My sweet friend, former Bastyr classmate, and colleague, Jen Koorenny, MS RD, kindly sent me the following website in response to my recent post on buying local, seasonal produce.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture  provides a resource that “shows common origins of more than 95 different produce commodities that are shipped into or across the United States each year.” Simply select a commodity from the drop down menu and it will calculate the product’s origin, volume of shipments per year, the leading US state producing that commodity, and the percent of shipments per month. The last indicator gives you a sense of when that commodity is in season.

Try it out…you might be surprised how far your food travels to get to your local grocery store!

Thanks, Jen!

One of my favorite summertime salads is Mozzarella Caprese. It is simple and delicious.

There are a few variations to this easy recipe. This is a classic version using local, vine-ripened tomatoes, fragrant young basil, and fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients:
2 fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes, thinly sliced (1/4”)
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese packed in water, thinly sliced (1/4”)
10-15 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Extra virgin olive
Sea salt
Pepper
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions:
1. Arrange tomato slices on plate
2. Place a mozzarella slice on each tomato
3. Top with chopped basil
4. Drizzle with olive oil
5. Salt and pepper to taste
6. Add splash of balsamic vinegar for a tangy flavor

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6

And if you are feeling creative, substitute the fresh mozzarella with a simple homemade cheese. Think of it as your very own home science project with tasty results. In my food science lab, during graduate school, we made a quick recipe that was “technically” considered cheese. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. Here’s how:

1. Bring half gallon of milk to near boil
2. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and stir until curds form and whey (the liquid) separates
3. Strain the cheese in a colander lined with cheese cloth

That’s it! The cheese is ready to enjoy…get out the basil and tomatoes!

If you are a bit more ambitious, try making your own homemade mozzarella cheese. Cheesemaking.com has a 30 minute mozzarella and ricotta cheese recipe with step-by-step instructions including photos.

My mom will be visiting next week. We plan to try Cheesemaking.com’s recipe. Stay tuned for the review!

Cheers!
Jess

Jessica Adlin, MS RD

It’s Summertime!! And the living is easy…warm weather, long, sunny days, and local produce is bountiful and delicious.

Our food choices directly affect the health of our planet. Buying season, locally grown food reduces our carbon footprint, checking global warming.

Most produce grown in the United States travels an average of 1500 miles to reach your plate. And that doesn’t account for the products shipped here from around the globe. Transporting produce (and other goods) from around the country and around the world racks up global warming emissions.

There are a handful of simple things we can do to make food choices that are more sustainable:

• Find a Farmer’s Market near you and support your local farmers.

• Buy produce only when it’s in season. It tastes so much better, it’s more nutritious, and it’s a real treat.Don’t know what’s growing in your area? Go to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Based on your location and time of year, it will give you a list of what’s in season near you.Let me give you an example. Here’s a just a sampling of the fresh produce growing in Washington state right now:

Apricots, Beans, Beets, Blackberries, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chard, Collard greens, Cucumbers, Currants, Eggplant, Hearty greens (bok choy, kale, mustard greens), Jerusalem artichokes, Leaf lettuce, Melon, Nectarines, Onions, Peaches, Peas, Peppers, Plums, Potatoes, Radishes, Raspberries, Rutabagas, Spinach, Strawberries, Summer squash, Sweet cherries, Tomatoes, Turnips.

What’s growing in your neighborhood?

• Learn to can, freeze, or dry some of summer’s bounty to enjoy during the winter when seasonal choices are limited.

• Be aware of where your food is grown. We often expect to be able to buy strawberries in January without even thinking about where in the world these strawberries are coming from. If in doubt of the country (or location) of origin, ask your grocer.

• Avoid the hotlist of produce that is flown in from around the world to satisfy our demand for “fresh” produce all year long. Again, it’s important to know where your food is coming from. The NRDC provides this list of “Frequent Fliers” including their country of origin:

Asparagus (Peru)
Bell peppers (Netherlands)
Tomatoes (Netherlands)
Blackberries (Chile)
Blueberries (Argentina)
Cherries (Chile)
Raspberries (Chile)
Peaches (Chile)
Nectarines (Chile)
Papayas (Brazil)

Be good to yourself and good to the planet…Enjoy the season and take in all it has to offer!

Be well,
Jess

Jessica Adlin, MS RD

Yes, it is true – after taking a hiatus of several months to complete my dietetic internship, I am happy to report that I am back to two of my favorite things – talking about food, food-related issues, nutrition, health and happiness…and being a resource to you as you make positive changes toward achieving your wellness goals!

Once again, look forward to regular blog postings about fascinating, gotta-know wellness topics. (The best way to stay connected is to sign up to receive an email when a new blog posting is ready and waiting. And it’s easy…the sign-up form is on the front page of the blog – just enter your email address and away you go).

I will continue to post readers nutrition and wellness related questions (and my responses) on a regular basis. I welcome your questions – email me at: jessadlin [at] gmail.com.

This fall I will be offering several informative, engaging, life-enhancing teleclasses, webinars, and classes on some of the your most “asked about” topics. Check the Events page in the coming weeks to see what’s on the Autumn 2008 schedule!

So many exciting things…it’s good to be back.

Be well-
Jess

Jessica Adlin, MS RD