Here it is!!!! The new issue, Volume 4, themed Food & Drink, is nearly here! I always get a little flutter inside when I announce each new issue... I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it. There is so much of myself and the rest of the PGM team invested in each issue. It's with great pleasure that we bring you Volume 4—as you will read in my editor's letter, this issue was full of surprises, features and opportunities that I didn't necessarily see coming but I am so excited by the final result, as I hope you will be too!! The new issue is available for subscription and purchase in our shop, along with a special little surprise. Read More

The new issue of Pure Green is imminent and it's all about food. We're so excited to present it to you, it should start to hit mailboxes and stores soon! I'd like to keep the PGM blog more relevant to each issue's theme, and as part of that effort we're introducing a mini-series on some our favourite cookbooks, new and old (there are some real goodies out there!). First up is a brand new cookbook by Rohan Anderson, who pens a well-loved blog by the same name, Whole Larder Love (WLL). Rohan seems like a great character - I may have the opportunity to meet him in person this winter and I really hope that comes true. WLL, in all it's incarnations, is inspired by Rohan's quest to find a better way to eat. He sees an inherent fault in our modern food system (such as food that travels thousands of miles to reach your plate) and has set about finding ways to set that right for he and his family. He's learned to garden, forage, fish and hunt and invites you along for the ride—he's wonderfully honest and asks that we all own up to the ways in which we acquire food, even if it's in ways that might make you uncomfortable at first. Read More

The Pure Green blog has been a little quiet lately, I apologize. We've all been super hard at work finalizing the NEW ISSUE (hooray!!!), and as we such a small team, it takes all hands on deck to do that. We're in the proofing stages now, stay tuned for sneak peeks in the coming days. As we get back into the swing of things, we wanted to introduce you to Spruce Collective, a wonderful little handmade, vintage, and craft shop in Abbotsford, BC. They were kind enough to share photos of their recent grand opening—the shop looks beautiful and we're honoured to have Pure Green available there. Read More

In our last issue we were so pleased and proud to have Aran Goyoaga contribute to our Tools of the Trade feature, a fun little sneak peek into the professional lives of great people that serves as the closing feature each issue—the above image is from the feature, it's amazing how much different it looks in layout! Aran is incredibly talented in the kitchen and behind the lens, and her work to produce great, gluten-free food and promote the diversity and deliciousness available in gluten-free cooking is truly amazing. For the last few years Aran has been working on a special treat, a book that compiles her recipes in a beautiful format, inviting you to relish each page and try each recipe! Her book is almost here and you can pre-order it from a variety of places, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble—mine is on the way and I cannot wait! Read More

Canada's largest book festival...



I've been looking forward to this weekend for a long time, as the Word on the Street Festival in Toronto is finally here and Pure Green will be taking part! We have our own little booth, nestled into Magazine Mews (how cute is that) for small publishers. You'll be able to browse copies of our currently published volumes, get discounts on subscriptions, chat about food with Jonathan... it should be a fantastic day. The festival takes place outdoors at Queen's Park in Toronto, this Sunday from 11-6. There are hundreds of vendors and nearly 200,000 people visit each year. This year I'm told David Suzuki and Jian Gomeshi are making appearances!! So put on your boots, tie on a scarf, grab your bookbag and your takeout coffee mug and come by! I can't wait to say hi. Read More

Several weeks ago we had the pleasure of visiting Prince Edward County (a well known wine region in Eastern Ontario) with friends. As part of our day we visited The Carriage House Cooper—a cooper is a craftsman who makes wine barrels in the traditional way, which is to say, by hand. Pete the cooper was a really kind man who gladly answered our many, many questions, mostly resulting from our amazement that he produces one barrel per day using a manner taught to him by a master tradesman, of which there are only a handful left in North America. Read More

I'm always really excited when I try something new and it works out really well. I love the sense of accomplishment, even though perhaps it's slightly exaggerated with me since I'm not an expert in the kitchen (that's Jonathan's area of expertise). This time, the new task was grape jelly. Read More

This is probably one of my favourite Organic Kitchen recipes to date (just ask Erin, the photographer)—Jonathan made it again for friends this past weekend and I was reminded of just how good it is, so I thought I would share it again here (and that same friend requested the recipe, so here it is Kelly!). Making your own refried beans is surprisingly easy, just don't walk away from the pan while cooking. It has a nasty habit of exploding all over the stove-top if it's overheated, so just be patient and stir away. You can cook the refried beans ahead of time so when it comes to serve this dish all you have to do is assemble and bake. Let us know if you decide to try this recipe out, you'll be so, so glad you did. YUM!!! Bound to become a family classic. Read More

Of course, this being the first day after labour day, I can feel fall on the heels of summer, quietly settling in, fall produce starting to grace the farmers market and cool nights making me grateful for cozy quilts. Perhaps this is why I so instantly and completely fell in love with this series of fall-inspired images from Fox in the Pine, a new favourite source of inspiration, where they stayed in this two-story treehouse called the Trillium (love the windows!). The images are from Treehouse Point in Washington, a seemingly magical place meant for snuggling up under blankets with hot tea and a good book after hiking through the verdantly green and lush forest. Read More

A few weeks ago I was lucky to receive this lovely note from one of our contributors Jaime Maddalena, of the talented photography duo Joseph+Jaime. They contributed the breathtaking travel feature in our current issue featuring the Amalfi Coast—based on those photos, one day I must go there!! Jaime also pens a really neat blog titled Send More Mail, where she chronicles the delight of sending and receiving mail, paper goods and her lovely stamp collection. I like to visit every so often as I am reminded of life's simple pleasures such as receiving or writing a letter, something I never take the time to do (but I love the romance of it). Thank you Jaime for the letter!!! Read More