A day to encourage restaurants and people cooking at home to prepare and serve a complete meal created with locally grown ingredients

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Tuesday, September 22 is National Eat Local Day, a day to encourage restaurants and people cooking at home to prepare and serve a complete meal created with locally grown ingredients.

“Our goal is to raise awareness that supporting our local sustainable farms is really important,” said multiple James Beard Award-winning Chef Sarah Stegner, co-founder of National Eat Local Day.

“It is even more important this year due to the coronavirus pandemic since many of our local sustainable farms have relied on restaurants for the majority of their sales. The restaurant industry has been hard hit by this year’s pandemic leaving chefs and farmers without income. We hope that home cooks will step up to help keep these farms running by purchasing directly from a farmer or shopping at a local farmers Market.

National Eat Local Day was created by Stegner and public relations restaurant consultant Cindy Kurman, who believe that setting aside September 22 every year to remind people to focus on the importance of local sustainable farms and to help increase the flow of local sustainable food to our tables.

“It is important to direct attention to these farms which have become very important to our maintaining an environmentally friendly food supply chain,” said Kurman. “But it’s not just about the environment, it’s also about the exceptional quality of these ingredients, that are produced by farmers who are passionate that Americans eat great tasting, healthy food.”

A steadily growing number of restaurants throughout the United States procure their ingredients from local sustainable farms for two reasons: First, these ingredients taste wonderful, since they are harvested at their peak seasonal freshness. Secondly, restaurateurs increasingly consider that using local ingredients is the responsible thing to do for their guests’ health and for the environment.

Stegner’s restaurant, Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Illinois, that she co-owns with Chef George Bumbaris, has been highlighting locally sourced sustainable food for more than 16 years and has built a very strong following of appreciative food enthusiasts. To help out during the pandemic period, since April, Prairie Grass Cafe has been a pick-up point for people to receive the produce from farmers that they previously ordered online direct from the farm.

National Eat Local Day is a focal point in which we are asking chefs to highlight a locally-sourced meal.

"We are asking the general public to buy direct from farmers in their area; prepare a meal and share what they have done on social media using the hashtag #nationaleatlocalday."

Make a big deal and celebrate the bounty of the season with your friends and family while social distancing on September 22nd.

Please consider making a donation to Chicago-based Green City Market and The LEE Initiative’s Restaurant Reboot Relief Program. Both organizations' missions support local and sustainable farmers. They are leaders in the industry setting an example of how to support farmers.

Farmers markets, food stores selling local produce, and restaurateurs who would like to promote National Eat Local Day, using the official logo, are encouraged to contact Stegner and Kurman at nationaleatlocalday@kurman.com.

Recipe:

White Peach Crumble with Oats & Pecans by Sarah Stegner, Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, IL

This recipe has been used at Prairie Grass Cafe with various modifications for 16 years.

Ingredients:
6 cups sliced white peaches (skinned)
½ cup sugar or coconut sugar (you can add up to a cup of sugar depending on how sweet or tart your fruit is)
¼ cup flour
½ cup oat Flakes from Three Sisters Garden
¼ cup chopped pecans (Three Sisters Garden)
½ cup Brown Sugar (coconut sugar)
¼ cup flour
½ cup butter (grass-fed butter)
Pinch of sea salt

Method:
In a bowl combine the sliced white peaches, granulated sugar, and flour. Mix well.

Divide into 4 baking dishes about ½ in thick, 1.5 cups of peaches per dish.

Mix the oat flakes, brown sugar, flour, and pecans together. Using a pastry cutter add the butter until it is incorporated.

Top the peaches with the crumble mixture
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Special Thanks to Chris D’Juric for the original recipe that was for Rhubarb.

If you have questions, call Prairie Grass Cafe at (847) 205-4433

About National Eat Local Day

Chef/Restaurateur Sarah Stegner and Restaurant Marketing and Public Relations Consultant are co-founders of National Eat Local Day, September 22,. National Eat Local Day was created to encourage individuals at home to prepare a totally locally sourced meal at home, and restaurateurs and chefs to provide at least one totally locally sourced menu item on September 22. Their hope is to raise awareness of the importance of supporting our local sustainable farms and to increase the flow of local sustainable food to our tables across the country in order to protect our farmlands and ensure their success so future generations have access.

For more information, visit nationaleatlocalday.com or send an email to National Eat Local Day.

Please follow on Facebook.com/nationaleatlocalday; on Twitter at twitter.com/natleatlocalday,com Instagram at Instagram.com/nationaleatlocalday and Pinterest at Pinterest.com. Use the hashtag #nationaleatlocalday on all posts.

Cindy S Kurman
Kurman Communications, Inc.
+1 312-543-3928
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