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

Five very good reasons to buy pastured eggs at farmers markets

Posted by Kim Chase on 05/29 at 08:31 AM

Eggs are cheap and plentiful in the grocery store, so one might wonder why you’d venture out to a local farmer’s market to buy pastured eggs. An egg is an egg, right? Well, as it turns out, there are vast differences that all go back to how the chicken is raised.

I raise laying hens on pasture just outside of State College, and I just love selling that first pastured dozen to someone who tells me they’ve only bought eggs at the grocery before. I know exactly how much of a surprise they are in for! (I should note that “free-range” at the grocery store means that the hens are not caged and have access to the outdoors at least part of the day. How much space they have outdoors or what the surface is made of is not specified. “Cage-free” hens are raised entirely indoors, but are not confined to cages.) Here are a few surprises you might encounter if you’ve never tried a pastured egg before.

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Events

Visit Daniel Tiger at DelGrosso’s Amusement Park

Posted by Mike D on 05/27 at 02:20 PM

Hey Neighbors! Join us on Saturday, June 21 for WPSU Kids’ Day at DelGrosso’s Amusement Park. 

Visit the WPSU tent at DelGrosso’s Amusement Park to meet Daniel, play games and make crafts. Pick up your copy of Daniel’s detective book to find clues around the park and register for door prizes. The first 400 kids (up to age 10) who complete their book will receive a jar of DelGrosso’s Pizza Sauce, plus other fun giveaways.  Learn more…

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Local Food Journey

I’m Fed Up With Industrial Food

Posted by James Eisenstein on 05/27 at 08:51 AM

I am really fed up. And it isn’t just because I am an increasingly irascible, old curmudgeon.

I’m fed up with the behavior of government agencies like the FDA, the USDA, and the EPA, dancing like puppets in the hands of Monsanto, ConAgra, Dow, Big Pharma and their ilk. The FDA dilly-dallies by continuing to allow antibiotics in animal feed to promote “efficiency” and profits, when it is clear that the practice promotes the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten our health.

I’m fed up with the EPA constantly approving new pesticides that are known to kill pollinators. (Who needs insects anyway?)

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Local Food Journey

Recipe: Beef stew, a great answer for our rainy days

Posted by James Sechrengost on 05/22 at 06:39 AM

I love to make beef stew. On a rainy, blustery day, nothing is more comforting than sitting at the table eating beef stew and watching the rain. I used to freeze it so I had some on hand just to cheer me up when it would seem to rain for days on end.

When I used to go camping in the mountains with friends I would take along a big bag of frozen stew. By the end of the day there was nothing to do but throw it into the pot and wait until it had heated.

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Journey Video: A tour of Centre County’s craft brewers

Posted by Maria Bryant on 05/20 at 08:47 AM

Centre County is the home to five of the country’s almost 2500 craft breweries. Maria Bryant takes us on a video tour of them and finds each one is offering something a little different.

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Local Food Journey

Your Local Food Weekend for May 17-18

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/16 at 08:00 AM

After our May monsoon, looks like a cool but decent weather weekend coming up. This weekend, there’s two plant sales, the Blair County Arts Festival, The Big Spring Festival, and live acoustic music to be found. Continue reading to learn more and plan your weekend.

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Local Food Journey

Penn State students work to create a food bank for students

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/15 at 08:56 AM

We recently had a story on here about the Penn State Community Food Security Club. The organization is run by Penn State students that has a mission which states that their goal is to “spread conscious eating habits to the Penn State and State College communities, to assist in the support of a local food system, and to raise awareness and support for food security.”

Recently, WPSU ran a radio story during Morning Edition about another Penn State student-run effort that addresses an issue that many may not be aware even exists—University students who struggle to feed themselves.

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Local Food Journey

Unpaid Field Hand travels to Mexico and samples their local food scene

Posted by James Eisenstein on 05/14 at 10:14 AM

While most of you were able to enjoy winter in February, my wife and I had to go to Mexico for three weeks. I knew we would miss experiencing the well below zero temperatures that promised to devastate our stink bugs population. I also wondered how much I would miss the fresh organic food available here. 

But when we arrived in San Jose del Cabo near the tip of Baja California, I was delighted to find the organic food movement thriving. We were able to walk from our motel in the city’s arts district to an organic farmers market, chock full of vendors selling fresh organic vegetables, meat, and eggs. Almost everything you can find at the Boalsburg Farmers Market in mid-summer was available and all of it organic.

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Local Food Journey

Recipe: Potato salad raises home-building memories

Posted by James Sechrengost on 05/13 at 08:44 AM

When I was a young man I helped a friend build him and his wife a log cabin. It wasn’t one of the sprawling cabins you see on some of these new reality shows but it had three bedrooms, indoor plumbing, and electricity. I did most of the electrical work and a lot of heavy lifting moving the peeled timbers into place. Thank goodness we had chainsaws as I don’t see how those pilgrims ever got the work done using axes and hand adzes.

His wife brought us lunch every day and then stayed around and helped where she could. I look back fondly on that house, which is still standing in the San Bernardino Mountains, and the meals she prepared. One of the dishes she made was potato salad. I never was a huge fan of it, could take it or leave it, but when I tried hers I was hooked. She said to let them steam in the pot, which stopped the potato salad from being soggy and mushy. She gave me the recipe when I left and every time I make it I think of that log cabin and my friends.

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Local Food Journey

Your Local Food Weekend for May 10-11

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/09 at 07:38 AM

This weekend features Way Fruit Farm’s Apple Blossom Festival, Centre Furnace Mansion Plant Celebration, Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering special Graduation Dinner, and Webster’s Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet.

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Events Our Town

WPSU Seeks Stories from Windber for Latest Episode in “Our Town” Series

Posted by Whitney on 05/07 at 09:23 AM

WPSU is seeking stories about Windber and the surrounding areas. The “Our Town” television series highlights stories from your friends and neighbors and you can be a part of the community project! We need stories about the people, places and, happenings in your area and you to help tell them. Join us for the community meeting on Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30PM in the Windber Area High School auditorium to learn more about the project.

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Local Food Journey

Five must-have local food bites

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/07 at 07:29 AM

While we are most certainly not Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, we here in Central Pennsylvania are not living in a good-food black hole. We have some excellent restaurants and other vendors of prepared meals/snacks using local food ingredients in our area. You can find local food in fine dining establishments, taverns, diners, festivals, and, of course, farmers markets. Here are five great local food items that we think you must try:

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Journey looking for writers to share their local food stories

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/05 at 07:30 AM

Do you like to write and love local food? Well, we’d love to have you help us tell Central Pennsylvania’s Local Food Stories! We are looking for writers to post on Local Food Journey about anything local food related, including:

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Our Town

Our Town: Brookville Coming Soon to WPSU-TV!

Posted by Whitney on 05/02 at 10:09 AM

WPSU is currently producing stories about the Brookville area. We’re working with your friends & neighbors to highlight stories about the people, places, and happenings in your hometown. You’ve probably seen residents of Brookville around town with their cameras capturing footage about the YMCA, local architecture, the volunteer fire company, local beekeeping, area landmarks, and so much more!

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