Winter isn’t a quiet time at the farm

It’s too cold for anything to grow or harvest at the farm. Most of the to-do list requires going outdoors. What to do? How about sitting by the fire, eating dark chocolate bonbons, and finishing a fascinating biography of Millard Fillmore to its exciting conclusion?

Alert readers will detect the faint whiff of irony and sarcasm in that introduction. You would be correct. So what might there be to do in late January and early February at Jade Family Farm?

Continue Reading: Winter isn’t a quiet time at the farm

Tags: JadeFamilyFarm |

All you need to know about PASA’s Farming for the Future conference

From our friends at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), all the information you’ll need about the 27th annual Farming for the Future conference, to be held February 7-10 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Two things you need to know right off the bat: pre-conference registration ends January 31, and this is the last year that the event will be held in the State College area. Read on for more details on the event from PASA:

Continue Reading: All you need to know about PASA’s Farming for the Future conference

Tags: PASA | FarmingfortheFuture | conference | registration |

Going to the Pennsylvania Farm Show? Here’s some tips on what to check out

The Pennsylvania Farm Show is in full swing this week, with the final day this Saturday. If you’ve never been to the Farm Show, it’s well worth the trip.

Going to the Farm Show is an educational trip for people of all ages. You get to learn a lot about what Pennsylvania farmers produce, and the challenges inherent in that production.

There’s also lots of fun things, like the sheep-to-shawl competition, baby farm animals, and of course, lots of fantastic local food.

Continue Reading: Going to the Pennsylvania Farm Show? Here’s some tips on what to check out

Tags: 2018FarmShow | tips |

10 local food resolutions for 2018

2018 is just around the corner, and it’s that time of the year again…to make resolutions! Here are 10 easy-to-make resolutions that can not only help you improve your life, but can also have an impact on the local food scene:

Continue Reading: 10 local food resolutions for 2018

Tags: NewYears | resolutions | farmersmarket |

Winter got you down already? You can still get your farmers market fix

The cold winds and snow this week has sent us all a message that’s loud and clear…winter is here in central Pennsylvania and isn’t going away any time soon.

But that doesn’t mean that farmers market time is over for the season. Far from it. Farmers market fans have several indoor options in our region to get their fix.

Continue Reading: Winter got you down already? You can still get your farmers market fix

Tags: winter | farmersmarket |

Get ready for Thanksgiving today at the Boalsburg Farmers Market

If you want to get something local (and delicious) to serve on Thanksgiving, today you can head out to the Boalsburg Farmers Market and find a holiday co-star for your table.

A few things the Boalsburg Market recommends include delicious pies from Ardry Farms, Nomad Kitchen’s soups (great starters for your meal!), and Katina Baklava. But, see below for the complete list of what you will find there today. The market is open in the winter months every Tuesday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the St. John’s United Church of Christ on 218 N. Church Street in Boalsburg.

Continue Reading: Get ready for Thanksgiving today at the Boalsburg Farmers Market

Tags: BoalsburgFarmersMarket | Thanksgiving |

Recipe: Roasted Parsnips with Thyme

Parsnips are a highly underrated vegetable. When roasted, they are sweet, a little earthy, and even a bit spicy.

They are also an underrated example of why local food can be better than supermarket food. If you grow parsnips in your garden or buy them this time of year from a local farmer at say a Farmers Market or via Friends and Farmers Coop’s online market, they have a distinct advantage over the supermarket ones. Why? It’s simple…cold weather exposure.

Continue Reading: Recipe: Roasted Parsnips with Thyme

Tags: parsnips | farmersmarket | recipe | thyme |

Local Food Notes for Nov. 3

The Olde Bedford Beer Festival, The Bishop Carroll Wine Festival, Ales for Tails (support the Clearfield SPCA while enjoying great beer!), and the PA Veterans Farm Trail highlight this week’s Local Food Notes.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Nov. 3

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | beer | wine | farming |

Fall at the Farm

Ever wonder what goes on at a produce farm in October? You might assume that the crops are in and it’s time to lean back and sip some hard cider. For farms growing grain and soybeans, this might be true. For organic produce (and fruit) farms like Jade Family Farm, this is one of the busiest times of the year. 
Our regular harvest share season ended Oct. 24, so we no longer have to harvest and pack some 90 orders per week. But we still offer customers an opportunity to order “a la carte.” The North Atherton Farmers market won’t close until Thanksgiving and the Boalsburg market will be indoors starting Nov. 7 all winter and spring. So we will still be harvesting, going to market, and selling wholesale to several outlets.

Continue Reading: Fall at the Farm

Tags: UnpaidFieldHand | JadeFamilyFarm | autumn |

Attention all bakers: Way Fruit Farm Apple Pie Contest is this Saturday

Time to dust off that amazing apple pie recipe you have stashed away for special occasions, because Way Fruit Farm is hosting its annual Apple Pie Contest on Saturday. Judging will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Entries may be dropped off at Way Fruit Farm on Friday during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and Saturday by 10 a.m. The event is sponsored by First National Bank.

Continue Reading: Attention all bakers: Way Fruit Farm Apple Pie Contest is this Saturday

Tags: applepie | WayFruitFarm |

Ardry Farms’ pumpkin butter recipe is a must try

Ardry Farms in Howard is well-known by farmers market fans, as well they should. They have been a farmers market presence in Central Pennsylvania for more than 80 years, selling a wide variety of local produce and wonderful baked goods.

This time of year, you can find pumpkins sold by them at North Atherton Market, Bellefonte Farmers Market, and Boalsburg Farmers Market, including varieties that are good to eat. Along with pies, you can also make other tasty things with pumpkins, including pumpkin butter. Many people rave about Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter, but Andry Farms has a recipe for it that is even better than ol’ TJ’s. And, it’s very easy to make!

Continue Reading: Ardry Farms’ pumpkin butter recipe is a must try

Tags: recipe | pumpkinbutter | ArdryFarms |

Five Fantastic Local Food Finds

We have so many great things to eat in these parts that are made with local ingredients. Here’s five that I recommend seeking out and trying:

Continue Reading: Five Fantastic Local Food Finds

Tags: Fivefinds | AltoonaFarmersMarket | VillageEatinghouse | WorldsFare | Ottos | Gigi's |

Saturday farmers markets still going strong into fall

You can certainly measure the seasons by what you see at our local farmers markets. The spring onions, greens, radishes, etc. transition to things like green beans, summer squash, tomatoes, corn, and peppers. And now, we begin the shift to fall produce, like pumpkins, apples, and winter squash.

There is nothing quite like going to a farmers market on a relaxing Saturday. Everyone seems to be in a good mood, there’s always something new to find, and you just can’t beat local food.

Here’s a list of local Saturday markets…maybe there’s one on this list you’ve never been to before?:

Continue Reading: Saturday farmers markets still going strong into fall

Tags: farmersmarket | saturday |

How to help the Texas local food community recover from Harvey

Hurricane Harvey will go down in history as one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit the United States. By now you’ve seen the images of flooded homes, of people with what possessions they can save on boats looking for shelter, and of highways under 15 feet of water.

While the human cost is great, much of it has been focused on urban areas. Meanwhile, farmers in southeast Texas and Louisiana have suffered greatly and can use our help.

Continue Reading: How to help the Texas local food community recover from Harvey

Tags: Hurricane | aid | farmers |

Planting fall crops at Jade Family Farm

Now is the time to plant seeds for fall crops. No seeding, no fall crops, less fall income, and painful mortgage payment woes.  So on July 20, John invited yours truly the Unpaid Field Hand, daughter Evelyn, and nephew Matthew to plant 47 flats worth of seeds on his list. Each flat has 128 cells, and my calculator tells me 128 times 47 comes to 6,016 seeds.

It took the three of us working hard about three hours to go through the process. We used organically certified seed starting mix to which we addd organic fertilizer and mixed in a big tub. Each of the 47 flats needs to be filled loosely to the top of each cell, putting one flat on top of the other and pressing down so there is room to put in the seed, inserting the seed, making a marker with the date and variety for each flat, filling the cells in the seed flats loosely to the top, and watering the seeded flats.

Continue Reading: Planting fall crops at Jade Family Farm

Tags: UnpaidFieldHand | fallvegetables | JadeFamilyFarm |

Friends & Farmers Announces “Plow to Plate–A Harvest Dinner” Aug. 23

Enjoy local food, wine and the company of your neighbors at the 2017 Plow to Plate Harvest Dinner sponsored by Friends & Farmers Cooperative and Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery. Proceeds will benefit the Friends & Farmers Co-op Online Market. The event will be held at Mount Nittany Vineyard in Centre Hall from 5:00 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 23.

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Announces “Plow to Plate–A Harvest Dinner” Aug. 23

Tags: plowtoplate | friends&farmers |

FarmFest celebrates 20 years of organic agriculture in Pennsylvania this weekend

Editor’s Note: This is a fantastic event that’s perfect for any local food enthusiast. Come learn about local organic farming, enjoy some wonderful local food, and just have some fun…

Visitors to Pennsylvania Organic FarmFest 2017​, the two-day organic agriculture and sustainable living event, will enjoy a full slate of interactive family activities, live entertainment, local, organic food and craft vendors, and speakers, educational workshops and demonstrations at the Centre County Grange Fairgrounds, Centre Hall, PA, July 28-29.

FarmFest is free and runs Friday, July 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Continue Reading: FarmFest celebrates 20 years of organic agriculture in Pennsylvania this weekend

Tags: FarmFest | organicfarming |

Get delicious blueberries this week at a great price!

Mountainhome Farm needs your help! The blueberry and lamb/goat farm has a bit of a problem…lots of delicious blueberries all ripening at the same time. The farm, located in a beautiful area between Julian and Unionville, offers u-pick blueberries at an amazing $2.75 a quart, and they do not want to waste a single berry.

That said, farm owners JoAnn and John Sengle sent a request to let people know that this week, starting at 6:00 p.m. until dusk daily, blueberry picking is available. And these are fantastic blueberries, tasty, sweet, and large.

Continue Reading: Get delicious blueberries this week at a great price!

Tags: blueberries | mountainhomefarm | u-pick |

Local Food Notes for June 23

Local Food Notes for June 23 includes Bee Tree Berry Farm u-pick, “bites on boards” at Tait Farm, beer and wine tasting in Tyrone, and a gardening seminar put on by Penn State’s Student Farm and the Lemont Barn.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for June 23

Tags: LocalFoodnotes | TaitFarm | Tyrone | beer | wine | gardening | BeeTree |

Pick your favorite berries and discover new ones at Bee Tree Berry Farm

The Bee Tree Berry Farm is a berry lovers’ dream.

Not only does the farm offer “standard” berries like strawberries, red and black raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but other types you might not find in a grocery store, such as gooseberries, elderberries, and currants. While the farm is a berry lovers’ dream, it is also the realization of a dream of its owners, Mark and Laura MacDonald.

Continue Reading: Pick your favorite berries and discover new ones at Bee Tree Berry Farm

Tags: BeeTreeBerryFarm | berries |

Local Food Notes for June 16

This week’s Local Food Notes includes PA on the Patio, Tait Farm celebrates 30 years of tasty shrubs, a fantastic event to take Dad to for Father’s Day, and a Juneteenth celebration in Huntingdon.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for June 16

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | Father'sDay | TaitFarm | |

Five local food items for your Memorial Day Weekend cookout table

Memorial Day is the kickoff for summer, and many of us will be hosting or attending cookouts. Our local food bounty deserves a place at your cookout table, and here’s five items you can find at our regional Friday and Saturday farmers markets. Seek them out, and support your local food community.

Continue Reading: Five local food items for your Memorial Day Weekend cookout table

Tags: MemorialDay | farmersmarkets | grilling |

Some of what you need to know about rhubarb but didn’t think to ask

When I was just a lad, I arranged a field trip for my environmental politics class to visit Tait Farm.  I’ll never forget one young lass’s amazement upon learning that carrots do not appear magically at the supermarket, the product of spontaneous generation in a cellophane bag.  She learned that they grow in the ground!  You can even pull them up, brush off the soil, and eat them.
So it’s no wonder I am curious about how much some of our farmers market customers know about where rhubarb comes from.  Obviously, it must be from our farm, and it sure looks like a stalk.  What might not be so clear is what goes into growing it.  So I’ll show you thanks to the magic of pictures.

Continue Reading: Some of what you need to know about rhubarb but didn’t think to ask

Tags: UnpaidFieldHand | farming | rhubarb |

Clan Stewart Farm hit hard by Monday’s storms; how you can help them recover

In just 15 minutes, one of Central Pennsylvania’s oldest working farms took the hardest blow from nature it has ever felt in its history. And they need our help to recover.

The more than 200-year-old, 8th-generation Clan Stewart Farm, located roughly between Huntingdon and State College in Huntingdon County, was one of the victims of Monday’s severe weather that spawned a confirmed tornado near Rebersburg and brought down trees and wires throughout the county. Straight-line winds were likely what hit the Clan Stewart Farm, and they did plenty of damage.

Continue Reading: Clan Stewart Farm hit hard by Monday’s storms; how you can help them recover

Tags: ClanStewartFarm | GoFundMe |

Local Food Notes for April 21

This week we have Way Fruit Farm’s Apple Blossom Festival, Elk Creek Cafe’s Earth Day 71 Mile Dinner, gardening stuff from The Garden nursery in Centre Hall, and herb tasting at Tait Farm.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for April 21

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | TaitFarm | WayFruitFarm | ElkCreek | TheGarden |

Local Food Notes for April 7

This week’s Local Food Notes features Mike McGrath’s weekend appearances to benefit WPSU, Way Fruit Farm’s Easter hams and baked goods and how to order them, how Tait Farm can help make your Easter table shine, and a fantastic music set at Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks Saturday night.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for April 7

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | TaitFarm | WayFruitFarm | ElkCreek | WPSU |

Friends & Farmers Coop holds Souper Sunday Soup Swap

Love soup? Love making soup? Then here’s the event for you.

Friends & Farmers Cooperative will hold its Souper Sunday Soup Swap at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Meetinghouse on Atherton in State College. A shared meal will be provided by Tap Root Kitchen.

