Need to know what produce is in season? Download Locavore on your iPhone and find out!

While going to buy raspberries for my recent raspberry custard pie recipe, I stopped myself while at the local grocer to ponder for a second: when are raspberries actually going to be in season? It's 30 degrees outside, so these are certainly not from around here..."

Ever find yourself at the grocery store wondering the same thing? Are you trying to be a champion of sustainable farming and helping the environment but aren't sure if that summer squash is actually growing outside at the moment?

To answer these types of questions, iPhone users can now download Locavore. This application collects data from multiple sources and presents the information on your phone.


Some of the features of Locavore include:
* Automatic detection of which state you're in (U.S. only for now)
* Alerts about what food is in season near you, as well as updates on what crops will be appearing in the produce section soon
* Locating farmers’ markets near you
* Browsing all 234 fruits and vegetables to see where they are currently growing
* Links to Wikipedia articles and Epicurious.com recipes from each food detail page
* Ability to browse all 50 states to see what’s in season in other parts of the US



Designed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Local Harvest.org and Tattfoo, and built by and Matt Hickey, Locavore is available for purchase (cost: $2.99) in the iTunes App Store by visiting here.

Thanks to my roommate Peter, tech/gadget blogger extraordinaire, for the tip on Locavore!

First Lady Michelle Obama sings the praises of eating healthy - The New York Times

There was an interesting article in The New York Times' Dining & Wine section yesterday talking about First Lady Michelle Obama's stance on eating healthy and encouraging the country to follow the First Family's example.

It's so refreshing to finally see healthful eating at the top of the agenda these days. Although this blog is about desserts and pastries, I'm all for a well-balanced diet...just with an occasional sweet treat thrown in every now and again...or every day...I exercise a lot! Leave me alone!

Hoever, my favorite part of the article was one of the photos included, which features Michelle Obama standing in front of a platter that doesn't look like it's adorned with broccoli and fresh vegetables. Now I'm no expert, but I'm pretty certain that whatever those pink things were, they didn't come from a farmer's market...


First Lady Obama was also featured in the Times a few weeks ago when she invited a group of culinary students from L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Maryland to the White House for a kitchen tour prior to the annual state dinner. You can read the full article here.

Just when I think I can't love the First Family any more, they win my heart over by showing love to the foodie community and the hardworking culinary students of the world. The Obama family continues to inspire me every day, and considering how things are going, I'm waiting for one of them to show up at my front door with a cupcake from sugar Sweet sunshine and puppy and say to me,"Thanks for writing about us on your blog." They just seem THAT friendly.