In a press release yesterday, the USDA announced a new campaign titled "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food". The goal is to begin a national conversation to help develop local and regional food systems and spur economic opportunity. To launch the initiative, Secretary Vilsack recorded a video to invite Americans to join the discussion and share their ideas for ways to support local agriculture. The video, one of many means by which USDA will engage in this conversation, can be viewed at USDA's YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/usda . Producers and consumers can comment on the 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' YouTube playlist, as well as submit videos or provide comments on this initiative by e-mailing KnowYourFarmer@usda.gov.

Fall in Illinois is a great time to visit a local farm. Even though the weather has had its ups and downs, the fall harvest is plentiful.

This month many of the local farmers markets open for the season. I attended the opening for my neighborhood this week. It was nice to see the colors of the spring represented in the greens of the lettuces, asparagus, herbs, and plants and the red of strawberries and rhubarb. However, there were a few colors there that I didn't expect to see. There were green grapes, red and yellow peppers, and mangos. This reminded me that not everything at the market is grown locally. In discussion with the vendor selling these items, I learned that they had purchased these items at a whole sale market and were reselling them at the farmers market.

So, as you start to visit your small neighborhood markets, don't be afraid to ask the vendor if they grew the products they are selling. As a consumer, you have the right to know where your products are coming from. The majority of vendors I spoke with did grow their own products and were able to talk about what they would be bringing for the season. It is always up to you on what you want to buy, but remember that not everything sold at the farmers market is grown or produced locally.

This past weekend I headed north to Wisconsin to visit family. They live near Door County. Door County is well known for local fruits, especially cherries and apples. This time of year, you can still find many jams, dried fruits, and wine, however you will have to wait until July for the cherries and fall for the apples. Beyond the fruit and the local markets, I was amazed to find how many restaurants stated they were using local products. Beyond the cherries and apples, restaurants were using local meat, vegetables, and dairy.

While we didn't have time to try one of the restaurants, you can find listings on the Door County website. Wisconsin seems to be a little more advanced in the local initiative as it is part of the tourism initiative. If you are headed north this summer, here is a guide to help you find local foods. If you are interested in reducing your overall carbon footprint of your visit, check out the Travel Green Wisconsin website for places that are certified as "green".

Family dictates my travel lately, which means I don't get to visit many other states. However, if you see local while on the road, please drop me a note and I would be happy to share. Welcome to summer!

As we come to the beginning of the local growing season, thoughts of fresh local food comes to mind. However, in the current economic situation, I often get asked about the ability to eat local on a budget. If you have been to a farmers market, you know that local produce is not always the most economical. There are many benefits for why you should eat local and that the farmers really do need to make money on what they grow, but when it comes down to paying more for local food, it can be very difficult. Throughout the past year, I have struggled with this many times. After all, I practice what I teach. I shop on a budget.

However, in the past year I vowed to find a way to buy local on a budget. Therefore, I shop around for good deals. In my searching, I found that there are a few smaller grocery stores in the area that stock locally grown products on a regular basis for great prices. Also, things that farmers grow in abundance and that are easy to grow are good buys at the farmers markets. These might include lettuce, spinach, zucchini, potatoes, and onions. You might also be able to get great prices if you buy directly from the farm. If the farmer doesn't have to travel or pay for vendor space, they can sell products at better prices because they don't have to recoup those costs.

Lastly, one of the most economical ways to eat local is to grow your own. Food can be grown in backyards or in containers for little cost. Check out Extension's Illinois Vegetable Garden Guide and Making Herb and Vegetable Container Gardens to learn more about how you can plant your own vegetables. If planted correctly, you could have vegetables in as little as a few weeks. This year I will be planting my first vegetable garden. I will let you know how it goes.

Good buys on local food are out there. Hopefully, if you can continue to support the local farmers whatever way works for your own budget, local foods will continue to be more common and affordable.

When you saw the title, you were probably thinking of wearing green or being green through conserving energy. However, this is a nutrition blog. So, on this St. Patrick's Day I urge you to eat green. I challenge you to eat as many green foods as you can. There are plenty of green foods and coincidentally, most are fruits and vegetables. Therefore, not only are you being festive for St. Patrick's Day, you are also doing something good for your health.

Some popular green foods are spinach, lettuce, asparagus, green peppers, broccoli, green beans, peas, cabbage, green onion, avocado, Brussels sprouts, okra, zucchini, green apples, green grapes, honeydew melon, kiwifruit and limes.

Here are some simple meal ideas to get more green.

Breakfast:

Omlet with green onions and green peppers. Fruits salad with kiwi, green grapes, and honeydew melon.

Lunch:

Sandwich topped with lettuce and avocado slices. Side spinach salad. Green Apple.

