On Sunday and Monday, between 11 am and 6 pm, we will be at the Taste of Chicago in the family tent located near Michigan Ave. and Jackson Blvd. . Colleagues and I will be there to discuss ways to "Go Green" and be more sustainable. Topics include going green in the kitchen, eating local foods, composting, fuel cell technology, and much more. If you go to the Taste, we hope you will stop by.

This weekend we made it to another farmers market. This was another suburban market and it was so nice to see farmers from nearby southwest Michigan and the far southwest suburbs. There were plenty of locally grown strawberries, lettuce, spinach, rhubarb, and even a few early season tomatoes that were grown in a green house. It is important to note that these farmers were able to get to the market with the picked produce even after all the rain we received in the past week.

Speaking of the rain, it also caused many of the great locally grown products to have a little more dirt than usual. All the heavy rain drops cause the dirt to get splashed onto the produce, especially things grown close to the ground like lettuce and spinach. Therefore, it is really important that you pay special attention when you wash it.

The lettuce I purchased had a large amount of dirt on it. So, I rinsed each leaf as I took it apart and then I swirled it through a sink of cool water. After swirling, I let the dirt settle to the bottom and skimmed the lettuce off the top. I then dried the leaves, packed them in a plastic storage bag, and placed it in the refrigerator. It will make great lunches throughout the week.

Some people have worried about the dirt on the produce. However, washing in cool water and using a gentle scrub brush should be sufficient. Here is more information from the Food and Drug Administration on handling produce safely.

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about a salmonella outbreak in certain types of tomatoes. Consumers should not consume raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw round red tomatoes unless they have been grown in certain regions of the country. The FDA outlines those regions on there website along with pictures of the tomatoes that are at risk.

www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html#intro

If you think you have contaminated tomatoes, please throw them out or cook them. The tomatoes are safe to eat if cooked to 145 degrees for 15 seconds.

The following types of tomatoes are NOT associated with the outbreak and are safe to eat:

• cherry tomatoes
• grape tomatoes
• tomatoes sold with the vine still attached
• tomatoes grown at home

The FDA will update their website as more information about the source of contamination becomes available.

This weekend I made it to the farmer's market. This was a suburban market and there were about 5 farmers selling produce. I was surprised by the variety, as I was expecting mostly cool weather crops like lettuce, spinach, and other greens. However I found, peas, zucchini, green onions, peppers, blueberries, tomatoes, in addition to all the greens. I also found strawberries. Almost all five farmers were selling them.

Turns out most of the farmers at this market were from southern Illinois. Given the distance between southern and northern Illinois, you could imagine that their growing season gets started a lot sooner than ours. That is why they had so many things available. Also to my disappointment, the strawberries were a little overripe. I did talk to a few people at the market and, due to our cool spring, strawberry growers from Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin will have the crop ready closer to the end of June.

Stay tuned for more local strawberries. Also, I would be interested in hearing what price strawberries are being sold at in your market. For those of us that are price conscious, I thought these strawberries were a little on the high side. Please share your thoughts and your good produce finds.

As the weekend gets closer, I am thinking about making a trip to one of the weekend farmer's markets. I am hoping to find some locally grown strawberries. Usually in Illinois, you can start to see strawberries at the markets in mid June.

My favorite way to eat them is right out of the container (after they are washed of course), but they are also a perfect addition to salads, smoothies, and cereal. They also are great in desserts and as a snack. Check below for an easy strawberry pie recipe.

If you find a good deal on strawberries and buy more than you can eat, the best way to keep them is by freezing. Colleague Jananne Fink provides the steps to freezing strawberries in the Master Food Preservers Blog.

Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch

1 3-ounce package dry strawberry gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 quart whole or sliced strawberries

1 9-inch baked pie shell

8 Tablespoons nonfat whipped topping

Instructions:
1. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin.
2. Add boiling water; boil 2 minutes, then cool mixture.
3. Pour berries in mixture and stir.
4. Transfer to pie shell.
5. Top with whipped topping.
6. Refrigerate until serving time.

NUTRITION FACTS (per Serving) - Calories 290 ~ fat 8 g ~ calories from fat 70 ~ sodium 300 mg ~ total carbohydrate 52 g ~ fiber g

With the warmest day this year upon us, no one feels like heating up the kitchen when cooking. With more hot weather coming, now is the time to stock up on things that do not require a lot of oven or stove top use. Sandwiches and salads are good choices. Not only are they easy to make, but they also help you eat extra veggies and fruits. Foods that can be grilled outside are also good alternatives. Next time a string of hot weather is in the forecast, plan ahead by cooking a larger amount of food on the cooler days and eating the leftovers that can be reheated in the microwave on the hot days.

To beat the heat in the kitchen, here are some simple recipes to try.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup macaroni, uncooked

2 cans (6.5-ounce) tuna in water

2 cups chopped zucchini

1/4 cup sliced carrots

1/3 cup diced onions

1/4 cup non-fat mayonnaise

Instructions:
1. Cook macaroni according to package directions.
2. Drain tuna.
3. Mix macaroni, tuna and vegetables together in a mixing bowl.
4. Stir in mayonnaise.
5. Chill until ready to serve.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving) - Calories 180 ~ fat 1 g ~ calories from fat ~ sodium 310 mg ~ total carbohydrate 25 g ~ fiber 2 g

Spinach Apple Salad

Ingredients:
1 bag (8- to 10-ounce) fresh spinach

1 unpeeled apple, sliced

1/4 cup cooked bacon pieces

1/2 cup of fat free mayonnaise or fat free salad dressing

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrated, thawed

Instructions:
1. Wash spinach and tear into bite-size pieces.
2. Place spinach, apple slices and bacon bits in a large bowl.
3. Mix mayonnaise and orange juice concentrate.
4. Add to spinach mixture and gently mix.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving) - Calories 145 ~ fat 3 g ~ calories from fat 30 ~ sodium 700 mg ~ total carbohydrate 25 g ~ fiber 4 g

Chicken and Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup chunk pineapple

1 cup can peaches, chopped and drain

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tsp curry powder, optional

Procedure:

1. Combine chicken, celery, raisins, and fruit in bowl.

2. Stir together yogurt and curry powder.

3. Fold dressing into salad ingredients.

4. Chill thoroughly.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): calories 250 ~ calories from fat 50 ~ fat 5g ~ sodium 105mg ~ carbohydrate 29g ~ protein 23g ~ cholesterol 65mg