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Last Updated: Sep 2nd, 2008 - 19:12:01 |
(ARA) - ‘Tis the season to be green! Whether it’s an organic Thanksgiving or a festive holiday party, celebrate the season with friends and family by hosting a truly memorable, eco-friendly fete.
Impress guests with thoughtful holiday entertaining that promotes good cheer and good practices. From delicious, healthy holiday dishes and organic spirits, to eco-friendly cookware and natural tabletop accessories, here are a few small steps that can go a long way to ensure festivities with minimal environmental impact and tons of holiday cheer.
Farmer’s Market -- Inside your Pantry!
The winter months can be a difficult time to keep your kitchen fully stocked with fresh, organic produce and ingredients.
Keeping delicious, healthy organic packaged products on hand allows for quick and easy holiday dish preparation. It is becoming increasingly easy and cost-effective to keep an organic kitchen all year long with products available right on your grocery store shelves.
Del Monte Organic, for example, is a complete line of organic canned veggies including Cut Green Beans, Sweet Peas, Baby Leaf Spinach, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, Sliced Carrots, Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, and Crushed Tomatoes ($.59 to $1.89, available at major grocers nationwide, DelMonte.com). Like fresh counterparts, Del Monte Organic is preservative free.
And, eating organic doesn’t have to mean the holiday meal has to lose its nostalgic appeal. Simply revamp traditional family recipes with organic options. Try substituting Del Monte Organic French Style Green Beans in the traditional green bean casserole, for example.
“Eating organic foods limits you and your family’s exposure to potentially harmful pesticides, and ensures a smaller environmental footprint. Additionally, organic options often have more antioxidants than conventional foods,” says Laura Molseed, registered dietitian for Del Monte Foods.
Good Holiday Spirits
Top off the holiday cheer with organic wines and spirits. Organic wines are increasing in popularity, and crowd-pleasing choices such as Frog’s Leap, Sinskey, Sincerity, and Bonterra Vineyards are fast becoming some of America’s most renowned organic vino brands (available at www.Bonterra.com).
For a delicious non-alcoholic alternative, serve guests warm apple cider made with fresh, organic apples.
What’s Cooking
While it’s important to cook with organic ingredients and foods, it’s also important to consider meal preparation. GreenPan is the first cookware product to utilize Thermolon non-stick coating which is PTFE/PFOA-free, and will perform at high temperatures without deterioration or releasing fumes or toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Additionally, 50 percent less energy is used in the manufacturing of GreenPan’s coating compared to traditional non-stick cookware and is therefore considered “green” in manufacturing (GreenPan Cookware is exclusively available at HSN, www.HSN.com).
Season’s Greetings
A thoughtful, eco-friendly holiday card serves as the perfect invitation to your gathering. While using recycled paper is a nice sentiment, try using cards or invitations made with paper that will bloom into beautiful flowers to spread an extra dose of holiday cheer. Botanical PaperWorks offers an assortment of elegant holiday cards embedded with wildflower or spruce tree seeds (available at www.botanicalpaperworks.com) that can be planted outdoors or potted. Guests will surely remember this extra special touch this holiday season.
Natural Beauty
Crisp, tasteful organic cotton table linens can add a subtle touch of natural sophistication. Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Rawganique and VivaTerra both offer beautiful organic tablecloths, napkins and linens (available through www.Rawganique and www.VivaTerra.com).
Fresh, organically grown blooms paired with winter branches and pinecones make for beautiful and natural centerpieces. Consider local flowers found at the farmer’s market or purchase beautiful arrangements online. Organic Bouquet (www.organicbouquet.com) is the leading retailer of organic flowers. It offers floral arrangements sourced from growers that are committed to the highest social and environmental standards. Each bouquet is hand-selected and shipped fresh from the farm.
Mood Lighting
Conserve energy and dim the lights. Use soy candles or lanterns made of sustainable materials to cast a soft glow to warmly welcome guests to celebrate the holiday season with you.
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