The Green Womxn Make Upcycled Cores, Rinds And Peels Remarkably Appealing
Most of us don’t think twice about our banana peels, pineapple cores and fruit rinds. We certainly don’t think about eating them. But after New Lebanon, New York, residents and life-long best friends Ellen Ann Kafkalas and Rita Kogler Carver had to change their diets for health reasons, they started thinking differently about the caloric value and flavors they were tossing in the compost.
Now, using Kafkalas’ unique home recipes, they have launched the Green Womxn line of condiments, made from the parts of plants we usually throw away.
“We had all this leftover stuff and thought what can we do?” said Kafkalas. “I just began coming up with these recipes. People seemed to like them so we started selling them at the farmers market.”
Currently, they offer three products. For anyone who’s had pickled watermelon rind before, the Rockin’ Rind Relish is probably the most relatable product. The tangy relish has a bright vinegary freshness. From the Core is a versatile, smooth sauce made from pineapple cores, lemon peel and fresh, young, locally grown ginger. The sauce, which tastes no different than if it were made from pineapple flesh, is quite versatile. Sweet and zippy, it goes well on proteins like fish, can be used in a cocktail, and was even recently baked into a cake.
The jar that might give interested shoppers the most pause is the Chocolate Sweet A-Peel sauce, made with high-quality, ethically sourced dark chocolate and banana peel. If you didn’t know the peel was in there you wouldn’t be able to tell. There’s a slight banana flavor but the best thing about the chocolate spread is the texture. It’s smooth and velvety without that gluey sliminess that Nutella leaves behind. Also, the high quality of the chocolate makes the spread not overly sweet while providing a nice depth of flavor. The Green Womxn recommend it over ice cream, granola — or right off the spoon.
“We give out free samples at the farmers market,” Kafkalas said. “Once people try it their skepticism goes away.”
Kafkalas and Carver met in undergrad at Cedar Crest College, where they both studied theater and became, as they coin it, “sisters by choice.” They were New York City bound. Kafkalas worked at the The Town Hall theater for 30 years and is an accomplished visual artist and writer of novels and plays. Carver had a long career in lighting design and still has her own lighting and decor company with her husband John Carver, Bearfly Design. She also authored the textbook Stagecraft Fundamentals, soon to be in its 4th edition.
Kafkalas has been battling cancer since 2009 and Carver has multiple sclerosis. In 2015, Kafkalas had a part of her lung removed. She and the Carvers decided to move upstate together. They found a new home in New Lebanon. Because of their health conditions, their diets had to be well regulated and that meant a lot of cooking at home. They eat plant-based, no oil, gluten-free meals that have to be cognizant of allergens.
Because of their own dietary restrictions, the Green Womxn line does not include any of the top seven allergens, including nuts, dairy and soy. They are currently working on how to truly use the whole plant in the products they make. Kafkalas even dries and saves the pineapple leaves for a future paper-making project.
“People seem to be attracted to the fact we are upcycling,” Kafkalas said. “I really just love the idea of using all of the plant.”
Jars of Green Womxn condiments are $7 and available on the New Lebanon Farmers Market website. Kafkalas and Carver are regulars at the town's weekend market as well as others throughout the summer season.
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