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The opinions expressed in these blogs are solely those of the people who wrote them, and do not represent the views of WPSU or Penn State University.
Local Food Journey
Local Food Weekend; Labor Day edition
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/30 at 07:50 AM
It’s the semi-official end of summer and with it, the end of summer festivals. This week, there are two local festivals to check out that involve local food as part of the attractions.
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Local Food Journey
Local Food recipes for Labor Day
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/29 at 08:15 AM
Labor Day already? Seems like the start of summer was about two weeks ago. Time truly does fly, and soon the focus here on Local Food Journey will turn to autumn-y things like pumpkins, apples, winter squash, soups, etc. All the things we like to have when the weather gets frosty and footballs replaces baseballs.
But let’s not bury summer yet. There’s plenty of warm weather to go, including September. Here’s three great recipes that together make for a fantastic Labor Day grill meal.
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Local Food Journey
A visit to the Grange Fair, and the connection to local food
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/28 at 08:54 AM
Last night I went to the Grange Fair. One of the more unique events in Pennsylvania, the Grange Fair celebrated its 139th year. The event has humble origins, beginning as a picnic event in 1874 in the rather scarily named Leech Woods just west of Centre Hall. It has evolved into today’s version, featuring an encampment that visitors often find sort of puzzling (but seems like fun for the campers), a dazzling array of food stands that at times makes choosing a snack or meal rather overwhelming, and, of course, various agricultural exhibits. It really is one of those things that offer something for just about anyone in the area. I think if you live in this area it’s something you should attend at least once.
So, what’s the connection that the Grange Fair has with the local food scene? One is, of course, obvious—the focus on agriculture. But there are a few things that seem to be missing as far as local food.
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Our Town
Our Town: Warren Edit Underway! Stay Tuned for the LIVE Broadcast Thursday, Oct. 17…
Posted by Whitney on 08/28 at 07:25 AM
We heard some AMAZING stories about the very active and artistic community of Warren, PA on Saturday, August 17. Right now WPSU is busy putting together all the great video and photos shot by the community volunteers to go along with stories they told about the Kinzua Country Tango Race, Crary Art Gallery, Woman’s Club of Warren, the Community Foundation, Struther’s Library Theatre, Thompson Hill School House, and so much more!
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Local Food Journey
Will new FDA food safety rules hurt the local food movement?
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/26 at 07:54 AM
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) may say it’s about imported food, but the new rules proposed to govern the growing, harvesting, shipping, and storing raw fruits and vegetables have raised some concerns for the small farmers who make up the backbone of the local food movement. Recently, FDA representatives have embarked on a multi-state tour to visit farms and to discuss the new rules with the public.
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Local Food Journey
Your Local Food Weekend for August 24-25
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/23 at 06:59 AM
This weekend is a Grange Fair weekend, so that’s what dominates the schedule for our Local Food Weekend. Billed as the “Nation’s Most Unique County Fair”, I’d say it lives up to that title just by the encampment alone, which is a series of large tents where families basically spend a week living at the fair. So, it sort of makes for an interesting version of people watching. I can imagine for the kids, living at the fair is a dream come true.
The Grange Fair is an agricultural event, so if you are a local food enthusiast, it’s definitely worth a trip. Along with livestock exhibits, they also have a variety of produce exhibits, including canning. My wife was mortified by the sight of a whole chicken canned in a large Mason jar. I admit that the sight of a whole chicken in a jar, which is something most of us are used to seeing frozen or in a roasting pan, is rather unusual but this is an old way of preserving meat. You can also find freakishly huge pumpkins, unusual tomatoes, and more.
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Local Food Journey
You can still plant fall crops for a tasty end to the garden season
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/22 at 08:25 AM
I know that lots of people turn their thoughts to football and raking leaves once the days getting shorter and mornings are foggy and cool, but fall is really a good time to grow certain vegetables. While a lot of vegetables thrive in summer heat, there are a fair amount that prefer fall’s cool weather. And it’s not too late to plant; if you plant this weekend, you have anywhere from 37 to 52 days before this area’s average first freeze, depending on where you live.
