A Table of Slow, Local Food in Cambridge

Green travelers (or residents) visiting the Boston-Cambridge area looking for excellent food can indulge at Henrietta's Table. Chef Peter Davis has been on to the virtues of local, seasonal ingredients and slow-food for over fifteen years, well before the current trend.

Situated in The Charles Hotel, in the southwestern part of the Harvard Square area,  adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Park, Henrietta's has indoor tables and seasonal outdoor seating. Its full bar serves organic and specialty liquors, with house-special cocktails made without mixes, but rather with real ingredients. The strawberry-basil Mojito has chunks of fresh strawberries and chopped basil complementing the traditional mint and lime juice.

Henrietta's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is busy at all three meals, so it is advised to make reservations. Henrietta's is especially known as the go-to place for business breakfast meetings, so be forewarned that breakfast can be the hardest time to find a seat.

The menus include vegetarian as well as meat and seafood dishes using local and organic vegetables, organic beef from Maine, New England seafood and antibiotic-free chicken. Entrees start at $13.00 for lunch and $15 for dinner. It is very easy to eat gluten-free at Henrietta's as long as you pass on the basket of delicious breads. The staff is friendly and helpful and the tables are full of happy eaters—enjoy.

Henrietta's Table, One Bennett St, Cambridge, MA 02138; Tel: 617-661 5005; open for breakfast Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 11:00 am, Saturday 7:00 am to 11:00 and Sunday 7:00 am to 10:30 am; for lunch Monday to Friday from 12 noon to 3:00 pm, on Saturday and Sunday brunch is served from 12 noon to 3 pm; for dinner Sunday to Saturday from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm.

Green Dublin on the Cheap

There are numerous possibilities for traveling green in Dublin. Enjoy the green at almost every turn—here is a sampling of some of the cheapest options.

Organic eats are available at the Dublin Coop, a GMO-free zone, with a large variety of fresh produce, dairy, groceries and cleaning products. The Coop has a cafe serving organic and fair-trade coffees and treats. Dublin Food Coop, 12 Newmarket, Dublin 8; Tel: 01 454 4258; open only Saturday, Sunday and Thursday—Saturday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, Thursday from 12 noon to 8:00 pm. On Sundays there are specialty markets such as crafts and flea-markets during which you can also make regular Coop purchases.

The Temple Bar Food & Farmer's Market is held on Saturday mornings in the colorful Temple Bar neighborhood in the center of Dublin. Here you will find wonderful organic cheeses, breads, fruits, vegetables and prepared foods. Temple Bar Food Market, on East Essex and other streets in Temple Bar; open Saturday 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.

For rock-bottom priced green lodging, there are some hostels in Dublin powered by renewable energy.

Kinlay Hostel implements a number of green strategies to reduce energy use and to minimize waste. Its electricity is from wind energy. It offers dorm rooms as well as private rooms. Rates range from 15 to 33 euros/per night per person depending on room choice and time of week (higher rates Friday and Saturday). Kinlay House Dublin hostel, 2-12 Lord Edward St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2; Tel: 1 679 6644; Email: info@kinlaydublin.ie.

At the Avalon House hostel the hot-water is solar-powered. Other amenities include WiFi, baggage scales and bike rentals for 12.50/day. Twelve-bed dorm rooms as well as singles are available from between 10 to 34 euros/night. Avalon House Hostel, Avalon House 55 Aungier Street Dublin 2; Tel: 1 475 0001;Email: info@avalon-house.ie.

In addition to hoofing or biking around the city, you can walk the labyrinth and gardens at Dublin Castle, Castle Street, Dublin 2. You can also enjoy St. Stephen's Green, a 22-acre park in the heart of Dublin with 2-plus miles of paths—open until dusk.

Olive oil: an olive oil lover's guide to the organic oils of spain

The new Green Earth Guide to the organic olive oils of Spain is now available on Amazon!

Olive Oil: An Olive Oil Lover’s Guide to the Organic Oils of Spain
is for any connoisseur or lover of olive oils. Passionate about olive oil, Dorian Yates, author of the award-winning Green Earth Guide series to traveling naturally and ecologically in Europe takes you on a tour of the abundant, fresh olive oils produced organically in Spain. Olive Oil includes historical and cultural information, growing and processing techniques, as well as full listings of over forty oils. Her mouth-watering guide to Spain’s organic olive oils makes you want to break out the dipping bread and start tasting.

Buy the book and start tasting the over forty delicious oils listed in the Guide. Some of them are available in the United States, others you will have to travel to Spain to enjoy.

Raw Food in Unlikely Places

Cigars and raw foods do not seem a likely combination, but un•dun' breaks the mold. Tucked back in the corner of a small shopping plaza in downtown West Lebanon, NH, un•dun' advertises low prices on cigarettes and cigars, while selling some of the healthiest products available—organic and "live", or raw, oils, beverages, snacks, and superfoods.

un•dun's  healthy food department has recently outgrown its original jam-packed location, and has now expanded into the adjacent storefront offering a much wider variety of foods and supplements. Here you will find made-in-Vermont, fresh kombucha tea on tap, refrigerated sprouted flours, beverages and special "live" treats. "Live" or raw food products as well as high-quality nutritional supplements cover the rest of the store, which also offers an oxygen bar.

The new store, called undoo', is open the same hours as un•dun'. Raw foodies will be thrilled at undoo's selection, which differs almost completely from the other stores in the Upper Valley selling health foods and supplements, making its specialty that of organic, raw/live foods. undoo' also sells gift items—jewelry and body-care products.

For aspiring beer masters and wine makers, undun' has added home-brewing equipment and supplies to their offerings.

For more information about raw, or "live" foods see Traveling Naturally's Traveling Raw post

un-doo', Seminary Hill Plaza, 1 Main St, West Lebanon, NH 03784; Tel: 603-790-8129; open Monday to Wednesday and Saturday 10am to 6pm; Thursday to Friday from 10am to 7pm; Facebook pages:  undunnh and Un Doo