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

Winning (literally) apple pie recipes for Thanksgiving

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/26 at 10:12 AM

After everyone finishes their seconds tomorrow at the Thanksgiving table, you always have to make some room for dessert. After all, dessert is as much a part of the Thanksgiving spread as the turkey.

Back in late October, Way Fruit Farm held their annual Apple Pie Contest. I had the honor of judging around a dozen excellent entries and it was very difficult to decide on a winner. After the contest, I thought to myself, any of those pies would be perfect at Thanksgiving. So, I figured I’d share a few examples of the wonderful pies I sampled.

The winner, Jamie Liner of Port Matilda, and a runner up, Cathy Cohan of State College, were gracious enough to offer their apple pie recipes for you to use if you decide to bake an apple pie for Thanksgiving dessert. Enjoy!

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Local Food Journey

Five local food additions to your Thanksgiving table

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/24 at 09:25 AM

It’s likely a bit too late to get a local turkey if you already haven’t, but there are a lot of local food items that you can add to your Thanksgiving table. You still have time to head out and pick them out (although based on the weather forecast might want to do it before Wednesday).

Here are five fine additions to your Thanksgiving table from local food producers:

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Local Food Journey

Final day of the season for two popular farmers market

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/21 at 10:14 AM

If the brutal cold this week hasn’t got its point across that winter is more or less here, the fact that two outdoor farmers markets having their final day today and tomorrow is the final bit of proof. Soon our stone-faced friend in the picture above will get his winter coat of snow.

Today, the outdoor Downtown State College Farmers Market on Locust Lane closes the season on a chilly note. That market runs today from 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Then tomorrow, the Bellefonte Farmers Market will be open from 8:00 a.m. to noon.

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Local Food Journey

Shrubs are an “old-fashioned drink for modern times”

Posted by Anna Lombardo on 11/20 at 09:17 AM

Though summer seems like a long way off (and it is, as my newly frozen hair indicates), it’s never a bad thing to plan ahead a few months. For those seeking out a refreshing drink to try at their summer dinner parties—or really anyone just looking to add another item to their drink mix—I introduce you to shrubs. And for most (read: all) of my information on shrubs, I turn to author Michael Dietsch, whose book, Shrubs, was published on October 6 by The Countryman Press.

A shrub, Dietsch tells me (and states in his book), is an acidulated beverage, or a drink made with some type of acid—historically vinegar, lemon juice, or other citruses.  This acid is mixed with sugar, water, and sometimes alcohol; then, to give the drink a unique flavor, a fruit or a type of fruit juice is steeped in the mixture. Though the acidic components might seem unpalatable in what would be an otherwise sweet beverage, they were orginially a practical component. “Vinegar used to preserve fruit after the harvest,” Diestch says.  “This was in a time before refrigeration.”

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Local Food Journey

This weekend get great local food at Harrison’s and help fight diabetes

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/14 at 06:59 AM

From our friends at Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering:

World Diabetes Day, a day set aside for the global diabetes community to join their voices in order to raise diabetes awareness and advocacy, is Nov. 14. 

Dine in at Harrison’s from Nov. 10-Nov. 16 between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. and 10% of all lunch, dinner, bar, and carry-out sales will be donated to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to help support promising diabetes cure research. 

Our menu features many low-carb and Type 2 diabetes-friendly selections. You can eat well and…

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Local Food Journey

Herwig’s: Incredible Austrian food served in an even-more incredible atmosphere

Posted by Anna Lombardo on 11/12 at 08:57 AM

“Are you sure you want to tip before you eat?”

I had just sat down to talk with Bernd Brandstatter, one of the owners of Herwig’s Austrian Bistro, when he called over to a group of patrons who had ordered their food at the counter and dropped some money into the tip jar. It was then that I had my first inkling that this wasn’t going to be your typical dining establishment.

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Local Food Journey

Increasing food prices got you down? Here’s some tips

Posted by LacCreta Holland on 11/10 at 09:41 AM

“U.S Consumer Prices Barely Rise as Inflation Remains Muted”

This was the title of an article in the NY Times from Oct 22, 2014. Sounds positive, right?

I don’t usually read economic articles but this caught my attention. We are seeing low gas prices. Hurray!! We all want to spend less on gasoline. But that is not all that is happening in the country regarding cost of living. The article goes on to state that although gas prices are going down, the cost of housing and food have offset much of the economic growth lower gas prices would produce.

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Local Food Journey

Nouveau Weekends on the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail

Posted by Linda Weaver on 11/07 at 09:37 AM

Celebrate fall and harvest time with the wineries of the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail! Their Nouveau Weekend Event, Nov. 8/9 and Nov. 15/16, is your chance to try newly-released and newly-made or “noveau wines” which are fruity and flavorful and meant to be consumed in celebration of the season.  There will also be plenty of your current favorites to taste as well.

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Local Food Journey

Nouveau Weekends on the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail

Posted by Linda Weaver on 11/07 at 09:37 AM

Celebrate fall and harvest time with the wineries of the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail! Their Nouveau Weekend Event, Nov. 8/9 and Nov. 15/16, is your chance to try newly-released and newly-made or “noveau wines” which are fruity and flavorful and meant to be consumed in celebration of the season.  There will also be plenty of your current favorites to taste as well.

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Local Food Journey

PSU researchers among group that discovered that bees do better on a natural diet, too

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/04 at 09:10 AM

It’s pretty much a no-brainer that it’s healthier to live on a natural diet as opposed to a diet of processed, artificial food. Penn State and other university and government researchers discovered that bees also do better on a natural diet—it makes them more resistant to pesticides.

This is something that’s quite important in light of the recent die-offs of honeybees. As most people know, bees are extremely important to humans for their pollination work. Often, they are exposed to agricultural pesticides, so having a high resistance is vital to their survival.

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