When I attended business school a big focus of my studies was sustainability. While that means a lot of different things to different people, a few thing stuck with me when I took my learning to the “real world” as a consumer. One of those things was to Shop Local. Luckily where I live, my neighborhood has a big focus on locally made products, so it’s easy for me to shop sustainable and support the local economy. CarbonClick provides the best tips to lessen one’s carbon footprint.
However, consumer made goods shouldn’t be the only thing that people should buy local. Seasonal produce is another great thing to purchase. One of the great ways to do that is by making a family outing out of it. I know a lot of my family and friends like going to local farms to pick their own fruits like strawberries in the Summer and apples in the Fall. Since it’s not always possible to go straight to the source, it’s good to know that Loblaws carries tons of great local produce. You can pick some up on your way home from work instead of making an outing out of it. Just this past weekend we used local produce to make a Kale-Caesar Salad and a Tomato-Bocconcini salad.
Michael Abramson from YamChops, (maker of “Tuna-Less Tuna, “No-Pork Pulled Pork” and other mouth-watering plant-based fare) has partnered with Loblaws to offer you some new and exciting ways to enjoy local, seasonal produce. There are so many great and delicious recipes, including Corn and Miso Soup, Smashed Fiesta Mini Potatoes, Tomatoe Sushi, Watermelon Steak and a Cauliflower Chocolate Pudding that looks aaaaamazing! Not to mention, the pudding is sugar-free! Talk about a parenting-win and your kids won’t know the difference. Here is Michael Abramson’s recipe for this delicious dessert!
Cauliflower Chocolate Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups (385 g) Cauliflower, separated into florets
- 1/3 cup Cocoa powder
- 1 & ¼ cup Almond Milk
- 10 Medjool dates
- 1 tbsp PC® 100% Pure Medium Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp PC® Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Wash cauliflower and divide into small florets.
- Steam cauliflower until very tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.
- Pit dates.
- Add dates and steamed cauliflower to a high-speed blender along with one cup of almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla.
- Blend until very smooth. Thin to desired consistency with remaining ¼ cup almond milk.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve. The pudding will thicken slightly in the refrigerator.
TIP: Cauliflower Chocolate Pudding may be kept covered in refrigerator for 3 days.
GIVEAWAY
To help you create some amazing meals with local produce, I’ve teamed up with Loblaws to give one lucky winner a $100 PC Gift-Card! Enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter (please give it a few seconds to load). Contest is open to all residents of Canada. Contest ends Friday August 19, 2016
I think it is import to support local growers for the impact it has on our society! These fruits and veggies are fresh hand grown. This is their lives, jobs…:) Its great to keep it local and it tastes SO much better!
I love supporting local growers because the food is so much fresher than ones that have had to travel many miles.
I have always tried to buy and support local suppliers, but probably more so now since moving to a small town. I love going to our farmers market and getting to know the farmers. Its great to put a face behind the food we eat. And it tastes much better and I know its fresh!
supporting local growers = more local jobs in my area!
I think it is so important to support your community in any way you can. Local growers would go out of business without the support of farmers markets and people buying fresh and local.Then what would we do?
I LOVE KNOWING THAT I CAN GET FRUITS AND VEGGIES THAT HAVEN’T HAD TO BE TRANSPORTED LONG DISTANCES SO IT FRESHER FOR ME AND KEEPS LOCAL BUSINESS’S GOING…WIN WIN FOR EVERYONE
i know that local foods equal fresher fruits and veggies for my family and it helps bring money into the economy!
I believe it is good to support locally as you know the product is at its peak for nutrition as it has not travelled many miles in a truck to get to store.
It is very important to support our local growers to sustain a healthy economy and get better quality foods.
To me it’s important to support local farmers and growers because the food is fresher and tastes better, it creates and support jobs for our local economy and it reduces our carbon footprint. Plus when you’re in a small town, the local growers and farmers are our neighbours and our friends.
I rewards them for the hard work of putting fresh products on our tables. Local is the best.
I love supporting our local growers everything is always so very fresh and you cannot go wrong on the portion sizes or the prices of fresh local food
I think it is great to support local growers as you know it is fresh products/produce and they also help to support our communities!
I think it is important to support local farmers because it helps a town to thrive when we support the local business. Also it helps keep our carbon foot print small and it also ensures that our fruits and veggies and meats are as freshest as they can be.
I think its important to supporting local growers because the product is fresher and takes a shorter time frame to get to our table and i believe its a safer products going through less hands and travel giving us fresher products.
Supporting local creates jobs in our town and helps out the farmers as well, plus your getting fresh from the farm, not off a truck traveled thousands of miles!
We’re in the greenhouse business, so I really understand the importance of supporting local growers. We grow cucumbers. Eat local when you can. It will taste so much better!!