Dinner:

Corned Beef and Cabbage. Cream of broccoli soup.

March is National Nutrition Month. It is a good time to brush up on your nutrition knowledge and take strides toward a healthier lifestyle. Having difficulty trying to determine what nutrition information is best? You are not alone. As a result the American Dietetic Association has compiled a good nutrition reading list that is based on scientific up to date information. Topics range from medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease to general nutrition for infants through older adults.

If you don't have time to read about nutrition, try listening. MyPyramid.gov has audio pod casts on many nutrition topics. Also check out the waukTOWN Radio show celebrating National Nutrition Month. Several Registered Dietitian colleagues and I talk about what it takes to eat right.

I hope these resources inspire you and help you celebrate well past the end of the month.

On a cool and rainy day you may be looking for something warm and soothing to tickle your taste buds. One of these well known comfort foods is soup. Soup is a great food not only because it provides warmth, but it can be made from pretty much anything you have on hand in the kitchen. It is also a great way to use up vegetables and leftover meats.

Soup has been known to be high in sodium, which can be a problem for people whose blood pressure is sensitive to salt and sodium. However, making your own soup can help you control the amount of sodium. When making your soup, try low sodium broth or vegetable stock as well as herbs and spices.

Looking for extra nutrition? Be sure to add plenty of vegetables, beans, and whole grains like brown rice or whole wheat pasta. Adding these nutrients rich foods to soup can be a great way to sneak it in the meal without the family even noticing.

Here are two easy recipes to try tonight.

Black Beans and Corn Chili

3 - 16 ounce cans black beans

2 - 8 ounce cans tomato sauce

2 - 16 ounce jars picante sauce

2 cups frozen corn

1 teaspoon ground cumin

8 ounce package low fat cheddar cheese

Instructions:
1. Drain and rinse the beans.
2. In skillet or saucepan, combine beans, tomato sauce, picante sauce, corn and cumin.
3. Bring to boil and reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Grate cheese and serve with chili.

Easy Vegetable Soup

2 teaspoons oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon basil

1 cup water

10 3/4 ounce can of chicken broth, low sodium

14 ounce can stewed tomatoes

1 cup frozen or canned corn

1 cup instant brown rice, uncooked

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Heat oil in large saucepan and cook onion in oil until tender.
2. Add garlic, basil, water, broth and tomatoes with juice.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 7 minutes.
4. Add corn and rice. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Pour into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

My major focus with Extension has always been helping people shop on a budget and stretch their food dollar, however in these difficult economic times, doing more with less never seemed so important. While the price of gas and other goods have dropped, food has not followed the same trend. Milk, meat, fruits, and vegetables have either stayed the same price or gone up, making it difficult to plan well balanced meals.

If you are finding it harder and harder to stretch your food dollar, please reread posts done last year on Coupons and Sales, Shopping with a Grocery List, and Saving at the Grocery Store. Also check out Getting Through Tough Financial Times, a website provided through Extension.

Most importantly, sharpening your cooking skills and spending a little time preparing meals can go a long way in saving money. For ideas on what to cook, Check out Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals for meal plans, recipes, and ways to save on food buying. The baked chicken nuggets are our favorite. For more economical recipes, check out the USDA's recipe finder. You can pick recipes by type, ingredient, cost, or cooking method. Once you make it, you can even come back and rate the recipe.

If you feel you have had success in saving money at the grocery store, please send me your story. I would love to share it.

It is the time of year to start thinking about joining a CSA. For those of you who are not familiar with CSA's, here is an explanation I did last year. There are various places you can go to find CSA listings for your area, but the most complete list I found was on the Local Beet.

If you are like me and have a hard time making it to the farmer's market on a regular basis, CSA's are a great way to get regular seasonal produce with little effort. At the same time you are supporting the local economy.

With all the cold weather and snow, you may not be thinking local this time of year. However, there are still a few ways you can buy local for those holiday meals or gifts. Along with some root vegetables and items grown indoors, you can purchase meat, honey, and other things made locally.

While most markets have closed for the season, you can still visit the Green City Market. They have markets every Wednesday and Saturday through December 20. You can also visit the Downtown Farmstand. It is slated to be open through the middle of December. There are also a few markets scattered around the area on a less consistent basis. The Local Beet is a great resource for when and where those markets will take place.

If you are looking to buy directly from a farmer, Farm Direct is a great resource. This site allows you to search by product type or by region.

It is also not too early to start thinking about signing up for a CSA share. Many CSAs allow people to sign up as early as January. Here is a previous post about CSAs if you need more information.

Watch for more information in the New Year regarding affordability of local foods and other cost cutting ways to provide healthy meals for your family. Have a safe and happy holiday.