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 Notes for Jan. 27

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 01/27 at 09:05 AM

This week’s local food notes features PASA’s Farming for the Future Conference, Clearfield’s Groundhog Trail Wine Festival, Tait Farm has ideas to make you the soup and sandwich master, and the Nutrition Habit Challenge.

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Local Food Journey

PASA’s new Executive Director starts this week

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 01/25 at 08:52 AM

The following is courtesy of a PASA press release:

On January 23, 2017, Hannah Smith-Brubaker became the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). After an extensive national search lead by the PASA board of directors, Smith-Brubaker became the third person in the organization’s 25 year history to serve as executive director, following Brian Snyder and Tim Bowser (Lamonte Garber and Ted LeBow served as interim directors). The organization’s 5,800 members are excited to take this next step forward on the journey to meet their mission of “promoting profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.”

Smith-Brubaker leaves her position of Deputy Secretary of Agriculture for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, having served with a focus on agricultural markets and economic development, farmland preservation, and the charitable food system. During her tenure she served to ensure a place at the table for everyone, developing a reputation for inclusion and open dialogue that led to several significant achievements impacting family farms throughout the state.

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Notes for Jan. 20

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 01/20 at 10:48 AM

This week, coupons for State College Farmers Market, Tait Farms Sample Saturdays return, and Elk Creek Cafe serves up local food and blues Saturday night.

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Local Food Journey

Upcoming events at Mt. Nittany Winery feature Valentine’s Day fun, 5K run, wine trail

Posted by Linda Weaver on 01/17 at 09:40 AM

Editor’s Note: Here are several events coming up over the next few months that would be of interest to local wine lovers at Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery.

Valentine’s Day Wine & Chocolate Pairing
February 11-12, 2017

You and your Valentine are invited to attend Wine & Chocolate Pairings at the Winery. Treat your sweetheart, friend, or come as a group and enjoy Mount Nittany’s award-winning wines paired with delicious Asher’s Chocolates. Special event hours are Saturday, Feb. 11 & 12 from noon to 5:00 p.m.  Cost is $8.95 per person; reservations are required. Call the winery at (814) 466-6373. This event sold out last year so reserve now!

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Notes for Jan. 13

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 01/13 at 10:37 AM

This week, we have registration info for the Farming for the Future Conference, where to find indoor farmers markets in the dead of winter, and how to give back to your community.

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Local Food Journey

Fight winter blues with some tropical comfort food: arroz con pollo

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 01/11 at 12:22 PM

It’s cold and miserable outside, which is another way of saying “January in Central Pennsylvania.” Hearty food, aka “comfort food,” has always been something people turn to during the dark cold eves of winter.

While comfort food for many Pennsylvanians is a pot of stew or a roast chicken dinner, for some Pennsylvanians it’s food from their much warmer homeland. Pennsylvania has relatively large population of Puerto Ricans, and this includes my hometown of York. I had Puerto Rican friends growing up who introduced me to food from their sunny island, such as mofongo, tostones, and arroz con pollo, which means chicken with rice in English.

Arroz con pollo is a caldero dish, which means it is made in a large pot or dutch oven. A caldero, a kind of dutch oven, is a standard item in the Puerto Rican family kitchen.

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