It’s easy to cut corners nowadays, even for health conscious or organic and natural food consumers.

So, what will people buy in 2010? As the recession continues to hang over our heads.

Mambo Sprouts Marketing, a natural and organic product marketing firm, asked 1,000 organic shoppers what they plan to buy next year.

Despite the higher cost, 68% of respondents will choose organic fruits and vegetables, with 53% aiming to eat organic foods.

And 59% of people will buy more organics next year, but to make it more affordable, 53% will shop during sales, and 51% plan to use coupons.

Organic purchasing priorities included milk, meat, and poultry with 54%, children’s food with 53%, and cheese and eggs with 50%.

Also, 52% of respondents will turn to farmer’s markets and 43% local food-cops to help save money.

It’s a pretty tedious report, but encouraging to see people who pride themselves on conscientious shopping will stick to their guns.

Via Mambo Sprouts Marketing.

Image credit: mag3737

Bat flowers. Lily-of-the-Nile. Devil’s tongue. Cobra lily. Black cow parsley.

Each of these plants is a lovely shade of black.

Once you open the pages of Paul Bonine’s Black Plants, you’ll no longer associate the floral color with Morticia Addams’ garden or a Goth funeral wreath. Bonine, co-owner of the wholesale nursery Xera Plants in Sherwood, OR, will have you craving a patch of “dusky denizens” in your organic garden.

Hauntingly beautiful, 75 black annuals, perennials, bulbs and shrubs are featured. You’ll find black varieties of common favorites like pansies and columbines, as well as more exotic offerings. (Dracula orchids, anyone?)

The 160-page book retails for $14.95, but Amazon is selling it for $10.17 (at press time), a 32% discount.

My dog-niece Charlie, now 4 months old, enjoyed several baths over the summer.

There have been only a few days of that familiar “stinky dog smell.” Luckily, Charlie enjoys a good shampoo and fluff, so there’s no battle in getting her into the sink or tub.

Many dog shampoos contain toxic chemicals, so it’s important to purchase green products.

Kimberly Delaney, author of Knack Clean Home, Green Home: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Eco-Friendly Homekeeping, offers these recommendations:

• Shampoo products should be made from plant-derived ingredients, with nontoxic preservatives.
• If the product is scented, make sure natural oils are used.
• Product labels should list all ingredients.
• Shampoos should be 100% biodegradable.
• Whenever possible, select a product with recyclable packaging.

If your dog has any acute or chronic skin conditions, consult with your veterinarian before selecting bath products.

5 Natural and Organic Dog Shampoos

1. Aubrey Organimals
2. Spot Organics No More Itch Shampoo
3. Richard’s Organics Deodorizing Dog & Cat Shampoo
4. Earthbath All Natural Mango Tango Shampoo and Conditioner in One
5. TrueBlue Pure and Sure Puppy Shampoo

When kids head back to school, families can experience mealtime meltdowns.

Schedules must be coordinated, lunches need to be packed, and busy parents are desperate to find quick ways to create healthy meals.

Here are three basic survival tips:

1. Plan menus over the weekend. Making decisions when you have some downtime reduces stress and can save you hours in the supermarket and kitchen. Some great recipe ideas appear at the end of this article.
2. Shop smart. Keep must-have ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator. In addition to fresh organic fruits and veggies, rely on prepared organic pasta sauce, salsa, canned beans, cheeses, whole-grain pasta and brown rice. Make sure you have sufficient supplies of favorite condiments.
3. Cook Once, Eat Twice. Double your recipes. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers for future meals.

A Dozen Recipe Ideas

• Maple Wasabi Glazed Salmon
• Turkish Stuffed Eggplant
• Catfish with Peanut-Coconut Crust
• Pumpkin Curry Soup
• Middle Eastern Meatballs
• Vegetarian Bagel Sandwich
• Baja Fish Tacos with Mexican Slaw
• Spicy Bean Stew
• Veggie Egg Salad
• Harvest Stuffed Squash
• Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
• Graham-Crusted Fish Fillets

Pears are one of my favorite fruits, and they’re currently in season.

Two new organic pear products have found their way into my grocery cart: Zhena Caramelized Pear Tea and Wallaby Nonfat Bartlett Pear Yogurt.

The Caramelized Pear Tea is a blend of organic ingredients: 100% Fair Trade green tea, pear pieces, marigold flowers, and caramel and pear flavors. The 15 biodegradable tea sachets, made of GMO-free corn silk, are packed in a recyclable, airtight tin.

The Bartlett Pear Yogurt also features all-organic ingredients: cultured pasteurized nonfat milk, evaporated cane juice, pear juice concentrate, natural flavor, pectin and locust bean gum. A 6-oz. container has 130 calories and meets 25% of your daily calcium requirement. Click here to find a store near you.

Pick up some organic pears at your local farmers’ market, and try four favorite recipes:

1. Romaine, Pecan and Pear Salad
2. Wilted Greens with Pinot Pears
3. Marjoram-Scented Pears with Gorgonzola
4. Pear and Chocolate Spread

Also: Check out an old favorite, Dishmate Pear Ultra Concentrated Dish Washing Liquid.

If you missed Walt Disney Studios’ Earth in theaters, pick up the DVD, which releases today. 

Gorgeous cinematography captures polar bears marching across ice, elephants enjoying a swim and whales breaching the ocean’s surface. (Click here to watch the trailer.)

 The film is the first feature-length documentary from the new, eco-conscious production unit Disneynature. Cowritten and codirected by the award-winning Alastair Fothergill (Planet Earth, The Blue Planet), and narrated by Oscar-nominated actor James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader!), it’s an amazing tour of our home planet.

