This time of year is not only beautiful but a great time at the farmers market.  There are still summer fruits and vegetables and just the very beginning of fall produce as well.  It is the peak harvest time around US and there are so many places to get fresh food around the city.  I recently read this blog post about an “Eat Local Challenge”.


Because this time of year is so good for finding plenty of fresh and locally grown foods, I think it is a great idea.

 Eating locally isn’t as hard as it might seem.  With farmers markets and co-ops there are many opportunities to find local food.  The co-op is a great place to go for ingredients you might not find at a farmers market like flour, spices, or some specific herbs.  At my co-op they label the local products with a green local sticker to make it easier when shopping.

Buy and eating local is not only go for you, it is good for the environment and the local economy.  I always try eating as local as I can to make sure the money I am spending stays in my community and within the state.  The distance to sell and purchase is shorter when eating locally, making the truck and/or transportation costs and emissions significantly lower.

Fruit and coffees are often the only products I buy that are not locally grown, but in those cases I always look for “fair-trade” products.  Fair trade products help the farms, often in third world countries get a better deal for their products.  By purchasing fair trade you are giving the farmers more control of their product and their futures of protecting the environment where they grow.  I believe that nearly everything should be fair trade, we should be treating farmers with respect for their product and letting them take charge of their deserved money.

I know my family won’t have a problem doing this challenge, but I want to challenge all my family, friends, and readers as well.  I pose the challenge to go 30 days eating only foods grown, caught, or raised within your state.  Try educating yourself and your family on the nutritional, economic, environmental, and cultural benefits of eating locally sourced foods.

Give it a try, even if you can’t complete the challenge, try eating as locally and fresh as possible.  When produce is picked and eaten at the height of ripeness it not only is delicious, but it also is packed with nutrients to make you feel great!

Go for it eat locally, I challenge you!

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

There is no doubt if you have a family, budgeting is extremely important during grocery shopping.  This morning while I was shopping I ran into one of my good friends and we were joking around that feeding a family needs its own full time job to pay for it…especially growing boys.  After thinking, I realized I do a lot to budget and save a little at the check outs.


I am sure, if you have kids, you already know how to save but why not share a few of my secrets in case you don’t already use them. :)

•    Buying in season and at the farmers market is a lifesaver for me.  It is a great way to get fresh fruits and produce and to save a few dollars.  Buying straight from the farmer or farm cuts down on the transportation costs and also minimizes the harmful emissions from big trucks.  Shopping at the farmers marketing is an experience in itself, full of vibrant foods, interesting people, and plenty of laughs.



•    Instead of getting fancy “super foods” find your own super foods and concoct a super food recipe.  Social media, the news, and word of mouth spreads food hype so quickly it is hard to know what is actually true and what is just made up to make a little extra money.  There are so many wonderful foods that are readily available for a low costs that are high in nutrients.  Skip the hype and go for something that has lasted the test of time.

•    I never skip the frozen section at the grocery store.  Fruits and vegetables that are in the frozen section are always in season.  Because most of these products are picked and frozen during their peat ripeness, they retain all their nutritional values.  They also go on sale more frequently than fresh products, so stock up.

•    Skip the name brand and chose the store brand.  I know there are those products and brands you can give up, but does it really matter what kind of pasta it is or what brand the olive oil is.  Save a few cents goes a long way when you’re shopping every week.  To make sure I am getting a good quality store brand I always make sure the check and compare the ingredients list.  Sometimes the store brand is even healthier!

•    Coupon!  I don’t mean like “Extreme Couponing” but going on the stores website or browsing a paper before heading to the store can help schedule meals during the week in accordance to what is on sale.  Many stores accept competitor’s coupons and online coupons presented on your smart phone to save on paper.

Saving a few extra bucks a week on groceries can go a long way when you are saving up for college tuition.  What are your grocery saving tricks?

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

Have you have been strolling through your local farmers market and saw some sort of mythical looking fruit or vegetable.  I love finding weird looking fruits or vegetables that I haven’t tried.  Last week I was at the farmers market and found the strangest shaped squash, obviously I had to get it. 