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Coop holds Souper Sunday Soup Swap

Tags: FriendsandFarmers | soup |

Unpaid Field Hand: Intimations of Spring

Editor’s Note: James wrote this Unpaid Field Hand piece before our sudden spring preview this week, but as we all know, winter likely isn’t dead just yet.

While you might be shivering quietly cursing Punxsutawney Phil and lusting for spring, the local farmers we rely on for locally grown food are already getting to work. Decisions about what to grow in 2017 are nearly complete, seed ordering is largely done, additional fruit trees and berry plants ordered, and CSA brochures for the coming season printed. The list of uncompleted tasks on the winter “to do” list is barely shorter than in December. The problem is that most of the items are “too far down on the to-do list.”

So the time has come to start getting to work. Onions are “day sensitive,” which means that in order to bulb up, they have to be already growing as the days begin to lengthen. At Jade Family Farm, John and daughter Evelyn began seeding onions in January with lettuce to begin soon.

Continue Reading: Unpaid Field Hand: Intimations of Spring

Tags: UnpaidFieldHand | winter | farming |

Local Food Notes for Jan. 27

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.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Jan. 27

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | wine | TaitFarm | NHC |

Local Food Notes for Jan. 20

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.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Jan. 20

Tags: ElkCreek | LocalFoodNotes | TaitFarm | FarmersMarket |

Local Food Notes for Jan. 13

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.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Jan. 13

Tags: LocalFoodnotes | farmersmarket | PASA |

Spiced cranberry sangria combines local shrub, wine

Editor’s Note: Linda Weaver of Mt. Nittany Vineyard and Winery offers this delicious recipe for a pleasant cocktail full of holiday flavor that features Mt. Nittany wine and cranberry shrub from Tait Farm Foods.

Continue Reading: Spiced cranberry sangria combines local shrub, wine

Tags: recipes | recipe | wine | Mt.NittanyVineyard&Winery | TaitFarm | shrub | holidays |

Local cooking expert to teach NHS students how to make healthy snacks

LaCreta Holland, owner of Happy Valley Learn to Cook and Local Food Journey contributor, is offering her cooking skills and expertise to teach students from the State College NHS school how to cook healthy and tasty after-school/weekend snacks.

The NHS School provides educational programming for autistic students. They are partners with Penguin Packs, a weekend food backpack program started via a partnership between the State College Food Bank and the Faith United Church of Christ.

Continue Reading: Local cooking expert to teach NHS students how to make healthy snacks

Tags: BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Local Food Notes for Nov. 11

First off, Happy Veteran’s Day, and thank you to all who serve or have served in our nation’s armed forces. Here’s Local Food Notes for this week:

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Nov. 11

Tags: localfoodnotes | autumn | TaitFarm | farmersmarket |

Be a high-information voter in the 2016 Friends and Farmers Board Elections

In lieu of our usual weekly local food notes, we figured we would give you some election news (no, not that other election). On Saturday, Friends and Farmers Coop members can vote in person at the Annual Member Meeting, held at the State College Friends School from 4:00-6:30 p.m. All voting will end on Saturday, November 5th at 5:00 p.m. Board candidates will be announced at the Annual Meeting. 

It’s always better to know who your candidates are so you can make an educated choice, and Friends and Farmers have made that easy for you.

Continue Reading: Be a high-information voter in the 2016 Friends and Farmers Board Elections

Tags: FriendsandFarmers |

The work involved getting that great local restaurant food on your fork

Editors Note: This article was originally written for inclusion in Passages, a journal of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.

So, you’re at your favorite farm-to-table/local food hotspot, awaiting your meal. Let’s say you ordered grilled rainbow trout, raised at a fish farm 15 miles down the road. On the side, you got garlic smashed potatoes made with ingredients that first sprouted at a farm 11 miles away, and a mixed sauteed vegetable dish that features veggies from a farmette just five miles down the road.

Sounds good and now you’re hungry, right?

Continue Reading: The work involved getting that great local restaurant food on your fork

Tags: Localfood | farmtotable | Millworks |

Penn State Student Farm Fall Festival coming Sept. 7

The Penn State Student Farm is quite an endeavor; we wrote about them on Local Food Journey and WPSU did a radio piece on them. Tucked away just off I-99, you’ve probably have driven right past the farm and never knew it.

Well, here’s your chance to visit the farm on Wednesday, Sept. 7 for the Penn State Student Farm Harvest Festival. The event will be held at the farm from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Continue Reading: Penn State Student Farm Fall Festival coming Sept. 7

Tags: farming | PennState | StudentFarm | sustainability | event |

So you grow the best tomatoes ever, eh? Here’s your chance to prove it

Nothing beats homegrown tomatoes, and of course, everyone thinks they grow the best ones. Really, the argument is sort of moot because any garden tomato is pretty great, but here’s your chance to prove to central PA who has the best. This Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Tait Farm Foods will hold their annual Tomato Festival, featuring a variety of tomato contests, including a home-grown tomato taste-off.

Continue Reading: So you grow the best tomatoes ever, eh? Here’s your chance to prove it

Tags: tomato | cooking | TaitFarm |

Revival Kitchen lives up to the hype and takes the Golden Basket Award

Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed a steady building of buzz about a restaurant down in the Amish country of Reedsville. Revival Kitchen, a farm-to-table spot over the ridge down 322 from State College, has steadily built a reputation as a go-to location for excellent, creative food made from local ingredients.

And all that growing chit-chat about a small restaurant that is a must-try was backed up at yesterday’s Golden Basket Awards, as first-timer Quintin Wicks of Revival Kitchen took the top prize at the event held at the Boalsburg Farmers Market. As a four-time judge of this six-year-old showcase of both local food and local chefs, I can attest that his win was during one of the toughest years for judging this contest, as all of the dishes were first-rate.

Continue Reading: Revival Kitchen lives up to the hype and takes the Golden Basket Award

Tags: GoldenBasketAwards | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

6th Annual Golden Basket Chef Competition at Boalsburg Farmers’ Market

Local chefs from Central Pennsylvania’s finest dining establishments will compete for the Boalsburg Farmers Market Sixth Annual Golden Basket Award on Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This event is held by the Boalsburg Farmers’ Market and is part of PASA’s (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) “Local Foods Week.” The event features chefs preparing several dishes from ingredients produced by Boalsburg Farmers’ Market vendors. 

The chefs gather their ingredients at the market, then prepare their plates for submission to the judges in front of market guests. The chefs have only 45 minutes to assemble the dishes. After the judges have tasted and scored all of the chef’s offerings, an awards ceremony is held to announce the new Golden Basket winner. While the chefs are preparing, market-goers can watch them work and enjoy free samples.

Continue Reading: 6th Annual Golden Basket Chef Competition at Boalsburg Farmers’ Market

Tags: GoldenBasketAwards | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Penn State Student Farm grows awareness of sustainability, local food

Editor’s Note: Local Food Journey was experiencing tech issues, but we are back after our unscheduled break. Thanks for your patience.

One of Penn State’s best kept secrets is the fact that the University has a student-run farm. Located near where Fox Hollow Road runs under US 322, this summer is the first growing season for the Student Farm Club.

This season marks the return of the student run farm after a few decades, as the previous student farm was transferred to a faculty-led program in 1989. The farm features tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, basil, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.

Continue Reading: Penn State Student Farm grows awareness of sustainability, local food

Tags: farming | PennState | StudentFarm | sustainability |

Friends & Farmers Cooperative finds out how the cheese is made

You might love cheese, but do you know how it’s made? Ever wonder how the process goes that changes milk into delicious cheese, and how that process is done safely?

Our local food pals over at Friends & Farmers Cooperative recently visited Clover Creek Cheese Cellar LLC down in Morrison’s Cove region of Blair County, and posted a photo essay that gives you a behind-the-scenes peek of the cheese making process from cow to counter.

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Cooperative finds out how the cheese is made

Tags: Friends&FarmersCoop | cheese | CloverCreek |

Local Food Notes for June 24

Pick-your-own raspberries and strawberries, Tait Farm Foods cocktail session, Caitlin’s Smiles benefit at Big Springs Spirits, and Elk Creek’s Sunday music series, all in this week’s Local Food Notes

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for June 24

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | strawberries | raspberries | TaitFarm | ElkCreek | BigSpring |

Six must-have local food items for your Memorial Day table

What a time to be a locavore. The farmers market season is now in full swing and we have the unofficial official start of summer, Memorial Day, coming up. There’s so many things that are grown and produced locally that this list could go on and on, but here’s six items that definitely deserve a place on your Memorial Day table. All of these can be found at farmers markets such as Bellefonte Farmers Market, Friday Downtown State College Farmers Market, North Atherton Farmers Market, and the Millheim Farmers Market.

Continue Reading: Six must-have local food items for your Memorial Day table

Tags: farmersmarket | picnic | MemorialDay |

Friends & Farmers Cooperative Online Market to host Bike Delivery Day on May 24

Friends & Farmers Cooperative is getting into the spirit of Centre Region’s May Bike Month by offering bike delivery services for some of its Online Market orders on Tuesday, May 24. (See attached flyer)

The Online Market is open noon Fridays to noon Mondays. This week, downtown customers and businesses can opt for bike delivery by adding “Deliver by Bike Please” in the comment section of their order.

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Cooperative Online Market to host Bike Delivery Day on May 24

Tags: Friends&FarmersCoop | bicycling | BikeMonth |

The Who, What, When, Where: Festa-Nic Central Pa Culinary Showcase

By Melanie Phillips, Village Eatinghouse Artisan Foods

It’s the WHY…that makes Festa-Nic special.

Central Pennsylvania has an abundance of large and small specialty food and beverage manufacturers making high quality consumer goods that help to fuel our local economy and support our families and our communities. Friends & Farmers Co-op is our non-profit fundraiser partner and they are helping to fuel the excitement and participation in Festa-Nic.   

Continue Reading: The Who, What, When, Where: Festa-Nic Central Pa Culinary Showcase

Tags: Festa-Nic | event | Friends&FarmersCoop | VillageEatinghouse |

Farmer survey: Untreated/raw manure use on produce farms

Editor’s Note: Recently, PASA sent out a letter requesting farmers to take a survey on how they are using untreated or raw manure on their farm. Given the environmental importance to the local food community (and beyond), we are sharing this letter here. If you are a farmer, please take time to read the following and then participate in the survey. Thanks!

PASA and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) are looking for information to better understand how farmers are using untreated or raw manure on their farms. We’re asking for this now because the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently asking for information regarding on-farm use of manure, as well as existing scientific research on the subject.

Continue Reading: Farmer survey: Untreated/raw manure use on produce farms

Tags: PASA | survey | farms |

Altoona’s Night Market tonight will celebrate local food with three farmers markets in one

Tonight, Altoona will throw quite a celebration of local food.

From 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the Altoona Downtown Night Market will be held on 11th Avenue between 12th and 15th Street. The Night Market will feature three farmers markets, food and other vendors, and live entertainment including a “Kids Zone.”

Continue Reading: Altoona’s Night Market tonight will celebrate local food with three farmers markets in one

Tags: Altoona | farmersmarket | event |

Farmers Market Preview: Tuesday State College and Boalsburg Farmers Market

While there are several farmers markets in this area that run year-round, the first day of outdoor farmers market season is always a reason for celebration. While the first few market sessions may be on the chilly side, it’s the promise of warmer days ahead and the great produce it brings that is a big reason for optimism. Two markets kick off their outdoor season today, the Tuesday Downtown State College one, and the Boalsburg version.

Continue Reading: Farmers Market Preview: Tuesday State College and Boalsburg Farmers Market

Tags: farmersmarket | boalsburg | statecollege |

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

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 Kiva’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 Zip’s loan parameters and requirements, the application and crowdfunding process, and tips on how to quickly and successfully crowdfund a Kiva Zip loan.

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

Tags: PASA | farmloans | |

How Plowshare Produce prepares for a new season

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.

Continue Reading: How Plowshare Produce prepares for a new season

Tags: PlowshareProduce | farm |

Celebrate spring and think of summer with a rhubarb mojito

A friend of mine is something of an amateur mixologist, or cocktail creator. A year ago during a visit, I introduced him to shrubs, the delightful fruit/sugar/vinegar concoction that has made something of a comeback. Originally a way to preserve harvests in Colonial times, shrubs are definitely back in Central Pennsylvania thanks to Tait Farm Foods. Tait Farm offers a variety of shrub flavors, such as lemon, ginger, raspberry, apple, and rhubarb. The main purpose of shrubs is as part of a beverage.

Now, you don’t have to drink alcohol to enjoy shrubs; in fact, they are quite nice with just tonic water or ginger ale. However, they make a great mixer for alcoholic drinks, and when my friend was visiting, we brainstormed a drink for rhubarb. It was a warm April day when he was up, so we came up with a sort of rhubarb mojito.

Continue Reading: Celebrate spring and think of summer with a rhubarb mojito

Tags: recipe | rhubarb | rum | cocktail | mint | TaitFarm |

What does Penn State Ag Extension do?

As you likely have heard by now, Penn State President Eric Barron told university trustees at the regular meeting last Friday in Hershey that 1,100 agricultural extension employees face potential layoffs if the current Pennsylvania budget fight isn’t resolved. Along with being a tremendous source of stress for those employees, these layoffs would be a blow to Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry.

While you are of course a fan of local food, you may not be aware of exactly what a university extension office does, and why they are important. They offer a variety of services for not just farmers, but for the entire state since a lot of the food you eat is grown, raised, and/or produced in Pennsylvania. These services range from food safety to business support for small farmers to sharing research on health, gardening, and improving our food system with the public.

So, the Penn State Extension is an important part in not just farmers’ lives, but all of our lives. Here are some examples:

Continue Reading: What does Penn State Ag Extension do?

Tags: extension | farmers | PennState |

Boalsburg Farmers Market now accepts SNAP benefits

The Boalsburg Farmers’ Market is proud to announce that SNAP EBT (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) are now accepted at this local year-round market.

This program allows SNAP customers to get fresh local fruits and vegetables along with baked goods, eggs, plants that produce edible foods, honey, meat and more.  It is an all around win for the market, consumers, and farmers.

“We will be the first farmer’s market in Centre County to accept SNAP benefits, but we don’t want to be the last. We are hoping that our program will serve as a successful pilot for other area markets. The goal is that everyone in our community will have equal access to healthy, local foods”, says Sarah Potter, who works with the market to do programming and outreach.

