Glögg

Glögg (mulled wine) is a very Swedish tradition. Christmas just isn't Christmas without it. We start drinking it as soon as the snow starts to fall or at the latest the first weekend of December. There are white or red versions and some of them has added flavours; for example apple, cognac or chocolate. The red ones you heat up and put almonds and raisins in. The white ones you can either heat up or drink cold with ice in it.

I have no idea if it's possible to find outside of Sweden, but if you're visiting wintertime I'm sure you'll have an opportunity to try it.

This years organic ones are;

Tegnér and son - red (with tastes of cherries and chocolate)

Vinterglöd - red (with tastes of cinnamon and ginger)

Ripa - red (with tastes of raisins and cardamon)

Vinfabriken - white (with tastes of apple and lemon)

Dufvenkrok - red (with tastes of gingerbread)

Espresso - this is something else

For those of us that loves the cute and smart pods and the cool design of the Nespresso-machines, here are some good news. In an earlier note I wrote that Nespresso don't have any organic coffee and about the problems to recycle the pods.

Ethical Coffee Company  has a solution to this. Their pods fits perfectly in the Nespresso-machines and they are filled with organic and Fair Trade coffee (the Lungo and Inca Soave capsules). The pods are biodegradable and can be thrown in the trash or put on your compost. Great news for all coffee-lovers out there. Great christmasgift for my husband who has been longing for one. Stores can be found in lots of European countries and in the U.S.

So you can sip an organic expresso after a nice dinner or enjoy a cappuccino mixed with organic milk and cinnamon before work. Isn't it great with new innovations that find even better ways to improve new cool things. I love it!

Since the CEO of Ethical Coffee Company used to be the CEO of Nespresso I' m sure he knows what he's doing and provides top notch products. Maybe it's time for me to start drinking coffee...

Eat!

Eat! Ekostore is a fantastic little store in the centre of Stockholm that has everything you need, just as your regular supermarket. You can find milk, meat, juice, vegetables and grains. They have a selection of schampoos, detergents, baby-products and sunscreens as well as chocolate, candies, nuts and much much more. So there is nothing you can't find in here. It feels good to know that you don't have to check for the organic labels, instead you just buy what you need and you'll know it's not harmful in any way. They are open 7 days a week with really generous opening hours, so there's no reason to shop anywhere else. It's also nice to support the local community and to make sure we keep wonderful places like this one open.

If you're a company they're able to deliver fruit to the office; a nice and easy way to care about your employees. They will even bring coffee, milk or other products if you want to. Of course your shopping will be delivered in a car that runs on biogas.

As an ECOmmunity member you'll get special deals and invitations to events, and if you're on Twitter or Facebook you'll get all the latest news and offers. Also, check out their website were you can read their blog and find some delicious dinner inspiration in the recipes section.

Refreshments

I tried a new organic fruit-drink today from Belvoir Fruit Farms. 

This was a pressé made of organic elderflower. Usually I find elderflower a bit too sweet, but this was the most delicious thirst quencher I've ever tried! Poured over a lot of ice it really is suitable for anything; a summer lunch, a trip to the beach or mixed with the evening drinks. Checking out their website I'm obviously not the only one who likes it. Belvoir has recieved several awards for their drinks.

Not all Belvoir drinks are organic, but none of them use any ingredients derived from animals, any chemical preservatives or artificial colors or flavours.

Their products can be bought in 21 countries, and in Sweden you can find it at Goodstore.

Solvatten - how to get fresh water from the sun

Solvatten (Sun Water) is such an amazing invention!

Petra Wadström came up with this idea when travelling with her family in Indonesia in 1997, and it took her ten years of research and testing before production could begin.

Solvatten is a container of 10 liters that, when put in the sun, cleans water from bacteria, viruses and parasites. Apparently UV-light kills microorganisms as well as boiling does, and combined with heat and a built-in filter this really works. And without any chemicals being used! The container can be used in any country as long as there is sun. Doesn't matter if it's cold as long as the sun is out. Solvatten can produce up to 30 liters (8 gallons) of safe drinking water in a day.

It's so easy. You fill it up with water and leave it in the sun for two-six hours and voilà, when the indicator tells you the water is safe, you've got water ready to drink. It almost sounds to good to be true, but the water from Solvatten is approved by both WHO and FDA.