Finding weird shaped fruits and vegetables is always exciting; but finding a “weird” looking new fruits and vegetables are the best.  I think trying new foods is a great way to experiment with cooking and using new ingredients.

After getting home with my odd-ball shaped squash I went surfing the web to find some new fruits and vegetables I haven’t tried.  There are so many out there, here are five fruits and five vegetables that are on my trying to-do list.

Vegetables-

•    Spigarello is a form of broccoli that has a sweet, delicate, less bitter taste.  It is similar to kale, but said to be better.


•    Kabocha Squash is similar to a squash or pumpkin but much sweeter.  There are various recipes with it baked with garlic, cheese, oregano, and olive oil.  A must try!


•    I actually have heard of Sunchokes, or sometimes called a Jerusalem artichoke, but haven’t tried them.  They are actually kind of a sunflower.  It is said to have a nutty taste.


•    Seckle’s look like a pear and are supposed to taste delicious.  They are sometimes called “sugar pears” and are known from their grainy texture and spicy-sweet flavor.

•    Romanesco- I won’t lie, this vegetable looks like it should be part of a science project.  CRAZY!  I found quite a few recipes that say to add it to stir-fry’s for an extra special taste.



Fruits-

•    If you like bananas and pineapples, Jackfruits are supposed to be a delicious combination of flavors!  The Jackfruit has sweet bulbs that cover brown seeds. 

 •    Kiwano is said to have the perfect combination of sweet and sour!  They are also called horned melons.  Kiwanos are full of filling fiber making a great snack.


•    You may have heard Lychee.  It is a sweet smelling fruit with an exotic taste similar to grapes.  They have become somewhat more popular in the past year or so.


•    Grenadia has a similar taste to passion fruit.  The seeds are said to be covered in delicious pulp.  I think they look terrifying on the inside, but I definitely want to try it.




 •    More common in the grocery stores are Star fruits.  I have them all the time, but they are so good I felt the need to share them with you too. This fruit is actually shaped as a star when sliced.  It is crunchy, juicy and full of goodness.


 I hope this list inspired you to pick up those weird fruits and vegetable you’ve been scared to try.  I can’t wait to try all of these and more.  Do you know any more strange food that I should try? I would love to know! :)

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

Even when you think you know it all…there are always new things to learn and innovative ways to be creative with your food.  I have been a vegetarian for more than five years and still feel like I keep learning new ways to cook and incorporate different ingredients into recipes.  Everyone at the restaurant is so knowledgeable and happy to share ideas and experiences to all that want to listen.  Working at a vegetarian restaurant has catapulted my learning into something even more than I thought possible.  It is definitely what makes working there so great!  

My brilliant chef has not only been my herb garden instigator, but also been my personal cookbook the past couple months.  He is always suggesting new ways to make dishes and how to add a little “pizazz” to an old recipe.  Somehow he can concoct a fresh recipe out of ingredients you would never thought about putting together.  His enthusiasm for vegetarian cuisine is great for our restaurant’s morale, the patrons who come here, and most importantly their taste buds.

As the manager, I have to learned to wear many hats; public relations, human resources, customer service, contracting food and so many more. I have also learned about sourcing food and what to look out for when purchasing goods.  Our restaurant always strives to yield fresh and original blends of ingredients in every dish.  I enjoy purchasing from local farmers that do not process their products.  By buying straight from the farmers you can be assured they have not be cross contaminated any of the products with meat; which is extremely important in our restaurant.  We purchase a few ingredients from a restaurant distributor, but we always make sure that it has been certified as vegetarian by the American Vegetarian Association.

Farmers Market- Meeting with local farmers

The knowledge I have obtained about foods and herbs from working in the restaurant is abundant.  I have a better understanding of ingredients and how they work in to create an unforgettable favor.  I have learned even more about how different types of foods yield important nutrients that are important in a vegetarian diet. Don’t worry I will post be posting my experiences with you, my friends, and family.

Oh, the things I have learned…J I never expected to learn how to order ingredients for a restaurant or working directly with patrons to create new dishes that appeal to them.  I am proud of how far I’ve come and what still lies in front of me.  I hope I never stop learning! 

Go Green and Keep Staying Keen!

Julie