Cook Local, Eat Local – Details, episodes & analysis

Angi Schneider talks about preserving fresh vegetables through a variety of methods. Angi has written two books on the topic! She also shares ideas for vegetables from our latest CSA pickup, including cherry tomatoes, leeks and kale. Hosted by David Crowley from Cooking Chat.

This episode covers:

• Angi's approach to leading a simple life.
• How Angi's interest in cooking and simple living evolved.
• Strategies for preserving fresh food through drying, freezing and canning.
• Ways dried foods can be used to add nutrition to meals while avoiding food waste.
• Ideas for preparing cherry tomatoes, leeks and kale.
• Topics covered in Angi's books.
• Equipment and tips for those just beginning to preserve their food.

In this episode, host David Crowley from Cooking Chat talks with Chef Paul Arangorin, about the cuisine served at Halter Ranch to accompany their organic Paso Robles wines. Chef Paul also serves some delicious ideas featuring the ingredients from our local CSA pickup, paired with Halter Ranch wines.

This episode covers:

• How cooking with his father growing up influenced Chef Paul to get into cooking.
• The exciting opportunity and challenge of creating a food program to accompany their outstanding wines.
• Chef Paul's approach to sourcing ingredients from the organic Chef's garden and other nearby farms.
• Adjusting the menu regularly to follow the microseasons and utilize what is available locally.
• A tasty idea for preparing cantelope and serving it with fish.
• Considerations for creating dishes that pair well with wine.

In today's episode, host David Crowley from Cooking Chat talks with Robert Russell, who has worked in multiple roles on his family’s farm in Westport, Massachusetts since 1985.  The family owns Westport Rivers Vineyard, the primary focus of our interview, as well as Buzzards Bay Brewing.

This episode covers:

• How Westport Rivers Vineyard got started.
• Robert's background and how he came to work on the family farm business.
• Westport Rivers Vineyard's emphasis on being a family farm as part of the local ecosystem.
• Challenges of growing wine grapes in the New England climate.
• Finding wine grapes that will grow well in Westport terroir.
• Activities at Westport Rivers Vineyard for visitors to enjoy.
• Adding Buzzard's Bay Brewing to the family business.

In episode 27, host David Crowley from Cooking Chat talks with Robin Renken from Crushed Grape Chronicles about ideas for broccolini, green beans, cauliflower and golden beets. We also hear about her cookbooks that feature wine pairings for small bites.

This episode covers:

• A method that can be used for cooking broccolini as well as green beans.
• Recipe ideas for beets.
• Robin's way to roast beets.
• Wine pairing ideas for the vegetable recipes suggested by Robin.
• The inspiration behind Robin's Tasting Spoonfuls series and what you can find in these books.
• The documentary project focusing on sustainable and regenerative farms and vineyards that Robin is working on with her husband Michael.

In this episode, host David Crowley from Cooking Chat talks with Amanda Scarlati from Scarlatti Family Kitchen about tips and recipes for Tuscan kale, carrots and dill. Amanda also tells us about her focus on Italian inspired cooking, which combines Italian classics and recipes that apply creative twists to Italian food and cooking techniques.

This episode covers:

• Ways to use Tuscan kale and how Tuscan kale is different than other types of kale.
• Ideas for using fresh dills.
• Different ways to use carrots.
• How Amanda got interested in cooking at a young age.
• Amanda's approach to Italian inspired cooking.
• Sourcing fresh, local ingredients from farmer's markets, CSAs and your garden.
• Letting what is seasonal inspire your cooking.

In Episode 25, host David Crowley from Cooking Chat talks with Ginain Grayes from  Cook the Garden about ideas for what to make with our first CSA vegetable pickup of the 2023 season. Ginain shares tips and recipes for radishes, spinach and strawberries. She also has some great ideas for storing and prepping fresh produce to avoid waste, and brings inspiration about the benefits of having a garden.

This episode covers:

• How Ginain came to realize her family roots was one source of her interest in gardening.
• Ways to use radishes and tips for freezing them
• The many things Ginain loves about gardening, including how she enjoys sharing her garden's abundance with others.
• A delicious recipe for strawberry radish salsa.
• Striving to be a waste-free household -- ways to stay organized and use all your food!
• Sautéed spinach and other ways to use the leafy green vegetable.

In this episode, we learn about the new partnership between Walden Local Meat Co. and B. Good. The companies' CEOs, Nancy Pak and Chris Freeman, join host David Crowley from Cooking Chat to talk about how these two New England companies with a focus on local food are now offering local grass-fed beef burgers at B. Good's fast casual restaurants.

In this episode, we cover:

• Background on the mission of the two companies involved in this partnership.
• The local grass-fed ground beef burgers now being served at B. Good as a result of this partnership.
• How this partnership came about and how it taps into the synergy between the two companies.
• Nancy shares about celebrating the partnership with the Walden Local Meat team by enjoying some of the burgers.
• Chris talking about feeling great and going for a run after enjoying one of the burgers.
• How providing the grass-fed ground beef for B. Good builds on Walden's core business of delivering local meat to households in New England and the New York tri-state area.
• The B. Good list of "No-No Ingredients" and how this partnerships fit well with their focus on clean, local food.

Topics covered include how joining a CSA supports local farms, ways that joining a CSA can help you expand the vegetables you and your family eat, and how joining a CSA supports the local food system and sustainability goals. 

In this episode, host David Crowley from Cooking Chat interviews Smita Das, Giant Gorilla Greens President & Co-Founder. Giant Gorilla Greens is Boston’s vertical farm, growing nutrient dense microgreens for retailers, food service & health conscious individuals.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Smita's focus on microgreens emeraged as part of a healthy lifestyle approach to disease management.
• Starting Giant Gorilla Greens in 2020.
• The nutritional benefits of microgreens.
• Different types of microgreens and what they taste like.
• Ways to use microgreens in cooking and healthy meal preparation.
• How microgreens are grown and why they represent a sustainable food source.

In this episode, host David Crowley from Cooking Chat talks to Chef Stephanie Michalak White, Plant-Based Programs Lead Chef Instructor at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Chef Stephanie talks how she came to be teaching plant-based cooking techniques and shares some of her favorite tips.

This episode covers:

• How Chef Stephanie developed an early interest in cooking.
• The way her focus on plant-based eating and cooking developed.
• Tips for eating local plant-based meals in the winter time.
• Suggestions for how carnivores can incorporate more plant-based food in their diets.
• Ways to adapt classic sauces and cooking techniques to plant-based diet.
• The various plant-based programs at the Escoffier Culinary Institute, and how the program can be helpful to people at various points in their culinary careers.