lockettva's blog

I went to my first Veggie Van stop this week at the CDC Head Start location and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The moment you set foot near the Veggie Van you can feel the positive energy radiating from everyone around. The staff is extremely nice and very knowledgeable and the community members are exceptionally friendly and welcoming.

 

Last night Local Matters was represented at the Jack Johnson concert in Cuyahoga Falls!  We had our own table in the “Village Green” and we got to meet Jack Johnson and his wife! They played the “Name That Veggie” game at our table and talked to us about what we are doing in our community. While Jack Johnson was playing the game, he immediately recognized the fennel because his children love fennel. His children actually started a “Friends of Fennel” club. We also learned a fact from Kim Johnson about the Japanese eggplant we had as a part of our game. She said that the Japanese eggplant is the only type of eggplantthat grows in Hawaii.

My family and I recently had our annual burger competition where we each find a different recipe, cook the burger, and decide who wins the taste and presentation award. This year we decided to make the competition more exciting by only allowing one family member to use red meat.

As soon as we decided on that new rule, I immediately began looking through tuna burger recipes and found an amazing one by Emeril Lagasse. This recipe helped me tie with my Grandma for first place in the taste category and it has several ingredients that you can purchase fresh and locally. I hope you enjoy it and have as much fun making it as I did!

Only 5 non-profit organizations were selected by Jack Johnson to be featured in his concert’s ‘Village Green’, and Local Matters is one of them! Not only is this a great opportunity for Local Matters, but it is for you too! 

Jack Johnson also donated tickets, which we are giving to you! To find out how to win a pair of tickets, make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter (located on the right side of our website) by Thursday, June 24th and the details will be sent to you.

Click here for all the details.

This summer provides many opportunities for great adventures and you can find them while supporting your community and local farmers.

Farmer’s markets are a great way to try new food, get fresh food, and support local farmers. If you want to figure out what foods are in season in your area, go to What’s Fresh Near You. Just select your state and the time of year to see what foods are fresh and in season near you and the foods that are in season from surrounding states. It also provides a few recipes you can make with the in-season food!  

If you are looking for a night out, there are several restaurants in Central Ohio that are both delicious and serve locally grown food. Another good way to have fun this summer is to visit local festivals and enjoy the atmosphere.  

This is my first week of work at Local Matters so I began reading articles by Michael Pollan to help get in the right mindset. One of his past articles, Unhappy Meals, caught my eye since my family and I are working on eating healthier.   In the article, his main piece of advice is to eat “food”. Pollan describes “food” as natural substances, not packaged and processed foods. He suggests eating only food that your great-great-grandmother would recognize as food, which rules out many popular brands.   Pollan then goes on to explain nutritionism and the role the government, scientists, and journalism have played in society’s perception of eating healthy.   In the article, Pollan provides nine easy and logical methods to begin eating the right way.