South Carolina's first lady of agriculture was at the State Fair last week dishing out a delicious shrimp and pasta dish as part of the Department of Agriculture's "Fresh on the Menu" program.

Blanche Weathers, wife of S.C. Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers of Bowman, joined some of the state's top chefs and members of the S.C. Specialty Food Association to highlight the use of locally grown produce by preparing a favorite dish on stage Oct. 16 at the Americraft-Cantey Building on the S.C. State Fairgrounds in Columbia.

An enthusiastic supporter of using local produce, Blanche Weathers prepared a recipe she recently created and named herself, Certified S.C. good shrimp and pasta salad. She said most of the ingredients used were produced in S.C.

"I used South Carolina shrimp," she said. "I don't think there are any better shrimp than South Carolina shrimp ... and Charleston sweet onions grown in Calhoun County last year. They're very sweet, very much like Vidalia onions. It's a relatively new product."

While the onions were grown for the first time in S.C. last year, Weathers said they'll probably soon be grown in other places across the state and are available at the State Farmers Market.

"I also used South Carolina-grown tomatoes that I got through my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box from Pinckney's produce at Vance," she said.

CSA is an innovative program where members of the community invest in a farm's produce at the beginning of the season, Weathers said. Each week, farms deliver a box of locally grown produce and a box of whatever produce they have. The produce is picked and delivered within 48 hours, she said.

Weathers said she created her shrimp and pasta recipe to take to the recent University of South Carolina-Kentucky football game.

"We always do a huge tailgate. I was in the kitchen throwing some things together for a shrimp salad," she said. "I don't have a lot of confidence in my pasta salad. Every time I make one, it tastes different."

But this time, Weather said she got the recipe just right, and family and friends scraped the bowl clean.

Weathers, who grew up on a farm and worked for Farm Bureau before she was married, said she is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable supporter of S.C. agriculture and its programs.

"I am the best ear in South Carolina agriculture," she said. "I listen to Hugh; I listen to the people he talks to, and it is so interesting. So much is going on in South Carolina right now. I feel very privileged to be able to go with Hugh and hear about it."

A number of grocery chains have agreed to sell local produce when it is available, including Wal-Mart and Piggly Wiggly, said Weathers, adding that she uses as much local produce as possible.

All local produce has an emblem with a solid, S.C.-shaped state in the middle and Certified S.C. Grown in red lettering around it. Below that is the logo "Nothing's Fresher, Nothing's Finer" in green.

Certain restaurants have also agreed to use at least 25 percent locally grown produce, Weathers said. An emblem with the phrase "Fresh on the Menu" is displayed on the door of these restaurants, she said.

According to SCDA spokesman Stephen Hudson, Blanche Weathers is "fantastically supportive" of S.C. agriculture.

"Blanche has a real passion for agriculture," he said. "It's always great to see her so involved with the growers and producers. I went with her to Clemson recently. They just opened their own farmers market, and she cut the ribbon."

Certified S.C. Grown is a marketing-branding campaign that started in May 2007 under the leadership of Hugh Weathers, Hudson said. It was spearheaded as an effort to get people to buy and eat local produce and has been very successful, he said.

"Fresh on the Menu" is a relatively new part of Certified S.C. Grown, Hudson said. It started out as a pilot program in the Charleston area and was so successful that the Department of Agriculture is implementing it all over the state, he said.

"We now have a little over 200 restaurants that are participating in the program. Next year, we plan to increase it throughout the state," he said.

For more information about the Department of Agriculture and its programs, visit agriculture.sc.gov or certifiedscgrown.com.

T&D Correspondent Dale Linder-Altman can be reached by e-mail at jerryanddale@lowcountry.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

S.C. State Fair cooking demonstration schedule

Wednesday, Oct. 21

11 a.m. -- Ron Webb, Webb's Productions, Easley

2 p.m. -- Stephen Harmen, Hucks Lowcountry Table, Isle of Palms

4 p.m. -- Brandon Velie, Juniper, Ridge Springs

Thursday, Oct. 22

11 a.m. -- Ron Webb, Webb's Productions, Easley

4 p.m. -- Jules Pernel, USC Culinary School, Columbia

6 p.m. -- Chef Kristian, Gervais and Vine, Columbia

Friday, Oct. 23

11 a.m. -- Roy Copelan, S.C. Beef Board, Columbia

2 p.m. -- Roy Copelan, S.C. Beef Board, Columbia

4 p.m. -- Brian Dukes, Blue Marlin, Columbia

Saturday, Oct. 24

2 p.m. -- Roy Copelan, S.C. Beef Board, Columbia

4 p.m. -- Eric Thomas, Schooners Bar and Grill, Columbia

Certified S.C. good shrimp and pasta salad

1 pound box Barilla Piccolini mini bow-tie pasta

3 ounces pine nuts

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 pounds Certified S.C. shrimp

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Salt, to taste

1-1/2 cup Dukes mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Good Seasons Zesty Italian dressing mix

1-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 heaping tablespoon capers

2 stalks celery diced

1/3 cup Certified S.C. grown Charleston sweet onion, diced

1 Certified S.C. grown tomato, diced

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh ground pepper

Prepare pasta according to directions on the box and drain. In a small sauté pan, toast pine nuts in butter until golden, and set aside. In same sauté pan, combine olive oil, garlic, shrimp and salt, and cook shrimp until pink. Combine mayonnaise, capers, Good Seasons dressing mix and white wine vinegar to make dressing. Toss all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Chill overnight. Top with chopped fresh parsley, and serve.

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