betterArts To Offer Giftwrap-Making Station at Saturday's Kris Kringle Mart

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betterArts will offer free giftwrap-making at this year's Kris Kringle Mart, put on by the Alexandria Bay Figure Skating Club and held at Alexandria Bay's fire hall from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.

The annual event, put on by the figure-skating club as a fundraiser, features vendors selling a large variety of handmade items that will make perfect holiday gifts.

betterArts will have lots of art supplies on-hand and members of the organization will be available to help visitors make customized gift wrap for everyone on their list. The group will also offer toy giveaways throughout the day.

Alexandria Bay's fire hall is located at 110 Walton St., Alexandria Bay.

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Nicole Caldwell

Nicole Caldwell is a self-taught environmentalist, green-living savant and sustainability educator with more than a decade of professional writing experience. She is also the co-founder of Better Farm and president of betterArts. Nicole’s work has been featured in Mother Earth News, Reader’s Digest, Time Out New York, and many other publications. Her first book, Better: The Everyday Art of Sustainable Living, is due out this July through New Society Publishers.

Celebrate September with Better Farm's Bag Sale

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One of Better Farm's $20 bags of freshly picked, organic produce.

One of Better Farm's $20 bags of freshly picked, organic produce.

To celebrate September, Better Farm is kicking off a month-long $20 bag sale of mixed organic produce.

The Better Farm bag sale is equivalent in size to about three full, plastic shopping bags. We've got peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, squash, greens, herbs, carrots, potatoes, beans, eggplants, beets, radishes, corn and much much more!

All you have to do is call or email anytime this month to reserve a bag and select a pick-up time. We'll do all the legwork of picking all the produce for you. The result? One enormous share of delicious, nutritious, organic fruits, veggies and herbs for you to enjoy. 

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Nicole Caldwell

Nicole Caldwell is a self-taught environmentalist, green-living savant and sustainability educator with more than a decade of professional writing experience. She is also the co-founder of Better Farm and president of betterArts. Nicole’s work has been featured in Mother Earth News, Reader’s Digest, Time Out New York, and many other publications. Her first book, Better: The Everyday Art of Sustainable Living, is due out this July through New Society Publishers.

Tiny Home Construction Workshop Part I: Aug. 8-9

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Tiny Home Construction Workshop Part I: Aug. 8-9

Have you been daydreaming about having your very own tiny home, but aren't sure where to start? Learn all about materials, construction, different alt-energy systems and much more at Better Farm's Tiny Home Construction Workshop Part I during two days, Aug. 8 and 9.

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Better Farm Partners with Local Businesses for Children's 'Explorers Passport' Program

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A new program put on by local businesses offers Explorers Passports to children living in and visiting the Thousand Islands Region of New York State.

In the Explorers Passport, children have the opportunity to answer trivia questions, have their "passports" stamped by various local businesses in and around Alexandria Bay, and create their own keepsakes to bring home.

Participating businesses throughout the town of Alexandria (including Redwood!) designate themselves with "Explorers Passport Participating Partner" signs on front entranceways. Passports are available at these stops along the trail.

Those visiting Better Farm are invited to visit our farm stand, take a tour of the grounds, hang out with the chickens, and even do some arts 'n' crafts in our studios.

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Nicole Caldwell

Nicole Caldwell is a self-taught environmentalist, green-living savant and sustainability educator with more than a decade of professional writing experience. She is also the co-founder of Better Farm and president of betterArts. Nicole’s work has been featured in Mother Earth News, Reader’s Digest, Time Out New York, and many other publications. Her first book, Better: The Everyday Art of Sustainable Living, is due out this July through New Society Publishers.

Does Dulse Seaweed Really Taste Like Bacon?

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Dulse seaweed: bacon-flavored deliciousness, or grimy sea food?

Dulse seaweed: bacon-flavored deliciousness, or grimy sea food?

There's been a lot of hype lately about the nutritionally dense dulse seaweed and claims that it tastes like bacon. As a community of veggie-loving foodies, this piqued our interest so today I challenged some Better Farmers to a taste test.

First, the claims:

  • Dulse is a superfood with twice the nutritional value of kale
  • "This stuff is pretty amazing,” said chief researcher Chris Langdon. “When you fry it, which I have done, it tastes like bacon, not seaweed. And it’s a pretty strong bacon flavor.” (TIME)
  • "Food lovers might no longer have to choose between tastiness and healthiness." (CNN)

The expert panel I brought in for this challenge was comprised of people who know what bacon tastes like—but who also enjoy vegetarian and vegan substitutes. Here are their findings.

RAW, UNCUT FOOTAGE:

While the seaweed fried up nicely and needs no salting, it just didn't have the flavor to warrant a bacon-substitute claim. And even those who enjoyed the initial taste of the crunchy snack didn't have anything nice to say about the aftertaste.

The results? Stick with the tempeh bacon and save the seaweed for veggie rolls, miso soup and baked into other dishes. Dulse just didn't come close.

Don't cry just yet—here are a bunch of totally amazing resources for delicious, vegan bacon everyone can enjoy:

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Nicole Caldwell

Nicole Caldwell is a self-taught environmentalist, green-living savant and sustainability educator with more than a decade of professional writing experience. She is also the co-founder of Better Farm and president of betterArts. Nicole’s work has been featured in Mother Earth News, Reader’s Digest, Time Out New York, and many other publications. Her first book, Better: The Everyday Art of Sustainable Living, is due out this July through New Society Publishers.