What's Cookin' during GOING LOCAL WEEK?

 

I love this time of the year. It's a trans-seasonal time where I still have a few summer tomatoes lingering in the garden but the peppers and winter squash are also coming on. Lots of great things to choose from for your meals this week. If you need a few ideas for some great GOING LOCAL WEEK 2010 recipes, check both the Summer and Fall recipe sections of the site.

For an easy appetizer or light lunch, I love the Asti Pepper Bruschetta pictured here. It's every bit as delicious as it looks and even easier to make! Get the recipe here.

And if you need a recipe for all that okra you might be getting in your weekly CSA box, you can't go wrong with Robert's Okra, Chicken and Tomato Stew. Comfort food at it's best!

New Albany Farmers' Market Hosts GOING LOCAL WEEK 2010 "Zucchini 500"

 
 

The New Albany Farmers' Market will be hosting a Zucchini 500 on Saturday, September 11 as part of its GOING LOCAL WEEK 2010 celebration. There will also be a watermelon seed spitting contest and an "Iron Chef" cooking competition.

Don't miss out on the fun--get the details for these events here.

Third Graders in Mt. Vernon Celebrate GOING LOCAL WEEK 2010

 
Cheven Meyncke May,4-H Youth Development Educator, Purdue Extension-Posey County used GOING LOCAL WEEK 2010 to reinforce local eating with grade school children in Mt. Vernon, Indiana.

Cheven told me, "Last week we discussed Going Local Week with the 3^rd grade students involved in our “Eat Your Way to Better Health” programming at Farmersville Elementary  in Mt. Vernon, and we offered them locally grown melons to taste. Next Thursday we will be visiting them again for our weekly lesson and plan to share locally grown apples from Mt. Vernon's Farview Orchard.

We also sent a news release regarding the activities  and next week’s “Going Local!” theme to the local papers, with photos of the students tasting melons, and Going Local Week 2010 was also promoted in the fall edition of our 4-H newsletter." 

What a great way to help our children develop healthy local eating habits!    

Randle Family Farm: Certified Organic and USDA Approved Beef, Pork, and Poultry

 Lawrence Randel, his son and grandson say, was "in the right place at the right time" to begin farming. Raised in Indiana during the Depression, Lawrence started his farming operation on 80 acres in Boone County-- with 20 acres each devoted to corn, soybeans, and pastured hogs. A series of interesting events, would see the end of the corn and soybean production and lead the next Randel generation, son David, to explore the viability of raising hogs, beef, and poultry organically.

Over coffee with David and his son Jon, David explained to me, "Our goal is to service the individual customer with healthy meats. We spent a long time reseraching organic methods and decided that we wanted to go in that direction.  When we first discussed the organic concept with my Dad, he wasn't too sure about it. But he quickly came around. Now if anyone askes him about the farm, he'll proudly tell them all about our commitment to organic meat production and point out the advantages of organic meat."

 I have often written about the advantages of buying meat in bulk and at Randle Family Farms you can do just that. Along with organic beef, pork, and chicken, you can also order turkeys and even get gift certificates.  To purchase product, contact David or Jon directly by phone or email.

David and Jon are currently setting up a farm store and dream of the day when they can host farm days for children and their families. "We want to be able to give people the experience of life on the farm", David explained." We want to be able to let others experience what this life is like--it's a great life and we want to share that with as many people as we can."

Randle Family Farm

2155 W. 650 S. Lebanon IN 46052 Phone: 765-894-6675 FAX: 765-483-9291

Jon Randle
jon@randle-family-farm.com

David Randle
david@randle-family-farm.com

Photo: Courtesy of David Randle. Seated: Lawrence Randle with great grandson Sam. Standing (l to r): David and Jon

Four Indiana Counties Share GOING LOCAL WEEK 2010 Plans

 

Going Local Week 2010 starts this coming Sunday, September 5 and runs through Saturday September 11. It's a great time to "discover, celebrate, and savor" Indiana local food. Just recenly 4 Indiana communities sent me their plans for the week. Here's what they're doing:

CASS COUNTY: The Purdue Extension Office in Cass county is hosting a contest for area local food producers. Entrants must own or operate a Cass County farm that is engaged in agri-tourism or has agricultural products available for retail sale. More information here.

HAMILTON COUNTY: The creative folks at the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau sent out a “It’s Going Local Week!” email to potential visitors and residents that will direct them back to the Hamilton County's splash page where they can find information about the county's local food producers, local restaurants, the wineries and breweries, foodie events, and other local services and products.  The also plan to attend a few local Chamber events to pass out brochures and spread the word about GL WEEK 2010. Finally, they are asking some of their local foodie people to submit guest blog posts that will be posted to their 8 Great Towns blog each day during the week.  

HENDRICKS COUNTY: The Hendricks County Convention and Visitors Bureau sent an email featuring GOING LOCAL WEEK 2010 to over 12,000 recipients. More info here.

VIGO COUNTY: Vigo County will host a Going Local Food Fair on Thursday, September 9. For details click here.

What's happening in your county during GOING LOCAL WEEK? If you know of an event, send me an email so I can share the information with everyone! Or post it yourself here.