January is National Soup Month, so celebrate with some Local Food Journey soup recipes

We have a January thaw going on today, but tonight Old Man Winter ends the party and back into the ice box we go. A traditional way to beat the chill is having a nice hot bowl of soup. January is National Soup Month, and given how cold this month can be, that makes a lot of sense.

Soup is actually rather fun to make, and fairly simple. There’s really no limit to variety when it comes to soup, there are the standards like chicken noodle, ham and bean, tomato, etc. but there are some really unique and fun soup recipes out there. In fact, over the years, here at Local Food Journey we’ve gathered quite a selection!

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Tags: soup | winter | recipes |

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.

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Tags: winter | farmersmarket |

Chores to do in the garden before winter sets in

It has definitely become colder. This week has turned out to be pretty wintry, a sign that weekend yard work needs to come to a close for the year very soon. This includes your vegetable garden.

There are certain chores that you need to do before the ground freezes and is covered in snow. These are chores that help ensure a successful 2018 gardening season by preparing the soil and helping to prevent diseases.

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Tags: gardening | fall | winter |

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.

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Tags: UnpaidFieldHand | winter | farming |

Harvest from your garden in January…in central Pennsylvania?

After this week’s storm dumped anywhere from an inch in northern parts of central Pennsylvania to two feet in southern portions, gardening may be the last thing on many minds this week. However, on Sunday, I managed to harvest some delicious brussels sprouts. How?

Well, believe it or not, brussels sprouts can take a lot of cold. In fact, when you harvest them now, they are outright delicious. The same is true for a lot of cold-hardy vegetables, the cold ups the sweet factor and they are just plain good. In fact, you can harvest a variety of tasty things to add to your winter table.

How can one manage this in the land of icy winds and snow? With some careful planning in the spring and summer, you can turn gardening into a four-season activity.

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Tags: gardening | winter |

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.

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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!

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Tags: wintervegetables | recipe | FriendsandFarmers | farmersmarket |

Cream of cauliflower soup fights the winter chill

The weatherman says there will soon be a “January thaw.” Really?? Somehow I don’t believe it as I wake up to the temperature, yet again, in the single digits or teens. That’s when I know that I will make soup for dinner!

I have read a lot of blogs and Facebook pages about soups lately. So many look so good and I want to try them all. Maybe that is how I will make it through until spring this year. We do like soup in our house.

But for now, I will tell you of a soup that has a long history in our family. Yes, another food/family story! When my husband and I were dating we decided to spend the weekend at his childhood home for me to “meet the parents.” My future mother-in-law, a wonderful cook, served us Cream of Cauliflower Soup on a hot summer day. She said it was a new recipe that she wanted to try. Was she trying to impress me? She did not have to—-I liked her right away!

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Tags: recipe | soup | cauliflower | winter |

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.

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Tags: farmersmarket | winter |

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:

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

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.

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Tags: farmersmarket | winter |

Local Food Notes for Sept. 12

For this week’s Local Food Notes….honeycrisp apples are back, your chance to meet a sheep at the Millheim Farmers Market, Tait Farms Foods introduces a fall flavored shrub, and how to store that winter squash purchase you made at farmers market.

- Honeycrisp apples are back: Honeycrisp apples are a much-loved variety, due to their crisp texture, sweet flavor, and juicy mouth-feel. They are back now, and can be found at various Central Pennsylvania orchards, such as Harner Farm and Way Fruit Farm. Get them before the rest of the Honeyheads end up eating them all.

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Tags: LocalFoodNotes | fall | apples | shrub | wintersquash |

Even in a tough winter, Greenmore Gardens offers community fresh, local produce

Referring to this winter as “freezing” would be an understatement. The snow was relentless, not to mention temperatures were lower than I had ever experienced. Nevertheless, as brutal as Pennsylvania winters may be, I try to remind myself, while laboriously scraping the ice off my windshield, that spring will arrive in just a short while. In fact, farmers in the area are also anticipating warm weather by planting their spring harvest right now! Greenmoore Gardens, an organic farm located just outside of State College, began planting this week in hopes of a healthy spring harvest.