Continue Reading: Boalsburg Farmers Market now accepts SNAP benefits

Tags: Boalsburgfarmersmarket | SNAP |

PASA 25th annual Farming for the Future kicks off today, continues through Saturday

The 25th Annual Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) Farming for the Future Conference is underway starting today and will run through Saturday at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. The event’s theme is “Farming in a Changing Climate”, and will feature climate expert Richard Alley and agricultural sustainability expert and author Laura Lengnick.

If you missed pre-event registration, no worries, as walk-in registration for one, two, or three days of the conference is available starting tomorrow. You can find rates for the event here.

Continue Reading: PASA 25th annual Farming for the Future kicks off today, continues through Saturday

Tags: PASA | FarmingfortheFutureconference | climatechange |

State College winter farmers market an oasis from winter chill and gloom

Editor’s note: This is the first piece by our new Local Food Journey intern, Alexandrea Scott, a Penn State communications major.

If you’re the type of person who prefers fresh grown vegetables, homemade jam, organic beauty products, or in the mood for some Alaskan salmon, this is the place for you. The Winter Farmers Market, in downtown State College, takes place every Friday at the State College Municipal Building, located on 243 Allen St. It starts at 11:30 a.m. and goes all day till 5:00 p.m.

Continue Reading: State College winter farmers market an oasis from winter chill and gloom

Tags: winter | farmersmarket |

Let root vegetables win you over by roasting them

Well, winter just reminded us this week who’s boss, as we had our first snow (record latest first snow) and bitter chill to go with it. Believe it or not, even in the depths of winter, you can still find local produce, especially root vegetables.

Root vegetables get sort of a bad rap, because many people have a memory of boiled canned beets being forced on them by a well-meaning mother. However, roasted root vegetables are on a different level.

Where to find local root vegetables? Indoor markets like Boalsburg, Millheim, and State College have vendors who sell root vegetables this time of year (they tend to be easy to store). Another good source is the Friends & Farmers online market, which carries a variety of root vegetables by local farmers such as Tait Farm and Jade Family Farm.

Once you acquire them, roasting them is fairly simple. Here’s a recipe that is easy to put together and really brings out the best quality of roasted root vegetables: The sweetness!

Continue Reading: Let root vegetables win you over by roasting them

Tags: wintervegetables | recipe | FriendsandFarmers | farmersmarket |

Local Food Notes for Jan. 8

Happy New Year! This week Local Food Notes highlights the Farm Show, indoor farmers markets, how to get Healthy Harvest Farm shares by working the Earth, and PASA’s Farming for the Future Conference.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Jan. 8

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | FarmShow | farmersmarket | HealthyHarvestFarm | PASA |

A Farm Show guide for newbies

Pennsylvania has a long agricultural history. The Nittany Valley was originally settled due to the rich farm land in the area, and Penn State was founded as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania in 1855. In fact, one of the images one thinks of when they think of Pennsylvania is the Amish farmer in Lancaster County, an image exploited by the tourist industry. So, it’s no wonder that one of the main events of the year in our state is the Pennsylvania Farm Show, held Jan. 8-16 in at the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. This year is special, as The Farm Show celebrates its 100th year.

If you’ve never been to the Farm Show, it’s definitely worth the trip. You likely have at least a little bit of interest in farming given you’re reading this blog, and the Farm Show basically is all of Pennsylvania’s agriculture world in one place for an entire week. The event is also very family friendly and kids love it; I can remember how much I liked going as a kid, and grew up in an urban environment in York.

It can be a little overwhelming; this is not a small event by any means and the Farm Show Complex is rather sprawling. So, how to tackle a day at the Farm Show? Here’s some tips to help you get the most out of your Farm Show experience:

Continue Reading: A Farm Show guide for newbies

Tags: FarmShow | guide |

Local Food Notes for Dec. 11

This week we have a lot of holiday-themed stuff to do, including a holiday open house at Mt. Nittany Winery, Bellefonte Victorian Christmas, Holiday Fest at McCann School of Art, and yet another great Tait Farm tasting.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Dec. 11

Tags: holidays | wine | TaitFarm | Bellefonte | LocalFoodNotes |

Outdoor farmers markets winding down, indoor markets starting

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:

Continue Reading: Outdoor farmers markets winding down, indoor markets starting

Tags: Fall | farmersmarket | indoormarket |

Local Food Notes for Oct. 30

This week we offer a way to eat well and help Friends & Farmers, celebrate 13 years of zany Austrian food experiences at Herwig’s, and how you gardeners can save big at Tait Farm.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Oct. 30

Tags: TaitFarm | LocalFOodNotes | Friends&Farmers | gardening |

Future is bright for Friends & Farmers Cooperative

On Oct. 16, Friends & Farmers Cooperative had a strong turnout for their second annual membership meeting. While this was great news for Friends & Farmers’ board, the bigger picture is even brighter for the local cooperative, which is still working towards a goal of local food grocery store in the State College area.

For starters, Friends & Farmers received a $93,000 grant for its online market from the United States Department of Agriculture. “The grant will help increase the market share and visibility of local food,” Michele Marchetti, Friends & Farmers board member, said. “Basically, it’s going to support three activities.”

Continue Reading: Future is bright for Friends & Farmers Cooperative

Tags: Friends&Farmers |

Friends & Farmers Cooperative to hold 2015 Membership Meeting on Oct. 16

Are you a local foodie who would love it if there was a grocery store in Central Pennsylvania for local products? Then here’s some good news from the Friends & Farmers Cooperative about the perfect event for you, happening this week.:

All are welcome at Friends & Farmers Cooperative’s 2015 Membership Meeting on Friday, Oct. 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County. Enjoy local food samplings, kids activities from The Makery, silent auction and raffle give-aways, and an exciting update on Friends & Farmers’ progress toward opening a member-owned grocery store with a focus on local products. RSVP for the meeting here.

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Cooperative to hold 2015 Membership Meeting on Oct. 16

Tags: friends&farmers | membershipmeeting |

Friends & Farmers Cooperative Online Market recieves major USDA grant

The United States Department of Agriculture announced that the Friends & Farmers Cooperative Online Market received a $92,000 USDA grant to increase local food consumption and production in Centre County.

Friends & Farmers Cooperative plays a vital and growing role in the burgeoning local food movement. In one year, its retail Online Market has sold more than $70,000 worth of locally grown and produced food. The Online Market is a stepping stone to the co-op’s planned brick and mortar store. Owned and financed by the community, this store will source as much as possible from farmers within 50 miles of State College.

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Cooperative Online Market recieves major USDA grant

Tags: friends&farmers | USDA | onlinebuying | grant |

Five great fall farmers market items

We are in the home stretch of the outdoor farmers market season. Soon, the cold winds and snow will make Central Pennsylvania more a place for skiers and snowmobilers than outdoor farmers market browsers. But, for many area markets, we still have about a month or so to go, and you can still find some great local food among the falling leaves and autumn chill. Here’s five examples:

Continue Reading: Five great fall farmers market items

Tags: Fall | farmersmarket |

Brazilian Munchies is the result of an international love story

Anna Lombardo contributed to this story

Back on Christmas Day 2012, Flavia Barger came to America from Brazil to join her American husband. While it’s quite a good love story, Flavia becoming a resident of the U.S. was also a great thing for local foodies.

Flavia runs Brazilian Munchies, a local food business that specializes in, of course, Brazilian food. You likely have seen them at farmers markets such as the Boalsburg Farmers Market, Lemont Farmers Market, Susquehanna Valley Growers’ Market in Lewisburg, and the Millheim Farmers Market, or at any of a number of local events. If you haven’t tried their food, then you’re definitely missing out on some good eats, especially their main specialty, a cheese bread called Pao de Queijo. “It’s naturally gluten-free, made with manioc starch. Manioc is a root we grow in Brazil,” Flavia said. “I didn’t find manioc starch around here. We can find similar products, tapioca flour, cassava flour, but not the real manioc starch. So I buy online from a company in Florida that imports from Brazil and re-sells to me.”

Continue Reading: Brazilian Munchies is the result of an international love story

Tags: BrazillianMunchies | farmersmarket |

How your favorite peppers get from farm to market is trickier than you think

Have you ever thought about how the beautiful peppers you see at farmers markets got there? 

“The farmer brought them in his van” isn’t the sort of answer I’m looking for. I got to thinking about this the other day as I was harvesting peppers. Unless you are a home gardener or your parents had a garden (that you undoubtedly refused to help weed) when you were growing up, you may well have little idea. This serious deficiency is about to be remedied, thanks to the ole’ Unpaid
Field Hand.

Continue Reading: How your favorite peppers get from farm to market is trickier than you think

Tags: UnpaidFieldHand | peppers | JadeFamilyFarm |

Plow to Plate Dinner to be held Aug. 26

The Boalsburg Farmers’ Market and Mt. Nittany Winery present the fourth annual “Plow to Plate”. This local foods dinner is an evening to celebrate food, farmers, and community. There will be a variety of dishes prepared by our area’s best chefs from fresh ingredients obtained at the Boalsburg Farmers Market. Zola’s, Gigi’s and Webster’s chefs will all be there. Wednesday, August 26th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Mt. Nittany Winery, 300 Houser Rd, Centre Hall, PA 16828. The cost for the dinner is $25 per ticket, with kids under 12 are free. Tickets are available at the Boalsburg Farmers Market and Webster’s Bookstore and Cafe.
For questions or further information, contact Sarah Potter at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Continue Reading: Plow to Plate Dinner to be held Aug. 26

Tags: PlowtoPlate | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Local Food Notes for Aug. 14

Bellefonte Arts and Craft Fair, State College Brew Expo, Tait Farm’s Annual Tomato Festival, and an award-winning meal at Harrison’s Wine Grill and Catering highlight this week’s Local Food Notes.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for Aug. 14

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | TaitFarm | Bellefonte | Harrison's | BrewExpo |

Golden Basket Awards showcases our amazing local food scene

Last week at this time, I was one of several judges at the Boalsburg Farmers Market’s annual Golden Basket Awards. Among the chefs competing included Jeremiah McClanahan of Fasta & Ravioli Co.; Mike Benjamin of Benjamin’s Catering; last year’s champ, Kirsch McMaster of the Nittany Lion Inn; Andrew Hufnagel of Zola Kitchen & Wine Bar; a new-to-the-area chef, Erin Snyder, Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks; and an established innovator in cuisine made with local ingredients, Harrison Schailey from Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering.

I know, tough job, trying all this amazing food made by talented chefs, using the freshest of local ingredients. We chose Chef Harrison as the overall winner, he made us a remarkable grilled filet of beef, with au gratin potatoes from Clan Stewart farm and a fantastic arugula and fresh corn salad. He also made his famous gazpacho; if you’ve never had it, I recommend getting it at your next visit to his restaurant.

Continue Reading: Golden Basket Awards showcases our amazing local food scene

Tags: GoldenBasket | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Local chefs + local food = amazing flavors at this year’s Golden Basket Awards

The fifth annual Golden Basket Awards will be held today, August 4, at the Boalsburg Farmers Market. The cooking will start at around 2:15 p.m. and the awards will be given out at around 4:30 p.m.

As always, the chefs will use ingredients found in the market. The event is designed to show off our local culinary creativity, and to inspire the local community to use local ingredients to create their own kitchen masterpieces. To help with the inspiration, there will be a limited supply of samples for market attendees to try.

The chefs competing the event include, in order of when they will start cooking:

Continue Reading: Local chefs + local food = amazing flavors at this year’s Golden Basket Awards

Tags: GoldenBasket | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Celebrate our area’s tasteful bounty during Local Foods Week Aug. 2-8

The 10th annual Local Foods Week, organized by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), will be held during the upcoming week. Beginning on Sunday August 2, and running through Saturday, August 8, a host of events—all focusing on local food—will take place in the State College area.

Participating restaurants will offer deals and specials throughout the week. According to PASA’s website, Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering, located at 1221 E. College Avenue, will donate 20 percent of a customer’s check when they mention PASA. Harrison’s is a Buy Fresh Buy LocalⓇ partner, which means that they have “made a commitment to feature local foods and to support local producers,” according to the organization’s website. PASA coordinates the efforts of Buy Fresh Buy LocalⓇ in Pennsylvania. 

Continue Reading: Celebrate our area’s tasteful bounty during Local Foods Week Aug. 2-8

Tags: LocalFoodsWeek | FarmTour |

Local Chefs Compete for Boalsburg Farmers Market’s 5th Annual Golden Basket Awards

Six local chefs from Central Pennsylvania’s finest dining establishments will compete for the Boalsburg Farmers Market Fifth Annual Golden Basket Award on Tuesday, Aug. 4.  This event is held by the Boalsburg Farmers Market and is part of PASA’s (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) “Local Foods Week”. The event features chefs preparing a main dish and two sides from ingredients produced by Boalsburg Farmers Market vendors. 

The chefs gather their ingredients at the market, then prepare their plates for submission to the judges in front of market guests. The chefs have only 45 minutes to assemble the dishes. After the judges have tasted and scored all of the chef’s offerings, an awards ceremony is held to announce the new Golden Basket winner.

Continue Reading: Local Chefs Compete for Boalsburg Farmers Market’s 5th Annual Golden Basket Awards

Tags: GoldenBasket | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Rainy summer leads to challenges for growers at Tait Farms

30 days of rain: when my sister, a rising freshman at Penn State, arrived for her orientation during the first weekend of July, this is what they told her. While since that weekend State College has had some relief from the wetness—notably, Arts Fest weekend saw sunny skies and high temperatures—since then, some inevitable showers and storms have passed through the area. The continual precipitation not only poses problems for those people worried about a potentially frizzy hair day (me), but also for another, unexpected group: farmers.

It seems strange that too much water could be an issue for food growers, but in fact it is a serious threat. Certain crops are susceptible to unusually wet weather, and depending on what a farmer grows, excess rain can destroy an entire yield. Kim Tait, from Tait Farm Foods in Centre Hall, tells me that when there is a lot of rain, tomatoes in particular are a cause for concern. 