I like to support local growers as it helps our local economy and keeps people here working, we have had so many oil field layoffs here and we must support the locals or everything will dry up
I love supporting local farmers. The fruit and vegetables taste so much better.
I think its important to support local businesses because if we don’t then they will all go out of business. A person should support Canadian companies/ farmers!
Buying local is important to support the farmers so they can continue to grow food for us. The food is fresher, and it is also great to meet these farmers and find out how things are going for them. It is overall better for the environment because buying local prevents all the travel of bringing food from far away.
It is important to support local growers to keep your local economy strong.
On my way home from work I travel through a lot of farm fields (highway 27). It’s important to support our local farmers; I stop at road side stands and shop at farmers markets wherever possible. Not only am I supporting our local growers but the food is so much fresher; you really can taste the difference.
Supporting local farmers means fresh local produce for me and my family.
It is so key to support local growers because it means jobs for them and quality produce for us.
It’s important to support local growers because it’s not an easy job growing, or cheap. If you support them/buy their produce they can keep on growing and building up. And fresh is so much better. I know because I grow.
To me its important to support local growers to keep them continuing to supply product! I love local!
Supporting local is so important because it provides jobs and the quality of local produce is amazing. Got to support it so you can continue to enjoy it for years to come.
It is important to know it is fresh and where it comes from. Helps create jobs and good for local economy
It supports our local economy and promotes agriculture that has a minimal toxic impact on our environment due to shorter transport! Thank you.
It is important to support local because it helps local economy and can get more fresh and great produce for my family.
I support it because I trust in where it is coming from, it is great for the economy and always so delicious
For me it is important to support local growers so that we always have access to produce that is grown close to home. There is more nutrient retention with quick delivery, and if we don’t support our local growers it’s a concern that our produce would have to travel a farther distance to get to us. Nutrients and quality get lost along the way. There are lots of other reasons for me too, but that is one!
Buying fresh produce from local growers helps them expand their business and this is always good for the local economy.
it’s important to support local growers so that the money stays in the community and it helps the local people to grow there businesses.
Its important to support local because local is fresher, and because there are less transportation costs it is more affordable. Supporting local creates local jobs and helps the economy too!
It’s very important for us to support local; I live in a large farming community, the only way for anyone to make a good income is by keeping the money in our community and buying from local farmers and shop owners. Plus it’s nice to know where your food is coming from!
It is important to buy locally to keep the jobs and money in our community plus fresh is so much better tasting and better for you.
Supporting local growers is key since they supply fresh, in season product with high standards. To keep our economy strong we should be buying Canadian to allow our friends and neighbours to have a livelihood.
Supporting local growers/farmers means it’s supporting our local economy and to me this is very important.
It would be great to win a $100 PC Gift Card.
In response to your question of
Why is it important to support local growers?
It is important to support local growers because
they are trying to make a living and you get the benefit of fresh produce
and it helps to keep jobs in your community.
Thank you for having this giveaway.
I like to support local farmers as it provides jobs and has less impact on the environment. Not to mention the taste and quality is great.
Name on rafflecopter is Lushka Smith
Lets support our local growers so we all can enjoy the fresh food of the earth…support our communities & giving back~
Love to support local growers and local economy!
As a teenager I worked at our local farmer’s market. It is important to supporting local growers because this is their livelihood — it’s how they support their families. The food is wonderful, fresh and tastes so much better. I think we sometimes forget just how lucky we are in Canada to have access to locally grown produce!
I love the fact that it helps the environment but a reduction in transportation.
Buying local means fresher produce , cheaper when its in season and we are supporting our growers and their families !
fresher local food is alays better and it puts people to work so we can sel sustain ourselves
Supporting local farmers by buying their goods means fresh and healthy food for my family, and a thriving local economy.
Supporting local growers helps to improve the local economy.
I buy at my local market
Supporting local is very important. It is nice to support the local economy and it is also the more environmentally friendly option.
Supporting local growers helps keep the money in the community
I think it is important to support local growers because it helps put food on their table and stimulate the local economy.
I think it is important to support local farmers to keep our own economy thriving!
We support local farmers whenever possible, these are our neighbours working for us!
i prefer helping local people, it keeps money in the community supporting local growers, as well as fresh as can be veggies and produce.
We support local farmers because that is where we get our fresh fruits and veggies!
I support local growers because to me it means more jobs for our local farmers. And they work so hard! Also, the fruits and vegetables are so much fresher!
I support locals because it keeps money in our close community!
It is important to support local growers because it is fresh product and you are supporting and maintain your local economy
we love to support our local community at the farmer’s market and buying ontario produce at the grocery store as well. why? because it grows our own economy!
It is important to support local growers as it helps to sustain local economies.
I think it’s important to support local growers to encourage our young people to take up the farming industry too, to show them that it’s a necessary profession, and to get them to think outside the box!
I love supporting local growers because the food is so much fresher
The food is fresher when it is fresh from the farm and if we don’t support our farmers who will plant our food.
