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Bluedot Living’s BuyBetter Marketplace newsletter includes affiliate links, including to Amazon. If you purchase a product through one of our links, we may earn a commission. These commissions help us fund the great journalism that you see on Bluedot. Thank you for supporting us!
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Dear Readers,
Daytime high temperatures in New York City continue to hover in the high 70s, but 6:50 sunsets and the occasional nippy evening make it clear that a change is underway. The message is most obvious at my local farmers market, where grapes, pears, and quinces have begun to replace berries and peaches, and delightfully bizarre gourds are edging out peppers and tomatoes.
While I buy as much as I can from the greenmarket, I rely on my well-stocked kitchen to fill in the gaps. I always keep certain shelf-stable goods in quantity. If I’ve got a can of chickpeas in the cupboard, for instance, I know that I always have the starting point for a solid meal. Not everything should be bought in bulk, however — and I don’t just mean fresh produce.
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My spice drawer. I don't recommend keeping this many spices unless you really go through them!
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I often see people get into trouble when they treat items that only have a moderate shelf-life like they are shelf-stable: I’m talking oils, nuts, seeds, and spices. None of these lasts terribly long, and unless you know you plan on going through them, I wouldn’t purchase them in bulk. Here are a couple of tips:
Oil: Store in a cool, dark spot with a stable temperature — never near the stove! A sticky container often means the oil has turned, so take a whiff before using it. If your oil smells bad, your food will taste bad.Â
Nuts and Seeds: Store these in the refrigerator or the freezer. Again, if they smell bad, they’ll taste bad.
Spices: In this case, the issue is rarely smelling bad — it’s barely smelling like anything at all. Spices should be fresh and potent. If they’re not fragrant, they won’t flavor your food. And what’s the point of that?Â
I write this as I’m conducting an inventory of my own kitchen, trying to mindfully create a shopping list for everything I’ll need to host a sit-down dinner for 16. The companies below offer staples I trust to make everything from simple workday lunches to elaborate Rosh Hashanah feasts.Â
Happy cooking and happy shopping,Â
– Elizabeth Weinstein, Marketplace Editor
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Be among the first to experience a Bluedot Living–curated travel experience, where you’ll connect with local environmental change-makers and enjoy carefully designed all-inclusive itineraries and farm-to-table dining, all in exquisite locales. With five trips scheduled for 2026, ranging from Hollywood, California, to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, there’s a destination to suit every traveler.
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Affordable Groceries, Delivered
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Misfits sells discounted produce and groceries that don’t make it to stores because of sizing, cosmetic, and packaging discrepancies. According to the company, it prevented over 28 million pounds of food from going to waste last year. Misfits has also recently extended its offerings to include meat, and carries brands that you might love but hesitate to purchase because of the price, such as King Arthur Flour and Fishwife. You do not need a membership to shop.
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Values-Driven Shopping
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Thrive Market, a Certified B Corporation, is a subscription-based online grocer with carbon-neutral shipping and a mission to make healthy products more affordable. The site’s detailed filters make it easy to shop your values. You can search for vegan, gluten-free snacks from woman-founded brands. Or plant-based, plastic-free, EWG Verified personal care products. Low prices on brand names as well as Thrive's excellent house label assure that the $59.95 annual membership quickly pays for itself, and every paid membership sponsors one for a family in need.
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Fresh, Flavorful Spices
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Burlap & Barrel works directly with small farms around the world to source single-origin spices that are fresher and more flavorful than supermarket jars. The company pays above-market prices to farmers, building transparent supply chains that prioritize sustainability and fair labor. I’ve been buying from Burlap & Barrel since 2019, and have loved watching the brand gain recognition and expand its catalog while maintaining excellent quality.
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Vibrant Indian Spices
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Diaspora Co. partners with small farms across India and Sri Lanka and delivers a palate-expanding range of spices. The founder, a South Asian woman, pays living wages to the Indian and Sri Lankan family farms she partners with. Bestsellers include the Pragati Turmeric and masala spice blends for everything from curries to popcorn to tacos. Diaspora also offers fabulous hot beverage mixes, including hot cocoa, golden milk, chai, and even pumpkin spice. Everything comes in bright, reusable tins that are as bold as the flavors inside.
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Trendy, Tasty Olive
Oil
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In 2022, Graza made a splash when it launched a duo of Spanish olive oils in playfully branded squeeze bottles: Sizzle, for cooking, and Drizzle, for finishing. In 2024, the brand introduced cans that make it easy to refill your empty bottles, and earlier this year they added glass bottles to the lineup. Combined with the refill cans, the glass bottles make an exceptionally sustainable setup for folks like me, who use lots of EVOO.
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Heartwarming Broth
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As someone who usually has at least three quarts of broth in the freezer, along with a bag of bones and onion skins ready to go, I rarely buy any broth. That said, I’m really impressed by Brodo’s delicious broths. Founded by James Beard Award–winning Chef Marco Canora, Brodo began as a tiny New York City takeout window serving steaming cups of broth. The company continues to use responsibly sourced organic vegetables and meats to make slow-simmered, hand-skimmed, collagen-rich broths that are great for sipping.
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Make sustainable living simple with the Bluedot Living’s Green Home Deluxe Kit — a $170+ value collection of our editors’ favorite Earth-friendly products, free with your membership. You’ll also enjoy exclusive member savings, inspiring community connections, and more planet-positive perks.
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Even More Favorites
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We understand how difficult it can be to sort through the vast numbers of products out there. Walking through the grocery store is tough enough; online, the options can get really overwhelming. To help make it easier for you to shop for sustainable goods, we recommend websites like Thrive, mentioned above.Â
If you prefer to shop on Amazon, check out Bluedot’s Amazon storefront, where we’ve curated lists of our favorite climate-friendly cookbooks, cleaning supplies, and snacks. You’ll also find collections of pantry staples, including:Â
Click to explore our Amazon storefront
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Want to get in touch? I’d love to hear from you. Tell me about your favorite sustainable products and anything else that’s on your mind — email marketplace@bluedotliving.com. I’ll see you again Monday after next.
– Elizabeth Weinstein
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Elizabeth Weinstein, Bluedot’s Marketplace Editor, lives in Manhattan with her husband; papillon Finley; and cats SanDeE* and Modell. When she’s not asking the folks at Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom to try on their most sustainable sneakers in a size 9½, she can be found at the Union Square Greenmarket or gardening on her rooftop terrace.
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Our audience is informed, intentional, and tuned in to sustainable living. Reach our 300,000 readers by advertising here, or contact adsales@bluedotliving.com to reserve your space.
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