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Local Food Journey
Local Food Fantasy Revisited: Part V
Posted by James Eisenstein on 08/21 at 12:56 PM
How might the proposed Friends and Farmers Food Co-Op Store contribute to making my local food fantasy a reality? (My fantasy envisions a future in which much of the food we eat comes from local farms and producers. The first four installments include Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. As a member of the interim board of Friends and Farmers, I’ve been thinking about this question off and on for almost a year.
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Local Food Journey
My Local Food Fantasy Revisited Part IV
Posted by James Eisenstein on 08/19 at 06:59 AM
I’ve been revisiting my 2011 “Local Food Fantasy” piece describing how much of what we eat could be produced locally. The last installment described how the growing demand for local food can be accelerated. Here I want to explore the question of how supplies might rise to meet increasing demand.
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Our Town
WPSU Announces Visit to Philipsburg, PA for Upcoming Episode of “Our Town”
Posted by Whitney on 08/16 at 03:00 PM
WPSU is very excited to learn all about Philipsburg, PA for the 75th installment of the popular “Our Town” series. The program will share stories about the Philipsburg area from the perspectives of the members of the community. They will work with WPSU to choose the stories, capture video and photos to showcase Philipsburg, and then they will tell the area’s story in the “Our Town” program. Production on the community project will begin in September with a public meeting. All residents of the Philipsburg area are invited to be a part of the program and to contribute on-camera and behind-the-scenes.
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Local Food Journey
Your Local Food Weekend for August 17-18
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/16 at 09:34 AM
It’s mid-August already? Don’t lament that we are this late in the summer, celebrate that we are in what I think is the peak period for local food. And there’s lots to do that has a local food angle this week! Go celebrate tomatoes at Tait Farm, attract butterflies at Rose Franklin’s Perennials, get artsy/crafty in Bellefonte, learn how to survive The End with really local food, and/or have a tasty cold one at the State College Brew Fest. Keep on reading…
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Local Food Journey
Here’s two recipes to give you something to do with all those zucchinis
Posted by James Sechrengost on 08/15 at 08:18 AM
When I was a young lad I was in Sicily in the city of Palermo doing the tourist thing checking out the castles. After much walking around viewing the sights my tired feet and grumbling stomach reminded me I had not had lunch. I stopped in a small ristorante and had a dish similar to the recipe below. Years later I remembered the dish and recreated it from what I remembered. This recipe comes from a lot of trial and error, mostly error, until I got it to the point it closely matched my memory of the dish.
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Local Food Journey
Something for everyone at Ag Progress Days
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/14 at 07:56 AM
Billed as one of the largest outdoor farm-related shows in the East, Ag Progress Days continues today and tomorrow out at the Russell E. Larson Agriculture Research Center on State Route 45 near Rock Spring. The festival of farming runs opens today and tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Today the show runs until 8:00 p.m., giving those of us with a day job an opportunity to head out after work and perhaps have supper at one of the food vendors at the event.
While some may have the idea that it’s just for farmers and farm machinery enthusiasts looking for a Tractorpalooza, Ag Progress Days has something for everyone, including kids’ activities. The event is put on by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
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Local Food Journey
“Why won’t my tomatoes ripen?”
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/12 at 08:41 AM
This weekend I was at a very nice event, a barn dance. In between promenades, I was chatting with some people about gardening, one of my favorite small talk subjects. As often happens when talking gardening, tomatoes came up. And as often happens when talking tomatoes, concerns about fruit not ripening came up. So, are there any ways to speed up the process?
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Local Food Journey
Your Local Food Weekend for August 10-11
Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/09 at 09:43 AM
A look at various local food-related events being held this weekend around the area. The headline event is the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s 2013 Centre County Farm Tour which will be held tomorrow. You can find a four-part preview series on this farm tour here, here, here, and here. To find more local food-related things to do this weekend, keep reading.
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Most recent entries
Our Local Food Journey comes to an end- Wednesday, January 31, 2018
- By Jamie Oberdick in Local Food Journey
Winter isn’t a quiet time at the farm- Wednesday, January 31, 2018
- By James Eisenstein in Local Food Journey
-
Get the taste of garden season right now by growing herbs indoors
- Friday, January 26, 2018
- By Jamie Oberdick in Local Food Journey
-
All you need to know about PASA’s Farming for the Future conference
- Friday, January 19, 2018
- By Jamie Oberdick in Local Food Journey
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