N.C. MarketReady

for agents and growers

Farmers markets/
The produce lady

Introducing The Produce Lady

Increase Your Sales by Using Her Tips

If you’re a farmer that sells your products at a local market, how do you respond when a customer asks you how to prepare a certain food item? If your response is, “I don’t know, I just grow it!” then The Produce Lady can help you. If you grow something other than fruits and vegetables, you’re not being left out. The Produce Lady will share tips on meats, cheeses and eggs as well, providing ideas for the perfect fruit or vegetable side dish.

produce lady holding produce The Produce Lady is Brenda Sutton, family and consumer sciences agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Rockingham County. Brenda grew up on a farm in eastern Wake County and developed a love for good, home-grown food as a child. Good quality, local foods are her passion and she loves sharing healthy, nutritious ways to prepare foods from the local farmers market. She gives you easy, no-nonsense tips you can share with your customers to keep them coming back. She also provides fresh produce safety tips that are important for both you and your customers.

Brenda works closely with the Rockingham County Farmers Market. “I am so excited about our farmers market because it is such a good opportunity for the community. It provides a place for farmers to sell local produce and it provides good things to eat for our citizens. When it comes to economic, social and health benefits, it makes a difference to the community.”

Watch this site for frequent updates from The Produce Lady. Her videos on specific local food items will be paired with nutritious, healthy recipes and a news column about each food item. You can find all of this information on this Web site.

The Produce Lady’s Blog

Brenda is blogging now! The Produce Lady’s blog provides a personal look at locally grown foods, healthy recipes, N.C. farmers markets, produce videos and food safety practices. Her tasty tips and fresh produce expertise has grown roots on The Produce Lady’s blog and you are invited to join in the discussion!

She will post a timely topic twice each month, so be sure to check back frequently for updates and new information. The blog also will provide links to great agricultural resources, feedback on recent events, insights into industry issues and, of course, The Produce Lady’s passion for good quality local foods.

News Columns Agents Can Localize

Visit the Extension Agents Resource page for columns on local produce that you can localize for your local newspapers.

The Produce Lady Recipes for Local Foods

Green bean recipes:

Louisiana Green Beans
Dilled Green Beans and New Potatoes

Eggplant recipes:

Stuffed Eggplant with Tomatoes
Eggplant-Mushroom Sauce

Squash recipes:

Stuffed Round Summer Squash
Summer Garden Vegetable Medley

Melon recipes:

Cantaloupe Smoothie
Crunchy Melon and Smoked Turkey Salad

Okra recipes:

Roasted Okra
Okra and Corn with Tomatoes

Fruit Blast Smoothie

Broccoli Frittata

More Healthy Recipes

Find more healthy fruits and veggies recipes at these sites:

Eat Smart Move More
Fruits and Veggies More Matters
Centers for Disease Control

The Produce Lady Video Team discusses scripts at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. Left to right: Ken Ellzey, Brenda Sutton and Leah Chester-Davis

The Produce Lady Video Team

Producer: Leah Chester-Davis, Program for Value-Added & Alternative Agriculture, NC Research Campus, Kannapolis and NCSU Department of Communication Services.
Videographer/Editor: Ken Ellzey, NCSU Department of Communication Services
Script: Brenda Sutton, NC Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County, and Leah Chester-Davis
The Produce Lady: Brenda Sutton

For questions about The Produce Lady, contact the producer at leah_chester-davis@ncsu.edu or (704) 617-0502.