Each of these recipes features a brand (and their product) that's dedicated to protecting the environment, reducing their footprint, and fighting against climate change. So get ready to have your tastebuds and your conscious-shopping-but-what-about-earth-buds satisfied.
1. Boonville Barn Collective Spicy Cracker Jack's
Recipe by Francois de Melogue
Who is Boonville Barn Collective? They’re a small farm producing hard-to-find chile powders in California.
It all started in 2012 when owner Krissy was a sous chef at The Boonville Hotel and used Piment d’Espelette on everything in the kitchen. It was expensive to import from France and in order to use more of it, growing it in Boonville seemed like a more accessible approach. Between acquiring pepper seeds, having land available to grow on, and an incredibly willing foreman interested in a challenge, the company started growing what they call Piment d’Ville, their California version of Piment d’Espelette.
How do they protect our planet? Boonville Barn Collective conducts farm practices that help sequester carbon in their soil. They recently received funding through the CA Dept of Food and Agriculture’s Healthy Soils Grant to plant a native hedgerow that simultaneously sequesters carbon and creates a pollinator habitat. And they compost and plant cover crops that manage soil erosion and quality.
The recipe:
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup*
Directions
Heat the oil and kernels in a 5 quart Dutch oven over high heat until smoking hot. Reduce the heat to medium-high, cover and continue to cook until the kernels start to pop. Lower heat to medium and cook until the popping slows down to just a few pops every ten seconds. Pour popcorn into a large mixing bowl.
In the same Dutch oven add the butter and cook until melted, about 1 minute. Add the peanuts and maple syrup and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the piment. Toss your popcorn in the maple mixture and eat. Watch out, it is extremely hot at this point.
Recipe Note
Add flaky salt at the end for the perfect finish. Also try this with smoky and spicy Piment d'Ville for a different flavor profile.
*Extra tip, choose some of Runamok Maple’s solar panel produced syrup.
2. Maine Grains Oat & Buckwheat Peach Crisp
Recipe by Ellie Markovitch
What is the Maine Grains story? The company has helped Skowhegan, Maine, a once prominent grain town, take center stage in a global renaissance to relocalize grain economies. Communities across the globe look to Skowhegan as an example of how to successfully restore the benefits of regional grain production and heritage seed. Maine Grains is committed to making the most delicious, nutritious foods with whole grains.
Now, in Skowhegan, once vacant buildings are humming again with new life and new businesses thanks to Maine Grains.
How do they protect our planet? All their byproducts are either composted or passed on to other producers for reuse, like as feed for livestock. This makes Maine Grains a zero-waste facility. They also maintain relationships with each of the farmers it sources from, helping them to develop eco-friendly growing practices and providing economic support to strengthen their community.
The recipe:
Ingredients
5 cups sliced peaches, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup Maine Grains Organic Rolled Oats
1/3 cup Maine Grains Organic Buckwheat Flour
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp packed brown sugar, depending on your sweet tooth/taste
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, cut into cubes
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place fruit into a 9×9, or 9″ pie plate, toss with lemon juice and drizzle in the honey
For the topping: in a medium bowl stir together the Oats, Buckwheat, brown sugar and spices
Use a pastry blender and cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the pecans.
Sprinkle mixture all over the fruit
Bake for 35 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the topping is golden.
Enjoy with cream or ice cream.
3. Scout Robust Mussel And Tomato Bisque
Recipe by Chef Charlotte Langley
Who is Scout? They’re the first seafood cannery that sources 100% from the U.S. and Canada. Scout works directly with fisheries and sustainable farms coast to coast. And each of their recipes are lovingly developed by their co-founder and acclaimed chef, Charlotte Langley.
That’s not all. Scout is on a mission to become the most trusted seafood brand in North America while reducing food waste and protecting our oceans. Led by a love for seafood and respect for the ecosystem, Scout is Certified B-Corp pending and a proud member of 1% for the Planet, reinvesting every sale into climate action projects.
How do they protect our planet? Over 90% of carbon is stored in the ocean, and kelp forests and other ocean ecosystems sequester more carbon per unit area than forests on land. That's why Scout is on a mission to plant 1 million kelp in 2021 through their partnership with SeaTrees. Their long term goal is to support 100 SeaTrees projects by 2030.
The recipe:
Ingredients
¼ cup of Diced Celery, Onion and Garlic
1 TBSP Butter
2 TBSP Preferred cooking oil
2 cups tomato Passata
¼ cup Croutons
2 TBSP parsley leaves
Directions
Sweat the Onion, Garlic and Celery in preferred cooking oil and a 1 TBSP of butter until translucent and tender.
Deglaze with a light red wine and reduce until dry.
Add one tin of Scout Mussels and 2 cups of tomato passata or puree.
Simmer for 10 minutes on low-med heat.
Blend to your taste with a hand blender.
Adjust seasoning to your taste and garnish with croutons and fresh parsley.