lunch

Looking around an elementary school cafeteria, it is impossible to ignore the images of Spiderman, Justin Bieber, kittens and rainbows stamping each child’s lunchbox. Although in the past lunchboxes have been considered a grade-school commodity, they are bursting their way into the adult world as people realize that a waste-free lunch means more than eating everything on your plate. To truly reduce our meals’ carbon footprint, we need to consider not only how food is produced, but also how we’re packing it. According to the New York Times, sales of environmentally friendly back-to-school products are up just about everywhere. At the Container Store, the increase is 30 percent over last year...

from the FarmPlate Kitchen 1 pound zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper A handful of fresh parsley leaves 2 cloves garlic 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced A big pinch of chopped fresh thyme from the FarmPlate Kitchen 1 pound zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper A handful of fresh parsley leaves 2 cloves garlic 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced A big pinch of chopped fresh thyme 4 large Vermont eggs (try farm-fresh eggs from Berway Farm and Creamery) 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Spread out the cubed zucchini, sprinkle with salt and set aside. Chop the parsley and garlic...

Philly has the Let Freedom Ring bell-ringing ceremony and Boston goes all out with Harborfest, but New England's true patriots and parade fanatics head to Warren, Vermont, for the best July 4th spectacular around. Warren takes patriotism and parades pretty seriously. Named after the first American to fall at Bunker Hill, the little town on the Mad River swells from about 1,700 year-round residents to three times that number on the morning of Independence Day. Since the 4th falls on a Sunday this year, Sunday morning church service has been moved to Saturday. The parade is an eclectic mix of marching bands, honking fire trucks, waving politicians and homegrown floats—all blessed by an Air...