Le Cru restaurant and cafe serves raw organic vegetarian food.

The purity of taste offered by organic products is our primary passion in the kitchen at le cru. Mass produced processed items cannot compare with quality and flavour of organic products. Promoting a healthy and sustainable approach to the environment and your health is at the heart of what we do.

The health benefits of maintaining all vitamins, minerals, & enzymes at the source of pure, organic ingredients are numerous. Dining at le cru offers a unique & delicious combination of flavours. All dishes are prepared fresh, daily at le cru.

Our health is the core of our existence. Le cru’s beautiful clean food offers zero trans fats, no refined sugar, no preservatives or artificial ingredients. Enjoy nutritious food that is delicious to taste and has delightful visual presentation.

Visit Le Cru:

137 Victoria Avenue
Albert Park Vic 3206

While reading the latest GOOP newsletter (from Gwyneth Paltrow) I came across an interesting website started by Sir Paul McCartney and his family, called Meat Free Monday. They are encouraging people to eat less meat as a way to reduce our impact on the environment:

Meat Free Monday is an environmental campaign to raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat production and consumption. Many people are unaware that livestock production is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions – that’s more than the entire transport sector.

To build a better world in the future we all need to make changes in our lifestyles now. Not all the changes we have to make are easy; and not all the easy changes we can make are meaningful. But making just one day a week a meat-free day, really is the little thing that can make a big difference. For instance, the group Compassion in World Farming estimates that if the average UK household halved its consumption of meat this would cut more emissions than if car use was cut in half. By making a simple change in the way you eat, you are taking part in a world changing campaign where what’s good for you is also good for the planet.

It’s an interesting idea and I think it shows that by making small changes in our daily lives, we can have a great impact on the environment.

Check out their UK site for more information and how to get involved.

Veg Out Farmers market in St Kilda:

Here in Australia, it seems that the days of the small time farmer are over in a lot of ways. After all, you can buy pretty much any produce you need at incredibly low prices at the supermarket and these are often perfect-looking. There are no spots on them, they are bright and clean, and they are easy to obtain… we just go to the supermarket and buy them.

However, there are a few things to consider before you go out and buy produce from a super huge chain and that is the fact that local, organic food is better for you then what you are getting at the supermarket. Yes, you may think that fresh fruit is organic just because it is fresh, but this is not the case. Buying local, organic food is not only better for you, but for the planet too and here’s why.

Why It’s Important to Buy Local Produce

For one, buying local means that your money is staying in the local community. This helps to build a stronger basis for business in your small town, which will in turn help to make the local economy stronger. The local economy counts for most of the jobs and revenue in your area, so why go spend your money someplace that is just going to ship the money out to another place? Spend your money locally on farmers and produce growers who have invested in the local community and you will help yourself out as well. Besides, there are advantages to knowing the person who grows your food. You can ask then what kind of additives they put in it… how they handle it, and how organic it really is. This will help you to eat healthier food than you would be getting in the big stores.

Buying organic food is also better for you, but it is also better for the planet. Organic food did not cause tons of toxic pesticides to be sprayed into the ground. Organic food did not cause the pollution of local water supplies and organic food is food that did not come from chemically burned out soil fertilised with artificial toxins and poisons that are seeping not only into the water but into the vegetables themselves!

Buying local, organic food just makes good sense all around. It is better for your, better for your community, and better for the planet.

The Sister Cafe is an organic cafe in Queensland where you can get fresh, organic food, free of toxic chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics.

All our ingredients are sourced from certified organic farmers and suppliers ensuring maximum flavour and nourishment.

You can book the cafe for private functions and they also have take away goodies such as local honey and home baked muesli.

Along with Sister at Palmwoods, they also have another cafe at Cotton Tree.

Thanks again to Alison for letting me know about this organic cafe.

Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments

Sister Cafe
18-20 Margaret Street
Palmwoods QLD
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday 7:30am to 4pm

and

1/13 The Esplanade
Cotton Tree QLD
Opening Hours:
Everyday 7:30am to 4pm

Organika in Noosaville is an organic supermarket, selling many gourmet organic products and serving up organic coffee in their espresso bar.

Wherever possible, Organika’s "produce is grown and handled without the use of synthetic chemicals, artificial fertilisers, food irradiation or genetically modified ingredients.  Organic farming focuses on the health of the soil and utilises the best of both traditional agriculture and modern techniques to produce nutritious fruit and vegetables with minimal intervention.

It looks like they have a great range of products at Organika so check them out if you are in Noosa.

Thanks to Alison for letting me know about this place.

Have you been to Organika? Leave your review of the supermarket and cafe in the comments.

Organika
2/205 Weyba Road
Noosaville QLD 4566

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday 7am – 6pm
Sunday 7am – 4pm

The Green Grocer is an organic shop and cafe which has been around since 1998.

About the organic cafe:

The Green Grocer is Australia’s first fully licensed organic cafe. Our bustling kitchen under the direction of head chef Joe Trinchi is truly the heart of the Green Grocer. It is here that simple innovative cooking and fresh organic produce combine to provide a tantalizing menu of modern, innovative cuisine.

Enjoy the intimate surrounds of our food store café, relax in the kitchen garden courtyard or dine upstairs in our well stocked wine room with sunny balcony tables. The kitchen is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 9am to 4pm.

About the organic shop:

To complement our range of fresh produce we offer an extensive range of "larder essentials" including organic pastas, grains and pulses, locally produced bio-dynamic meats, cheeses and dairy products. Our deli fridge offers a range of ready to go products freshly produced from our upstairs production kitchen. Our pies, pasties, cakes and pastries are baked daily using the best of our organic ingredients. The Green Grocer’s selection of organic jams, pastes, pestos, and chutneys are a fabulous addition to our range of take away products.

The Green Grocer also has a wine room and cooking school.

Visit The Green Grocer:

217 St Georges Road
Fitzroy North Vic

I’ve discussed organic weed control a number of times before and this video also provides some good ideas and tips on how to prevent and control weeds in an organic garden.

Organic Gardening | Weed Control

Fundamental Food Store, an organic health food supermarket, has 5 stores in New South Wales and Queensland. They also run a couple of organic cafes known as Fundies.

Detox, revive, immune, refresh and cleanse just some of the pure organice juices available at our Fundies Cafe. Select from vitamin and nutrient rich organic fruit and vegetables or enjoy an organic fresh roasted coffee, exotic spiced chai and classic or herbal teas. Eat in or take out, Fundies Cafe can tantalise you with our delicious gourmet delights 7 days a week.

Visit Fundies in Byron Bay, NSW and Paddington, Qld.