Having taken part in Unique LA’s Spring 2011 Show, this past weekend, Your Daily Thread was privy to two days full of gifts, treats, clothing and accessories! Our writers and editors took their turns perusing the vendors and share their faves with you here.

Sarah McClure, Writer:

“As I have done in the last three years at Unique LA, I visited accessories designer Fahimna, As is always the case, I was welcomed by the beaming and uber-affectionate Bangladeshi model-turned-eco-designer. Fahmina is famous for her Fanny Clutch (a hip version of a fanny pack) and Leather Feather earrings, but since her start, she has produced an ensemble of accessories including belts, headbands, bracelet and necklaces—which she craftily upcycles from leftover leather scraps from local factories.”

Alissa Pittenger, Creative Director:

“My favorite vendor by far was Relight!  Relight candles are made of 100% soy wax and are hand poured into uniquely sourced vintage glassware. Once the candle has burned through, simply wash the container with warm water and enjoy the glass! I loved the individual look of each candle—amazing styles for every home and office.”

Tracy Hepler, Founder:

“I loved Salvage Life.  All the pieces are reminiscent of what my grandma wore, but with a modern and sassy twist.  I could have easily purchased the entire display…sadly all I could afford was a silk blouse.  C’est la vie!”

Sara Roderick, Managing Editor:

“As I rushed past the vendors to grab myself a handmade cup of coffee from Fix, I was instantly detoured from the mission at hand when I saw the oh-so-cute vendor, Purrr. Using collared men’s shirts, Purrr repurposes them into some of the sweetest dresses around (think: candy striper goes boho-chic) all by hand! While I wasn’t able to purchase anything at the time – as I said, I was a girl on a mission – I plan to stop by the Melrose Trading Post where you can find them every Sunday.”

Images via Salvage Life.

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Among the things for which Los Angeles is known, shopping is at the top of the list. But what am I always on the hunt for? All things edible, of course. We have so many lovely indie grocery markets that it’s worth skipping the familiar and going on an adventure to see what green foodie finds are out there. Who knows? You might find an amazing vegan reuben sandwich, interesting juice concoctions or a delicious gift for that holiday party in one of these top indie market picks.

Happy hunting!

WESTSIDE

• Co-opportunity (Santa Monica) – The only Certified Santa Monica Green Grocer.
• Mrs. Winston’s Green Grocery (Century City, Santa Monica-Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica-Colorado Ave) – Part best-salad-bar-in-the-land, part green grocery market, part fresh juice bar.
• One Life Natural Foods (Santa Monica) – Fresh juice bar and bulk herbs galore.
• Pacific Coast Greens (Malibu) – Organic market and deli along the PCH.
• Rainbow Acres (Culver City) – Family-owned market with a full-service deli.

MID-CITY

• Erewhon Natural Foods Market (Fairfax) – Cornucopia of organic, vegan and macrobiotic foods.

EASTSIDE

• Figueroa Produce (Highland Park) – Neighborhood organic grocery specializing in naturally-raised meats.
• Locali Conscious (Los Feliz) – Yummy grocery and takeout items like vegetarian reuben sandwiches.
• Nature Mart (Los Feliz) – Natural groceries, bulk items and supplements.
• Silver Lake Market (Silver Lake) – The newest health food market in town.

VALLEY/PASADENA

• Follow Your Heart Natural Foods Market & Cafe (Canoga Park) – A vegan’s paradise and the original home of Vegenaise®.
• Full O’Life (Burbank) – Fully-stocked go-to for natural foods.
• Grassroots Natural Market and Kitchen (South Pasadena) – Organic prepared foods.

SPECIALTY

• Cookbook (Echo Park) – Carefully curated green goods.
• E. Waldo Ward (Sierra Madre) – Purveyor of local and preservative-free jams, condiments, olives, and fruits.
• McCall’s Fish and Meat Company (Los Feliz) – Butcher specializing in hormone-free meats and wild-caught fish

Images via Flickr and Etsy

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You drive your cart down the aisle of a green grocery store confident you’re a savvy shopper when it comes to sustainable foods.  After all, if it’s in this store in the first place, it must be good, right? Well, pause. Before you throw another pack of tofu dogs into your cart, you may want to consider this:  Many of your beloved brands might actually be owned by larger conglomerates—say, Kraft or Coca-Cola. You think you’re simply buying your favorite humble Honest Tea, but you’re actually throwing a few dollars right back at a giant. Or worse, you’re trying to be kind to animals by drinking Silk soy milk when, in fact, it is owned by Dean Foods, the largest milk distributor in the country.

So what now? Fear not, eco-friend.  Yes, some corporate behemoths have swallowed up smaller companies, but there are still great indie brands out there and they aren’t as hard to find as you might think.

