Cook Local, Eat Local David Crowley

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.

In this solo episode, Cook Local Eat Local Host David Crowley talks about 8 benefits to joining a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. He also explains the basics of how a CSA works. 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.