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“Edible flowers have a way of making summer recipes feel a little more extravagant,” writes recipe developer and author Vanessa Seder. “Each type of flower brings its own subtle flavor profile — sometimes honeyed and soft, sometimes peppery, citrusy, herbaceous, or bright with tartness — turning foods such as salads, drinks, desserts, and breads into dishes that look as beautiful as they are delicious.” This story from the latest issue of the Bluedot Living Kitchen magazine offers tips for planting and cultivating your own edible garden, along with Vanessa’s recipe for Focaccia With Edible Flowers and Herbs (pictured above).

“‘Eating is an agricultural act,’ as Wendell Berry famously said. It is also an ecological act, and a political act, too. Though much has been done to obscure this simple fact, how and what we eat determines to a great extent the use we make of the world — and what is to become of it.” 

– Michael Pollen, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

• All About Huckleberries

• Dressing Up Summer Dishes With Edible Flowers

• Eat More Ice Cream, Make Less Garbage

• An Ode to Alabama Tomatoes

• What’s So Bad About Corn?

• How to Stock Your Freezer With Produce

• Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake

• Podcast: Why You Should Eat More Sardines

• How to Reduce Your Food Waste

• Climate Quick Tip: A Zest for Lemon

• Dear Dot: Help Me Shift to a Plant-Based Diet

Join a community creating real change, one everyday action at a time. Bluedot Living equips readers with practical resources, inspiring stories, and solutions that work—98% say we have helped them make planet-positive changes. Become a member for as little as $5/month to support hopeful climate journalism and enjoy exclusive member benefits.

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BIG IDEAS AND LOCAL CHANGEMAKERS

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Bluedot Kitchen

Not many people would look at hundreds of pounds of day-old bread, dates, and potatoes and think, What if I made ice cream out of that? But Tyler Malek, the co-founder and chief ice cream maker at Salt & Straw, did — for the past decade, his Portland, Oregon–based company has been creating flavors from upcycled ingredients — and the results speak for themselves. With locations in seven states, the brand has earned a following (and national acclaim) for its creative flavors: Overripe cherries became cherry red velvet cheesecake ice cream, while spent barley grains formed the basis of chocolate malted potato chip cupcake ice cream. Food makers, Tyler says, should “think outside the box and be one step more creative than we’re expected to be, or than we’re used to being.” Read on.

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Illustration by Elissa Turnbull

Dear Dot,

I’ve heard all the stuff about how hamburgers are harming the planet, and I want to shift to a vegetarian or vegan diet. But the idea of giving up meat entirely stresses me out (especially when my boyfriend is a dedicated carnivore). How can I do this and not lose my mind, my appetite, or my paramour?

– Maddy

Dear Maddy,

Let me set the scene: Driving along a country road, Dot spots a transport truck loaded with pigs en route to the slaughterhouse. Ugh, I think, slowing down, averting my eyes. I can’t look at those pigs, Maddy. Their chubby pinkness, those snouts poking out of the metal bars. I sobbed at Charlotte’s Web, Maddy. Every single time, those doomed pigs stir me to vow that I will stop eating meat. 

And I did. For about four years when I had three Little Dots, I eschewed meat. My family did not. Partly because cajoling the Little Dots to eat even a carrot was a Herculean task. I couldn’t imagine taking meat off their plates, because if I did, with the exception of pasta, there wouldn’t be much left on them. (I did stick to buying meat only from a local farmer, so … there was that.)

Eventually, though, I abandoned my own vegetarianism and took a different approach. “Flexitarianism” is growing in popularity — one study reports that Gen Zers are driving the trend toward a flexitarian diet, with 87% adopting a greater (though not exclusively) plant-based diet. Some settle into long-term flexitarianism, while for others it’s simply the first step toward veganism. But any reduction in meat consumption is a good thing and not to be minimized. 

Dot reaches out to some strictly plant-based eaters for advice. What do they suggest? Keep reading. 

What You Can Do: Avoid Food Waste

Food waste not only leads to a higher grocery bill; it also accounts for around 10% of global carbon emissions. Let Bluedot’s Guide to Avoiding Food Waste help you refrigerate, store, and use up ingredients — and understand the truth behind expiration dates. 

The Keep-This Handbook

Freezing produce can go a long way toward avoiding waste (thereby saving money) and ensuring that you always have delicious ingredients on hand. But not all produce freezes well. Here’s how to know what — and how — to chill.

You’re Invited Into the Bluedot Living Kitchen

Aside from working on The Weekly and our Hub website content, Jamie Kageleiry and I also get to be part of the Bluedot Living Kitchen team. With our third editor, Nicki Miller, we run the gamut on dietary preferences: Jamie, a meat-eater; Nicki, a pescatarian; and me, a vegan. We sort of sound like the setup for a bad joke. But really, we work well together — a team that views food as a way to lighten our environmental footprint.

For years, I’ve chosen to eat vegan, and I often get asked why. Did I see a shocking documentary about the meat and dairy industry? Did I do it for my health? For the environment? For the animals? (Or my dad’s favorite: Did I do it just to make my life harder?) But it wasn’t that well thought out.

It started as a last-minute New Year’s resolution; I’d been vegetarian for a year and decided I’d try to go the extra mile and cut out eggs, cheese — all the animal products. Five years later, and it has stuck. I’m willing, I’m able, and with all the possible answers to the question “why,” I figured, why not? 

I recognize that I’m lucky enough to live in an epicenter for veggie options. Here in Los Angeles, it isn’t hard for me to go to a restaurant and find something vegan (and delicious) to eat. For that, I am grateful. I am also grateful to have access to Bluedot Living Kitchen’s catalog of recipes and resources, so I never have to compromise on taste or nutrition, even while cooking at home.

What we put on our plates can be deeply personal, tied to our culture and our identity, but it can also be a choice that impacts the entire planet. Eating vegan helps me feel my best physically and spiritually because I’m choosing food that is good for me and the planet. Maybe your goal is to eat a more wholesome diet, filled with food that comes from the Earth in the least destructive way possible. Or maybe you’re still getting your footing in the kitchen, and need quick and easy recipes to get started. Whatever your goal, Bluedot Living Kitchen is here to help along the way, making your journey a little easier with simple, sustainable recipes and tips you can try in your own kitchen. 

Subscribe now and get access to all of our previous issues, plus our recipe collection. And keep an eye out for our print magazine, coming soon!

Enjoy the weekend, and we’ll see you next week.

– Emily Cain (and Jamie Kageleiry, Leslie Garrett, and Robin Jones)

Editors

Write us at editor@bluedotliving.com

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