Caryn Gets Local

So it was my night to take the Eat Local Challenge, and I was a little stressed. I knew I had to keep it simple if this dish was gonna survive my usual scatter-brained cooking style. I arrived at Whole Foods Market on Roswell Road and my eyes immediatedly went straight for all the signs that screamed "local!" I didn't really come with a plan in mind so I have to say I was a little overwhelmed. After scanning the store, I picked a few of my favorite items, got some great advice from Whole Foods employees and headed home to start cookin'.

Yellow Corn from Suwannee Valley Farms in Bainbridge, Georgia (above).

Broccoli Crowns from Rawls Farms in Lexington, South Carolina and Vidalia sweet onion from Antioch Farms in Claxton, Georgia (above).

Ground Chuck Sirloin from White Oak Pastures in Buffington, Georgia.

Here are the steps to my rediculously simple meal:

• We started out by boiling the corn for about 20 minutes. Once they were on the plate we added season salt and touch of spray butter to taste.


• We shaped the ground chuck into hamburger patties (mixed in season salt) and threw them on our tiny Foreman grill along with some rings of our Vidalia onion. We flipped them every five minutes until cooked all the way through.


• I sliced the tops of the broccoli off and placed into a saucepan with a half cup of water. Put it over medium heat for about 15 minutes, tossing around occasionally. Once they were on the plate we added salt and pepper.

Our finished product....

All in all, I felt good about my local meal. It was nice to know I could step in to any Whole Foods Market location and have tons of options for local products. My selections made a great dinner and I was happy that it was health-concious too! Check these pics and the rest MLA's dining adventures at out Flickr page!