In many countries wood or charcoal is being used to heat up water to make it safe. In Africa 70% of household income is spent on that kind of fuel. Solvatten can help reduce that cost as well as help preventing deforestation.

Such a great and simple way to use free solar-energy and completely organic too!

You can find a long list of the organizations Solvatten cooperates with on their homepage.

I'm so proud of this Swedish innovator!

Goodstore

Goodstore is located in Stockholm and committed to organic and vegetarian merchandise. It's a cosy place with a wide range of food, cleaning materials, candy and beautyproducts. If you don't live in Stockholm they even deliver for you. Visit their webshop to see the complete range.

As well as providing you with everything you need for dinner you can also buy ready to go meals, smoothies and fruit. If you want a vegetarian wedding or birthday party they'll help you with the menu and cater the event.

Goodstore sell produce from a lot of different brands such as Kung Markatta, Saltå Kvarn, Ellas and Clipper. They also have their own brand, Goods, which provides organic produce at good prices. If you're a member, Goodfriend, you always get 3% off every purchase.

La Pluma Rosé

Today I tried a new organic rosé wine. La Pluma is a spanish wine from producers Julià & Navinès. The grapes are a mix of tempranillo, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. It has a great light red colour and a taste of raspberries and pomegranate.

This wine was really delicious as a pre-dinner drink and we continued with the same wine for our barbecue dinner. It was perfect with grilled pork.

At 79 SEK/11 USD at the Swedish wineshop (Systembolaget) this is really a bargain for those warm summer nights.

Power of consumption

Nobody can do it alone, but with the small steps and choices we make every day, we can all do our part. That's the most important thing I want to show with this blog. We can really do it together. All consumers of food, drink, clothes, fuel, skincare etc etc can put the pressure on our governments and all companies to work for a better and more sustainable future for all of us simply by choosing what we spend our money on.

-Buying organic milk/wine/juice/coffee instead of regular shows our farmers that we don't want to drink chemicals and hormones.
-Buying toys painted with non-toxic paint or made of non-toxic plastic shows our toy-stores that they need to produce and sell things that won't give off poison when our children put them in their mouth.
-Buying organic skincare will tell the producers that we don't want to rub chemicals on the biggest organ we have; our skin.
-Using public transportation whenever possible and buy cars with alternative fuel-sources will show the oil-industry that enough is enough.

If we keep asking at our local stores for those products and keep buying the things that are good for us those things will be produced in a larger scale. We can make the power of money work in our favour.

Yes we can!

Nespresso - or someting else?

I don't drink coffee, but when I see the Nespresso pods that look like candy I'm really tempted to start.

The pods are made of aluminium, and in Sweden they can be disposed of at the regular recycling center as metal. Sweden and Germany are currently the only countries where this is possible. Told you we take recycling seriously.... In countries where this is not possible Nespresso has developed their own system to recycle and reuse the capsules. Ask at your local Nespresso store. 

The coffee beans are unfortunately not organic which means that this is not a very healthy option. Nespresso has a very good website with information on how they work closely together with farmers to create long-term business and to work together for a more sustainable future. It's an admirable approach, and I hope they will move even further and start promoting organic farming. As I've written before there are a lot of chemicals used in producing coffee, and that's really harmful for the producers, the environment and the consumers. So if you're buying Nespresso make sure to ask for organic coffee to make them understand that we want it chemical-free.

Reuse the pods? Below are some fun and creative pictures.

Beautiful cups from Dottings

Small works of art by Aqui H Gato

Necklace from the "Throw away Gold" collection by Nolia Shakti.

Key pendants. Artist unknown.

Table "What Else" from Studio Verissimo

Organic Breakfast

Todays breakfast consist of;

Turkish yoghurt, bananas, fresh strawberries, and homemade cereal. The cereal is mixed with coconut flakes, flax-seeds, almonds, quinoa-puffs, sunflower-seeds, hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds. The ingredients are from Kung Markatta, Saltå Kvarn, ICA - I love eco and Biofood. A cup of  Pukka Vanilla Chai tea completes the meal. It is delicious!

Kung Markatta

Kung Markatta is a Swedish brand that has been working with organic food since 1983.
They sell about about 2000 different articles and 150 of them are produced under their own name Kung Markatta. The articles range from olive oil to bread to tofu to sweets and everything in between.

