In the interest of science and fact checking, but mostly because I started to have cravings when I read Jill Koenigsdorf's story about local chai that appears in today's TASTE section, I headed over to Dish n' Spoon Café & Gifts (620 Old Santa Fe Trail, 983-7676) to taste a cuppa house-blended chai for myself (yum!). While I was there, I spied a sign at the counter: "Homemade Peeps!" I have a weakness for those marshmallow critters produced in Bethel, Pa., by the Just Born candy company, but lately I'm a bit put off by their composition and highly touted indestructibility.

For instance: Did you know that, according to a 1999 U.S News & World Report story by Amanda Spake, scientists at Emory University did experiments on Peeps using cigarette smoke, boiling water and liquid nitrogen to see how easily they could be destroyed or marred, and the scientists claimed that the eyes of the sugary treats "wouldn't dissolve in anything." The marshmallow treats were also found to be insoluble in acetone, water, diluted sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide. The homemade marshmallow seems a better fit for The Fork and his family this Easter. I grabbed a couple for the road — and I love them! They sell for $2 apiece, are covered in an array of colorful pastel sugars and will be available through the Easter holiday. Call ahead if you want a bunch. Bon appéPeep!

April 22 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and a few folks have put together a fun way to help celebrate the occasion. The Nature Conservancy, Santa Fe Farmers Market and the Santa Fe Railyard encourage you to join them for a movable "Picnic for the Planet" event on Saturday, April 16. It's pretty simple: shop at the Santa Fe Farmers Market in the Railyard (1607 Paseo de Peralta at Guadalupe Street) that day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and pick up some locally produced goodies for lunch. Then mosey on over to the Railyard Park and have an informal picnic with friends, family and community members. After chow time, load up the car or hop on your bikes and head to The Nature Conservancy's Santa Fe Canyon Trail near Upper Canyon Road and Cerro Gordo for a hike along the area's
1.5-mile interpretive loop trail (bikes and pets are not allowed on the trail). Throw in some serious bird watching and nature photography, and you've just had a stellar day in the great outdoors. The Nature Conservancy is organizing Picnics for the Planet worldwide and collecting photos and videos from picnickers' experiences. To see who else is involved, visit www.meetup.com/NatureConservancy. For directions and more information do a web search for "The Nature Conservancy Santa Fe Canyon Preserve." And don't forget the binoculars and drinking water.

Speaking of Earth Day, on April 22, the Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi restaurant and bar, 113 Washington Ave., 988-3030, and four other Rosewood properties — Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Hotel Al Khozama in Saudi Arabia, Rosewood San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and Rosewood Little Dix Bay in the British Virgin Islands — are offering multi-course Earth Day Dinners featuring menus with organic, local and sustainable ingredients. At the Anasazi, executive chef Oliver Ridgeway will prepare his nine-spice New Mexico beef tenderloin, poblano-potato gnocchi and young spinach with spring morels and a coffee-piñon glaze. The Earth Day dinner in Santa Fe is $85 per person, $135 with wine pairings. Reservations are recommended.

Plan ahead: At 11 a.m. April 30, Camino de Paz School and Farm in Santa Cruz hosts its Fifth Annual Food for Thought Brunch fundraiser at its Montessori campus 25 miles north of Santa Fe. The outdoor brunch — to be held under a tent in deference to New Mexico's whimsical weather patterns — consists of food that's been grown on the farm and will be prepared by cooks and chefs from Jambo Café and Rancho de Chimayó as well parents of students at the school. The Camino de Paz Marimba Ensemble performs, and there will be a a raffle, door prizes, and tours of the farm and visits with some of its animals. The fundraiser for the school is $60 per adult, $20 for ages 6 to 12, and is free for kids under the age of 6. For details, to RSVP and for directions, email daisy@caminodepaz.net or call 505-747-9717.

If you like chocolate and you like coffee, you're going to love this weekend in Albuquerque. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 16 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 17, the Albuquerque Convention Center (401 2nd St. N.W., 505-768-4575, www.albuquerquecc.com) will host its inaugural Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Fest, which features nearly 40 regional and national vendors including Señor Murphy Candymaker, The Chocolate Smith, Red Rock Roasters and Santa Fe Brewing Company. Also percolating at the festival are chocolate chip cookie eating competitions (separate contests for kids and adults); decorating, cooking and mixology workshops utilizing chocolate; a class on tempering chocolate and live musical-theater performances from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory presented by Musical Theatre Southwest. Advance tickets are $8 online at http://chocolateandcoffeefest.com (use the code "web"); $10 at the door (cash only); $7 for seniors and students (online discount code "student," school I.D. required); and $15 for weekend passes. There is no charge for kids ages 12 and under. Visit the festival website for more information.

Contact Rob DeWalt at taste@sfnewmexican.com. or on twitter at twitter.com/sfnmTASTE.