Continue Reading: Rainy summer leads to challenges for growers at Tait Farms

Tags: TaitFarms | summer | farming |

These berries are a well-kept, delicious local food secret

I’m passionate about all things relating to local food (a shocking surprise to folks who know me), including eating it. And if it is organic even better. And if its fruit better still. And if it is the fruit pictured above, well it’s a toss-up between them and raspberries in my book. 

From our experience displaying them at the Jade Family Farm stand at local markets, most people have never tasted one. In fact, most don’t know what they are. The most common answer for the uninitiated is “grapes?” People who lived in Europe or England recognize (and prize) them instantly. And for good reason. They are absolutely wonderful, with a complex blend of sweetness and tartness that make them a delight to eat raw or in jams or pies or as a sauce for fowl, beef, or pork, or to spice up a salad, or…well, the list goes on. I can’t think of a more spectacular food that is virtually unknown here, though currants, paw paws, and persimmons would all be runner ups.

Continue Reading: These berries are a well-kept, delicious local food secret

Tags: gooseberries | JadeFamilyFarm |

Strawberry season nearing end, but there’s still time!

It’s strawberry season and I could not be happier! The strawberries in my garden are ripe enough to pick everyday, despite the chipmunk that wants to eat them—he sometimes sneaks under our chicken wire fence to sample a few! The strawberries look lovely at the various farmers markets and the PA strawberries that are being sold in local grocery stores are plump and juicy!

Way Fruit Farm is a great place to take the family for strawberry picking. But with all the rain, the strawberries might have a shorter season this year, as a recent e-mail from them informed. So get there soon for the best berries.

Continue Reading: Strawberry season nearing end, but there’s still time!

Tags: recipe | strawberries | WayFruitFarm |

Lemont Farmers Market offers local food variety in picturesque, friendly setting

One of the more scenic and interesting communities in Central Pennsylvania is the quaint town of Lemont. Artsy, friendly, historic, and filled with beautiful old houses, it stands to reason that they would have a farmers market. It just makes sense.

The Lemont Farmers Market is a relatively new market in our area, and it’s also one of the most picturesque ones. The market was founded in 2012 by the Lemont Village Association and is located at the John I. Thompson Grain Elevator and Coal Sheds, known to most in the area simply as The Granary. Built in 1885, The Granary was originally constructed for storing grain and for a place for trains to deposit coal. Today, the coal shed part of The Granary makes for a unique and beautiful location for a farmers market. “We have such a perfect site for a farmers market,” said Susan Smith, chair of Lemont Village Association board.

Continue Reading: Lemont Farmers Market offers local food variety in picturesque, friendly setting

Tags: LemontFarmersMarket |

One great local food weekend on the way

With the weather looking downright summery and generally sunny, this weekend looks to be a great time to get out and about to sample some of the best local food in our area. Here are some ideas:

Continue Reading: One great local food weekend on the way

Tags: weekend | farmersmarket |

Local food notes for April 24

Farmers markets are opening (despite the chill), Mt. Nittany Winery’s 25th Anniversary Dinner, Wine trail, learn how to grow herbs at Tait Farms, and Friends & Farmers looking for delivery drivers. Read on to learn more:

Continue Reading: Local food notes for April 24

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | farmersmarket | herbs | gardening | friends&farmers |

A visit to the farmers of Groundwork Farms CSA

On April 2, a day that promised spring with mild breezes after a late-season snow, I visited two eastern Centre County farms at the invite of Nell Hanssen, the coordinator of Groundwork Farms CSA. The farms were Spring Bank Acres and Shady Locust Produce, both located in the beautiful countryside around Mlllheim, Aaronsburg, and Rebersburg.

First, a bit about Groundwork Farms CSA. The CSA offers food from the Penns Creek Watershed region to individuals, restaurants, and grocery stores in Centre and Union Counties. Originally limited to produce, the CSA now offers vegetables, berries, herbs, bread, flowers, dairy products, eggs, and meats. Even in the winter, CSA buyers can receive dairy products, bread, eggs, winter soups, and in-season produce. There are also opportunities to buy local fruit, flour, mushrooms, canned goods, and honey. Really, they offer a complete package of local food.

Among the local food producers in the CSA are Shady Locust Produce, King Family Farm, Halflinger Farm, Crystal Hollow Farm, and Spring Bank Acres. The two farms I visited, Spring Bank Acres and Shady Locust Produce, are Amish-run.

Continue Reading: A visit to the farmers of Groundwork Farms CSA

Tags: Groundworks | CSA | farmers |

Opening of outdoor farmers market season nears

While you can find indoor versions of the State College, Millheim, and Boalsburg Farmers Market still going strong, the mild-ish weather recently has many people pining for the warm season and one big part of the friendly-weather months are farmers markets. Believe it or not, we are mere weeks away from the openings of our selection of farmers markets.

For those of you who want to mark your calendar, here’s a handy list of the markets that have announced their openings:

Continue Reading: Opening of outdoor farmers market season nears

Tags: farmersmarket | opening | summer | spring |

Jade Family Farm gets spring planting season underway

By Emily Edling, WPSU Local Food Journey intern

While it hasn’t been feeling much like spring, warmer weather is surely on its way, and the staff of the Jade Family Farm is hard at work to prepare for the spring season.

Even though it still feels like winter some days, especially with the snowstorm on the first day of spring, that doesn’t mean that farmers get to take a break. There is much preparation that goes into a farm having a successful growing season.

Continue Reading: Jade Family Farm gets spring planting season underway

Tags: JadeFamilyFarm | spring | EmilyEdling |

Apple tree trimming demonstration March 28 at Way Fruit Farm

Those interested in learning how to trim/prune fruit trees can attend Way Fruit Farm’s Apple Tree Trimming Demonstration Saturday, March 28, starting at 10:30 a.m. at the farm located on Route 550 near Stormstown. The workshop is free of charge. 

Attendees will meet in the farm store for a brief presentation and a Q & A session and will then proceed to the orchard across the road from the store for trimming practice. It’s a good idea to prepare for cold and mud as Saturday is forecasted to be pretty chilly. The event is open to both newcomers and previous attendees who find they may have new questions. 

Continue Reading: Apple tree trimming demonstration March 28 at Way Fruit Farm

Tags: apples | treetrimming | WayFruitFarm |

Spring farmers market frittata

Spring is here! (Sort of) While the weather has been chilly and even occasionally snowy, consistent mild weather will be here soon enough. While we are still over a month away from outdoor farmers market season, the indoor farmers markets in State College, Millheim, and Boalsburg are still operating. In fact, some signs of spring such as early season greens are starting to show up, including perhaps the ultimate spring green, spinach.

This recipe pairs spinach with other items you might find at a farmers market this time of year. Frittatas are an easy meal to make and are delicious for any meal, especially a weekend brunch. This frittata combines ham, smoked gouda, and spinach to make for a tasty and quick meal.

Continue Reading: Spring farmers market frittata

Tags: recipe | farmersmarket | eggs | cheese | spinach |

Friends & Farmers Cooperative now offering local food delivery via online market

Friends & Farmers Cooperative, which is working to open a member-owned cooperative store that will specialize in local, sustainably-produced products, began home-delivery service for its Online Market on March 17. Customers in zip codes 16801 and 16803 (State College), 16851 (Lemont), 16827 (Boalsburg) and 16868 (Pine Grove Mills) can pay $5 to have fresh, locally grown and produced food delivered to their doorsteps.

Friends & Farmers opened the Online Market in November, offering consumers an easy way to purchase items from some of the same local producers participating in central Pennsylvania farmers markets. Launched as a stepping stone to opening a brick and mortar store, the Online Market offers tangible progress toward the Friends & Farmers mission: to support and grow the local food economy, while offering consumers convenient, nutritious and delicious locally grown and produced food.

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Cooperative now offering local food delivery via online market

Tags: Friends&Farmers | delivery |

Local Food Notes for February 20

Even with some of the coldest weather ever recorded in Centre County, there are still things happening in the local food world in central PA. While temperatures are subzero, there are some items below that might warm you with spring thoughts, so keep reading…

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for February 20

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | CSA | FarmersMarket | PhillyFarmandFoodFest |

Warming greek-style pasta bake uses Boalsburg Farmers Market ingredients

Farmers market season never really ends in Central Pennsylvania, it just shifts to a different season. The Millheim Farmers Market, Boalsburg Farmers Market, and the State College Farmers Market are all open until the opening of the “regular” summer farmers market hours.

They are, of course, all indoor, so you won’t have to worry about braving snow and bitter winds. Like in the spring and summer, I find it definitely a good idea to plan out your trip and perhaps look for ingredients for a specific recipe.

This particular recipe is for a tasty Greek-style pasta bake that is quite good with some Gemelli Bakers bread on a cold night. This recipe includes ingredients from Boalsburg Farmers Market vendors.

Continue Reading: Warming greek-style pasta bake uses Boalsburg Farmers Market ingredients

Tags: recipe | farmersmarket | pasta |

Local Food Notes for January 30

Sick of winter yet? Well, we DO live in Central Pennsylvania, where the winters are not exactly mild, but it seems like the last two weeks have been about as rough as it can be around here. Still, the local food community is active, and here’s a few things that are going on:

- The 24th Annual PASA Farming for the Future Conference will be held at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in University Park on Feb. 3-7. The event is a great way for those involved in local food to learn more about the latest innovations in sustainable agriculture, while celebrating the past year and looking to the future. For more information including registration, please go here.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for January 30

Tags: PASA | annualconference | event | TaitFarm | Friends&Farmers |

Food court featuring local food? Find it at the Farm Show

One of the reasons to head down to the Pennsylvania Farm Show is the food. A lot of it is from Pennsylvania sources, so it’s more or less a locavore’s dream: a food court full of local food.

There’s a main food court in the Weis Exposition Hall and an additional food court in the Main Exposition Hall. Both of them have a rather charming town square motive. But what to get?

Well, there’s plenty of choices, and no matter if you are a carnivore, a vegan, or a picky five-year-old, everyone can find something to nosh on. My personal favorites include milk shakes that are ALMOST as good as the Creamery’s; maple sundaes made with real maple syrup from the Pennsylvania Maple Syrup Producers Council; an excellent mushroom soup made by the Pennsylvania Mushroom Growers Cooperative; and for those looking for something very healthy, a broccoli-cauliflower salad from the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association. Not only are these things tasty, the money raised by sales of the food items go to good causes.

Here’s the full list of all the amazing selections:

Continue Reading: Food court featuring local food? Find it at the Farm Show

Tags: FarmShow | food | vegetables | meat | fruit |

Local Food Notes for January 9

Here’s a quick look at the local food world in Central Pennsylvania on this snowy and cold January Friday morning:

- Tomorrow the Pennsylvania Farm Show kicks off for the public and runs through Jan. 17. The Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation, with nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibits, but one of the biggest attractions is about the best food court you’ll ever visit. It features a variety of foods prepared by various Pennsylvania farming associations using local ingredients, including their famous milk shakes.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes for January 9

Tags: CSA | FarmShow | fermentation | Notes |

Head to Boalsburg Farmers Market today for holiday recipe ingredients

For your holiday dinners, it’s always good to try to serve local food. While it’s cold and gloomy and eating local produce is a lot harder to do than when it’s sunny and summery, but the Boalsburg Farmers Market is open today from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and has some local produce options.

Melanie Rosenberger of the Boalsburg Farmers Market has shared with us two delicious side recipes to complement whatever holiday main dish you decide to make.

Continue Reading: Head to Boalsburg Farmers Market today for holiday recipe ingredients

Tags: holiday | squash | kale | recipe | apple | cabbage | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Lots of smells, tastes, and sights to behold at the State College Indoor Farmers Market

When I opened the doors to the State College Municipal Building last Friday, it was a cold, clammy day. I hadn’t seen the sun in what felt like weeks. And yet, as I entered the building and made my first trip to the State College Winter Farmers’ Market, I felt that familiar coziness (perhaps a mixture of good food, electric heat, and pre-holiday cheer?) come over me. It was the indoor market’s first gathering of the season.

Continue Reading: Lots of smells, tastes, and sights to behold at the State College Indoor Farmers Market

Tags: farmersmarket | winter |

Holiday events with a local food twist

There are several holiday events coming up that have a local food angle to them. If you want to celebrate the holiday and support local food vendors, here are several opportunities to do so:

Continue Reading: Holiday events with a local food twist

Tags: holiday | shopping | TaitFarm | Bellefonte | MountNittanyWinery | wine |

Yes, believe it or not, there are still local veggies/fruits ‘in season’

With winter in full swing across the area, it may come as a surprise to many that there are still vegetables and fruits that are “in season” and available via both CSA’s and local farmers markets. Here are some examples of vegetables that are available either due to being able to store them well or because they can be grown in greenhouses:

Continue Reading: Yes, believe it or not, there are still local veggies/fruits ‘in season’

Tags: farmersmarket | winter | rootvegetables | brassicas | apples |

Five local food additions to your Thanksgiving table

It’s likely a bit too late to get a local turkey if you already haven’t, but there are a lot of local food items that you can add to your Thanksgiving table. You still have time to head out and pick them out (although based on the weather forecast might want to do it before Wednesday).

Here are five fine additions to your Thanksgiving table from local food producers:

Continue Reading: Five local food additions to your Thanksgiving table

Tags: Thanksgiving | gluten-free | wine | beverage | bread | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Final day of the season for two popular farmers market

If the brutal cold this week hasn’t got its point across that winter is more or less here, the fact that two outdoor farmers markets having their final day today and tomorrow is the final bit of proof. Soon our stone-faced friend in the picture above will get his winter coat of snow.

Today, the outdoor Downtown State College Farmers Market on Locust Lane closes the season on a chilly note. That market runs today from 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Then tomorrow, the Bellefonte Farmers Market will be open from 8:00 a.m. to noon.

Continue Reading: Final day of the season for two popular farmers market

Tags: farmersmarket | winter |

Way Fruit Farm’s apple cider a real cold-weather treat

Apple cider is one of those cold-weather favorites: steaming cups of the hot, fruity stuff bring back pleasant memories of many a childhood. I always associate it with my family’s annual Christmas tree outing to a local farm in my hometown, where the drink was made on the spot and given out to patrons free of charge (each subsequent refill costs you a quarter). You can find cider in almost any grocery store throughout the year, but there is absolutely nothing like a freshly poured mug of it to warm your hands (and soul).

