Food & Design: Buying Local

We are all feeling the pinch of the recession. Times like these makes everyone look at their spending and see where the can cut back and conserve. One noticeable changes individuals can do to save money is to cut back on their weekly grocery bill. Clipping coupons, choosing wisely on their meal plan or just being aware of what you buy could save people hundreds of dollars in a year. However, being aware doesn’t mean cutting corners.

BUY LOCAL
Emmaus is a small town on the eastern side of Pennsylvania.  For the past seven years, Emmaus has hosted its own farmers market on every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from May to Thanksgiving. What an unique feature about this market is that all of the vendors are from a 75 mile radius around Emmaus.  This ensures that these sells have a direct line to their goods and that they know the growing process of their goods.

In the grocery store, the buyer rarely knows where their food is coming from.  In addition, this isn’t helping your community.  By buying local you are making sure that your money is staying in your region, which will help build a stronger community as well as a stronger local economy.  As I learned from Christi Dunning, Emmaus Farmers Market Manager, the Emmaus Farmers Market (EFM) keep strict policies for their vendors.  Dunning explained that they have turned possible vendors away because a part of their product wasn’t grown or established in the area.  The EFM wants to provide their community with producer only products.  By keeping everything locals allows the customer the ability to talk to the farmers who grew the fruits and vegetables.  These customers can find out more about their food but it also gives a face to their food producers.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE AVERAGE JOE’S?
Now I am not here to tell you about statistics in fair trade practices or even give a lecture about keeping your food local.  I am however going to give you benefits with having your farmers close.  When you grow locally, your food will taste better.  Local food is normally picked within the past day or two which keeps more of the flavor.  Studies have showed that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is around 1500 miles over a week-long period.  This delay changes the chemistry of your food which then decreases its nutritional value.  Also when you buy locally supports your local community, and not just benefiting the farmers but also you.  These farms protects open-space, which could have gone to land development.

There will always be pros and cons for staying local and organic.  I have provided just some of the pros of doing both but their are several more ways local and organic products can help you.  To find farmers markets near you check out the site LocalHarvest.org.  They have addition information about staying local, as well as the network of finding markets that are local.  Find farmers markets, farms restaurants and grocery stores in your area.  Also, I encourage you to check out documentary Food, Inc. that is due on June 12, 2009.

Alexandra Gergar is an active lover of food.  Starting a food blog, Lemons in Water, she now resides in Pittsburgh where she is a local caterer.

Follow me on Twitter: AlexGergar

Food & Design: Redesigning the Beloved

Wonder Bread is the American favorite, even if you have never tried a slice of the company’s bread.  As “America’s first sliced bread” it inspired the phrase the next “best thing since sliced bread”.  In a way, Wonderbread changed not only the bread and baking world forever, they created a revolution for the field itself.

FROM BALLOONS CAME A LEGEND
As the story goes, Elmer Cline, inventor of Wonder Bread was determined to find a suitable name for his invention.  When he visited the International Balloon Race at the Indianapolis Speedway he was taken by the sky filled with hundreds of colorful balloons.  To capture that feeling of his sense of “wonder”, he named his bread Wonder Bread.  This is also the reasoning for the branding and logo design for all of Wonder Bread’s products.

In addition, as I researched for this entry, I came across a very interesting gorilla marketing tactic from the sales division of Wonder Bread.  To debut this new bread, the company drove trucks to deliver helium-filled balloons to children.  Attached the the balloon was a letter that the children were instructed to give to their mothers.  The letter invited mothers to try to the new bread as well as feature the new Wonder Bread.  Because of this sales tactic, Wonder Bread sales outsold other brands in the city.

THE NEW DESIGN’S STREGTHEN
The reactions I found from individuals was not that they dislike teh redesign, but that their initial thought of the logo was that for laundry detergent.  It was interesting to learn that certain individuals explained that, if they saw this brand on the store shelf that they would stop and consider the item at hand more directly.   However, they also included in their critiques the points that they thought the product was not of the

The biggest difference between the new and the old are two main points.  First, that in the design, the logo and and “Wonder” were equal.  Now, Wonder is the first aspect you see in this design.  Second, Willoughby Designs rearranged and re-sized the logo as well as the typeface for the brand is now updated.  These two changes removed the classic and nostalgic feel of the packaging.

I am firm believer that every decade or two, a brand show do slight changes to their logos to keep it updated and modern.  However, brands with a long history need to be wary of changing their logo to distinctly to distract their loyal customers from straying away from their unique brand.  It wasn’t that Willoughby Designs pushed this logo too far, but they pushed it far enough to catch people off guard.

