ADVENTURES IN ECO-PARENTING

LEAH KLEIN MAKES GOING GREEN CHILD’S PLAY

ECO-SWEET AND THRIFTY-NEAT HALLOWEEN TRICKS AND TREATS

THE CANDY
The great harvest of October offers so many fabulous treats
of the season. As you walk down the aisle at the grocery store,
you’ll find a bounty of chewy, gooey, sticky and sweet treats
concocted from corn syrup and many other ingredients.
Scary—and not in a good way! So, head out to the farms and orchards for the real treats of the season. Squash and pumpkins have come out of hiding from behind the huge leaves on their vines and now glow proudly in bright orange, yellow and white. Apples dangle from the trees with their sweet and tart crispness. As these fruits roast and cook, they create a sweet caramel of their own. No added sugar needed and certainly no corn syrup. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been a great topic of discussion of late—from advertisements that attempt to downplay the role and effects of corn syrup to concerns about mercury in corn syrup. Why our food contains so much HFCS is political and complex. (Check this out: www.gourmet.com.) Why it should be avoided or at least known how much of it is being consumed is also worth checking out. (Read this: www.mayoclinic.com)

Luckily, thanks to sites like Ideal Bite, chain stores like Whole Foods, and local eco-stores such as Greenward in Cambridge, Mass., you can easily find some Halloween candy options that kids will be happy to get—and parents won’t cringe to dole out.

Website Stop HFCS has a list of familiar brands that offer HFCS-free foods. In addition, NaturalCandyStore.com allows you to search for and order candy by categories such as organic, vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free, Feingold, kosher and corn-syrup-free.

Halloween 2008 If you’re hosting a Halloween party, consider making some homemade candy for your guests. Our family favorites are roasted pumpkin seeds with salt, homemade candy apples and popcorn balls.

THE COSTUMES
When it comes to the costume, save your money and get creative. Not the crafty type? Head to Mom, Dad, Grandma or Grandpa’s closet to find inspiration. If you can’t find anything, then head to the thrift store and repurpose a used garment. Part of the fun of Halloween is creating the costume—so think outside the store-bought box by reusing and repurposing things that you already have. And if you’re determined to go store-bought, then buy something that will last a while and can have a new life in the playroom dress-up chest.

THE CARRY-ALL
Now all you need is the perfect reusable bag to collect your Halloween haul. My mom and her brother fondly remember taking an old pillowcase to carry their goodies. A paper bag can be reused and decorated for Halloween, or consider using a reusable shopping bag.

Have a happy and healthy and eco-friendly Halloween. Enjoy the local foods of the season, hand out healthier treats with minimal packaging, reuse and recycle clothing and costumes, and may you have many more treats than tricks!

Leah Klein is the Boston Food Mom at Examiner.com: ( http://www.examiner.com/x-1240-Boston-Food-Mom-Examiner). She has fond memories of a paper plate elephant mask she made at school and remembers that her mom took a bunch of brown paper bags and made a paper “skin” so she could be an elephant for Halloween. The costume had a little pocket for “elephant seeds,” which were roasted pumpkin seeds.