Many moons ago, the American Indians used to celebrate Thanksgiving the right way — the green way. Then the pilgrims came along, and ol’ Gaea wasn’t invited to many more Thanksgiving dinners after that.

Well, I say it’s time to slide back a chair, dust it off, and offer Mother Earth a seat at an ol’ fashioned green Thanksgiving this year.

Green Thanksgiving Foods

• Wild food – forage through your local woods for edible plants. Mushrooms are always a tasty treat. Don’t forget your protein-packed pal, the grubworm!
• Reused food – you’d be shocked and appalled at the food that some businesses throw out. Save this food from the landfill! A barely-expired can of cranberries can make a sumptuous side dish to complement a locally-found bird or deer.
• Clover leaves – a young EcoJoe used to READ MORE »

If you, like me, are in the northern hemisphere of good ol’ Mother Earth, then you’re rotch in the midst of autumn. Nights are getting chillier, crops are starting (continuing?) to fail, and we’re all preparing for a green Halloween (a Hallogreen).

You casually glance at the clock. You know what time it is. We all do. It’s morphin’ time homemade applesauce o’clock!

Best Homemade Applesauce Recipe in the Universe

The secret ingredient in this homemade applesauce is READ MORE »

Have a heap of homegrown habaneros? Perplexed about what to do with these powerful peppers? Tired of just eating them whole until you pass out?

Here’s how to make some spicy-as-heck, so-good-you-slap-yo-mama homemade habanero garlic hot sauce.

WARNING! Make sure you wash your hands with soap afterwards, and wash anything that touches the habaneros. Otherwise you’ll get some surprise burns later on, in some surprising places.

Feel free to reuse a container to bottle this potent potable. READ MORE »

If you’ve got a garden and are lucky enough to be growing tomatoes and basil, then you’ve basically got a ready-made, organic, honest-to-goodness snack sitting in your garden! Bruschetta is a tasty-as-heck, healthy snack, and is as easy to make as 1-2-3.

Here’s all you have to do to make deliciosa tomato basil bruschetta, along with a pro-tip to take your new tomato basil bruschetta to the next level!

Step 1: Obtain tomato

Bam! Fresh-picked maters straight from the garden!

Step 2: READ MORE »

Jonathan Foley recently led a team of scientists with the goal of coming up with a plan to feed 9 billion Earthlings while also cutting the environmental damage caused by agriculture. I humbly suggest you read the whole article, but here’s a brief synopsis (or a “TLDR”, for the Internet generation) of the Five Step Plan to Feed the World.

READ MORE »

Ever get a hankering for a nice cool drink, but the plain old water from your homemade rain barrel just won’t cut it? Would you like a kick of antioxidants as well as a slew of precious vitamins n’ minerals?

Then might I humbly suggest trying some Organic India Moringa Leaf Powder. “Leaf powder”, I hear you axing, “What the blazes is that?”

It’s exactly what it sounds like, ground up Moringa leaves. Now, good ol’ WebMD says that the Moringa leaf is full of antioxidants and helpful vitamins and minerals. So I decided to give it a shot.

The Moringa leaf powder container says to mix 1/2 teaspoon with water, so like a good little sheep I followed directions and did just that. It turns the drink an appetizing color reminiscent of swamp water, or a mini world in a jar.

The taste is not bad; I could see it growing on me. It tastes sort of like yerba mate, the lovable herbal tea de Uruguay and regions thereabouts.

I was impressed to see the “USDA Organic” label on the container, but a bit saddened to see that their claim to “restore your imbalances” had not been evaluated by the FDA. My imbalances felt quite restored after chugging a glass of this stuff.

If you’re looking for an organic, healthy way to spice up your water, I’d say to give this Moringa leaf powder a shot. It only takes 1/2 a teaspoon per glass, so one container will last a loooong time,

A final word to the wise: it was a bit concerning to find some Internet web-pages putting Organic India down for poor quality standards. Basically, just because something is “certified organic” doesn’t mean that it’s 100% pure and free from contaminants. This goes for all organic food and dranks, so watch your back out there.

Sometimes as I’m flexing in the mirror at the gym, desperately bulging my veins out of my “swole” arms and hoping other people are watching admiringly to feed my insecure ego, I fight back tears as a sudden urge for cookies flashes through my mind. How can I get healthy, cheap, eco-friendly, organic cookies?

Lo, late last year I found out about this crazy easy, healthy, quick recipe for banana oat cookies. “Egad”, I thought, “I have to share this recipe with todo el mundo.” And that’s just what I’ll do, without further ado.

Healthy Banana Oat Cookie Recipe

* 1 cup oats (for extra green points, use some local, organic oats)
* 2 bananas

Now, don’t be confused… in this picture, I used a double recipe (4 bananas and 2 cups o’ oats).

This is a great way to use old, ripe bananas, or frozen bananas. If using frozen bananas, make sure to peel the bananas before freezing them!

Update!

Hey, Joe–Re: recipe on EcoJoes: there is NO NEED to peel bananas before freezing!!!! In fact, freezing them in their little “nature-jackets” protects them without one having to use a PLASTIC BAG. Just remove from freezer, microwave about 50 sec., slit them from gullet to “other end,” and squeeze out the contents.

Using my aforementioned bulging muscles, I mushed the bananas and oats together, ’til it looked like this:

Okay, you’re about done! At this point you can mix in any amount of fixin’s; use your imagination! Por ejemplo, you could mix in:
* Peanuts, walnuts, almonds
* Raisins, craisins
* Coconut, chocolate chips, lil’ pieces of bacon

Once you’re satisfied with your mix-ins,
1) Form the mush into balls about the size of golf balls
2) Put them on a greased cookie sheet
3) Pop that bad boy into an oven and cook at 350° F for 12-15 minutes.

That’s it, you’re done! Now you can enjoy some of the easiest to make, healthiest cookies ever, with that distinctive banana tang and oat goodness.