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A great new website, Local Dirt (www.localdirt.com/), is a place that brings sellers and buyers of local food together.  Here in Los Angeles, I’m spoiled by Farmers Markets that happen all over the city, multiple times a week. So as a test, I used my hometown zip code from NY. Voila! A ton of Farmers Markets close by.  

A viable question that people often have about the local movement is – ‘where do I start,’ and, ‘how are local products doable during winter months?’ …Start at Local Dirt, type in your zip, and see what pops up. While your local Farmers Markets typically won’t have summer fruits like strawberries in the fall and winter, you’ll find some other interesting produce/products.

The best part of buying local foods is the interesting stuff you discover. I’ve cooked some amazing, unexpected dishes with stuff I find there that I’ve never cooked before (gigantic eggplants, varieties of peppers I’ve never heard of, kale, new types of mushrooms, etc…). If you go to your local Farmers Market this weekend, pick up a butternut squash and make “Rebecca’s Butternut Squash Soup” featured on the site. Have fun!

For my LA readers who are looking for another great lunch place to add to their repertoire, I recommend Café Flourish on Wilshire Blvd along the Miracle Mile. They serve amazing organic plant-based (e.g., vegan) cuisine. Some people hear ‘vegan’ and they get scared away. Well, this place has got it down right — (and I’m not even a vegan).

I had the‘Hooray for burritos’ dish there (meat/dairy free burrito) – and honestly, you could have swapped it with something from a taco place and have not known the difference…except this burrito is actually good for you! This place would turn meat-eaters into believers. An added bonus? A locally-owned business with really cool people who work there.

Check it out: www.cafeflourish.com

As I’ve mentioned before, I love trying out new restaurants, especially ones that serve local, organic food. They’re hard to find, but more and more places, especially here in LA, are going that route. Now, I’m not going to boycott restaurants that aren’t organic, but I just love ones that are. Kreation Kafe in Santa Monica was great for lunch. They had a diverse  menu with organic, local and free-range choices. The  natural free-range chicken kebobs and sampling plate with hummus, tabouli and eggplant dip were both great. And the vibe in there is contemporary and open and colorful.

Oh, it was so, so good. Needless to say, I was really full when I left.

Here’s their mission:

Our certified green business has a mission to offer you local farmer’s market products healthy, delicious, colorful dishes, freshly made tapas, salads, soups, sandwiches, Kabobs, and desserts. Our delectable meals are mostly organic and locally grown.

Check them out here: http://www.kreationkafe.com/index.php

I went to Seattle this past weekend, and had an absolute blast. Pike Place Market really stood out to me: it’s such a cool little community of artists, local business owners, farmers and fishermen. The selection of local products was so expansive – it reminded me of multiple LA  Farmer’s Markets rolled into a gigantic one.

What I was even more impressed with about Seattle is that local restaurant owners – from reasonably priced regular restaurants to fancy expensive places,  take pride in using products from the Pike Place Market. The foodie community in Seattle really supports their market, which I think is incredibly cool.

So I started thinking more about local produce and all of the benefits that go along with it:  the positive environmental effects, supporting local businesses, fresher, better tasting food, and the list could go on and on.

I bought this book at Left Bank Books (a unique, ‘lefty’ bookstore in Seattle that I discovered on Lonely Planet) called Cook Food: a manualfesto for easy, healthy, local eating. This will give you all of the basics of local eating in an easy, digestible format – along with some great recipes. It’s not about doing a complete overhaul, but integrating local food into your life gradually.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress of ‘going local.’

Today was great. I’ve got my best friend in town, and we had the perfect el lay day here – a trip to the Venice boardwalk, followed by a day at the beach. And the best way to finish a day that great? Food, of course. We’re going to my favorite restaurant tonight, Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica.

This is exactly why I love it: “Rustic Canyon offers a regularly changing menu of Farmers’ Market-inspired dishes with ingredients that come from local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who practice sustainable agriculture. The dishes at Rustic Canyon draw their influences from all over the Mediterranean.”

Local, sustainable food that also happens to be nothing short of incredible. And there’s a changing menu, so there’s always interesting choices. I’m going to find something tonight that’s awesome, and try to replicate it myself (or at least get inspired) – and post it for everyone.

The best way to relieve stress (aside from a glass or two of wine)? The dog park. I love it. It’s the place where there’s not a care in the world except for digging, sniffing, roaming, playing and…well, you get the idea. I totally zone out and stop thinking of stressful things, and instead focus on the best thing: my dog.

I found a great dog park guide: www.dogparkusa.com/ click on your state and you and your pup will be good to go.

One of the best things about living in Southern Calif is my promiximity to tons of hiking trails. A lot of them are only 15 minutues away. A great work out and also a great way to connect with nature and get away from the craziness of everyday urban life. Find out where your nearest trail is:

http://www.americanhiking.org/index.aspx

A lot of people are talking about ’staycations’ – finding fun stuff to do in your own town rather than taking an expensive vacation. Well, the LA Wine Fest was a perfect staycation. A ton of winemakers that gave generous samples – mostly from the Pasa Robles, Napa Valley and Santa Barbara areas. Live jazz, great food, and a TON of great wine (perhaps too much?)

Some standout wines that I tried and loved: Vampire Vineyards’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Kenneth Volk Vineyards’ Pinot Noir (I love Pinot Noir) and Michael David Earthquake wines Zinfandel.

Great day, great wine…a great staycation.

Ever go to Pinkberry and marvel about how much stuff you’re throwing out when your done? I do. Now, I’m not claiming to be a picture perfect green queen by any means, but I have promised myself to make an effort to put less waste into the world.

Sno:la is an environmentally-conscious alternative to the Pinkberry’s of the world. Here’s what makes Sno:la cool:

• Organic dairy, with natural sweeteners
• Biodegradable/compostable containers
• Yogurt cups made of sugar cane
• Spoons made of woods and potatoes
• Countertops made from recycled computer chips
• Tabletops made of eucalyptus
• Recycled wood wall decorations and soy painted concrete floors

I’m impressed. These guys are socially responsible too: 1% of their gross proceeds go to Slow Food USA, which supports sustainable farming, and 1% of proceeds from the flavor Chocolate Cremita go to the United Nations World Food program, which helps children worldwide.

So far, there are locations in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Kyoto, Japan. Next time I’m in Santa Monica I’ll be trying it out and writing about it. Let me know if you’ve tried it already!

Check out the website here: http://www.snolayogurt.com/

I don’t remember the last time I’ve been to a flea market. My boyfriend and I decided to wander around the Melrose area when we stumbled upon the Melrose Trading Post, this huge flea market in the West Hollywood area.

Tons of vintage stuff (clothes/furniture/jewelery/toys etc.),  artists selling their jewelry, great used books and music. . . all with live jazz in the background. I also loved going because there were so many ideas floating around. It sparked my creativity (as did walking around Melrose area – totally cool, trend-setting people and stores).

What fun! Seriously, a great cheap thrill on a Sunday afternoon. You’ll find something one of a kind and original if you check out a local flea market. And you probably won’t spend that much, either.