It is important to supporting local growers because it supports our local economy and also food is fresher and better quality.
It is better for the local economy – also it does not contribute to the pollution generated through long transport etc.
we like to buy from the farmer’s at the farmer’s market on the weekends because the produce is so fresh and we support the smaller farms
Its important to support local growers as it helps your community grow.
It is important to support local farmers because it keeps our local economy strong and the food is so much fresher.
Fresher food.
It is important to support local growers to help local economy.
It’s important to support local growers because it puts money into your community!
They help the economy.
We need to support local , its not only healthy for us and the environment , but it can cut costs not paying extra for the shipping and extra sellers !
Supporting local supports your whole community and the environment…we all need to do more of this!
I will always support local growers because it helps our local economy,provides fresher food & allows me to sometimes see where my food comes from first hand!
I love supporting local farmers because it’s great for our local economy and not only that, it tastes so much better!
I support local farmers because i want to help our local economy and its environnement friendly, it save on oil to transport the goods.
Because I’d want them to support me
I support local growers because it just plain tastes better!
Living on PEI all my neighbours and friends are somehow tied to either farming or fishing so for us it’s very vital to support local. Your literally supporting your local economies rise, or fall if you keep buying your produce at Walmart.
We have an amazing province to grow our own food in. With local growers you know where your food comes from, what they put on it and it saves everyone money. Why would you want to support another country when you can have fresher food minutes away from you.
Everybody wins there! Transport/pollution/environmentally friendly, fresher produce and you know where it came from, and supporting local growers just ‘feels’ better!!
supporting local growers supports local economy and is great for the environment
Always try and support local farmers!! It always tastes sonics better
I would much rather support local. It’s nice to be able so support someone local rather then overseas plus I trust local so much more!
It’s important to support local growers so you know where your food is coming from, the food is fresh, and to support local economy.
It helps the local economy and also ensures that you get the freshest produce and can find out just how everything is done.
Less travel for the veggies, easier on the planet
It’s important to support local growers to help support their families and while eating good food and reducing greenhouse gases..
Apart from how it feeds into the economics around you and aids local farmers in running their farms., it also helps local sustainability. You know what you are eating , you can be aware of what has been put on the fields. It is much better health wise in order to have real fresh food on your table.
MADE IN CANADA – support all Canadian organizations: local food growers – Big Fish Swallow Little Fish. As Canadians our integrity and ideals purport to save the underdogs. Carry on and support the next generation of growers – we all benefit from it.
I think it’s important to support local growers because it helps with sustainability, relying less on outside food sources isn’t a bad thing!
It’s important to support local growers because we pay a fair price for their goods instead of farmers having to sell cheaper to grocery stores.
for me it means – more local jobs
I like to support people from my community that keeps jobs local!
It means more jobs for the locals and fresher product for me!
it’s fresher and is less damaging for the environment
It’s very important to support these local farmers/growers for all their hard work & we end up giving them a better financial return on their investment. I like knowing where my food comes from & knowing I’m helping the environment buying food that hasn’t had to travel so far which creates pollution.
I think it is important to support local growers because it helps to sustain local economies.
I think it’s important because they bring us the freshest things and we are lucky to have them! (Suzi)
It helps real people around me to survive and thrive.
Its important to support local growers because spending locally create more jobs.
it is important because you are supporting your community, local jobs (instead of outsourcing) and fresh produce
When you buy local you are supporting your friends and neighbours which keeps money in your community. You are getting much fresher produce because the transport of these products does not take as long and it helps the planet because not as much fuel is used to transport it.
I think it’s important to support local growers because you are supporting the families in your community, and you are also helping the environment. I hate knowing that an apple had to travel tens of thousands of miles just to get to me when I could just buy an apple that was grown in my community.
Purchasing local means we are allowing them to thrive and continue doing what they are doing. Purchasing local also means that the products are as fresh as they can get which is healthier by any means.
It is important for me to support local growers to ensure what little money we actually do have (!) supports our local economy, and to ensure my three little girls are exposed to farming and hard working families!
I like to support local growers because they work hard to bring us fresh produce that enables us to live healthier life styles.This helps to support them and keep local jobs which is of vital importance to our
economy.It’s really important to me to know where my food is grown and that it hasn’t traveled for miles
to get to my table.
It’s important to support local growers because they bring so much to the produce they grow. They ensure it’s fresh and natural. Supporting local means you are giving back to your community and supporting farmers across Canada.
I think it’s important to support local growers because in turn,you are helping out those close to you,and your economy,therefore helping yourself as well.
Supporting local growers is important to me – Canadian made & fresh
Important to support local growers to help sustain community and benefit economy. As consumers, we have the advantage of getting fresher products at lower prices.
Supporting local growers is so important to me. I know the food is Canadian made, I am helping create jobs in my community.
To keep the produce available locally.