Continue Reading: Way Fruit Farm’s apple cider a real cold-weather treat

Tags: WayFruitFarm | apples | cider |

Friends & Farmers to hold inaugural membership meeting Oct. 11

Friends & Farmers Cooperative, which is opening a member-owned grocery store that will specialize in local, sustainably-produced products, is holding its inaugural membership meeting this Saturday, Oct. 11, at the State College High School South cafeteria at 2:00 p.m.

The co-op, nearly 300 members strong, will elect a permanent board of directors; hear an update on its progress and future plans, including the upcoming launch of the Friends & Farmers online farmers market; and answer members’ questions.

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers to hold inaugural membership meeting Oct. 11

Tags: FriendsandFarmers |

Friends & Farmers Co-op to Launch Online Marketplace

At the Sept. 3 Friends & Farmers board meeting, the directors reviewed the results of the recent survey and the information gathered by the online market task group, and unanimously voted to launch Friends & Farmers Online as a stepping stone to a brick and mortar store. The task group will determine the operating details and report on progress to the Board monthly, and is authorized to spend up to $6,000 to establish and operate the market for one year. In October 2015 the board will then evaluate the project and determine next steps. The Friends & Farmers Online task group is open to board members, co-op members, and producers; if you’re interested in joining the group to help launch the market, please contact Jim Eisenstein at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). In the near future, we will have more about this on Local Food Journey so stay tuned…

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Co-op to Launch Online Marketplace

Tags: FriendsandFarmers |

Boalsburg Farmers Market to Sponsor Its Third Annual “Plow to Plate” Harvest Dinner on Sept. 10

Fall in Central Pennsylvania brings the bounty, beauty, and variety of the late summer and fall harvest. To celebrate it, the Boalsburg Farmers Market in cooperation with the Mount Nittany Winery is sponsoring its “Plow to Plate Harvest Dinner” featuring the vegetables and fruits that ripen as the last of summer’s crops are replaced by those that thrive in the fall. Some of the best chefs in Happy Valley will prepare main dishes from sustainably produced local meat and poultry, soups and side dishes from tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, okra, garlic, onions, melons, acorn and butternut squash, pumpkins, kale, spinach, lettuce, fall greens, and apples. Guests will also enjoy a variety of wonderful deserts.

Continue Reading: Boalsburg Farmers Market to Sponsor Its Third Annual “Plow to Plate” Harvest Dinner on Sept. 10

Tags: PlowtoPlate | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Local Food Notes, Aug. 29

- First off, we’d like to offer our best wishes for a swift recovery to a Rising Spring Meat Company employee named Billy, who was seriously injured on the job this past Wednesday. You can read more about it below, and you can offer good thoughts and best wishes below at the company’s Facebook page. They posted the following on that page:

“So, our jobs are dangerous. There is a careful line of respect and awe one has to have working around large animals. Even with the most caution, things can still happen - like they did yesterday. One of our guys (actually our very first employee) was seriously injured on the job yesterday. It looks like everything is going to be OK, but it was a tough tough day for the whole crew and as you can imagine, we have been very distracted by this. As we were thinking what this means for the team in the coming weeks while he heals, we realized that there is a whole community of people out there following us and that maybe if we posted this you could send some get well messages for him (Billy) and maybe it could help lift his spirits. He is one of the guys, very much behind the scenes, who is responsible for bringing food to your plates - so even if you don’t know him - he’s probably helped to feed your family! Please help us in wishing Billy well in his recovery!!”

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes, Aug. 29

Tags: LocalFoodNotes | farmersmarket | TaitFarms | Crickfest |

Local Food Notes, August 22

Downtown State College Farmers Market moves for one week only: As you may have noticed, Penn State students are moving back in. This means the Downtown State College Friday Farmers Market will move to Heister Stree, one block east of Locust Lane, for this week only.

Continue Reading: Local Food Notes, August 22

Tags: farmersmarket | TaitFarm |

Nine Local Chefs to Compete for Boalsburg Farmers Market Golden Basket Award

Nine of the best local chefs from Central Pennsylvania’s finest restaurants will compete for the Boalsburg Farmers Market Fourth Annual Golden Basket Award on Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Part of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)‘s “Local Foods Week,” the event will feature the chefs preparing a main dish and two sides from ingredients produced by Boalsburg Farmers Market vendors.

This will be the largest judged competition among chefs in the State College Area, and it has been described “as the culinary Olympics of Centre County.” The chefs will gather their ingredients at the start of market, then prepare their plates for submission to the judges in front of market guests.

Continue Reading: Nine Local Chefs to Compete for Boalsburg Farmers Market Golden Basket Award

Tags: GoldenBasketAward | LocalFoodsWeek | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Local Foods Week celebrates our local bounty Aug 2-9

As any reader of this blog is well aware, we live in an area full of fantastic sources of local food. And it’s growing, from new places to find local food to the excitement building around the burgeoning Friends & Farmers Coop and their plans to build a grocery store dedicated to local food. Really, something as awesome as our community of farms, markets, roadside stands, local food restaurants, etc. is something to be celebrated.

With that in mind, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is celebrating Local Foods Week August 2-9 with a variety of events, including the Centre County Farm Tour. FYI, this year, folks can buy a farm tour pass on-line or at the farmers markets during Local Foods Week. Purchasing a pass in advance means you can go to some of the farms starting at 10:00 a.m. (please review the list to see which ones open early). Passes will be available only at the North Atherton Farmers Market and the Millheim Farmers Market on the day of the tour.

More details about Local Foods Week, including other events:

Continue Reading: Local Foods Week celebrates our local bounty Aug 2-9

Tags: LocalFoodsWeek | 2014 | FarmTour | FarmFest | GoldenBasket |

‘Vegetable Festable’ Event July 15 (tomorrow) at the Boalsburg Farmers Market

Just about everybody knows the health benefits of eating fresh, local vegetables and fruits.  But actually eating them is another matter. Often the reason for this is not knowing how to prepare them in creative and easy ways.  To remedy this, The Boalsburg Farmers Market is sponsoring a “Vegetable Festable” on Tuesday, July 15 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Boalsburg Farmers Market, located at the Pennsylvania Military Museum on Bus. Route 322 in Boalsburg. The event is designed to demonstrate how to use the fresh vegetables and fruits available at our local farmers markets and to inspire creative cooking at home.

Continue Reading: ‘Vegetable Festable’ Event July 15 (tomorrow) at the Boalsburg Farmers Market

Tags: BoalsburgFarmersMarket | VegetableFestable |

Your Local Food Weekend for June 21-22

This weekend you can enjoy a summer celebration at Tait Farm, experience a garden via your five senses, meet PBS Kids’ very own Daniel Tiger, enjoy free wine and cheese tastings, and go back in time musically with The Dustbowl Revival.

Continue Reading: Your Local Food Weekend for June 21-22

Tags: LocalFoodWeekend | TaitFarm | summer | gardening |

Learning Kitchen at the Boalsburg Farmers Market June 24

Three local chefs will demonstrate how to prepare dishes using fresh ingredients obtained at the Boalsburg Farmers Market on Tuesday, June 24. Mark Johnson, chef at Zola New World Bistro is sharing a pork rillettes recipe whose ingredients can be obtained at the market and that’s easy to replicate. He’s also demystifying pesto making using the wonderful seasonal herbs and produce available. Sc’Eric Horner (Fuji & Jade Garden restaurant) & Chris Young (Happy Valley Brewing) will demonstrate making “Cocktails from the Garden” using garden-fresh and local ingredients to create exciting summer drinks. The demonstrations begin at 2:00 p.m. at the market, which is located on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Military Museum on Bus. Route 322 (South Atherton Street) in Boalsburg.

Continue Reading: Learning Kitchen at the Boalsburg Farmers Market June 24

Tags: LearningKitchen | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Kids Day Learning Kitchen at Boalsburg Farmers Market June 10

Students from Corl Street Elementary school have been invited to attend a cooking demonstration at the Boalsburg Farmers Market on Tuesday, June 10. The highlight of the event will be a “learning kitchen” cooking class conducted by Tony Sapia of Gemelli Bakers that will show children how to make simple dishes using ingredients obtained from the market. He will be assisted by noted local food writer and chef Anne Quinn Corr and her students from Penn State’s nutrition program. After the demonstration, the vendors at the market will answer questions from the children about how they grow and make the products sold at the market, and Corl street students will be able to use a voucher worth $5 to purchase items themselves.

Continue Reading: Kids Day Learning Kitchen at Boalsburg Farmers Market June 10

Tags: BoalsburgFarmersMarket | KidsDay | cookingdemonstration |

Five very good reasons to buy pastured eggs at farmers markets

Eggs are cheap and plentiful in the grocery store, so one might wonder why you’d venture out to a local farmer’s market to buy pastured eggs. An egg is an egg, right? Well, as it turns out, there are vast differences that all go back to how the chicken is raised.

I raise laying hens on pasture just outside of State College, and I just love selling that first pastured dozen to someone who tells me they’ve only bought eggs at the grocery before. I know exactly how much of a surprise they are in for! (I should note that “free-range” at the grocery store means that the hens are not caged and have access to the outdoors at least part of the day. How much space they have outdoors or what the surface is made of is not specified. “Cage-free” hens are raised entirely indoors, but are not confined to cages.) Here are a few surprises you might encounter if you’ve never tried a pastured egg before.

Continue Reading: Five very good reasons to buy pastured eggs at farmers markets

Tags: ChaseFamilyFarm | chickens | eggs | cage-free |

I’m Fed Up With Industrial Food

I am really fed up. And it isn’t just because I am an increasingly irascible, old curmudgeon.

I’m fed up with the behavior of government agencies like the FDA, the USDA, and the EPA, dancing like puppets in the hands of Monsanto, ConAgra, Dow, Big Pharma and their ilk. The FDA dilly-dallies by continuing to allow antibiotics in animal feed to promote “efficiency” and profits, when it is clear that the practice promotes the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten our health.

I’m fed up with the EPA constantly approving new pesticides that are known to kill pollinators. (Who needs insects anyway?)

Continue Reading: I’m Fed Up With Industrial Food

Tags: supermarket | corn | opinion | factoryfarming |

Unpaid Field Hand travels to Mexico and samples their local food scene

While most of you were able to enjoy winter in February, my wife and I had to go to Mexico for three weeks. I knew we would miss experiencing the well below zero temperatures that promised to devastate our stink bugs population. I also wondered how much I would miss the fresh organic food available here. 

But when we arrived in San Jose del Cabo near the tip of Baja California, I was delighted to find the organic food movement thriving. We were able to walk from our motel in the city’s arts district to an organic farmers market, chock full of vendors selling fresh organic vegetables, meat, and eggs. Almost everything you can find at the Boalsburg Farmers Market in mid-summer was available and all of it organic.

Continue Reading: Unpaid Field Hand travels to Mexico and samples their local food scene

Tags: UnpaidFieldHand | Mexico | farmersmarket |

Five must-have local food bites

While we are most certainly not Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, we here in Central Pennsylvania are not living in a good-food black hole. We have some excellent restaurants and other vendors of prepared meals/snacks using local food ingredients in our area. You can find local food in fine dining establishments, taverns, diners, festivals, and, of course, farmers markets. Here are five great local food items that we think you must try:

Continue Reading: Five must-have local food bites

Tags: ElGringoTacoTruck | Harrison'sWineGrill | WayFruitFarm | ElkCreek | Gemelli'sBakery |

Your Local Food Weekend for May 3-4

This is a really exciting time to be a local foodie, as the warm season is finally here (even though most mornings we still need a jacket). Because this is the time of farmers markets, outdoor festivals, etc. we are bringing back the Local Food Weekend feature. Each Friday we help you plan your weekend by highlighting some of the local-food related events going on Saturday and Sunday.

Our first event is put on by one of our hubs of local food, Tait Farm, which is holding their Gardener’s Open House. Click the link below after “Continue Reading” to find out more about that event and others…

Continue Reading: Your Local Food Weekend for May 3-4

Tags: LocalFoodWeekend | TaitFarm | nativeplants | gardening | farmersmarkets |

You have until May 2 to get great benefits by becoming a Founding Member of Friends & Farmers Co-op

Friends and Farmers Cooperative is nearing their goal of 200 Founding Members by Thursday, May 2, but they still need your help if you already haven’t signed up. Please note that you can fill out the member application form online, then mail your check to the Co-op. As long as you fill out the form by Thursday, you’ll be considered a Founding Owner-Member.

One of the first perks of membership is the Local Loyalty program. Owner-members will be able to use their brand-new membership card at 35 local businesses to receive discounts, and this list of businesses is growing and not limited to food!

The Local Loyalty Program includes businesses that offer food, acupuncture, book, clothing alterations, massage, jewelry, and more. Along with this, there are a lot of other benefits of membership. You can find the form to fill out here.

Continue Reading: You have until May 2 to get great benefits by becoming a Founding Member of Friends & Farmers Co-op

Tags: friendsandfarmers | members | localfood |

Farmland trust plays crucial role in preserving Centre County farmland

State College is chock full of restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, and countless other businesses, and it’s become easy to forget that the busy college town is surrounded by vast, peaceful farmland. Thankfully, the Centre County Farmland Trust (CCFT) was formed to preserve this land, ensuring that there will never come a day where green fields become nothing but blacktop and neon lights. Sarah Walter, executive director of the CCFT, puts it this way: “Once farmland has been converted, it is very difficult if not impossible to bring it back into agricultural production, especially if the land has been covered with asphalt or concrete.”

The trust was formed in 1994 as a private non-profit organization to give landowners the opportunity to protect their land, ensuring that it will not undergo any development, despite future owners. The process required to do so is referred to as an “agricultural conservation easement.” Thus far, the CCFT has preserved over 1,000 acres belonging to 11 farms. According to the trust’s president, Pete Schempf, “All landowners need to do to preserve their land is have the desire to never let it be developed. CCFT will take care of all the rest and set up an agricultural conservation easement at no cost to the land owner.”