 “In addition to providing compelling entertainment that audiences of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy, we also hope to raise awareness of the many ways that everyone and anyone can do their part to help our planet,” says Disneynature head honcho Jean-Francois Camilleri.

 Adds Martyn Freeman of coproducer BBC Worldwide: “Earth captures some of the rarest and most beautiful imagery of the planet ever photographed by a team of the world’s top cinematographers. Audiences will get to see their planet in an exciting new way.”

 I agree with Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly (one of the most trustworthy film critics out there), who calls the finished project a “super-duper deluxe nature documentary.” She believes Earth “clearly aims to recruit young viewers as conservationists.”

 That’s a mission we all can support.

 Save $13

 The DVD’s suggested retail price is $29.99, but Amazon is currently selling it for $16.99.

When the folks at Health magazine asked organic foodie Mollie Katzen to name some of her favorite products, she cited Fusion Naturally Flavored Sea Salts, a new line of artisan salts.

More than 20 flavors are available, from Thai Ginger and Italian Porcini Mushroom to Green Tea and Spicy Curry.

The salts “add a punch of exotic flavor to roasted or steamed vegetables,” notes Katzen, a best-selling cookbook author who cofounded the famed Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY. “Because they’re so potent, you end up using less salt.”

That’s an important health priority, as Americans consume far too much sodium. Just ask the New Jersey man who’s suing Denny’s over its high-sodium entrees.

I’m looking forward to trying Fusion’s Aged Balsamic Sea Salt, a blend of hand-harvested sea salt and aged Modena balsamic vinegar.

10 Favorite Mollie Katzen Cookbooks

1. The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without
2. The New Moosewood Cookbook
3. The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest
4. Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven
5. Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Cafe
6. Mollie Katzen’s Recipes: Soups
7. Mollie Katzen’s Recipes: Salads
8. Honest Pretzels (children 8 and older)
9. Salad People and More Real Recipes (preschoolers and older)
10. Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes (preschoolers and older)

When they hear the word “plank,” many people immediately think of pirates—and an untimely demise.

But chefs have long been fans of planking, a grilling method first embraced by Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. Not surprisingly, they planked the region’s bountiful fish and seafood, creating a barbecue trend that’s experiencing a resurgence today.

As the name implies, fish fillets and shellfish are placed on a wet, aromatic wooden plank, which flavors the food.

You can purchase precut planks at barbecue and grill shops, supermarkets, some natural and organic food stores, and online. Read labels carefully to ensure you’re buying organic planks, such as Elizabeth Karmel’s Grill Friends Organic Cedar Grilling Planks, made from organic American wood that comes from sustainable forests.

Another source for planks is your local lumberyard; just be sure to buy untreated hardwood lumber (again, preferably organic).

The best wood choices for planking are cedar, alder and oak. Hickory and maple also work well. Do not use pine or other soft woods, as they are too resinous.

Before grilling, presoak the plank in water for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Pat planks dry with paper towels, and spray-coat or lightly oil one side. (You’ll place seafood on the oiled side.)

Season fillets or seafood lightly with an herb blend, such as Taj Rub, or simply use salt and pepper. Go easy, as you don’t want to overpower the flavor imbued by the plank.

Preheat one side of the grill to medium-high, and place the planked seafood on the indirect (nonheated) side. Close the lid, and turn down the heat to medium. After 10 minutes, check fish and seafood frequently for doneness.

Be advised: Seafood changes from translucent to opaque as it cooks, and it will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat. Cook just until opaque throughout.

If you’re grilling fish without a plank, follow the tips provided in Fish on the Barbie.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: The Plank Grilling Cookbook: Infuse Food with More Flavor Using Wood Planks

Tips courtesy of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

How much water does an ENERGY STAR-rated clothes washer save?

It can literally cut your water usage in half.

A standard washer uses 32.5 gallons of water per load, while an ENERGY STAR-rated machine uses only 15 gallons, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

ENERGY STAR-rated washers also allow you to adjust water levels for smaller loads, and they spin-dry your clothes more effectively, which reduces dryer time.

While the average clothes washer lasts about 11 years, those manufactured before 1999 use 400% more energy than ENERGY STAR-rated models.

As of July 1, ENERGY STAR machines were required to be at least 43% more energy-efficient than the minimum federal standard, and they must meet stringent water-efficiency criteria.

Check out the DOE’s Make a Clean Change—Recycle Your Old Washer program, which promotes rebates on energy-efficient models. Recycling also saves about $145 per year in utility bills.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: Laundry: The Spirit of Keeping Home

Photo courtesy of GE

School may be out for summer, but seize the opportunity to increase your children’s vocabulary and environmental literacy with a good book.

Kids ages 3–8 will enjoy Recycle! A Handbook for Kids, by Gail Gibbons—a colorful 32-page book that explains the recycling process from start to finish.

Children will learn how different types of garbage—from paper and plastic to glass and aluminum cans—are recycled into new products. Gibbons also offers recycling tips and “trash trivia.”

“Gail Gibbons is a phenomenal writer whose informational books help kids learn new and interesting facts,” says Jennifer D. Turner, PhD, an assistant professor of education at the University of Maryland. “And she doesn’t disappoint with her book on recycling. This book is very readable and well organized, and helps children really get a sense of what landfills are and why we need fewer of them.

“Gibbons does thorough research in order to write her books,” Dr. Turner continues, “so when she describes how to recycle, why it’s necessary and its benefits, you know the information is accurate. The book ends with some interesting information about the ozone layer and the limited potential for recycling polystyrene, followed by 14 facts about garbage.”

For Your Child’s Organic Bookshelf 

1. Where Does the Garbage Go?
2. Why Should I Recycle?
3. The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
4. Garbage and Recycling