Give Now  »

Indiana Public Media | WFIU - NPR | WTIU - PBS

Get Out And Grill, Part 2: Cedar Salmon And Shrimp Skewers

Plank-Roasted Salmon on lemon slices with grilled onions

Local Food -- A Cultural Disconnect



There's a lot of talk these days about providing more local food, creating sustainable food systems and knowing your farmer. But for many people, local food is not a priority, and for others it's not really an option.

Some food advocates are concerned that someone important is missing at locally-minded restaurants farmers market: lower-income consumers.

These underserved members of the community are often not comfortable with the local food concept even though they have much to gain, says Vera Massey, a nutrition and health education specialist at the University of Missouri in Columbia. "It could be the cost, but it could be: ‘these aren't foods that I even normally eat, so why would I go there?'" she says.

Being comfortable with fresh food does matter. Research institute PolicyLink found in its 2008 study, The Grocery Gap, that access to food influences eating behaviors. In short: if the only place to buy food in your neighborhood is a convenience store, your eating habits may reflect what is available there.

More: Read about what the local food system can do to reach out to new consumers at Harvest Public Media.

Christmas In September?



You can pick up all sorts of tomatoes at the market these days. Chef Orr snagged some Roma tomatoes and took them to his home kitchen in Columbus, Indiana. These oblong tomatoes are typically used in sauce recipes, but today we're pairing them with snow peas to make a colorful cold salad.

The Many Faces Of Salmon



According to Chef Daniel Orr's taste, wild salmon is the best salmon. But there are so many other factors to consider when selecting salmon from the store:

  • King Salmon has the highest omega-3 oil content and most velvety texture.
  • Sockeye Salmon has the firmest flesh of wild Pacific salmon with a high fat content.
  • Coho Salmon is milder flavored and more lean than Sockeye and King Salmon.


It also depends where they are caught. Salmon gain a lot of fat in the ocean to make their journey up, and they burn off that fat as they get closer to their spawning site. So, Chef Orr recommends getting the fish as freshly from the ocean as possible.

A less expensive option is to buy farm-raised salmon. They are kept in the ocean in large netted areas and fed food pellets. Find some that have been fed organic food, says Chef Orr. This will be more expensive, but it's worth it.

Rosemary: Strong Stems, Strong Flavor



"Rosemary plants do get sort of like pine trees," says Chef Orr. The stems are sturdy enough to be used as skewers for this grilled shrimp dish.

He adds that rosemary plays an important role in his "secret seasoning." In a pan, combine garlic with some extra virgin olive oil and let it get nutty brown. Throw in a handful of rosemary leaves and let those get crispy. From here, it's especially tasty to add the fixings for a tomato sauce. "It gives a rustic, homey, Italian flavor to it," he says.

News Stories In The Podcast:





Support For Indiana Public Media Comes From

About Earth Eats

Harvest Public Media