Here are a few of my favorites (available online or at most health food and Whole Foods stores).

THE BIG INDIES

Amy’s Kitchen – Makers of organic frozen foods, Amy’s Kitchen choices range from Indian Mattar Paneer to Mexican Tamale Pie.

Eden Organic – From juice to soymilk, miso to mochi, Michigan-based Eden Organic has a cornucopia of delicious organics.

Organic Valley – The largest co-op of farmers in the U.S. (and winner of various awards), Organic Valley offers dairy, meat, soy, produce and every other food under the sun.

THE STAPLES

Soy

You like your soy products and you don’t want them from meat companies, thank you very much.

Turtle Island Foods (Tofurky®) – Where would a sandwich or Thanksgiving be without Tofurky®? Deli slices, “jurky,” franks, sausage and tempeh are all in Turtle Island Foods’ meatless lineup.

Whole Soy & Co. – Organic and non-GMO soy yogurt from San Francisco in 11 flavors.

Meats, Dairy & Eggs

You may not be a vegetarian, but that doesn’t mean you want to eat from a factory farm.

Applegate Farms – Everything from Muenster to Andouille along with hormone-free and humanely-raised animal products.

Clover Organic Farms – The first dairy to ever to be certified by the American Humane Association.

Nancy’s Yogurt – Springfield Creamery’s kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese and soy yogurt.

Organic Pastures – Raw milk, butter, cream and cheese from a California family farm.

Vital Farms – Eggs from hens on a grassy, family-owned farm in Austin, Texas.

Wallaby Organic – Australian-inspired organic yogurt and sour cream.

Bread & Grains

You love your carbs, but not genetically modified.

Alvarado Street Bakery – A Petaluma company that makes all things bread including bagels, buns and tortillas!

French Meadow Bakery – The longest running certified organic bakery in the U.S.

Lundberg Family Farms – Producers of non-GMO rice, rice-products and pasta.

THE SIDES

Clif Bar – Makers of the delicious Clif Bars and Luna Bars for a take anywhere snack.

Frontier Natural Products Co-Op & Simply Organic – Organic spices, mixes and teas to add to your staples.

Newman’s Own – Paul’s organic version of sauces, snacks and even salsa!

Newman’s Own Organics – Newman’s Second Generation brand of goodies including Newman-O’s and Fig Newmans.

THE SWEETS

Alternative Baking Company – Creator of my personal favorite, the cranberry orange muffin cookie, and other delicious vegan cookies.

Julie’s Organic Ice Cream – Dozens of organic dairy treats, plus a few coconut milk sweets from Oregon.

Turtle Mountain – Makers of the So Delicious line of soy milk and coconut milk frozen treats.

Thanks to the following sources for helping me navigate how to find the indie (and not-so-indie) brands.

GOOD Buying Organic Chart, Organic Industry Structure, Organic Dairy Scorecard from The Cornucopia Institute, Organic Egg Scorecard from The Cornucopia Institute and Organic Soy Scorecard from The Cornucopia Institute.

Images courtesy of Flickr users: John McNary Photography, dklo, jm3, M i x y, allanthinks, shimelle, Suavehouse113 and Hugecool.

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If you’re like me, you’ve been saying yes repeatedly to that extra piece of pie this whole month. No worries, it’s the holidays after all. Still it would be good to do some exercise to ensure that the pie doesn’t stick around into the New Year. Check out Midnight Ridazz, a group of cycling Angelenos who spend their weekend nights exploring the city on two wheels. If you’ve ever seen a group of 50 cyclists taking over the streets on a Friday night, it is them. So go and meet new people, get a work out,and see L.A. from a whole new perspective.

Location: 1321 Echo Park Ave (at the Pioneer Chicken). LA 90026
Date/Time: Friday, December 19th, 9:30 p.m. Web: www.midnightridazz.com

It’s pretty obvious that the L.A. River isn’t going to freeze over this year, so if you’ve been itching for some holiday ice skating head over to Pershing Square Downtown. The square is decorated for the holidays and the cool temps around the ice rink help you pretend that you are experiencing a “White Christmas.” An hour session is only $6 and skate rentals are only $2 so you won’t be breaking the bank to enjoy this winter treat. ..

Location: Pershing Square, 530 South Olive St. LA 90013, Phone: 213-847-4970
Date/Time: From now until January 19th 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (except on Christmas and New Years hours are 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.) Web: http://www.laparks.com

Donate food to those in need and see the up and coming DJ “The Gray Kid” perform at the Redwood Bar Downtown. The money earned will go toward the group, People Food, “an organization that helps promote free thinking in media and art.” Plus…Mars Volta fans are in for a treat: the band’s keyboardist will be performing earlier in the night with Free Moral Project.

