Author: Lauren

Lipman Produce recently asked eleven bloggers to create a recipe for their new consumer web site, Lipman Kitchen. Lipman is a family-owned company that’s been around since the 1930′s but, until now, their tomatoes never had a “brand” associated with them. They’re actually North America’s largest growers of field tomatoes, so there’s a good chance that you’ve eaten their tomatoes without knowing it!

It’s funny, but other than looking to see if produce at the grocery store is local or not, I’ve never really considered where it comes from or who grew it. It never occurred to me that all of the tomatoes on the shelf might not have come from the same place (unlike say, in the meat section where I know the pork all comes from the same major producer unless the label indicates otherwise). Now, with their consumer launch, Lipman tomatoes in the Northeast and in South Florida will be identified with signs, stickers, and packaging. While I’m not sure how I feel about branding produce, I like that it made me think about where it comes from.

I actually had a really hard time coming up with a recipe idea that put tomatoes in the spotlight. I initially thought a tomato jam might be nice (it’s one of the first things I remember making when I was a kid, but I have’t made it in ages), but someone else had already claimed that idea for herself. Same with the fresh Bloody Mary and the tomato tart that I pitched Lipman. We ended up settling on this light and fresh pasta dish that’s perfect for a busy weeknight. It’s a nice deviation from more traditional Italian pasta recipes, and I love the way the sweet tomatoes contrasted with briny feta and kalamata olives.Topped with marinated and grilled shrimp, it made a great summertime dinner and I enjoyed the leftovers as a chilled salad the next day.

Click on over to Lipman’s site to get the recipe for Greek Pasta with Feta and Shrimp and check out the recipes that the other bloggers came up with.

I was provided with tomatoes and was compensated by Lipman Produce for creating this original recipe. All opinions are my own.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms. All opinions are 100% mine.

I try to find the time to plant a garden every year. It’s hard, since May and June seem to fly by before I can blink, but garden-fresh vegetables really taste a million times better than the ones from the grocery store and the farmer’s market can be kind of expensive (plus, well, I don’t always feel like waking up that early on Saturday morning!

This year, we had a beautiful spell of weather in the beginning of April that got me thinking about this year’s garden early. For once, I finally feel prepared! I even started to build a raised bed to plant in. There’s a patch of space in my backyar that we can’t for the life of us get to grow grass (we even tried sod with no luck!), so rather than spend another summer looking at ugly dirt, I decided to put my garden right over it. I’m really excited, since it will be more space than I’ve had in previous years. I’m still deciding what to grow, but I definitely want to do lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers. jalapenos and habaneros (which I always have good luck with), carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

I’m especially excited because this year I’m going to use organic plant food and organic soil from Whitney Farms® (I received samples for free, but if you click the link there’s a $3 coupon.) I always buy organic plants at the farmer’s market – they always have a better selection than any of the local gardening centers – but then I bring them home and immediately dump conventional plant food all over them. It always makes me feel guilty since I prefer to eat organic, and I always say that I’m going to find something better for next time, but I always forget until it’s too late.

Of course, it’s still too cold to actually plant anything – here in upstate New York it isn’t uncommon to have frost well into May. So far, I’ve just done a few pots of herbs (basil, cilantro, and thyme) that I can bring inside on particularly chilly nights. So far, they seem to be doing well!

Have you ever used Whitney Farms products before? Do you like them? And is there anything that I’m completely forgetting about that you think I absolutely must plant?