Unpaid Field Hand: Name this Crop

If you are still reeling from failing to identify the asparagus plants in my first blog post, redemption can be yours. The very immature crop pictured above will produce (with some luck) one of the most sought after food items. What surprises me is that despite their popularity (even though they are pricey), they are not difficult to grow. Anyone reading this who has access to a mostly sunny patch can do it. In addition to being delicious, they contain significant amounts of polyphone antioxidants said to fight cancer and other diseases. One source indicates that one cup provides 69% of the daily requirement for vitamin C. 

Continue Reading: Unpaid Field Hand: Name this Crop

Tags: fieldhand | raspberries |

Winner of the Strawberries Recipe Contest

Congratulations to Nancy Cord-Baran of State College! She is the winner of our June strawberries recipe contest and the recipient of a $25 gift certificate to Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering.

Thank you to everyone who participated—continue reading to see all of the strawberries recipe submissions. And stay tuned for the start of our July recipe contest. Details to come!

Continue Reading: Winner of the Strawberries Recipe Contest

Tags: recipecontest | strawberries |

Final Day of the Strawberries Recipe Contest

Strawberry season has sadly come to an end. What is the best thing you made this month with summer’s first berries? Share it today for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Harrison’s Wine Grill in State College. Today is the final day to enter the contest, so submit your recipe now!

Looking for inspiration?

Continue Reading: Final Day of the Strawberries Recipe Contest

Tags: recipecontest | strawberries |

Garlic Harvest

There are several milestones during the year that mark dramatic shifts in the growing season. For me, it’s always the garlic harvest, which coincides with the first full week of summer. The harvest brings to a close the long wait for the king of alliums that started back in November when the final clove was tucked in the ground for the winter.

Garlic is a precise, no-nonsense crop that sticks to its preordained schedule whether you like it or not. It’s not going to wait around for a distracted farmer to fit it in to his daily planner. Wait a week too long and tough luck, it’s on to its next phase of development without so much as a by-your-leave.

Continue Reading: Garlic Harvest

Tags: garlic | farming |