Location: 316 W. 2nd St. L.A. 90012 Tel: 213-680-2600
Date/Time: Friday, December 19th, 8 p.m. Web: www.redwoodbar.com
Admission: $10 or $5 with a donation of two canned goods.

This is the last weekend of the Silver Lake Holiday Craft & Vintage Fair. If you’re still looking for a perfect gift for that special someone but don’t want to spend your whole paycheck, stop by this event. You’ll find it all: vintage clothes, artwork, used furniture, music and more. It’s a much better alternative to the mall.

Location: 2450 Glendale Blvd. LA 90039 (in the Citibank Parking Lot).
Date/Time: December 20-21, 9a.m. to 5 p.m. Web: www.ghettogloss.com

….

Come get some quality air and clean up our beautiful coastline. Make this your holiday gift to the beaches we all love. The clean up starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 12 p.m. For meeting place, please check Heal The Bay’s website*.

Location: TBA (Between Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey) Web: www.healthebay.org Date/Time: Saturday, December 20th, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

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Weed Wars:  Join TreePeople in Weeding a Malibu Habitat

Got some aggression to burn after a long week at the office?  Take it out on the weeds instead of others (I’m sure it will be appreciated).  TreePeople (www.treepeople.org) and the Mountains Resoration Trust (http://www.mountainstrust.org/newsletters/newsletter_6_2.html) will be warring weeds in a Malibu park previously burned by wild fires.  Not only will you get some good exercise, you’ll help restore biodiversity and ecological balance…now that will definitely leave you feeling good!

Location: Malibu, CA.  Date/Time: 11/9/08 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. RSVP: Lisa Sotelo. Tel: (818) 623-4879. Email: volunteer@treepeople.org.

Tired of eating the same old buttery popcorn when you go to the theatre?  Or eating your own dinner in front of the TV?  Sophisticate yourself at Cinespace with their signature “Dinner and a Movie.”  The movie is always free of charge; all you have to do is come in for dinner and don’t forget to take advantage of their full bar. (See, you don’t have to be in Europe to drink at the theatre).

Location: Cinespace, 6356 Hollywood Blvd.  Hollywood, CA. Tel: (323) 817-3456. Web: www.cinespace.info

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Check out one of the few locations in LA that actually brew their own brews.  After last weekend’s craziness, chill out this weekend beach side with a delicious locally brewed beer.  My personal favorite is Rat Beach Red Ale. Can’t decide which beer to try…check out their beer samplings to figure out which beer best suits you.

Location: 124 Manhattan Beach Blvd.  Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.  Tel: (310) 798-2744. Web: http://www.manhattanbeachbrewingcompany.com

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Food and Fashion contributor Connie Wu introduced us to Tender Greens (http://www.tendergreensfood.com/) a while back.  Now they are embracing the old English tradition of Pot Roast Sundays. For $10 you’ll receive a Coleman Farms beef short rib roast, Yukon gold potatoes and a salad or veggies of your choice.  Considering the financial times, it’s a good deal to feed your tum tum.

Location: 9523 Culver Blvd.  Culver City, CA 90232. Tel: (310) 842-8300.

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Get a head start on your holiday shopping without overextending your budget.  Check out a whole host of different vendors with unique objects and handcrafted goods.   You might find something interesting for yourself as well.  Don’t forget to bargain!

Location: Fairfax High School at 7850 Melrose Ave.  Fairfax District. Date/Time: Sundays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Humanitaire was opened for a reason commonly cited by many eco-conscious Angelenos: despite Southern California’s large vegan community, most nonleather clothing and accessories are disappointingly unappealing. So Humanitaire founders Lindsey and Melanie set up shop in 2006 at The Camp, an open-air retail community in Orange County that promotes innovative, nontraditional retailers. The cruelty-free store has a corresponding e-commerce site that carries only merchandise that uses no animal testing or animal products, from sneakers and fun t-shirts to purses and high heels.

Lindsey and Melanie both have design backgrounds that help them source high-quality, stylish new products. Their new favorite product line? Neuaura vegan shoes, which includes summery wedges like the Neuaura Mynah and feminine heels such as the Dipper cork heels. Personally, I’m a fan of their sleek Matt & Nat wallets and cool Couch vinyl guitar straps.

If you’re a fan too, just mention ydt at the Humanitaire store to get 10% off any item.

Sidenote: Humanitaire is located next to Native Foods and near 118 Degrees, a raw foods vegan restaurant also at The Camp – so you can make it a whole day of vegetarian eating – and vegetarian shopping!

Humanitaire is located @ The Camp:
2937 S. Bristol St. Ste. A-101A
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
http://www.shophumanitaire.com

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