WHAT THE DESIGNERS DID RIGHT
Simply put, Willoughby Designs did the following right:

Kept it simple.
Kept it Consistent with every other product the bread offered.
Let the colors the same for the logo.
Made “Wonder” stick out more

Alexandra Gergar graduates from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in marketing and finance.  Cooking since she was a child, she now has a food blog called Lemons in Water and is a local caterer in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Follow me on Twitter: AlexGergar

Food & Design: Trends of Summer, Israeli Couscous

One of my favorite new food trends that have been hitting the commercial grocers is  Israel couscous. However, it may be a bit late for me to say that this is a new truly trend in American culture because chefs have been experimenting with this type of pasta since the early 1950s. Over the past few years there has been a sudden boom to explore this culinary favorite which is why I put it at the top of my culinary trends for the summer.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS: A HISTORY LESSON
Unlike couscous, its culinary cousin, which has records in cookbooks before the 13th century, Israel Couscous is a recent culinary creation.   Ptitim is the true name for this pasta.  Americans have termed Ptitim “Israeli couscous” but in Israeli it is lovingly nicknamed “Ben-Gurion’s Rice”.  Ptitim was originally invented during the austerity period in Israel. At the time Ben Gurion, Israel’s then prime minster, had to ration food to help with economic times and thus had to find a substitute for an Israeli staple, rice.  Gurion asked Eugen Propper, founder of Osem food company to create a wheat-based product.  Osem food company therefore developed a pasta like substitute made of hard wheat flour and roasted it in the oven.  Becoming an immediate success, ptitim was quickly shaped into small, dense balls which is why Osem deemed it “couscous”.

RESTAURANTS
In Pittsburgh, I have gone to several restaurants who have been using Israeli couscous.  Over the past six months I have seen chefs as well as some of my friends put ptitim in everything from salads, to soups and as a filler for meat dishes.  I especially loved the thought of a friend of mine using it in vegetarian burgers to bind the black beans together.  When speaking with a friend of mine on the subject, he mentioned that Israeli couscous is such a great ingredient to play with in cooking.  He reasoned that the ingredient is still considered “gourmet” and thus has the ability to still people looking for “exotic” items on the menu.

TIPS TO PREPARE ISRAELI COUSCOUS
Think of cooking this pasta in a similar way to couscous or rice and you will have no problems. To give a fuller taste to this pasta, add one diced onion to 1/4 cup of oil in a large sauce pan. Sauté until onion is transparent.  Then add about 3 tablespoon of olive oil to pot with 3 cups of Israeli couscous and saute until couscous browns slightly making sure to stir often (about 5 minutes).  Add either 3 3/4 cups of chicken broth, vegetable brother or water and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until couscous is tender and liquid is completely absorbed. this will take about 10 minutes.

Alexandra Gergar graduates from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in marketing and finance.  Cooking since she was a child, she now has a food blog called Lemons in Water and a local caterer in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Follow me on Twitter: AlexGergar

Food & Design: Trends for Summer, Quinoa

SUMMER TRENDS FOR GRAINS

As a caterer I am constantly looking for the new and interesting ingredients to add in my dishes. One of the most important parts of my presentation to my clients is assure them that I can keep up with current trends. Because of the rise of the health movement in the last few years, more than ever, individuals are looking at the ingredients that comprise their food. Since spring is upon us in the United States, and with summer quickly coming, I have decided to write about several grains that are making their move for pantry space in the average American home.

In my first segment of my discussion, I will talk about Quinoa. I first discovered this grain on a food blog several months ago. Intrigued, I searched for the grain in my local food stores but was at a loss. However, soon this grain popped up in a local Pittsburgh grocer and I immediately started cooking with it.

QUINOA: A HISTORY LESSON
Known for over 6,000 years, Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America.  In stories from Spanish explorers, Incas used to call quinoa the “mother of all grains” or “chisaya mama”.  Resistant to high-altitudes, it requires cooler temperatures and short day lengths, which explains why Peru and Bolivia are the highest producers of this grain.  Completely unknown to the North American region until the 1980s, two Americans discovered the grain and began cultivating it in Colorado.  Since then, quinoa has had a slow discovery throughout North America.

