August Farmers Market Salad: START THE CHALLENGE!

August Farmers Market Salad: START THE CHALLENGE!

What if eating local this month was a little more fun? This August, Davidson County Local Food Network is challenging you to eat local and make one meal using as many locally grown ingredients as you can find. You don't need to buy everything locally. You don't need a complicated recipe. And you definitely don't need to be a professional chef. Just start with what's available.

Your August Challenge

Visit a local farmers market.

Find what's fresh and in season right now. Talk with a farmer and see what they recommend.

Can't make it to a weekend market? No problem! Piedmont Fresh offers another way to shop for locally grown food from area farmers and producers. Check out what's available and build your local meal from there. Choose at least 3 local ingredients. Pick your favorites or challenge yourself to find something you've never tried before. Make a meal. It can be a salad, sandwich, pizza, pasta, tacos, or anything else you dream up.

Share your local plate! Take a photo of your meal and share what local ingredients you used. Tag DCLFN so they can see what you're cooking up.

Start With a Salad

If the idea of cooking a whole meal from scratch feels a little intimidating, start with a salad!

Salads don't have to be complicated, and they aren't as scary as cooking a big meal. They're a perfect starter for anyone who is new to cooking with local ingredients — and they're quick to throw together.

And perhaps the best part? Salads are so customizable. Don't like cucumbers? Leave them out. Have extra peppers? Toss them in. Found fresh strawberries at the market? Add them. Want something heartier? Add local cheese, beans, eggs, or another protein. You can change a salad based on what you like, what you have in the refrigerator, and — most importantly for this challenge — what's fresh and available locally. There are no complicated cooking techniques, no long prep times, and no pressure to get it exactly right.

Make It Yours

The best part of this challenge? There are no wrong answers.

Can't find corn? Leave it out.

Have extra zucchini? Throw it in.

Found some beautiful peaches at the market? Add them.

Want to swap the cheese for something else? Go for it.

The goal isn't to follow a recipe perfectly. The goal is to look at what's growing around you and build a meal from it.

A Recipe Can Tell a Bigger Story

A salad like this may seem simple, but every ingredient can represent a connection within the local food system.

The tomatoes might come from one farm. The corn from another. The herbs from a home grower or small producer. The cheese from a local dairy.

One meal can bring several pieces of the food system together.

That's one of the things that makes local food special.

Why Take the Challenge?

When you choose local food, you're supporting more than what's going on your plate.

You're supporting the farmers who grow it, the producers who make it, the markets that connect farmers and consumers, and the local food network that helps bring all of those pieces together.

• And you might discover something new along the way.

• Maybe you'll find a new favorite farmer.

• Maybe you'll try a vegetable you've never cooked before.

• Maybe you'll discover that the best tomato salad you've ever had came from ingredients grown just down the road.

That's what this challenge is about. Not perfection. Not changing everything about the way you eat. Just making one more local connection.

So… Are You In?

This August, challenge yourself to eat local.

• Visit a farmers market.

• Shop Piedmont Fresh.

• Pick up a few local ingredients.

• Make a meal.

• Share your plate.

Then challenge someone else to do the same.

Start small. Start with a salad. Start with what's in season.

Because sometimes, strengthening your local food system starts with something as simple as deciding what's for dinner.

More Than a Market: Why Local Food Matters to Our Community

More Than a Market: Why Local Food Matters to Our Community

A farmers market is more than a place to buy tomatoes.

It is a place where farmers meet the people who eat the food they grow. It is where neighbors connect, local businesses build relationships, and fresh food becomes part of the community.

When we talk about a strong local food system, we are talking about all of these connections.

Local Food Starts With Access

Eating locally should not be about finding the perfect recipe or making a special trip every week. At its heart, local food is about having opportunities to access fresh, nutritious food and knowing where that food comes from.

Across North Carolina, programs such as the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program help connect eligible families with locally grown fruits and vegetables while providing additional support to participating farmers.

Food access can look different for everyone. It might mean being able to use nutrition benefits at a farmers market, finding a market close to home, having access to affordable fresh produce, or simply knowing where to turn when you want to buy food grown by your neighbors.

A strong local food system works toward making those connections easier.

When You Buy Local, You're Supporting More Than a Farm

When you purchase a tomato from a local farmer, you're not just buying a tomato.

You're supporting the person who planted the seed, cared for the crop, harvested it, and brought it to market.

You're also helping keep food dollars circulating closer to home and contributing to the network of farmers, markets, food businesses, community organizations, and consumers that make up our local food system.

That network matters.

Local food systems can contribute to community economic development, health, environmental sustainability, and stronger relationships between producers and consumers.

And sometimes, supporting that system can be as simple as choosing one locally grown ingredient for dinner.

Put Local Food on Your Plate

August is one of the best times of year to let local produce do the work.

Tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, peppers, and fresh herbs are showing up at markets and farm stands throughout the season. You don't need a complicated recipe to enjoy them.

Creamy Homemade Ranch Dressing with Homeland Creamery Whole Milk

Creamy Homemade Ranch Dressing with Homeland Creamery Whole Milk

There’s nothing quite like homemade ranch dressing. Fresh, creamy, and packed with flavor, it’s a simple recipe that tastes far better than anything you’ll find on the grocery store shelf. The secret is starting with quality ingredients—especially Homeland Creamery Whole Milk.

Its rich, creamy texture gives this homemade ranch the perfect consistency and a delicious farm-fresh flavor. It’s perfect for salads, fresh vegetables, sandwiches, wings, pizza, and so much more.

Start with Fresh, Local Ingredients

This recipe begins with homemade mayonnaise made using a whole egg. You can pick up farm-fresh eggs from Piedmont Fresh to create a creamy, flavorful mayo from scratch.

Once your mayo is ready, combine it with Homeland Creamery Whole Milk, herbs, and seasonings to make an easy homemade ranch dressing the whole family will love.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

For the Homemade Mayo

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup neutral oil, such as sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil

For the Ranch

• 1 cup homemade mayonnaise

• ½ cup Homeland Creamery Whole Milk or Buttermilk

• ¼ cup sour cream, optional for extra richness

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried dill

• 1 teaspoon chopped chives

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Step 1: Make the Homemade Mayo

Add the egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt to a tall jar. Pour the oil over the ingredients.

Place an immersion blender at the bottom of the jar and blend without moving it for about 15 to 20 seconds. Once the mixture begins to thicken, slowly lift the blender upward until the mayonnaise is smooth and creamy.

Step 2: Make the Ranch

In a bowl, whisk together the homemade mayonnaise, Homeland Creamery Whole Milk, and sour cream until smooth.

Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, dill, chives, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. For a thinner, more pourable dressing, add another splash of Homeland Creamery Whole Milk.

Cover and refrigerate the ranch for at least 30 minutes before serving to give the herbs and seasonings time to blend.

Delicious Ways to Enjoy It

Serve your homemade ranch with fresh garden salads, vegetable trays, chicken wings, tenders, fries, sandwiches, or delicious wraps.

Find the Fresh Ingredients at Piedmont Fresh

Great homemade recipes begin with great ingredients. Shop Piedmont Fresh for Homeland Creamery Whole Milk, farm-fresh eggs, and other locally sourced favorites to make this creamy ranch dressing right in your own kitchen.