Continue Reading: Farmland trust plays crucial role in preserving Centre County farmland

Tags: CentreCountyFarmlandTrust |

Philly Farm and Food Fest a showcase of Pennsylvania local food

In 2011 Fair Food Philly and PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) teamed up to create a new annual marketplace for farmers and local food producers. The shared goal was to assist small businesses in growing their bottom line by providing a low-cost venue accessible to a diverse audience of potential customers. The event is the Philly Farm and Food Fest, and it is happening this year on Sunday, April 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Annex.

Fest is also a fundraising event for Fair Food and PASA, with proceeds going to support our non-profit educational and technical assistance programs for food producers. Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

Continue Reading: Philly Farm and Food Fest a showcase of Pennsylvania local food

Tags: PhillyFarmandFoodFest | TaitFarms | VillageEatinghouse |

Friends & Farmers Co-op’s next big step

If you read Local Food Journey, you are probably well aware of the Friends & Farmers Cooperative project, which is a food cooperative in State College committed to showcasing the best local products in support of a strong local economy. The good news is you can finally join Friends & Farmers at the Membership Kickoff Celebration to be held Sunday, March 2, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County. You can RSVP here.

Along with signing up founding member/owners, the Celebration will have a lot to offer attendees. It will feature performances by local musicians including Andy Tolins, Scott Mangene, and Paul Brigman & Friends; opening remarks by State College Mayor and local food advocate Elizabeth Goreham; local food donated by various local vendors such as Webster’s, Harrison’s Wine Grill, Tait Farm, Byler Goat Dairy, Katz Raw Foods, Stone Meadow Farms, and Sweet Sunrise Bakery; kids activities led by the Penn State Community Food Security Club, and more. “The whole setup of this event is ‘drop-in,’ meaning you don’t have to come and be there the whole time,” said Michele Marchetti, local freelance writer and Friends & Farmers board member. “The idea is you come when you want, you hear some music, you get some food, and of course, sign up to be a member.”

Continue Reading: Friends & Farmers Co-op’s next big step

Tags: Friends&Farmers | event | membership |

Six local food things to do to get you through the rest of this tough winter

Without a doubt, this has been one really rough winter here in Central Pennsylvania. Below-zero temperatures and lots of snow has made this the worst winter we’ve had in this area in 20 years, and right now it seems like spring will never come.

But we all know that soon enough, we will get warmer, and the grass will reappear and turn green, the flowers will pop out, and all of our moods will likely get better. In the meantime, here are six things that involve local food that can make you perhaps feel a bit better about our current weather situation:

Continue Reading: Six local food things to do to get you through the rest of this tough winter

Tags: winter | cold | localfood | snowcream | farmersmarket |

Local food fans: Join Friends & Farmers Coop starting March 2

Friends & Farmers Cooperative, which is working to open a member-owned cooperative store that will specialize in local, sustainably-produced products, will begin taking members on March 2 at its Membership Kickoff Celebration at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County.

Founding members will help build a store that will stock produce and products grown and prepared right here in Happy Valley, promote real food, and serve as the central hub of the local food economy. Simply stated, it’s a store that will feed our community.

Continue Reading: Local food fans: Join Friends & Farmers Coop starting March 2

Tags: FriendsandFarmers |

PASA conference is basically “a huge family reunion” for local food community

For twenty-three years, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, otherwise known as PASA, has been gathering for its very own Farming for the Future Conference. Last week vendors from all over the country congregated at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center to attend workshops, participate in auctions, listen to guest speakers, receive awards, and to simply share their appreciation of farming as a whole.

Lauren Smith, director of development for PASA, says her favorite aspect of the annual conference is that it’s like “a huge family reunion.” Indeed, the majority of farmers and businesses in attendance have previously come to the conference, so many of them are familiar with one another. Lauren explains, “We have an amazing community of farmers. They become a network of ideas and inspiration.”

Continue Reading: PASA conference is basically “a huge family reunion” for local food community

Tags: PASA | FarmingfortheFuture |

Taking it inside: Boalsburg market sets up shop in St. John’s Church in winter months

Winter certainly takes a toll on us here in Happy Valley. From below freezing temperatures to painfully bitter winds, winter weather conditions require us to adapt and prepare accordingly. While you may think that the months of December through March leave local farmers with little to harvest, this is not the case. In fact, farmers throughout Centre County are finding innovative ways to grow vegetables during the winter months, despite the chill that would typically inhibit certain plants to grow. Plus, you don’t have to look far to find these vegetables available to you, for they’re being sold every Tuesday at the Boalsburg Farmers Market!

Continue Reading: Taking it inside: Boalsburg market sets up shop in St. John’s Church in winter months

Tags: BoalsburgFarmersMarket | CloverCreekCheese | BeilerFamilyFarm |

Farmers Get Down to Business

Food Entrepreneurs Will Find Wealth of Resources at Annual PASA Conference

Farmers and other food entrepreneurs are set to acquire tools for success at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s (PASA) 23rd Annual Farming for the Future Conference, Feb. 5-8 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, PA.

On Feb. 6, PASA hosts “Raising Dough: Financing Your Food Based Business,” an intensive, day long track aimed at farmers looking to amass capital for farm-based businesses.

Continue Reading: Farmers Get Down to Business

Tags: PASA | FarmingfortheFuture | conference | entrepreneur |

Sustainable Ag Community to Reflect, Rally at Premier Gathering

The following is a press release for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s 23rd Farming for the Future Conference. Look for more about this event on Local Food Journey in the next several weeks, as this is a major happening for our local food community…

MILLHEIM, PA January 6, 2014 – The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) hosts the 23rd Annual Farming for the Future Conference next month, February 5-8 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, PA. Farmers, foodies, artisans, activists and other members of the sustainable agriculture community will gather around the theme “Letting Nature Lead” as the debate over the future of agriculture continues to garner widespread attention, from dinner tables to the halls of Congress.

Continue Reading: Sustainable Ag Community to Reflect, Rally at Premier Gathering

Tags: PASA | conference | FarmingfortheFuture |

Eat local, support local at fundraiser for Friends & Farmers Cooperative

Editor’s note: The following is a press release regarding a fundraiser by Friends & Farmers Cooperative. Please help support what is a very worthy cause for our local food community.

Friends & Farmers Cooperative, which is working to open a member-owned cooperative grocery that will specialize in local, sustainably-produced products, is holding a fundraising event at Spats at 5-7:30 p.m, January 26.
Entitled “Local on the Menu,” the event will offer community members a behind-the-scenes look at the local food scene and an opportunity to hear firsthand how Spats owner, Duke Gastiger, and others are turning local into a point of Pennsylvania pride.

Continue Reading: Eat local, support local at fundraiser for Friends & Farmers Cooperative

Tags: Friends&Farmers | fundraiser | localfood |

Winter is a time of some rest, reminiscing for local farmers

Winter offers unpaid field hands like me respite from the daily toil that spring, summer, and fall days require. It is a good time to reflect on the past year. And when I begin these reveries, the first word that comes to mind is . . . pears.

Continue Reading: Winter is a time of some rest, reminiscing for local farmers

Tags: pears | JadeFamilyFarm | goats |

Friends and Farmers Cooperative grocery store getting close to becoming reality

This past Tuesday night, the Friends and Farmers Cooperative held a Meet and Greet at Whiskers in the Nittany Lion Inn. The event featured some local food created by Andrew Monk, who is the executive chef of the Nittany Lion Inn and big supporter of both local food and the Co-op. The event also was a way to inform the community about the progress the Co-op has been making, including the building of a Co-op grocery store.

Continue Reading: Friends and Farmers Cooperative grocery store getting close to becoming reality

Tags: FriendsandFarmers | retail | grocerystore |

Friends and Farmers Cooperative Meet and Greet Dec 10

Special to Local Food Journey by Carolyne Meehan

The Friends and Farmers Cooperative Meet and Greet at Whisker’s in the Nittany Lion Inn on Tuesday, December 10 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. will be a fun, delicious, and informational evening. Chef Andrew Monk will be serving up light appetizers prepared with local ingredients and a cash bar will be open for refreshments. Chef Monk has been a big supporter of the cooperative’s goal to make more local produce, meat and dairy more accessible to all. He has been making big changes as the executive chef of the Nittany Lion Inn - serving up local grass fed burgers that come from a single steer and introducing folks to local kale and beets as the stars in his main dishes. He is also big into the concept of “nose to tail” cooking, a method that involves serving up dishes to incorporate all cuts of meat.

Continue Reading: Friends and Farmers Cooperative Meet and Greet Dec 10

Tags: FriendsandFarmersCooperative |

Your Local Food Weekend for Nov. 16 and 17

As per the weather forecasts, this weekend we end our winter preview and get some mild weather to enjoy. For this Local Food Weekend weekend, we have the Bellefonte Farmers Market, Santa’s arrival plus a chance to unwind at the Winery at Wilcox store at the Nittany Mall, and great music to go with great local food and beer at Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks.

Continue Reading: Your Local Food Weekend for Nov. 16 and 17

Tags: LocalFoodWeekend | ElkCreekCafe | Bellefonte | farmersmarket | Christmas |

Tough job but someone has to do it: being a local food judge

I recently was asked by the folks at the Boalsburg Farmers Market to serve as a judge for the Market’s Golden Basket Awards, an annual event held as part of Local Foods Week here in Centre County. For those not familiar with the Golden Basket Awards, chefs from the local area compete for the prize by creating a full entree with ingredients found at the Boalsburg Farmers Market. Having to use local ingredients probably is the easy part of the contest. I mean, the chefs do their cooking in an area in the middle of the market and are surrounded by local meats, cheeses, eggs, dairy, sauces, and of course fresh produce. That’s a pretty formidable pantry.

So, I got to judge their end result. It was a challenge to be presented with creative and delicious dishes made by professional chefs and then eat them, but I persevered. Seriously, though, the food coma I was in by the end of the event really was a bit of a challenge, but it was a happy feeling.

Continue Reading: Tough job but someone has to do it: being a local food judge

Tags: BoalsburgFarmersMarket | GoldenBasketAward |

Next week is Local Foods Week!

From our friends at Buy Fresh Buy Local Centre County Chapter, an announcement about Local Foods Week, a celebration of the amazing bounty we have right here in the Centre Region

August is a month of cookouts, family gatherings, and finding creative ways to beat the heat. Did you realize that all the ingredients you need for your next summer get-together—mouthwatering burgers, juicy watermelons, crisp salads, and refreshing ice cream—are produced right here in Centre County? They’re closer than you think, and the growers are eager to meet you in person. Buy Fresh Buy Local® Centre County Chapter is presenting Local Foods Week from August 3rd through August 10th, which will offer events for the whole family to explore and connect with the county’s vast agrarian offerings and sustainability practices. The week’s happenings will appeal to anyone with an interest in local foods at any level, from backyard gardening, homesteading, or cooking with sustainable ingredients right up to larger scale farming. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, Local Foods Week will help you and your family appreciate and understand what it takes to bring your meals from the farmers’ fields to your fork. 

Continue Reading: Next week is Local Foods Week!

Tags: LocalFoodWeek | BuyFreshBuyLocal | farms |

Interview with Jason Coopey of Way Fruit Farm

Way Fruit Farm apples and apple products are among the Centre Region’s favorite local foods. As something of a cider snob connoisseur due to having grown up in the Appleland that is southcentral Pennsylvania, I am picky about cider but have found Way’s cider to be one of my personal highlights of a Happy Valley autumn. However, Way Fruit Farm is so much more. They offer a wide variety of local fruit, and vegetables, almost year-round. They also have a pleasant cafe for breakfast and lunch, a gift shop, and provide a one-stop shop for other local food items such as meats, cheeses, sauces, etc. You can build a heck of a meal in one visit to Way Fruit Farm.

I recently had the pleasure to talk to Jason Coopey, co-owner of Way Fruit Farm, about what fruits are in season now and in the near future, why local food is so fantastic, and when they will again offer cider this year.

Continue Reading: Interview with Jason Coopey of Way Fruit Farm

Tags: WayFruitFarm | fruit |

Preview of Local Foods Week Farm Tour, Part 4

July is winding down, meaning Local Foods Week will be here in no time! August 3rd-10th will bring a week-long celebration of Centre County’s agricultural bounty. The week will end with the highly anticipated Farm Tour on Saturday, August 10th, a day when 17 farms open their doors to visitors to explore, taste, and experience first hand what each farm grows and produces.

Farm Tour passes are on sale at Buy Fresh Buy Local partners Tait Farm, Webster’s Cafe, Nature’s Pantry, and the IngleBean Coffee House, as well as at farmers markets throughout Local Foods Week. A pass is $15/car or $10/bike, and contain special deals for shopping and dining during Local Foods Week. Passes won’t be available the day of the tour, so be sure to get one soon! If you don’t get a pass—don’t fret! Non-pass holders will be asked to pay $5 at each farm visited.

Here is the last sneak-peek of farms on the tour. If you’d like to read previous previews, you can find them here (link to early previews). Hope to see you on the tour!

Continue Reading: Preview of Local Foods Week Farm Tour, Part 4

Tags: FarmTour | PASA | LocalFoodsWeek |

Local Food Video: Stone Meadow Farm cheese

Brian Futhey talks about how his method of making cheese benefits him and his cows. Stone Meadow Farm uses seasonal farming to produce raw milk cheeses.

Continue Reading: Local Food Video: Stone Meadow Farm cheese

Tags: video | StoneMeadowFarm | cheese |

Preview of Local Foods Week Farm Tour, Part 3

Farm Tour passes are officially for sale! Look for them at Buy Fresh Buy Local partner businesses: Tait Farm, Webster’s Cafe, Nature’s Pantry, and the IngleBean Coffee House.

There are 17 farms throughout Centre County waiting to show off what they do for consumers like you. For $15 a car (or $10 a bike), get your ticket to spend the day exploring farms around the county. Whether veggies, cheese, fruit, or meat, there are farms that will bring you and your family up close with what you love to eat—growing right here in our county! Mark your calendars for August 10, and get ready to get local.

Added bonus: Buy Fresh Buy Local partner businesses are offering exclusive deals for Farm Tour pass holders. Be sure to check the back of your pass for details, and bring it along when you dine or shop during Local Foods Week (August 3-10) to get the most out of going local.