HEALTH BENEFITS
As a vegetarian, it should be my duty to find the best foods for my body.  But, most days I am just looking to fill a hunger than to really nourish my body.  Normally that means something quick and easy, so I find myself lucky to have found quinoa.  The balanced set of essential amino acids give this grain a high (12 to 18 percent) protein content which deems this grain a “super crop” by the United Nations. This is one of the reasons why vegetarians, as well as campers, love this grain.  Quinoa is lighter than meat and is easier and safer to pack for summer-time trips.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Quinoa started to pop up across the web about a year ago in larger quantities.  Food bloggers were first to show globally how to use and prepare quinoa.  However, in the last few months more and more bloggers are talking about it.  National magazines mention the grain and national television shows explain how to cook with it.  This can be explained with the widely growing health and organic movements that is spreading across the United States.

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR
This grain will not be as popular as rice or pasta has become stateside.  At least not in the next year or so.  What you will see is smaller restaurants mixing this into their options for side dishes or as a complement to better-known dishes to add a bit of originality, generating interest and new ideas for the preparation of quinoa.  This will, in turn, help grocery stores across the nation fulfill a demand for this product. Then, when I need to find this grain to make as a side dish or to help give a much needed substance to a dish, I can go to a larger chain which I visit more frequently than to a smaller health forward store which I only use for specialty goods.

TIPS TO PREPARE THE GRAIN
Quinoa can be cooked in a similar fashion as common jasmine rice.  A good rule of thumb for the “mother of grains” is a 2-to-1 method, 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa.  After the water has boiled in a 2-quart saucepot, turn down the heat and cover for 15 to 20 minutes to produce a side dish with a unique light, chewy flavor.  Because of the fast cooking period, quinoa is a favorite for a quick and hearty breakfast, especially in the winter.  Since we are nearing the end of winter here in the States, it is also a perfect addition to vegetable salads and cold dishes for the summer picnic.

Alexandra Gergar graduates from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in marketing and finance.  Cooking since she was a child, she now has a food blog called Lemons in Water and a local caterer in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Product design is a conversation with your audience, why not blog in the same manner?

Follow me on Twitter: alexgergar

Food & Design: Entry 1 of 2, Counter-top design

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

The average housewife or stay-at-home mom has changed greatly in the last 50 years. Before, women were expected to always keep the house scrubbed and clean. Now, women are happy if things are just organized and tidied up. The pace of our lives has sped up and we are all trying to fit more into our 24 hours.

In the 1950s, women wouldn’t dream of having their cleaning product in the line of sight for others to see. Today, Clorox is trying to change the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. Clorox, through their redesign of their disinfecting wipes is pushing the question, “Why wouldn’t you want others to see your cleaning products?”

DESIGNING FOR YOUR TARGET MARKET

The Dieline quoted Clorox’s project objectives for the redesign by saying that the packaging had to be an “original design so beautiful that the consumer doesn’t hesitate to leave them out.”  How ingenious?!  Not only would this likely have the consumer using the product more frequently, the product would look good…part of the home decor!  Keeping this utilitarian art decor in every room will give mom the opportunity to ’swipe and wipe’ the room as they go about their daily routines.  What a great selling point!

If mothers kept this product out and” did a wipe as I go”, they could save time overall on their weekly cleaning, time which is already being stretched.  We are always looking to quicken our daily chores and squeeze more pleasurable activities into our day.  This package design that may encourage mom to swipe more often, will create a cleaner environment for the children as well.

ART WORK
Like Kleenex, customers are promoted to “Redesign Clean” their own box via Clorox’s new website.  This bring more people to the site, and keeps this cleaning product out in the open.  This once hidden product becomes a frame or a showcase for one’s personal creative designs.

HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?
Clorox’s design does pose the question – how much of our once closeted products do we design to show others? Where do we draw the line?  Take the example of the washing machine.  Before, there was one standard color that everyone had to take…white.  Why?  Because no one was going to:

a) see the laundry room

b) ascetically design their laundry area to fit the design scheme of the washing machine

But times have changed.  Consumers can buy their Maytag in blue, orange, or yellow.  How far will this go?  Will our heat pumps be next?  Will we need to design a more beautiful heat pump, so we can position it next to our front door for all of our neighbors to see?

LAST THOUGHT
As an end note, I think Clorox is doing something that will help moms across the nation.  Personally, this will encourage me, not only to use these wipes more often because they will be out, but also, to continuously buy the wipes.  It is now a “piece of art” in my rooms.  When I run out, I throw away art but I need something to replace the dead space in that room with my next new design.  In addition, using the wipes will be part of my routine.  Routine develops into habit, habit grows into behavior.

Questions to ask when developing packaging for home goods

Alexandra Gergar graduates from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in marketing and finance.  Cooking since she was a child, she now  has a food blog called Lemons in Water.

Product design is a conversation with your audience, why not blog in the same manner?

Follow me on Twitter: AlexGergar