On their homepage you can read the fun story about how the company started with the driving spirit of Lennart that did it all in his own apartment in the beginning. There is a full list of their products and also recipes where you can choose if you want products without for example gluten or milk.

Apart from providing us with healthy food they are active in their own industry trying to influence their competitors and cooperation partners to do more. They are affiliated to several different eco-labels and they compensate for all their emissions during transportation.

Kung Markattas products can be found in most of the supermarkets in Sweden and also in health food stores of course. It always feels good to support a local brand and being able to be healthy while doing so is even better.

Bruichladdich

The Bruichladdich organic whisky (2010) was the only spirit to recieve three stars at the Gault Millau and and Michelin Superior Taste Award in 2011. That's a very good score...

This whisky is on special order at the Swedish wineshop (Systembolaget). It takes about two weeks to get it, but according to my husband it's worth the wait.

Rosendal

The gardens of Rosendal is place of tranquility right in the centre of Stockholm.
You can walk around in the beautiful surroundings of Djurgården and finish off with a coffe, a glass of wine or a lunchbreak at Rosendal.

Their food is organic and delicious and in the summer you can enjoy it outdoors. In the wintertime you can sit inside one of their greenhouses.

It's a very popular spot, make sure you are there at the right time or that you have enough patience to wait. It's definitely worth your while. 

After you've finished your coffee you can spoil yourself with some new plants or bring home some chocolate, handmade pots or freshly baked bread from the shop.

Drink responsibly

In the western world, and in Sweden in particular, tapwater is so healthy and tastes so good there is really no reason to drink bottled water.

Sodastream is the largest worldwide company to provide products for carbonating water.
The soda maker is not very expensive (the cheapest one costs about the same as 50 liters of bottled water). One carbonator costs about 15USD and can be used to make 60-130 liters of carbonated water (depending on the size) and when it's empty you leave it to a retailer so it can be refilled and reused. The bottles used for the soda makers are either glass or plastic, depending on which soda maker you choose. The plastic bottles are high-pressure resistant, can be re-used for up to three years and the plastic is free fom Bisphenol A and does not give away any phtalates or PCB.

You save money, you save the environment and you're never out of fresh carbonated water.

Most important to choose organic

Food is the main source of human exposure to environmental toxins. You can't find everything in an organic version (yet), but if you just change the below things towards organic ones, both you and the environment will benefit hugely from that. The largest amount of pesticides are used on;

Coffee
I've written about this before and it's easy to find organic coffee in most shops.

Bananas
40-50 tons of pesticides are used in every 10.000 square kilometers (around 4000 square miles) each year. One of the pesticides used is chloropyrifos. Chloropyrifos is a neurotoxin used in the plastic bags that surrounds the banana stem. Because of this, the people harvesting our bananas may suffer from loss of apetite, insomnia, concentration difficulties, higher risks of lungcancer and even be suicidal. Getting close to this chemical is especially dangerous to the nervous system of children up to the age of 6 and there has been studies made that suggests a link between exposure to this kind of pesticide (and other organophosphates) and ADHD. Scientists even take it as far as to compare to the exposure to lead which 40 years ago proved to be very harmful. In Sweden it's easy to find organic bananas. Almost every food store has them.

Grapes
Grapes is the most commonly grown fruit in the world (about 45 percent). Grapes are sensitive to pests, a lot of times they are sprayed with pesticides even before any breakouts have been noticed, and grapes shows traces of pesticides more often than any other food. There are also several different chemicals used and how those chemicals interact is still not known. Even though each chemical in itself may not be harmful in a very small dose, they may cause damage together. Don't forget that the pesticides used on grapes also affects raisins, wine and champagne. About 85 procent of all grapes are used in producing wine. Organic grapes can be hard to find in Sweden, but organic raisins and organic wines are easy.

Potatoes
In Sweden this is the crop where the most pesticides are being used, and among those the King Edward and Bintje are the most sprayed ones. A Swedish potato is on average sprayed with pesticides 7 (some as much as 13!) times before they're harvested. If all Swedes would choose only Swedish, organic potatoes we would stop 95 tons of chemicals each year from harming ourselves and our environment. The most common pesticides used are Shirlan and Ranman. They are highly toxic towards aquatic organisms and also harmful to pollinating insects like bees.

