Recent challenges have prompted families to rethink where their food comes from and to consider cooking more at home.  In an effort to educate the community about locally grown produce and to provide meal ideas and recipes, the LaRue County Recipe Club was created to encourage families to make more meals at home and to use healthful, nutritious recipes that utilizes locally grown produce.  So just as the growing season began, the LaRue County Extension Service offered for the first time a unique opportunity to subscribe to the free recipe club in which seasonally appropriate recipes featuring KY Proud produce are mailed monthly.  These recipes also highlight produce grown and sold at the LaRue County Farmers Market during the season which is June-early August.  The LaRue County Farmers Market is offered every Thursday during the summer months from 10am-2pm as well as several special market days on 4th of the July and some Saturdays and is located in the LaRue County High School parking lot. 

Registration for the club was simple.  An online registration was used and participants were then mailed a monthly set of recipes along with supplemental information that accompanied the recipes.  The subscription includeed tried and true recipes from the Plate it Up Kentucky Proud program, Cook Wild Kentucky collection, and Nutrition Education Program calendar.  Over 120 local participants registered for the Recipe Club and have reported that the recipes have been helpful in providing meal ideas and seasonally appropriate information on local produce available.

The goal of this recipe club was two-fold, to encourage more families to cook at home and to support local producers in the products they grow and sell at the local farmer's market. The LaRue County Farmers Market offer fresh, safe, high-quality products and unique opportunities for consumers to mingle with farmers to learn more about their way of life. Providing this opportunity for our community places an emphasis on consuming more fruits and vegetables and to link consumers with the farm.

According to Dr. Sandra Bastin, PhD, RD, LD, CCE Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist, the trend to visit farmers markets is on the rise. It seems to be fueled by consumer interest, the farmers’ desire to make a profit, and growing community awareness of the role of farming, and local food systems.  As consumers learn to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diet, the farmers market will increase the probability of repeat sales. Legislation in Kentucky also allows farmers to add value to their products to sell at farmers market. Adding value simply means using locally grown produce in baked or canned goods, processed in their own home. The effort provides a distinctive niche for farmers to share a proud Kentucky heritage of producing fine-quality food products. Local citizenry and Kentucky tourists alike now have the opportunity to acquire value-added products derived from locally grown, harvested, and processed foods.