Community / Blogs

Stories and Events in the WPSU Community

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

Two Thanksgiving recipes from Tony Sapia of Gemelli Bakers

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/24 at 09:41 AM

Tony Sapia, the highly skilled baker who brings us Gemelli Bakers, shares with us two things…two styles of holiday baking he’s excited about and two fantastic Thanksgiving side dish recipes, including one you can make ahead of time:

We started our stollen baking. I learned from a good friend of mine whom is a third-generation German master baker in Cincinnati. This and panettone baking is what I look forward to every year. The two most ethnic diverse breads coming together for one community. It’s what makes me get up in the mornings. The aromas are fragrant with nostalgia and memories of living abroad learning the craft. Bringing it back to my home town of State College, PA, where I was born and now bread…..

Permalink

Local Food Journey

It’s Time to Plant Garlic

Posted by LacCreta Holland on 11/23 at 09:06 AM

Late fall is hardly the time you think about gardening. Usually you are putting your garden to bed by cleaning up the remnants from the summer’s growing season. But as you clean up, remember that planting small cloves of garlic will yield big garlic bulbs next summer!

Garlic is probably the easiest plant to grow. I was told by a vendor from the Downtown State College Framers Market (the one on Fridays) that NOW is the time to plant garlic. She grows organic garlic and sells bags of bulbs (about 10 in each bag) for $6. That was more than I needed to plant, but since I forgot to plant garlic last year, I am using the rest for cooking this fall.

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Local Food Notes for Nov. 20

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/20 at 09:35 AM

This week, get local food ingredients to cook your Thanksgiving dinner via Friends & Farmers Cooperative, Tait Farm chocolate and caramel tasting, dinner and music at Websters Bookstore Cafe, and Winemaker’s Harvest Dinner at Mt. Nittany Vineyard & Winery.

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Is it too late to get a local turkey for Thanksgiving?

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/17 at 09:03 AM

Thanksgiving is just over a week away, and many of you who read this blog have already pre-ordered your local-raised Thanksgiving turkey. Most of the local vendors in these parts require you to pre-order a few months in advance to ensure you have a Thanksgiving turkey that’s locally grown. But what if you didn’t pre-order and would like a local turkey?

Well, unfortunately, your options are limited, and after checking around for you, here’s what I found…

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Can local food still be considered a trend?

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/10 at 11:05 AM

Recently during an interview with Michele Marchetti, the excellent local food writer and Friends & Farmers Cooperative board member, she said something that made me really think. I asked her about whether there was still momentum within the local food movement, and she said “Local food isn’t a trend, it’s something that’s here to stay.”

It sort of hit me…wow, Mchele’s 100 percent correct. Local food really isn’t a thing for “hipsters” or trendy foodies anymore; it’s become more and more established.

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Outdoor farmers markets winding down, indoor markets starting

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/06 at 08:38 AM

Farmers Markets are winding down to a degree over the next few weeks. While outdoor markets will soon go away until next spring, there are several indoor options to get your local food market fix over the winter. Here’s a rundown of our local markets, when the outdoor ones are closing, and which are having indoor winter markets:

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Five must-do end-of-season garden chores to ensure garden success next year

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/03 at 09:33 AM

So, even with this week’s mild weather, the reality is we are staring another Central Pennsylvania winter in its face. With cold, snow, and ice looming on the horizon, many of us are not thinking about gardening, but right now is a vital time for the success of next year’s garden.

There are steps that you can take now to help your perennial herbs survive the winter, ensure your fruit trees produce, prevent pests from coming on strong next spring, and feed your future veggie plants. Here’s five must-do chores to close out the year:

Permalink