We're going Local this summer - you can too!

It's SUMMER!  Time for farmer's markets, trips to the countryside, u-pick fruits and vegetable farms, vacations - it's a GREAT time to think locally and support your local farmers and producers!  This summer, Made in My State will be taking a journey around the 50 states to bring you great locally manufactured or grown products and information on companies in every state.
If you have a favorite local company, please let me know - I'd love to have some input from my readers!  Please follow this blog and sign up for a newsletter to get informed when a new post is published.  I may even have giveaways so don't miss out! 

If you are a green company and would like me to showcase your products and possibly have goodies for me to give away on this site, please feel free to contact me - I'm PR friendly!

Thanks and have a great summer!
~Sprout

Imported From Detroit - Chrysler's Super Bowl Commercial with Eminem

Made in Michigan

In case you missed the best commercial of this year's Super Bowl, let's hear it for the Motor City! Thank you Chrysler. Thank you Detroit. Made in America. Made in MY State!

Michigan - Pure Bars

Pure Bar = Good Bar!


I received a sample of the wild blueberry organic Pure Bar from Amazon.com and was very happy with the flavor. The bar is not too sweet (and not too un-sweet!) and was loaded with chunks of nuts and blueberries! It's soft and slightly chewy with a very slightly grainy texture - but it is more like a homemade snack bar than a mass-produced one. The contents of the bar are great as well: Organic Dates, Organic Wild Blueberries, (with Organic Apple Juice Concentrate and Organic Canola Oil), Organic Cashews, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Walnuts, Organic Brown Rice Protein, Organic Almonds, Organic Unsweetened Lemon Juice Concentrate, and that's all! (unless you count the 14 essential vitamins and minerals, healthy antioxidants, and healthy Omega 3 fats in every bite). Nothing cooked. Nothing processed.

These bars use certified organic fruits, nuts and grains, are gluten-free, vegan, and contain a full serving of fruit. I have tried many different types of snack and meal bars as I am always on the go or too busy to sit and eat a complete meal at lunch - these bars are great and I will purchase many more! These are available at Whole Foods and now also on Amazon.com (for a lot less!). In fact, they are now available on Subscribe and Save for an additional 15% off! This is the best price I have found anywhere.
After trying the bar, I went to the company website to learn more and now I feel really good about these bars and the company that manufactures them. They are a very responsible / Eco-friendly company started by a mom who really cares about what her family eats AND they are an American company located in Holland Michigan! (I'll do anything to support the state of Michigan - where I was born and raised!) Everything about these bars is awesome!

Not sure which flavor you might like best? Order a Pure Bar variety pack and get 2 bars of each 6 flavors: Chocolate Brownie, Apple Cinnamon, Cherry Cashew, Cranberry Orange, Trail Mix and Wild Blueberry


Get a coupon on their website: http://www.thepurebar.com/index

Buy Local!

This past Independence Day, I gained even more appreciation of things that are made locally.  As my son was unwrapping his birthday gifts (mostly toys, mostly made in China), I decided to really seek out great products made here in the USA and to showcase those companies and products and inform others of the great things we make locally. 

This has inspired me to do research for each of the 50 states and provide my findings on this blog.  My intention is that maybe my readers will also be enlightened and try to buy more locally in their own state.  When I find a great product that is produced in my own state (NY) or in my old hometown state (MI), I tend to go out of my way to buy it and promote it.  This makes me feel good to be supporting local growers, workers and manufacturers especially now that the US job market and economy is so dim.

I hope you will find this blog site informative and inspiring and will continue to follow me on my quest to find the best locally produced goods in all 50 states.

Thank you and Go Local!
Sprout