Here are four more farms that are on the Farm Tour. If this is your first time reading the Farm Tour Previews, be sure to check out the last two installments here and here. (link to Farm Tour Preview Pt1, and Farm Tour Preview Pt2). Check back next week for more!

Continue Reading: Preview of Local Foods Week Farm Tour, Part 3

Tags: farmtour | PASA | buyfreshbuylocal |

Learning Kitchen Cooking Demonstration at the Boalsburg Farmers Market on Tuesday, July 16

On Tuesday, July 16, two local chefs will demonstrate how to prepare dishes using fresh ingredients obtained at the Boalsburg Farmers Market. Grace Pilato, an accomplished Italian chef, cookbook author, and teacher of popular cooking classes, will be joined by Nate Brungarten, executive sous chef de cuisine at Zola’s New World Bistro, for the event. Pilato, a local cultural food expert, will present “Farm to Fork,” showing how to incorporate unusual vegetables into everyday menu preparation and Brungarten will utilize fresh garden ingredients to make summer entertaining burst with fresh, local flavor.

Continue Reading: Learning Kitchen Cooking Demonstration at the Boalsburg Farmers Market on Tuesday, July 16

Tags: event | BoalsburgFarmersMarket | LearningKitchen | Zolas |

Preview of Local Food Weeks Farm Tour, Part 2

This is part II of the Centre County Farm Tour preview, by Maya Althouse, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture intern

As Local Foods Week gets closer, it’s time to mark your calendars for August 10th and plan where you want to stop on the Centre County Farm Tour! There are seventeen farms on the Tour, all of which are eager to welcome you to their world and share their livelihood with you. Since most people make it to only four or five farms depending on how long they spend at each location, it’s good to look ahead in order to make the most of the day. To help you out, here is a preview of the next four farms on the tour—check back next week to read about more!

Continue Reading: Preview of Local Food Weeks Farm Tour, Part 2

Tags: CentreCountyFarmTour | preview | |

Not too late to get plants in the garden

Oh, man! A rabbit ate half your annual bed…your tomato plants got trashed by a storm…the neighbor’s dog dug up your favorite herb plant…too late to plant something new now, right? Actually, that’s not the case. You can can still plant flowers, vegetables, herbs, etc. and still get beauty and flavor from your 2013 garden.

Continue Reading: Not too late to get plants in the garden

Tags: PatchworkFarms | gardening | annuals | perennials | vegetables |

Guaranteed local at the Bellefonte Grower’s Farmers Market

Post by Nick Benard

Living in Bellefonte, I love tracking the progress of spring to summer with the Bellefonte Growers Farmer’s Market. Located in the Gamble Mill Parking Lot at 160 Dunlap St, the market runs every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon. This market is akin to a self-regulated cooperative, ensuring that the people you buy your food from are the ones who actually grow it. Did you ever wonder why some farmers markets will be flush with corn and beefsteak tomatoes for Memorial Day, even while our PA gardens are just taking root at the end of May? Chances are they’re buying from farms in the South and California.

Continue Reading: Guaranteed local at the Bellefonte Grower’s Farmers Market

Tags: BellefonteFarmersMarket |

Learning Kitchen #1 at the Boalsburg Farmers Market June 25

Three local chefs will demonstrate how to prepare dishes using fresh ingredients obtained at the Boalsburg Farmers Market Tuesday, June 25 at 2:00 p.m. Mark Johnson, head chef at the Elk Creek Cafe, will showcase dinner ideas for entertaining friends and family, while Sc’Eric Horner and Chris Young (master cocktailians from the Fuji & Jade Garden restaurant) will demonstrate making “Cocktails from the Garden” using garden-fresh and local ingredients to create exciting summer drinks.

Continue Reading: Learning Kitchen #1 at the Boalsburg Farmers Market June 25

Tags: LearningKitchen | BoalsburgFarmersMarket |

Local Food Video: The Yard—Taking honey and pollinated products to the market

Heather Emminger talks about the uses of bees and their honey. The Yard is Emminger’s part-time job through which she takes honey, vegetables, and cut flowers to the Bellefonte Farmers Market.

Continue Reading: Local Food Video: The Yard—Taking honey and pollinated products to the market

Tags: TheYard | honey | bees | BellefonteFarmersMarket |

Interview with Kim Tait on Summer Solstice Celebration, local food economy

This Saturday, June 22, Tait Farm Foods will hold a Summer Solstice Celebration out at the farm to benefit the Centre County Farmland Trust. On a beautiful day last Saturday I went out to Tait Farm to talk to Kim about this event, and why farming and supporting our local farms is a vital to our community. To listen, click on the “play button” below.

Continue Reading: Interview with Kim Tait on Summer Solstice Celebration, local food economy

Tags: TaitFarm | SummerSolstice | event | localeconomy | audio |

Local Food Video: Kid’s Day at Boalsburg Farmer’s Market

Children watched Tony Sapia of Gemelli Bakers demonstrate how to prepare local food at the Boalsburg Farmer’s Market during Tuesday’s Kid’s Day. They share their favorite food and other experiences at the farmer’s market.

Continue Reading: Local Food Video: Kid’s Day at Boalsburg Farmer’s Market

Tags: BoalsburgFarmer'sMarket | KidsDay | video | Gemelli |

June 11 is Kids Day at the Boalsburg Farmer’s Market

Kids Day at the Boalsburg Farmer’s Market will occur Tuesday, June 11. The event will feature Tony Sapia of Gemelli Bakers demonstrating to children how to prepare simple dishes from products available at the market. This will happen at 3:00 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Military Museum. After the demonstration, farmers and other vendors will be available to talk to children in attendance about what they do.

Continue Reading: June 11 is Kids Day at the Boalsburg Farmer’s Market

Tags: Kid'sDay | BoalsburgFarmer'sMarket | children | events |

At the Dinner Table: Shellie Mierwald, founder of Sweet Heat Gourmet

This edition of At the Dinner Table (a conversation with someone involved with local food), is with Shellie Mierwald, founder/owner of Sweet Heat Gourmet, a State College-based sauce company that uses local vendors for the ingredients.

Continue Reading: At the Dinner Table: Shellie Mierwald, founder of Sweet Heat Gourmet

Tags: SweetHeatGourmet | AttheDinnerTable | peppers | sauce | farmer'smarket |

PASA sows seeds of sustainable, innovative farming practices in Pennsylvania fields

Article by PASA Staff

Back in the early ‘90s a small gathering of Centre County “kindred spirits” came together around the idea of founding an organization that focused on a variety of sustainable farming practices, addressed issues family farmers faced, and filled a need for those who wanted to support “alternative” agriculture, as some may have called it back then. Through the dedicated efforts of this group (many of whom still live, work, and farm in Centre County), the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) took root over 20 years ago and today continues to flourish throughout Pennsylvania.

Continue Reading: PASA sows seeds of sustainable, innovative farming practices in Pennsylvania fields

Tags: PASA | profile | localfarms | localfoodweek |

LFJ Farm Report: Mud season at Green Heron Farm

Editor’s Note: The LFJ Farm Report is a sort-of-regular-whenever-I-get-copy series here on Local Food Journey that takes a look at what is happening on area farms. If you would like your farm to get a mention and report on what you have happening, please send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Continue Reading: LFJ Farm Report: Mud season at Green Heron Farm

Tags: FarmReport | GreenHeronFarm | mud | spring |

WPSU radio story asks: Can State College support a local food co-op store?

A few weeks ago, WPSU ran a story by Kate Lao Shaffner during Morning Edition on the new Friends & Farmers organization. We wrote about them back in early April. Their goal is to establish a co-op grocery store with local food here in State College.

Continue Reading: WPSU radio story asks: Can State College support a local food co-op store?

Tags: Friends&Farmers | co-op | WPSU | KateLaoShaffner |

Farmer’s market season gets underway in Centre County

While a few farmer’s markets in central PA operate indoors during the cold months, the warmer weather of May means it’s time for outdoor farmer’s markets. Here’s a general guide to what you can expect at an outdoor farmer’s market.

Continue Reading: Farmer’s market season gets underway in Centre County

Tags: farmersmarket | buyfreshbuylocal |

Recipe: Spinach salad with bacon and smoked cheese

I didn’t care how many times Popeye beat Bluto after downing a can of spinach, as a kid I just plain HATED spinach. But as my culinary horizons broadened as I grew up, I quickly learned that spinach didn’t have to be a lifeless splatter of lumpy green on a plate. In fact, spinach has become my favorite salad green, and since it is a spring crop, we are in spinach season here in Central Pennsylvania.

Continue Reading: Recipe: Spinach salad with bacon and smoked cheese

Tags: recipe | spinach | cheese | bacon | HogsGalore | Gemellis | GootEssa | StarHollowFarm | GreenmoreGardens |

Greenhouse Woes

The frost hit hard last week, which did a few crops in, but made others perk up a bit. Anything in the cabbage family just got sweeter.

Continue Reading: Greenhouse Woes

Tags: farming |

Real Life on the Farm

Last night I attended a Local Harvest banquet put on by the Student Food Initiative at Juniata College where we feasted on the bounty of many of our local farms including our own. The students also invited me along with other farmers to talk about farming. Of course I lied out of my teeth because I didn’t want to dampen the enthusiasm these folks have for the idyllic life style which they believe we lead. 

We really need young people to get involved in farming if we want to continue enjoying fresh local food. A little deception is necessary to keep the tradition going, so I avoided talking about the first 15 years on the farm.

Continue Reading: Real Life on the Farm

Tags: farming |

It’s the Busiest Time of the Year

It’s official. The “we’ve crossed the threshold of the autumn equinox and stepped into what should be a leisurely stroll towards winter.”

Most people think this is the end of the growing season, but for farmers, it’s really the busiest time of year.

Continue Reading: It’s the Busiest Time of the Year

Tags: farming |

Harvesting Tomatoes

I’ll wager that when most folks buy green beans, radishes, tomatoes, or nearly any other vegetable, they don’t think much about how they were harvested. Gardeners, of course, know better, but even they can forget that almost every vegetable is harvested by hand, usually one at a time.

Continue Reading: Harvesting Tomatoes

Tags: farm | tomatoes |

Potato Patch

It’s hard to keep focused on a farm in the middle of August. Most people think of it as the beginning of harvest time, with smooth sailing into bucolic fall days as we stuff our coolers, barns and root cellars with nature’s bounty.

In reality it’s always harvest time on a vegetable farm and August poses a special challenge because after months of ceaseless activity fueled on the previous winter’s lethargy, the farmer has to pull out of some unmentionable orifice the energy and enthusiasm that made spring planting seem so appealing.

Continue Reading: Potato Patch

Tags: farming |

Ides of August

The Ides of August are upon us, which as everyone knows has no particular historical significance other than the looming advance of summer into fall.

Continue Reading: Ides of August

Tags: summer | farm |

The Inevitable

The inevitable finally happened. Late blight has taken most of our tomatoes.

Continue Reading: The Inevitable

Tags: farm | tomatoes |

Harvesting Eggplant

Many Americans have lost touch with the land and food production, and know little about what the folks who grow vegetables actually do. A student of mine on a class visit to a farm was amazed when she pulled a carrot out of the ground. So this is where they come from!

People around here often either grew up on a farm or have gardens, and know how carrots grow. Still, I suspect few know the details of growing less common vegetables. Today’s discussion reveals the shocking truth about life in the eggplant patch at harvest.

Continue Reading: Harvesting Eggplant

Tags: farm | eggplant |

Tomato Avalanche

We’re finally on the brink of the much anticipated tomato avalanche. Months of preparation and anxiety over late blight has brought us to the place we’ve been waiting for since last fall when frost finally took the patch to the great compost pile in the sky.

Continue Reading: Tomato Avalanche

Tags: farm | tomatoes |

Field Notes: Early July

One of my fondest childhood food memories was frequenting local farm stands in the summer to get fresh fruits and vegetables. I remember our dinners often consisting of sweet corn, green beans, sliced tomatoes, and peaches for dessert. I was fascinated that the fields growing the food were right there, sandwiched between the rapidly expanding housing developments of Southern California. But it was that experience that developed my true appreciation for the taste of fresh food and I have never looked back.

Continue Reading: Field Notes: Early July

Tags: farm | summer |

The Disease That Must Not Be Named

The rain has finally let up, but not before it brought imminent danger to certain crops. The word in the farmosphere is that late blight has been sighted in certain central Pennsylvania counties.

Continue Reading: The Disease That Must Not Be Named

Tags: farming |

It’s Raining Again

It’s raining again. The intermittent stream that runs by our house is so full I could kayak down to the pond. Nothing like a little white water rafting after a brief interlude of weeding the beets. That’s just the way it is on a farm, you go with the deluge.

Continue Reading: It’s Raining Again

Tags: farming |

The Zen of Weeding

You may think that spending some 20 hours hand weeding asparagus would be an onerous task, but only because you haven’t had to slog through grading a big stack of blue books or papers. I’d much prefer the weeding, though my knees and back provide a dissenting view.

Continue Reading: The Zen of Weeding

Tags: fieldhand | farmdiary |

Roller Coaster Ride of Weather

Last week brought with it a roller coaster ride of weather events – one day sweating into the black plastic as we lay out the onion crop; the next day freezing in an arctic wind as we try to tack down row covers to protect tender seedlings from impending frost. 

And, of course, there was the freak snow storm that came and went like a gaff from presidential candidate. It was horrible at the time, but we were over it by the next day, having forgotten what all the fuss was about as we went on with the daily task of surviving in an uncertain world.

Continue Reading: Roller Coaster Ride of Weather

Tags: farm |

April Weather and Asparagus Salsa

Mid-April felt more like July. We had full irrigation running on the crops in the fields since the beginning of the month, as we took turns waiting for the next available hose to water a greenhouse. It was dry, dry, dry!

Continue Reading: April Weather and Asparagus Salsa

Tags: farm | spring | recipe | asparagus |

Field Notes: An Unusual Start to Spring

Thank goodness the weather seems to be back to normal for this time of year. The past few weeks of warm weather had us moving around at warp speed trying to get fields prepared and planted.

In all my years at Tait Farm, I have never seen anything quite like this spring. We already have kales, chard, beets, Asian greens, and head lettuce seedlings planted out, as well as peas, carrots, and lettuce mix seeded in the fields.