Laura Zaino, an employee of Greenmoore Gardens, gives the ins and outs of preparation. “We seed onions in mid-February, which is the first of the spring crops to get seeded.” Using their own potting mix, the seeds are planted in a greenhouse where the seedlings germinate and begin to grow. “Then we either put them into bigger pots or transplant them outside in the fields. The larger pots are for plants like tomatoes that need warm soil to grow,” explains Laura.

She goes on to further explain that the bigger pots allow for longer time in the greenhouse, hence, more growth before being transported outside. “Other crops, like turnips, carrots and beets, we seed directly into rows in the fields,” she says.

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Tags: GreenmoreGardens | winter | greens |

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:

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

Recipe: Sausage, carrots, and potatoes an easy comfort food solution for cold winter nights

With plenty of mornings with temperatures below the zero mark and plenty of snow and ice to go with it, the winter of 2013-2014 has been a fairly harsh one compared with recent years. Such weather calls for a hearty meal, and I have the perfect solution that I brought up to Central Pennsylvania from my childhood growing up in York, Pennsylvania. And it’s easy to prepare, too, and something the whole family will enjoy.

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Tags: recipe | carrots | sausage | potatoes | winter |

10 garden chores you can do in the winter (and probably should)

Earlier this week, the coldest air in 20 years overspread Central Pennsylvania, dropping temperatures below zero. While shivering through a cold snap like that, it’s hard to imagine doing garden work. But there are still some chores you can do, either in the comfort of your living room or during one of our inevitable thaws that we have most every winter and will have this weekend. Getting them done now can help ensure a better harvest this spring and summer.

Here’s 10 garden chores you can do this winter:

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Tags: gardening | winter | chores |

Cranberry Walnut Salad

Tis’ the season to break out those crazy holiday recipes, and let’s be thankful for the ones that work!

Every year, cranberries are the one ingredient that I can’t seem to find a place for. I love them, but can’t bear the sight of that cylindrical slab or goopy sauce. After a myriad of berry-big failures, I’ve vowed to take a lighter, simpler approach: a salad.

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Tags: recipe | winter | cranberries |

Leek and Porcini Risotto

Good risotto is one of those things that is nearly impossible to get at a restaurant. Certainly, there are places that do it well. But if I order it, I am usually disappointed nine times out of ten. It just doesn’t lend itself well to advance prep and requires lots of stirring while cooking. And you would think that would make it family unfriendly — but I find it to be the exact opposite. It is a quick and simple meal (wonderful for a vegetarian night, too) that can be done in under an hour. And the actual cooking part really only takes about 30 minutes.

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Tags: recipe | winter | leeks | mushrooms |

Muenster Chicken with Mushrooms

Here is a delicious winter recipe that we ate all the time growing up, and I have just updated it a bit. It’s a great casserole for a big group, kids love it, and it makes a great drop off dinner for your friend or neighbor who just had a baby.

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Tags: recipe | winter | mushrooms |

Pulling Summer from the Freezer when it’s Freezing Outside

During my garden harvest season, which stretches from summer through much of fall, I preserve a lot of what we get from our backyard in two ways—canning and freezing.

I like to do both because of cooking flexibility. You can do a lot of great things with canning: sauces, relishes, pickles, etc. But freezing for me tends to be about just the vegetable/fruit.

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Tags: gardening | recipes | kale | winter |

Roasted Potato Salad

Tomorrow is the last day to enter our potatoes recipe contest! How do you prepare Russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, and new potatoes? Share your recipe for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Nature’s Pantry.

Looking for inspiration? Continue reading for my favorite potato salad recipe.

