Still lots of work to do down on the farm in winter

As our central Pennsylvania winter slogs onward into the home stretch, have you ever wondered what vegetable/fruit farmers do during the cold months? While things slow down, farmers do not exactly sit around and watch Netflix. They have plenty of chores, and even grow and harvest things.

David Hopey, farm manager for Tait Farm, has lots to do in the winter months. Thanks to high tunnels, Tait Farm can grow more cold-hardy plants and harvest them weekly. “We are a four season farm meaning we grow and harvest crops year round,” Hopey said. “Crops grown in the winter are mainly leafy greens, such as spinach, arugula, mustard greens, claytonia, kale, collards as well as scallions and leeks. All of these crops can be grown in winter in our climate without supplemental heat. These crops are able to grow through winter so long as they are grown in hoop houses or low tunnels.”

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Local Food Notes for Feb. 10

This week’s Local Food Notes has some fun things to do for Valentines weekend and more…

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Recipe: Casserole combines the Pennsylvania flavors of apples, sauerkraut, and kielbasa

Sauerkraut is the quintessential Pennsylvania Dutch food. In William Woy Weaver’s book As American as Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine, Weaver mentions that he has uncovered literally thousands of sauerkraut recipes that are Pennsylvania-based.

While not as popular as it once was, sauerkraut is still a big part of the Pennsylvania diet, even if it’s just as part of a good luck meal at New Year’s. But sauerkraut doesn’t have to be just for special occasions, it can be part of easy-to-make winter weeknight meals.

Sauerkraut goes well with pork, of course, but especially goes well with another Pennsylvania staple, kielbasa. The Polish sausage has a nice smoky flavor that does well with sauerkraut’s sourish tastes.

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Tags: recipe | kilebasa | sauerkraut | apples |

Laugh it up and support Taproot Kitchen tomorrow night

We’re in the mid-winter torpor part of the local food year, so no Local Food Notes this week. However, we did want to mention this great fundraiser put on by Taproot Kitchen tomorrow night at Wisecrackers Comedy Club.

Taproot Kitchen is a community of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, their families, and friends who meet regularly in State College to cook and garden. They grow, pick, glean, preserve, cook, and serve healthy local food.

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