No matter how gung-ho you are about making fresh-from-the-farm meals in your kitchen, sometimes it’s just nice to go out and pay someone else to feed you. You shouldn’t deprive yourself entirely, and while you could look at eating out as an occasional decadence, there are a number of ways to ensure that even with this experience you’re making less of an impact.

Why not get rid of that spice rack and replace it with an indoor herb garden: It’s an easy way to provide fresh herbs year-round for all of your culinary, aromatic and ornamental needs while also cutting out the wasteful packaging from store-bought spices. Here are some tips from the UNH Cooperative Extension Service on getting started:
Indoor plants will need essentially the same conditions as herbs grown outdoors – sunlight and a well-drained soil mix that is not too rich.

While CSAs require a season-long commitment, shopping your area farmers market is a great way to ease into the locavore movement. And you no longer have to hold out till spring to indulge in local goods; more and more communities are offering winter farmers markets as well. Here’s a list of winter farmers markets in New Hampshire. For more information, visit nh.gov/agric. And if you don’t want to leave home, visit the virtual farmers market at nhfarms.com.

• Concord: Every other Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cole Gardens, 430 Loudon Road. Jan. 8 through March 26.

CSA seasons typically run from late spring through early fall, but a number of farms in the state are continuing their programs through the late fall and winter, with some even operating year-round.
Community-supported agriculture lets people subscribe to a farm for a season, receiving a weekly basket of produce. Most CSAs ask that members pay for the season upfront, but some accept weekly or monthly payments. Some require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during growing season, and some trade the fresh produce in exchange for help with harvesting or deliveries.

Milk. It’s good for you, and good for our state, too.
Dairy farms in New England have been fighting to stay relevant when most national business has gone out west. And they’re putting up their promoting dukes by highlighting a few benefits that anyone looking to live a more sustainable life can reconcile: Buying locally made dairy products cuts down on travel and packaging that would come with a national brand, and maintaining local farms will also maintain open space. We get to enjoy the land and the working of that land provides jobs, sustenance and revenue.

In case you were starting to lose your way on this green journey, a new report has been issued to reaffirm the importance of consuming local food. So, put the shopping cart full of plastic bags and guilty convenience back where you got it, check this out and head back out to your local farmers market:

The report, “Home Grown,” released recently from Food Solutions New England, a University of New Hampshire-based initiative linking farm, food and nutrition issues, finds that the local food system in New Hampshire is a $3.3 billion industry that employs 81,000 people statewide.

Is there anyone out there who still cuts up those plastic six-pack ring carriers used to hold cans or bottles in a multi-pack? It’s quite noble of you, but apparently not necessary.
The story used to be that if we let them go uncut into our garbage, and thus into the landfill, poor birds and other creatures would get their poor heads stuck in them and die a horrible, starving death. Six-pack rings today, however, are photodegradable, nontoxic and recyclable. That means they break down in sunlight. They are also approved by the EPA for packaging use.

Milk. It’s good for you, and good for our state, too.
Dairy farms in New England have been fighting to stay relevant when most national business has gone out west. And they’re putting up their promoting dukes by highlighting a few benefits that anyone looking to live a more sustainable life can reconcile: Buying locally made dairy products cuts down on travel and packaging that would come with a national brand, and maintaining local farms will also maintain open space. We get to enjoy the land and the working of that land provides jobs, sustenance and revenue.

Wendy Stevens of Weare is one busy woman. As an herbalist, reiki master and certified essence practitioner, she’s well equipped to run Garden Plum Enterprises – an online and retail shop, art gallery, and website (gardenplum.com) dedicated to natural healing.
Not only does she find joy in healing people, but she’s all for healing the environment, too. So in 2009, when the Weare Farmers Market needed a new director, she was the natural choice. Wendy took a few moments out of her busy schedule to tell us more about the market and green living.

We all love a loaf of homemade bread or a warm batch of homemade chocolate-chip cookies. But there are certain things that, for whatever reason, we assume just appear fully formed on grocery store shelves. Well, it turns out, they don't. Just about any food can be made at home, and the best part is, the homemade version is almost always healthier and better for the environment than the store-bought version, allowing you to eliminate suspect ingredients and excess packaging.

Because we at GreenGuideNH.com never cease working to bring you more information, readers, this weekend we made a special trip to The Farmers Diner in Quechee, Vt., purely for research purposes. If you haven't been there, we very seriously recommend it.

You see, this really is a farmer's diner -- the restaurant's goal is to serve food from local farmers and small-scale producers. Its menu is a local who's who, including Cabot Creamery, Vermont Butter and Cheese, Harpoon Sodas and even New Hampshire's own Boggy Meadow Farm cheese company.

According to New Hampshire Made, the statewide organization whose mission is to promote New Hampshire-made products and services:
1. Going local supports the local economy and family farms.
2. You can enjoy foods that are in season, at their freshest and most nutritious.
3. Transporting food products over long distances is harder on the environment.
4. It brings you closer to the people who grow and produce your food.
5. It contributes to the preservation of open space and farmland in your region.