Buy local produce

Sure, cooking at home takes more time.  Take a stroll down the produce aisle this season and you may change your mind.  Red strawberries dripping with goodness, the vivid salad greens. Are you salivating yet? Resistance will be futile.  You are a big fan of apples so you hesitantly throw those apples from New Zealand into your cart.   What the heck are all these signs about local produce? What do they mean?  Does it really matter? Join Suzanne Simon and Betina Stern from Loulies.com our resident food superheroes who will answer all your basic questions about produce and why you should buy local. But WAIT, there’s more!  How about cheese, milk, and dairy products?  You’ll be shocked at what labels matter and which ones don’t.  Don’t get ripped off and pay for only the labels that matter.  Click up and listen up.  Your tummy will be happy you did 🙂

Interview on Buy Local: Tips on buying eggs and dairy 

• Want to find a fun way to connect with friends and get your weekly cooking done? How about a cooking book book club?  Find out how Loulies grew from a cookbook club to the go-to resource for cooking at www.loulies.com
• Why should be local? What are the benefits beyond environmental costs of shipping products from overseas?
• How old is the egg you are eating? You will be shocked to hear how fresh your egg from the grocery store really is.  Should you pay extra for omega-3 enriched eggs? Which labels do matter and should you spend extra for?
• What labels should we shop and look for when buying any diary product (milk, yogurt, butter, cheese)? What are health risks for not spending the extra money on antibiotic free milk?  What are Bettina and Suzanne’s all-time favorite cookbooks that received high marks in her book club?

Loulies co-founders Bettina and Suzanne, White House Farmer’s Market, Chaia

Bettina and Suzanne have been cooking together for many years. Their experience with sourcing and prepping fresh in-season foods ranges from studying with restaurant chefs, such as James Alefantis, Vicki Reh, Amy Brandwein, James Rexroad, Sidra Forman and Ina Garten. Together, the have tested over 1,000 recipes for their blog Loulies.com, published articles about food and cooking in magazines such as Edible and Flavor, catered 50+ events, and have taught cooking courses with a focus on shopping at farmers markets and cooking with vegetables. Their latest project is Chaia – a start-up restaurant every Thursday at the White House Farmers Market and Sunday at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market. Recent Press About Chaia.

Bettina and Suzanne also created an annual Edible Urban Garden Tour event in Washington, DC for the non-profit Think Local First to promote the “grow your own” movement. Bettina is a founding board member of the Africa Schoolhouse, a 501©(3) charitable and educational organization committed to building sustainable school communities for children in underserved areas in Africa. Suzanne recently received her certification in Plant-based Nutrition from Cornell University.

Buy Local Resources:

• Loulies- Bettina and  Suzanne’s website: http://www.loulies.com/
• Good  article describing eggs and what labels mean(http://www.salon.com/food/francis_lam/2011/01/28/egg_marketing_labels)
• Best eggs to buy in your region: http://www.cornucopia.org/organic-egg-scorecard/
• Article describing all the milk labels and what they mean: http://www.ivillage.com/milk-labels-decoded-understanding-dairy-aisle/3-a-327459
• Cook book ideas (Best for begniners- http://markbittman.com/) and http://www.loulies.com/how_to_cook_everything_simple_recipes_for_great_food/
• Dianna Henry; http://www.loulies.com/pure_simple_cooking_diana_henry/ and  http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=diana+henry+cookbooks&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=5674924037&ref=pd_sl_39fwlupptz_b
• Debroah Madison (Best for vegetables http://www.deborahmadison.com/marketplace.html and http://www.loulies.com/vegetarian-cooking-for-everyone/
• Ruth Rogers (simple italian)- http://www.loulies.com/italian_country_cookbook/ .  http://www.rivercafe.co.uk/rc_page.php?pg_id=42
• Maddar Jaffrey’s- Eclectic mix http://www.loulies.com/madhur_jaffreys_cookbook_easy_east_west_menus_for_family_and_friends/
• Amy Pennigton: https://www.fireitupwithcj.com/2011/may-12-feed-your-belly-just-by-walking-out-your-back-door/
• Nigel Slater: http://www.loulies.com/last-minute-mothers-day-gift/

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