Author Archives: rachelocal

Parsnip + Sweet Potato + Goat Cheese = Miracle

April 8, 2012 by rachelocal

Miracles really do happen! One occurred in my kitchen this evening. I turned a lumpy sweet potato and a bumpy parsnip into an absolute miracle just by adding goat cheese and a secret ingredient I might tell you about later. But first let me introduce to you the owner of this miraculous parsnip. Valerie is her name and she has an acre of garden beds on her property, along with chickens (oh how I envy her those chickens!). Valerie manages […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets, Gardening, Random, Recipes, Winter Recipes • Tags: food, gardening, goat cheese, local, parsnip, sweet potato, vegetarian

“Saving and More” with Local Connections

April 6, 2012 by rachelocal

Tuesday night, my husband came home and gave me two things: a parsnip and a business card. These two things were from people who know I’m all about anything local. The parsnip was from Valerie’s garden–the last one she harvested. The business card was from our mutual friend and may involve a wine tasting at a later date! When I went to see John, he gave me a newspaper clipping. He remembered that I love the restaurant LBR 614 and he […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets, Local Stores, Random • Tags: budget, coupons, food, life, local, parsnips, saving and more

How to Plant Strawberries

April 5, 2012 by rachelocal

John called me this week, wanting me to help plant new strawberries–75 of them. When I got to his house, he already had 50 in the ground, so I helped with the rest. Nothing more local than your own strawberries, so I was eager to learn how it’s done (as you know I am a novice <understatement> gardener and have a paralyzing fear of growing things). The first thing you must do is buy strawberry plants. John orders his from […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets, Gardening, Local Farms, Random • Tags: farmer's market, food, gardening, in season, strawberries

Rumbleway Farm

April 4, 2012 by rachelocal

I visited a local meat market recently. (An actual meat market, selling beef and poultry, not a club or a bar.) After my visit, I was disappointed that I couldn’t recommend this place. Not because it’s a bad place. In fact, the butcher and staff were hospitable and answered all of my questions. When I found they get their meat mostly from two places, one located in Philly and another in Maryland, I was thrilled. But after doing some research, I […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets, Local Farms, Local Stores, Random • Tags: farm, farm to table, food, gardening, local, maryland, rumbleway farm, sustainable agriculture

A HYPER Local Experiment

April 3, 2012 by rachelocal

I planted a garden of sorts today. After the garden was in and the seeds sowed, I realized I have no idea what I’m doing. So many questions raced through my head, “Are they too close together?” “Should the raised bed be more raised?” “Will frost come and ruin everything?” “Did I plant too early? I KNOW I planted too early!” This is what happens when a perfectionist undertakes the unknown–paralyzing fear followed by agonizing doubt. Thank goodness it’s just […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Gardening, Random • Tags: cats, food, gardening, life, local

Mega Millions Checklist

April 2, 2012 by rachelocal

I can’t say for sure that only small things would change if I had one of the three winning Mega Millions tickets. Money does strange things to people. I might start collecting faberge eggs, hang privately commissioned portraits of myself on every square inch of my walls, buy expensive bonnets for my cat, or hire someone to spoon feed me my oatmeal in the morning. But I’d like to think that I would make only a few changes. My friend […]

Categories: Random • Tags: Anthony Bourdain, chickens, food, local, locavore, mega millions

Birthday with a Local Girl

March 29, 2012 by rachelocal

Pre-birthday celebrations are the best, especially when a surprise is involved and ESPECIALLY when the friend being celebrated is as sweet and as dear as Deanna. My friends and I were lucky enough to head to my favorite local, farm-to-table restaurant LBR 614, and a fun and oh-so-delicious meal turned into a birthday surprise when Deanna was presented with desserts from Chef Jeff. I know I’ve gushed about the food at LBR 614 before, but I don’t think I’ve […]

Categories: Random • Tags: carrot cake, cheesecake, chocolate, dessert, farm to table, LBR 614, life, local

Extra Garden Rows for the Food Bank of Delaware

March 28, 2012 by rachelocal

Originally posted on Food Bank of Delaware:
As backyard vegetable gardeners and farmers begin to prepare for the spring planting season, the Food Bank of Delaware encourages individuals to consider planting a few extra seeds for hungry Delawareans. With one in four Delawareans depending on our network of hunger-relief partners, the need for getting fresh produce into the community is needed now more than ever, especially as low-income Delawareans struggle with obesity issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and…

Categories: Delaware Farms, Random • Tags: farmer's market, food, Food Bank of Delaware, gardening, local, produce stand

How Does Your Garden Grow?