Dairy products
Organic dairy means that the cows are fed organic food only, and most of it has to be grown on the farmers own farm. The animals should be allowed to move freely and to eat grass outside for at least eight hours a day during the warm season. The calves are allowed to suckle and to stay with their mothers for a longer period. Antibiotics are not allowed as a precaution. Happy, healthy animals, less chemicals and less antibiotics in our food. Luckily it's very easy in Sweden to find organic dairy. Milk, cream, butter, cheese, yoghurt etc can all be found in organic versions at the local supermarket.

Read more at Naturskyddsforeningen

Organic or locally cultivated?

How to choose between the two? Is it better to buy locally grown produce than have fruit, vegetables, meat etc transported all over the world? Or should you choose organic non-toxic produce no matter how it's transported? The transports takes its toll on the environment but, on the other hand, locally grown produce may still have a lot of chemicals in them.

It's not an easy choice to make. It's not the same thing, and it's not always easy to find locally grown produce that's also organic.

I've decided to choose organic every time, and in doing that giving organic farmers all over the world a chance to sell their produce. It's important to me to have as few chemicals as possible in my food and drinks. Maybe in the long run there will be more to choose from when it comes to produce that's both organic and locally cultivated.

Coffee

Coffee has the second largest turnover among merchandise in the entire world (oil being the largest). As such it can really make a difference what we choose when we buy coffee.

Poisonous pesticides are used on 70% of all coffee plantations. Two of the most common pesticides are paraquat and lindane. Paraquat is acutely toxic and is considered extremely unhealthy. Exposure to even small doses can cause damage to your liver, lungs and kidneys. Exposure to lindane causes damage to the nervous system and may cause cancer. Those chemicals are forbidden in Sweden and the EU, but they are still used in countries producing the Swedish national drink coffee. For example, one of the largest health hazards in Brasil are illnesses caused by pesticedes. An estimated 200 000 persons are afflicted in this country alone.

There is an organisation working for better environmental policies and a fair treatment of workers in the trade. You can check out the 4c-coffeeassociation website.

Luckily, finding organic coffe is quite easy, at least in Sweden. Many brands have a choice of different organic beans and blends and lots of times it's fair trade as well. So it should be easy to find an organic version that you like.

There is a fantastic website where you can find out everything you need to know about coffe; Kaffeinformation. They don't get into the problems with farming but are more of a general information site.

Saltå Kvarn

Saltå Kvarn (Saltå Mill) is a Swedish company dedicated to high quality organic and biodynamic food.They are situated south of Stockholm and sell their produce all over the country. Saltå Kvarn has been working with biodynamic produce since 1964 and they are working together with farmers from all over the world to ensure a clean and natural produce. You can find their products in health food stores, and a lot of supermarkets have it as well.

Plastic Fantastic?

What does those marks on your waterbottles, childrens toys, food containers etc really mean? Can you tell what's harmful and what's not? Check those marks when shopping, and try to avoid 3, 6 and 7 which are the most dangerous ones.

There is a potential (low) risk for leakage of phthalates.

Often used in recyclable waterbottles

There are no known risks with this kind of plastic, but it should not be heated up.

This type of plastic is used in varoius things; from food packaging to toys

to building-materials. It's a hard plastic and to soften it phthalates is often added.

This kind of chemical leaks and it affects your hormones and your fertility.

There are also studies that shows a connection to childrens allergies.

This type is often used in plastic bags.

There are no know risks with this kind of plastic, but it should not be heated up.

This kind is often used in food containers that needs to be heat-resistant.

It contains substances that can be harmful.

This kind of plastic is used in a lot off different things; toys,

computers, kitchen appliances etc.

 It can be impregnated with flame retardants.

This is often used for food containers, feeding bottles and plastic kitchen utensils. This is a very common mark. The plastic may contain bisphenol A that affects your hormones.

Yogi Tea

Yogi Tea comes in a lot of different flavours. They have black, red and green teas with mixes of herbes, spices and berries and they are all organic and mixed according to ayurvedic principles.
There are also versions that target specific needs, for example to give more energy, to calm you down or to help you sleep. On the bottom of each package there is a yoga pose that specifically suites that particular tea.

Green Chai is my all time favourite. It's a very mild herbal blend that smells of cardamom and cinnamon. There are also several teas with fruit flavour or lemon that are perfect for ice-tea in the summer.

In Sweden you can find Yogi Tea in health food stores and in some regular supermarkets.

Read more about the different blends here.