Continue Reading: Field Notes: An Unusual Start to Spring

Tags: fieldnotes | farm |

Farm Diary: Pruning in March

Most people know that pruning does not consist of attaching prunes to fruit trees and bushes, despite what Amelia Bedelia understood it to mean. But beyond that, I’ll wager that most folks who read Unpaid Field Hand only know that it involves some sort of cutting and thinning of fruit trees and canes.

Of course, you can learn all about it by going on the web and googling “fruit pruning.” But even after reading the 7,280,000 results available, you might be forgiven for still not knowing just how to do it. And for good reason. That’s because even the most knowledgeable experts sometimes give contradictory advice. Even Michael Phillips, whose book The Apple Grower is considered an authority to many apple cultivators, confesses that he hopes to know how to do it by the time he is eighty.

Continue Reading: Farm Diary: Pruning in March

Tags: fieldhand | farmdiary |

Why Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

For over 25 years, the CSA movement has been gaining popularity with small to medium size farms across the country. In its simplest form, a group of individuals become paying members of a farm and in return, the farm grows fresh produce for the members. In this mutual partnership, the farm and the members share in both the abundance and short falls associated with farming.

Continue Reading: Why Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

Tags: farm | csa |

Why are Dairy Farms in the Marcellus Shale Closing?

Is mighty Marcellus squeezing the milk industry? That’s the finding of a new Penn State study. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier set out to find why dairy farms are folding amidst the gas boom.

Continue reading to hear Frazier’s audio story.

Continue Reading: Why are Dairy Farms in the Marcellus Shale Closing?

Tags: audio | farm |

Muddy Boots

Spring has established a strong foothold in spite of some chilly mornings. The distinct smell of thawing earth has brought on the irresistible urge to roll shamelessly in the grass – or at least to get my boots muddier.

Continue Reading: Muddy Boots

Tags: farm |

Field Notes: Early March

The feel of early spring is already in the air. The smell of sleeping soil waking up, the reddening tips of the trees as the sap begins to flow upwards, and the songs of robins are just a few of the early harbingers of spring. We are continuing to stay busy seeding in the greenhouse, spreading compost on the fields, finishing up the new high tunnel and generally trying to get all the winter
work completed.

Continue Reading: Field Notes: Early March

Tags: fieldnotes | farm |

Farm Diary: Seeding Fun in Late February

Seeding is a critical component of farming. No seed flats planted in February means no crops later. It is a laborious and painstaking, but oddly, satisfying task that I tackled two weeks ago. Here is how it works.

Continue Reading: Farm Diary: Seeding Fun in Late February

Tags: fieldhand | farmdiary |

Farm Diary: Late Winter on the Farm

Every occupation has its rhythm. The rhythms of farming are special because they coincide with earth’s yearly swing around the sun. January and February provide an opportunity to contemplate the prospects of the upcoming growing season. So my unpaid field hand’s diary for 2012 begins with news from winter.

Continue Reading: Farm Diary: Late Winter on the Farm

Tags: fieldhand | farmdiary |

Early Signs of Spring

Signs of spring are appearing a little early this year, as can be seen from the picture above showing new garlic shoots poking through the soil. Garlic is always the first crop to make an appearance and has more credibility in predicting the beginning of spring than pampered rodents. 

Continue Reading: Early Signs of Spring

Tags: farming |

Field Notes: Mild February

The mild February temperatures are allowing things to roll along pretty smoothly these days. We have made great progress on the new high tunnel and should have the ends completed, the roll-up sides installed and the plastic cover on within a couple weeks. Once this is complete, we will lay in compost and seed an early spring greens mix, which we plan to be eating come April!

Continue Reading: Field Notes: Mild February

Tags: fieldnotes | farm |

Late January Greens

Green Heron Farm still has a nice supply of greens this week, but order early for those items – they fly off the shelf this time of year:

Baby Arugula
Baby Spinach
Baby Chard – Green, Red and Gold
Italian and Red Rib Dandelion

Continue Reading: Late January Greens

Tags: farming |

Fall Garlic Fun on the Farm

It is now late fall on the farm, and the last vegetables have been harvested. Time to sit by the fire, do our nails, and dream of spring, right? Yes? Shows how much you know about life on an organic vegetable farm.

Now is the time to plant next year’s garlic. Notice the nifty planting grid our intrepid intern Hannah is using to make sure the cloves are properly spaced. If you squint and look at the front of the wooden form, you’ll discover both some intact garlic bulbs and some individual cloves ready to stick into the soil. 

Continue Reading: Fall Garlic Fun on the Farm

Tags: fieldhand | farm | garlic |

Field Notes: Rainbow Carrots in November

I had never belonged to a CSA before I came to Tait Farm. I read about them, knew of some, and had friends and coworkers who picked up their shares weekly and absolutely loved being a part of it. We, however, were lucky enough to have a plot of land large enough to grow more than enough of our own produce.

Continue Reading: Field Notes: Rainbow Carrots in November

Tags: farm | csa |

Unpaid Field Hand: Name this Crop

We have lots of customers who buy lettuce, onions, carrots, and beets. Then there are many who merely stroll by and say, “Everything looks beautiful.” True Fact: People who say, ”Everything looks beautiful” really mean, “I’m not going to buy a single thing.”

What is this wonderful, under-appreciated vegetable?

Continue Reading: Unpaid Field Hand: Name this Crop

Tags: fieldhand | farm |

How Floods Affect Farms

Last week’s flooding was an adventure—one that I would prefer not repeating once every 15 years or so. We got off easy by some accounts. Most of our crops are still in the ground, although about a third of our lane was redistributed to the entrance of our house.

Living on a slope has its advantages and as long as the water keeps flowing through the basement, we’re doing OK. Getting off the farm in a flood is the tough part.

Continue Reading: How Floods Affect Farms

Tags: farm | farming |

Turning Toward Fall

The season is tilting decidedly toward fall, and the crops are shifting toward soup ingredients and fall fruit.

Continue Reading: Turning Toward Fall

Tags: farming | farm |

Unpaid Field Hand: Mystery Crop Update

I suspect that my faithful followers have been distracted from their routine activities wondering how the various “name this crop” vegetables are doing. Fear not! I have a few updates for you.

Continue Reading: Unpaid Field Hand: Mystery Crop Update

Tags: fieldhand | farm |

When Natural Disasters Strike

The week wouldn’t be complete without a natural disaster. Last week we hit the jackpot with two – an earthquake and a hurricane – although it was our eastern neighbors who were most affected.

Continue Reading: When Natural Disasters Strike

Tags: farming | farm |

Mothersbaugh Farm in Spring Mills

Chuck Mothersbaugh is a staple at the Friday market in downtown State College. It’s easy to spot his buckets of beautiful sunflowers on Locust Lane. Of course, he also sells a wide variety of produce—from cucumbers to tomatoes to onions to squash. Watch this short video interview to learn more.

Continue Reading: Mothersbaugh Farm in Spring Mills

Tags: video | farm | market |

Clan Stewart Farm in Huntingdon

Clan Stewart Farm is a 160-acre farm located in Huntingdon. The Stewart family came to Pennsylvania from Ireland in the 1700s and began farming the land in 1793. Now in its seventh generation, the family continues to work together to keep the farm alive.

Hear about their popular whole hog sausages—from andouille to spicy chorizo to mild Italian—in this video interview.

Find them at the Boalsburg Farmers Market on Tuesdays from 2-6pm and at the North Atherton Farmers Market on Saturdays from 10am-2pm.

Continue Reading: Clan Stewart Farm in Huntingdon

Tags: farm | market | video |

Greenmore Gardens CSA

Greenmore Gardens CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is located in Port Matilda. The farm uses sustainable practices and recently became certified organic. Find out what they have available this month—from kale and cabbage to hummingbird cakes made with vegetables and honey—in this video interview.

Visit them at the North Atherton Farmers Market on Saturdays from 10am-2pm.

Continue Reading: Greenmore Gardens CSA

Tags: video | farm | market | csa |

Heirloom Tomatoes

There is a general consensus among marketers that an adjective can mean the difference between making a sale and bringing home ingredients for a gourmet compost pile. Flat parsley does not have the same resonance as Italian parsley. Without the appellation “French,” shallots would just be small, pale red onions. Then there is Red Russian kale which is neither truly red nor Russian (at least according to the Russian customers I’ve talked to who think it’s just another Ukrainian conspiracy). But who wants to say purple-stemmed blue-green, flat kale? It just doesn’t slide off the tongue with the same romantic flare. You can practically hear the balalaikas playing in the background when the words Red Russian are invoked.

Continue Reading: Heirloom Tomatoes

Tags: farm | tomatoes |

A Rainy Day on the Farm

Despite the rain, many community members came out on Saturday to support the 6th Annual Farm Tour sponsored by PASA and Buy Fresh Buy Local.

Student intern Katherine Grofic visited three farms on the soggy day and captured several photos from each. Continue reading to see the slideshow.

Continue Reading: A Rainy Day on the Farm

Tags: farmtour | farm |

How to Plan a Day’s Work on a Vegetable Farm

For those of you who are having trouble falling asleep beset by curiosity over how farmers plan their workdays, this post is for you. Actually, it is a laughably simple two-step process. Step 1: List everything that absolutely must be done. Step 2: Rank the tasks in order of importance and do the work. Ready?

Continue Reading: How to Plan a Day’s Work on a Vegetable Farm

Tags: fieldhand | farm |

6th Annual Central Pennsylvania Farm Tour

It’s Local Foods Week in central Pennsylvania! Celebrate the farms, markets, restaurants, and businesses that support our regional food system. Then wrap up the week with the 6th Annual Farm Tour sponsored by PASA and Buy Fresh Buy Local.

Pack your cooler, hop in your car (or on your bike), and explore our beautiful agrarian landscape this Saturday from 12:30pm-5:00pm. Continue reading for more details.

Continue Reading: 6th Annual Central Pennsylvania Farm Tour

Tags: farm | farmtour |

Unpaid Field Hand: Name this Crop

Driving around central Pennsylvania, I typically see entire fields dedicated to neat rows of corn and soybean plants – all instantly recognizable. And photos from mega-agribusinesses show similarly uniform fields. Any media consultant smarter than a brick would advise a farmer client to only depict similarly pristine views of growing crops.

But what do you notice about the photo of this farm field?

Continue Reading: Unpaid Field Hand: Name this Crop

Tags: fieldhand | farm |

July is National Ice Cream Month

As luck would have it, July is National Ice Cream Month as established by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. He also appointed the third Sunday of this month as National Ice Cream Day because an estimated 90% of the nation’s population consumes ice cream. 

Continue Reading: July is National Ice Cream Month

Tags: dairy | farm | icecream |

The Great Divide

Every once in a while I’ll get a question from someone who feels the need to engage me in agricultural discourse in order to spotlight my complete ignorance of farming. And quite honestly, I’m the first to admit that I don’t know everything about farming. That’s why I love this business – there’s something to learn every day. 

Continue Reading: The Great Divide

Tags: farming | market |

NPR: How Industrial Farming “Destroyed” the Tasty Tomato

If you bite into a tomato between the months of October and June, chances are that tomato came from Florida. And it tastes dramatically different than the varieties you might grow in your backyard or pick up at your local farmers market during the summer.

Freelance food writer Barry Estabrook looks at the life of today’s mass-produced tomato — and the environmental and human costs of the tomato industry — in his book Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit.

Listen to his interview with Terry Gross for Fresh Air.

Continue Reading: NPR: How Industrial Farming “Destroyed” the Tasty Tomato

Tags: farming | tomatoes |

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 |

Three Minute Gardener: How to Renovate a Strawberry Patch

After the June harvest of strawberries, patches should be renovated in preparation for the following year. Penn State Senior Extension Educator Kathy Demchak explains why these renovations are important and how to complete them.

Watch the video.

Continue Reading: Three Minute Gardener: How to Renovate a Strawberry Patch

Tags: strawberries | farming |

Welcome, Green Heron Farm!

Please welcome our newest contributor, Tony Ricci, of Green Heron Farm in southern Huntingdon County. Tony has been instrumental in bringing a year-round supply of local, organic produce to our area. He’s also the farmer who uses fryer oil to fuel his delivery truck.

Continue Reading: Welcome, Green Heron Farm!

Tags: farm |

Unpaid Field Hand: The Story of Peas

Last Tuesday night, Emily Wiley posted a picture of her dinner to the Boalsburg Farmers Market Facebook page. The caption said: “Dinner tonight courtesy of the Boalsburg Farmers Market. Pork chops from Cow-a-Hen Farm. Snap peas from Jade Family Farm. Bread from Gemelli Bakery with lemon-artichoke pesto from Fasta & Ravioli Co. And strawberries from Way Fruit Farm. Happiness on a plate.”

Emily knew the peas she bought were grown at Jade Family Farm, but how did the green pods find their way to our farm and then to the market? Well, this unpaid field hand decided to tackle that question.

Continue Reading: Unpaid Field Hand: The Story of Peas

Tags: fieldhand | farm | peas |

Howard’s End CSA Farm

Do you belong to a CSA? Community-supported agriculture (CSA) connects farmers and consumers and offers advantages to both parties. Consumers purchase a share at the beginning of the season and receive a weekly box of fresh-from-the-farm produce. And because farmers receive payment early, they are able to more effectively manage their cash flow and their crops.

Addison Hoffman from Howard’s End CSA Farm, located about 1/2 hour outside of State College, runs a CSA. They offer everything from chickens and ducks to berries to honey and yogurt. You can also find him at the State College Farmers Market on Tuesdays.

Watch a video interview with Addison and learn more about CSA farms.

Continue Reading: Howard’s End CSA Farm

Tags: farm | csa | video | market |

Moser’s Garden Produce from Centre Hall

Moser’s Garden in Centre Hall is a family operation. It began in 1976 as a half-acre garden with a few dozen fruit trees and grape vines. Today it has grown in both variety and acreage producing over 150 varieties of tomatoes, as well as berries, peppers, and sweet corn.

Watch a video interview with Barry Moser and find his produce at the State College Farmers Market on Tuesdays and Fridays and at the North Atherton Market on Saturdays.

Continue Reading: Moser’s Garden Produce from Centre Hall

Tags: video | farm | market |