All it took was one beak trimming scene at a hatchery in the movie Baraka to turn me off eating chickens two decades ago. Now 20 years later, I realize the egg business isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either. Vegetarians still eat eggs, since technically they’re not eating meat, but in doing my guide to eggs in the last issue of… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I’m a farmers’ market ho. I feel like I hit up different veggie stands nearly every day of the week thanks to the explosion of local farmers markets in this town. Of course, all my trolipping around (or should I say turniping) will soon be coming to an abrupt end by month’s end. Every year… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Wedged up in the dark corners of my kitchen, I have colonies multiplying. Not armies of ants or mice, but some sort of offshoot ancient culture of microscopic “mothers.” At least I’m trying to make what’s called mother, I think. Deciphering the code of food-preservation-speak is actually the hard part. Inviting bacteria to ferment and… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I’ve got to confess, I actually gave up coffee cold turkey about a decade ago because it wasn’t waking me up, just messing with my stomach. But I know an ethical cup o’ joe when I see one, and I also live with a coffee snob, who insists that the java that gets brewed in… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

If there’s one totally random thing I miss about being a kid, it’s having someone pack you a lunch. Thankfully, my mom knew how to pack a pretty bad *ss one. I still remember the ‘yeah, my lunch rocks!’ joy that would rush over me when I’d crack into her Montreal bagel melts with each… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

In honour of the end of summer (did I just say that?), I’m reviewing the vessels that carry the very key to life on earth. Yep, I’m talking water canisters. Ever since purportedly leach-free polycarbonate plastics found in old Nalgene bottles were caught seeping estrogen-mimicking BPA, then Sigg finally came clean about the BPA in… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I’m not going to lie, I love a good street dog. Since I gave up meat in my teens, I’ve slathered on roadside sauerkraut, mustard and onions on jumbo-sized Yves veggie dogs at dozens of Toronto hot dog stands over the decades. That doesn’t mean I believe the stuff is good for me. I’ve written… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

So you’re dripping in summer sweat, your mouth feels like you’ve been sucking on sand and you left your water canister at home with no water fountain in sight. This is when I usually opt for apple juice but my official Ecoholic Poll question was: if there were a gun to your head in the… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Happy World Environment Day! Yep, today’s the big day when a bearded man dressed in green squeezes down chimneys worldwide making note of who’s been environmentally naughty or nice. Not really, but it is the day the UN designates for environmental education and this year’s theme is Think. Eat. Save – an anti-food waste and… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

If your fries (or, more precisely, the potatoes cut into fries) were zapped with radiation would you want to know? In this week’s Ecoholic column in NOW I dig up  a lot of dirt on what irradiation does to your food as well as what signs to look for to know whether it’s been zapped.  At this point,… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Hand me a top hat and cane and I’ll sing about palm as a supercalafragalistic  plant-based petrochemical replacement. Gee willikers, you can add it to everything from lip balm to bathroom cleaner – amazing! But the song and dance come to a screeching halt when you start probing palm’s rainforest record. You know how headlines… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Most of us, when given a choice, would choose to know when our s@!*’s been messed with. You know, like if you dropped my toothbrush in the toilet when I wasn’t looking, then opted to shake it off and stick it back on the sink without telling me. Or if you spliced a toxin into… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Trying to eat less meat? Wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole? Either way, more and more of us are sinking our teeth into meat alternatives. You know, veggie burgers, fake chicken cutlets, you name it. The name of the game amongst veg products these days is “anything meat can do we can do nicer.”… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

The crisper. Does it actually keep your produce all that crisp? That apple at the back of this photo has been in there so long it really will taste more like the fridge than an apple. A crisper can only do so much.  You do have to actually eat your food at some point. Trouble is… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

To store or not to store, that is the question. Actually the question is how to store…your food that is. Food packaging is littered with problems. Problem #1: it’s disposable and ends up in landfill after one use (tsk, tsk, cling wrap). Problem #2: it’s made of plastic, plastic, and more plastic. Now, I heart glass… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Let me say it loud and proud: my family is full of health nuts. This wasn’t always the case. It all started after my folks sold their McDonald’s in the late 80s, the doctor ordered us to clean up our diets and my big brother Nick started bringing home alfalfa sprouts. (Before this point I… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

You know the drill. Every week in Ecoholicland readers write in with questions and I answer one in my column. This week’s Ecoholic Q came from a friend that eats more tuna sushi than anyone I’ve ever met. Three times a week (in case you were wondering)! Since she’s in town visiting and asked me which… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Oh pitcher filter. Why did you have to disappoint us, so? Yes, in this week’s Ecoholic column I talk about the short comings of Canada’s favourite water filter, Brita, as well as other pitcher filters. Seems they do reduce heavy metals like mercury and used to meet lead reduction standards, and then the standards improved… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

So you’re primed to flick off the lights and spark up some low-emission soy candles. Excellent. Now, don’t even think about throwing all that energy saving out the window by baking a six-hour slow roast pork shoulder. Sorry, Jamie Oliver fans. If you want to impress your friends and family with a proper Earth Hour… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Q: How do I go about seeding plants from scratch organically? A: It could be miserably grey and 30 below out there and serious gardeners would still have a spring in their step and a glint in their eye right about now. Why? Because hope is sprouting in their hearts thanks to the recent start of… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