March 27, 2012 by rachelocal

Honestly, I don’t know how a garden grows, but I’ve been asking for help. My friend Valerie gave me some good advice. “It’s easy,” she said. “Just cut open a bag of potting soil and sow some arugula seeds in the bag. Instant garden.” Is it really that simple? Maybe I’ve been reading too many books. Most of the books are helpful, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by the sheer bounty of things to plant, the ways to plant them, […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets, Random • Tags: bag gardening, gardening, in season, life, local, locavore

6 Reasons Katniss Everdeen Makes a Case for Local Eating

March 27, 2012 by rachelocal

“May the odds be ever in your favor!” It took more than luck to win the Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen proves that living off the land and eating locally has some life-giving advantages, and I intend to build a case for local eating based on Katniss’ well-played game. But first some back story for those of you who have not seen TV, looked at the internet, or read a magazine since 2008: The Hunger Games is a wildly successful young […]

Categories: Farmer's Markets, Random • Tags: food, Katniss, local, movies, The Hunger Games

Meet John, a Local Backyard Farmer

March 25, 2012 by rachelocal

When I pulled into John’s driveway he was standing by his shed with bare feet. I’ve talked about John before, mainly about how a cherry tomato from his garden inspired me to eat locally. I told him this. He looked pleased. “Oh really?” he said. “It was that good?” John was kind enough to take a break from potato and asparagus planting to show me around his garden. He has two generously sized plots. Part of one was tilled with […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets, Random • Tags: farmer's market, gardening, life, local, produce stand, spring

Teenage Mutant Ninja Food

March 23, 2012 by rachelocal

What do Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo have in common with our supply of corn, soybeans, and canola (all major parts of the North American diet)? They’ve all been covered with glowing ooze and genetically modified. Much like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were transformed into man-child humanoids by mysterious ooze, our food supply has been genetically modified by the “mysteries” of science. Thanks to a helpful link from my brother, I’ve recently learned that genetically modified foods (GMOs) make […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets, Random • Tags: farmer's market, food, genetically modified, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, local, locavore, produce stand, salmon, seasonal, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Cheerleaders on a Plane

March 20, 2012 by rachelocal

I was on a plane yesterday with five eighth grade competitive cheerleaders, placed by the Airline-Powers-That-Be right smack in the middle of them and their mothers. With all their giggly-ness and be-dazzled electronics, I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. I was surprised to find that what annoyed me most about this chorus of ribbons and warm up jackets had nothing to do with girlish gushing about Zac Efron or Taylor Swift. It had to do with one […]

Categories: Random • Tags: Anthony Bourdain, fast food, food, local, locavore, McDonalds, Medium Raw, restaurants

Local on a Budget

March 19, 2012 by rachelocal

Originally posted on yearofhealthierliving:
I can’t believe we are beginning the third month of our family locavore challenge! This year seems to be speeding by–this is probably helped by our exceptionally warm weather. We were fortunate to start our journey during what we we call “The Year Without a Winter.” Our farmers have had an extended growing season, and I haven’t had a week yet, when I left the market empty-handed or disappointed (well, except for the “Broccoli Incident”). So,…

Categories: Random • Tags: farmer's market, food, local, locavore, seasonal, sustainable agriculture, yearofhealthierliving

Portlandia, Anyone?

March 16, 2012 by rachelocal

My obsession with local food has been spilling over into my sense of humor. Or at least into what I think is funny. For instance, I think it’s hysterical to ask, “Is it local?” when served a meal at my mother’s house. Or asking my husband, “Are those local?” when he’s eating barbecue flavored potato chips. I’m positive no one else thinks it’s funny, especially my mother who just made a lovely meal. The truth is, I’ve become obsessed with […]

Categories: Random • Tags: farm to table, free range, in season, local, locavore, portlandia, restaurants, sustainable agriculture