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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

Unique wine events on spring calendar at Mt. Nittany Vineyard & Winery

Posted by Linda Weaver on 04/29 at 08:42 AM

This Sunday kicks off several spring events at Mt. Nittany Vineyard & Winery, including ones that involve running, cupcakes, and pizza. Intrigued? Read on…

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Local Food Journey

Taproot Kitchen’s community garden enriches lives, provides healthy food

Posted by Alexandrea Scott on 04/27 at 10:12 AM

A true community garden, that will enrich the learning of adults with disabilities and provide healthy organic food for them and their families, is what can be found at Taproot Kitchen’s Mazza Community Garden.

Taproot Kitchen was founded about a year ago. Sharon Schafer dreamed up the idea for Taproot Kitchen, but she wants credit given to everyone who is involved, including Jackie Bonomo, Woody Wilson, and Spring Creek Homesteading, who have all played important roles. They also received a lot of advice from Cutting Edge Tree Professionals.

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Local Food Journey

Celebrate National Garlic Day with a classic dish

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/19 at 10:25 AM

Attention garlic lovers: This is your day. Today is National Garlic Day, a celebration that salutes that key ingredient for so many fantastic cuisines. The pungent cloves are crushed, roasted, minced, sliced, and liquefied in a wide variety of dishes, from Thai to Chinese to Italian to Mexican, and everywhere in between. To celebrate here on Local Food Journey, we’ll share some fun facts about garlic and a classic garlic dish, the famous 40-clove garlic chicken.

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Local Food Journey

Central PA Tasting Trail broadens concept of tastings beyond wine

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/15 at 08:49 AM

Tastings are no longer just for wine anymore.

Over the past 10 years or so, a variety of craft breweries, distilleries, and cideries have sprung up in Centre County and become a big part of the local food and beverage scene. To show off this local beverage bounty, the Central PA Tasting Trail was developed out of an initiative by the areaâ€™s craft beverage community to unite and promote these businesses to locals and visitors alike, with the goal of gaining exposure for the craft beverage industry within Centre County.

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Local Food Journey

PASA webinar offers information on 0% interest loan for local food entrepreneurs

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/12 at 09:33 AM

Have a local food business such as a farm, production facility, etc. or are thinking of starting one? Learn about Kiva Zip, a 0% interest loan program. Kiva uses crowdfunding to help entrepreneurs who may not qualify for conventional loans gain access to capital. This has caught on with farms across the country, as Kiva loans can help farmers with costs of production in the spring, or another important purchase to grow their farm business. Emily Keebler, who leads Kivaâ€™s Pittsburgh initiative, will host a webinar by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) on Monday April 19 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to explain Kiva Zipâ€™s loan parameters and requirements, the application and crowdfunding process, and tips on how to quickly and successfully crowdfund a Kiva Zip loan.

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Notes for April 8

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/08 at 07:59 AM

This Local Food Notes features the Central Pennsylvania Tasting Trail, World’s Fare Catering food truck, Philly Farm & Food Fest, and the last several weeks of the indoor State College Farmers Market.

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Local Food Journey

How to help your garden make it through spring chill

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/06 at 08:44 AM

While the calendar says it’s April, the weather seems to think it’s February. With low temperatures in the teens and 20s this morning, it may have looked like spring with all the daffodils and green grass, but it felt like winter. It’s times like this that test the patience of a Central Pennsylvania gardener.

The lesson learned here was simple; even if it’s warm in March, that doesn’t mean it can’t get really cold in April. And it’s this reality that really needs to be taken into account when starting a food garden in our area.

In my years of experience gardening in these parts, I’ve picked up a few ideas and tips on how to get through the gardening purgatory that is a mid-state spring. Here’s some things to keep in mind to guide your garden through this challenging time:

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Local Food Journey

How Plowshare Produce prepares for a new season

Posted by Alexandrea Scott on 04/01 at 09:07 AM

Plowshare Produce is a farm located in Huntingdon County. Michah and Bethany Spicher Schonberg have been fortunate to be a part of this business for the last eight seasons. They are able to use the land her parents own, and it is meaningful to the family. To get started they begin planting broccoli, tomatoes, and pepper seeds in the greenhouse, and since it has been nice they were able to plant spinach outside.

This is the time of year where they also begin gathering old and new members. Each member is asked to pay $625 in May, to receive weekly vegetables, May through November. To sell their produce, they set up tables at their church each week, and people bring their own bags and pick what they want. As of now, they have around 100 customers.

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