES

This recipe cooks up in minutes. I made a version of it as a cranberry chutney for Thanksgiving, adding a sprinkle of ground ginger rather than nutmeg to give it a little zing.  Spoon it into clean glass jars, and wrap in a lovely tea towel – or just crisscross a ribbon around it and add your personalized gift tag.

By the way, I make gift tags by recycling Christmas cards I received the previous year. If you cut out rectangles with pinking shears, they’re quite cute!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (16 ounces) bag fresh cranberries
• 2 apples (Fuji, Gala and/or Golden Delicious), peeled, cored and grated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

HOW TO PREPARE

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until cranberries have popped open and mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Transfer to small jars, if desired. Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

You can find more DIY food gift recipes from Whole Foods here.

HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE

INGREDIENTS

Apples. That’s it. I usually use a combination of Honey Crisp and Winesap, but you should use whatever you like to eat. If you’re not sure, just go to your farmer’s market – chances are they’ll have lots of apples and will be happy to cut you some slices so you can choose one or a combination.

HOW TO PREPARE

Peel all the apples. Cut out the core, then slice into eighths. Put into your food processor and puree.

That’s it.

I like applesauce made this way more than cooking down the apples and then pureeing them or mashing them up. They’re more flavorful, and easier, too, as it saves me a lot of time not standing over a boiling pot of apples making sure they don’t burn.

One tip: Once I have a big pile of apple peels, I put them in a pot of water and add a couple of cinnamon sticks and some whole cloves. I turn the heat to low and just let the aroma from this apple “potpourri” fill the house. It’s heavenly.

The post Quick, Homemade Jams and Applesauce in Beautiful Jars Make Special Holiday Gifts appeared first on Big Green Purse.

“Farming” fish and shrimp has helped meet consumer demand, but at a cost. The fishmeal salmon eat, for example, is often loaded with dangerous PCBs. Farmed salmon can contract sealice, which can spread to wild salmon. Shrimp aquaculture can destroy the mangrove swamps that protect barrier islands and coastlines from hurricanes.

Now some retailers – including Whole Foods Market, Wal-Mart, and Wegman’s –  are using their marketplace clout to demand seafood that’s farmed more sustainably. Their goal: protect sensitive marine habitats, reduce or ban antibiotics, treat waste water, and mimize or eliminate the use of toxic chemicals. Whole Foods will also require its suppliers to pass independent, third-party audits to ensure they are meeting sustainable seafood standards.

Here’s a good overview from the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions is working with fishermen, retailers, environmental organizations and consumer groups to increase understanding of the nation’s fisheries and make more sustainable seafood available in the marketplace. As a result of its work with the Alliance, the Giant supermarket chain said it has recently started selling Pacific long-line cod, which is relatively abundant, and that it will stop selling shark, orange roughy and Chilean sea bass until their populations rebound.

  Greenpeace recently issued a state-by-state scorecard to let consumers know whether their grocery store has instituted a sustainable seafood policy. Check out your favorite grocer here.

  USE YOUR PURSE:  Most grocers are falling far short in offering shoppers sustainably raised or caught fish and shellfish. Don’t hesitate to let the manager at your favorite fish counter know you expect retailers to support sustainable seafood standards. And do your part by buying seafood that’s sustainably certified.

The post Sustainable Seafood is Coming to a Supermarket Near You appeared first on Big Green Purse.

The bag had already caught my eye, not only because it’s so cheerful and colorful, but also because it’s made from 80% post-consumer waste.  Plus, it’s got a washable surface and actually seems more ample inside than the standard paper grocery bag.

I asked Lillian Buie, marketing manager for the Whole Foods where I shop in Silver Spring, MD, what the give-away meant for the store’s use of paper and plastic bags.

“As of Earth Day 2008 (April 22, 2008), we won’t be bagging food in plastic anymore,” she said.  Paper bags (made from 100% recycled paper, and totally recyclable) will remain an option for customers who don’t bring their own bags, and the store will still provide plastic for bagging produce, meats and fish. But plastic grocery bags will be gone.

Even if you miss the free giveaway, these bags are worth buying. At only 99 cents per bag, you can’t go wrong (I’ve already bought three). And every time you use them, you’ll get a 5 cents/per bag refund on your grocery bill. The bags will pay for themselves in no time.

Thumbs up, Whole Foods.

MEMORY TIP: BTW, if you have trouble remembering to take reusable bags to the grocery store, try this: after you unpack your groceries, put all the bags inside a main bag, and put the main bag with your car keys. The next time you go to your car, take the bags and toss them in the back seat or the trunk. The bags won’t clutter a kitchen cupboard or closet, and you’ll always have reusable bags when you shop.

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