Chocolate talk!!!!
Courtesy of Facts About Chocolate
Where does chocolate come from? Actually, it DOES grow on trees. It all starts with a small tropical tree, the Theobroma cacao, usually called simply, "cacao." (Pronounced ka-KOW. Theobroma is Greek for "food of the gods.") Cacao is native to Central and South America, but it is grown commercially throughout the tropics. About 70% of the world's cacao is grown in Africa.A cacao tree can produce close to two thousand pods per year. The ridged, football shaped pod, or fruit, of the cacao grows from the branches and, oddly, straight out of the trunk. The pods, which mature throughout the year, encase a sticky white pulp and about 30 or 40 seeds. The pulp is both sweet and tart; it is eaten and used in making drinks. The seeds, were you to bite into one straight out of the pod, are incredibly bitter. Not at all like the chocolate that comes from them.
It's actually a perfect design. The fruit attracts forest animals, like monkeys, who eat the fruit but cast the seeds aside, dispersing them and allowing new trees to sprout up. (One of my favorite memories of a recent trip to Costa Rica was watching monkeys eating in a "chocolate" tree.) It's hard to imagine why humans ever thought to do anything with the seeds.
When you take a bite into that luscious chocolate bar, source of ecstatic pleasure, do you stop to think about who grew the cacao that made your chocolate fantasy possible? More than 15,000 child slaves working on cacao farms in west Africa. Does that chocolate still taste good?
Another small tip about chocolate for ya: cacao farming has stripped the world of hundreds of thousands of acres of rainforest? Or, that despite the fact that the U.S. alone spends $13 billion a year on cocoa products, many cacao farmers are impoverished?
The statistics are sobering, yet large chocolate manufacturers still insist that, because of the way cocoa is traded at global markets, it is impossible for them to tell which cacao is grown by slaves and which isn't. Estimates are that up to 40% of cocoa is slave grown.
Fair Trade products include coffee, tea, rice, fresh fruit, juices, sugar, honey, sports balls, wine, flowers, and our favorite, cocoa. Fair Trade chocolate certification is based on the standards set forth by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International, a consortium of trade groups throughout the world who establish the criteria for all Fair Trade products, including Fair Trade chocolate. A similar movement is called Equi-Trade.
So what can you do you ask this year for halloween? NOT BUY CHOCOLATE!!!!!!
Limit, or stop, your consumption of mass-market chocolate.
Here are a few fair trade chocolate brands for if you just must get yo chocolate on!!
- Equal Exchange (Whole Foods, New Seasons)
- Endangered Species (Whole Foods, Target, New Seasons)
- Rapunzel (Whole Foods)
- Dagoba (at most Oregon grocery stores)
- Green and Black’s (available at Target!)
- Newman’s Own (New Seasons, Whole Foods)
- Cloud Nine
- Tropical Source (New Season’s, Whole Foods)
- Shaman
- Any fair-trade certified brands (look for the black and white Transfair logo)
http://shop.divinechocolateusa.com/
http://chocolatebar.com/products.php?product=The-Vegan--Collection
http://www.amazon.com/Dagoba-Organic-Chocolate-Certified-Premium/dp/tags-on-product/B001K2FUNY
You can also hit up whole foods and the natural food co-ops!!!!
Or you can jump on the band wagon and do something creative for Halloween.... I am a fan of Halloween, like nobodies business ;) Probably one of my favorite things in this world other than my beautiful girls cute faces is scaring the crap out of people. I am that girl!!! ;) I love decorating for Halloween and scaring the junk out of the neighborhood kids! They have so much fun trick or treating my house they forget about the fact that they don't get the normal loot!!!
Here are some cute ideas for other Halloween goodies to hand out to the kiddos!!!!
Stickers
Bubbles
Cute little erasers
Playdough
pencils
small pads of paper
FAKE TATTOOS!! :)
vegan fruit Snacks
Raisins
Fruit leathers
Prepackaged trail mix
Prepackaged cookies
Any natural candies or lollypops!!
Great website for candy ideas!!!
http://www.naturalcandystore.com/product/sour-gummy-worms-vegan/natural-gummy-candy
Decorating ideas the earthy way:
It is so my style to go ape bananas decorating everything that stands still in holiday garb, I am an ex teacher after all. My classrooms always looked like holidays had explosive diarrhea.... Now that I am a little older things have changed.
My husband and I were at a dinner party for a couple that was a tad older and I remember being enamored
Banners:
I actually make them myself with a yard of burlap for $3.50 and a piece of ribbon and regular black $2.00 acrylic paint. I made 5 banners from one yard. One that said SPOOKY, NOEL, THANKFUL, HALLOWEEN, HANUKKAH. If you are not someone who sews here are some cute ones!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/112208493/distressed-wooden-halloween-decor-boo?ref=sr_gallery_4&sref=sr_a1843ece30ea5a05ce9d5ea708da44766440ca7cea5d3913508d8060f3cc3da1_1350405689_14302532_decor&ga_search_query=halloween+decor&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all
http://www.etsy.com/listing/111753351/halloween-banner-orange-and-black-felt?ref=sr_gallery_2&sref=sr_f23789a31b6adb19c0c56759fef097aea9b4808378994ee370cb15033a3890c8_1350405730_14445454_halloween_banner&ga_search_query=halloween+banners&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all
Pumpkins:
The reason I like these are because you can use them for Thanksgiving as well.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/83156123/autumn-orange-plush-pumpkin-halloween?ref=sr_gallery_13&ga_search_query=pumpkins&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all
http://www.etsy.com/listing/110988431/halloween-pumpkin-earrings?ref=sr_gallery_24&ga_search_query=pumpkins&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all
http://www.etsy.com/listing/109628849/crocheted-pumpkins-fall-decor-autumn?ref=usr_faveitems
http://www.etsy.com/listing/81136639/prim-pumpkins-for-fall-decoration?ref=usr_faveitems
Odds and cute ends:
These are cute for around the house
http://www.etsy.com/listing/109372065/crochet-halloween-hanging-hand-towel-set?ref=sr_gallery_33&ga_search_query=halloween+hand+towels&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all
http://www.etsy.com/listing/106890854/halloween-decor-witches-broom-black-hat?ref=sr_gallery_42&ga_search_query=halloween+decor&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_ref=auto2&ga_explicit_scope=1&ga_search_type=handmade
http://www.etsy.com/listing/107572096/potions-witches-brew-halloween-decor?ref=sr_gallery_18&ga_search_query=halloween+decor&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_explicit_scope=1&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=handmade
Geez we could be here all day I got to go tend to my chillins... :) You get the point. Nice stuff from ladies who stay home and craft v.s. dollar store crap that is contributing to planets pollution ;)
I know I may sound like a party pooper in the candy department!!! But I am not, I just think of childhood obesity and the thought of children slaving away for us to give our kids chocolate is not worth it!! Like all holidays us as parents can make them what they are for our children. I want silly little girls who like dressing up and being spooky, but do not covet candy and anything unhealthy for them.
If you have any other questions message me, Tread lightly!!!!!
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