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Tags: recipe | winter | potatoes |

Curried Chick Pea and Red Potato Hash

I love the challenge of taking very disparate items and somehow bringing them together into a coherent dish. Certainly some of the dishes turn out a lot better than others, but it is always a fun experiment. In this case, I had new potatoes, garlic scapes (the green flower shoot from the garlic), green onions, parsley, and lots of eggs. I settled on a “hash” sort of thing and I was not disappointed. I love putting a slight twist on a very traditional approach and it was a delicious vegetarian entree. I served it with sauteed snow peas and a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

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Tags: recipe | winter | potatoes |

Year Round Good Eating and Gratin Recipe

Our local food partners are the stars behind the scenes at Harrison’s Wine Grill – we purchase from more than 20 local businesses during the growing season. During the winter, we focus more on the year-round products, especially locally produced cheese like our Goot Essa cheddar and Three Belle goat cheese, both from Millheim, Pa. We are working to bring more Pennsylvania artisanal cheeses onto our menu this year because our menu items designed around Goot Essa Sharp Cheddar have been so popular, especially the gratin recipe featured below.

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Tags: recipe | winter | potatoes | squash |

Orange Marsala Cranberry Sauce

‘Tis the season for cranberries! Share your favorite recipe this month for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks.

Continue reading to see Kristin’s recipe for Orange Marsala Cranberry Sauce.

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Tags: recipe | winter | cranberries |

Get your garden ready for a long winter’s nap

While we haven’t quite yet had a true killing frost, it’s inevitable - at some point, your 2011 garden will be covered in frost, and soon after, snow. The garden will go to sleep until it warms again, but there is some work yet to do on your garden that will make things easier next spring. Time to put it to bed.

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Tags: winter | gardening |

Parsnip Soup

It’s almost April, and spring foods like green peas and asparagus are just around the corner. However, until the cold weather leaves for good, keep warm with a bowl of parsnip soup. This root vegetable is closely related to the carrot with a distinct sweet and butter flavor, which is ideal for this hearty soup.

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Tags: recipe | winter | parsnips |

Glazed Carrots with Orange and Ginger

This isn’t the first time I’ve made this dish, and it won’t be the last.

In How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman suggests quick glazing carrots in butter or oil with a variety of herbs for a flavorful side dish. You could use dill and lemon juice, brown sugar and walnuts, or maple syrup and pecans. But I especially like the combination of grated ginger and freshly squeezed orange juice.

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Tags: recipes | winter | carrots | oranges |

Chicken Pot Pie with Root Vegetables

Spring arrives in less than three weeks, though March can still be a bitterly cold month. Keep warm during the final days of winter with this hearty and healthy comfort food dish that takes advantage of the final root vegetables of the season.

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Tags: recipe | winter | potatoes | parsnips | onions | carrots |

Pesto and Prosciutto Pizza

Try homemade pizza tonight in place of delivery. It will be hot out of the oven in the same amount of time a cardboard box could arrive on your doorstep—and it’s much more satisfying.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

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Tags: recipes | winter | broccoli | garlic |

Ravioli Soup

There’s nothing more satisfying than a tasty soup to warm up a cold, snowy day. This flavor-packed soup will definitely do the trick, not to mention, it’s very simple to make!

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Tags: recipe | winter | pasta | carrots | mushrooms | garlic |

Pork Chop Saute with Balsamic-Dried Plum Sauce

Pork is a great substitute for traditional chicken dishes that can get repetitive and boring. For this dish, garlic, shallots, and dried plums (which add a sweet zest to the sauce) compliment each other and are absorbed by the pork chops. This is a quick and easy recipe that will please all!

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Tags: recipe | winter | plums | pork |

Pear Pizza

Pears are sweet and juicy and provide a bright note to cold weather meals. They pair nicely with pungent and creamy cheeses, caramelized onions, and walnuts — all of which have a place on this pizza.

What’s on your January pizza?

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Tags: recipe | winter | fall | pears |

Roasted Butternut Squash Orzo

December dinners tends to be hearty and heavy, and sometimes we need a break from weighty winter food. Enter roasted butternut squash orzo with wilted spinach and dried cranberries.

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Tags: recipe | fall | winter | butternutsquash | cranberries | garlic |

Winter Squash Quiche

Monday night football was on the television, and the guys were at my place with their eyes glued to the screen. Anxious to have new recipe test subjects, I proposed that I make some food. However, when I mentioned squash, a loud groan echoed throughout my apartment.

“Why can’t we just order wings?” and “Really? Vegetables for a football game?” But I stood my ground, and finally they admitted that free food was better than no food at all.

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Tags: recipe | fall | wintersquash |