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The opinions expressed in these blogs are solely those of the people who wrote them, and do not represent the views of WPSU or Penn State University.

Local Food Journey

Farm Diary: Late Winter on the Farm

Posted by James Eisenstein on 02/29 at 11:40 AM

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.

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Live Local Music

“Some Nights” by Fun. - Album Review

Posted by Christopher Will on 02/27 at 06:00 PM

Grade: A

Brooklyn-based indie-pop trio Fun., released their sophomore album Some Nights this past Tuesday, and it stands as one of the most diverse and innovative pop albums to come out of this decade thus far.  While Fun.’s freshman debut, Aim & Ignite, was an album layered heavily with 70’s classic rock influences, Some Nights takes bits and pieces of multiple genres and clumps them together into a perfect musical mess.  Though some may see Some Nights as Fun.’s attempt to “sell out” for radio audiences, the more musically intellectual will step back and realize that the album as a whole is too unique and breathtaking to be a “sell out.”  Some Nights is Fun. doing what they do best: making thought provoking and mind blowing music that is, for lack of a better term, ridiculously and indescribably fun.

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Local Food Journey

CSA Fair in State College Today

Posted by Emily Wiley on 02/27 at 02:43 PM

Join the Centre County Chapter of Buy Fresh, Buy Local today from 3:30pm - 6:30pm at the Friends Meeting House in State College (611 E. Prospect Ave.). Mix and mingle with CSAs from Greenmore Gardens, Jade Family Farm, Tait Farm Foods, Healthy Harvest Farm, Village Acres, Plowshare Produce, Howards End Farm, and GroundWork Farms. Learn about price and size options, workshare programs, and product availability to find the CSA that will work best for you!

The Sustainable Kitchen will also be there with ready-to-eat food.

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Local Food Journey

Early Signs of Spring

Posted by Tony Ricci on 02/23 at 06:34 PM

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. 

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Live Local Music

Kanye West: King of Hip-Hop

Posted by David Porter Callanan on 02/23 at 02:49 PM

Last week, it seemed like all anyone could talk about at the Grammy’s was Adele. She swept all six categories in which she was nominated and capped off the night with arguably the night’s best performance. The only person that might have more of a beef with the ceremony than Adele’s ex boyfriend would be rapper and producer, Kanye West. Kanye chose not to attend the show but still swept all four Hip-Hop awards with assistance from the likes of Kid Cudi, Rihanna and “The Throne’s” other half Jay-Z. Some feel he was snubbed by not being nominated for “Album of the Year,” but that’s another story. Regardless, West raised his Grammy total to 18, which is the most by a Hip-Hop artist ever. So is it a little too early to call Kanye the greatest hip-hop artist of his generation? I don’t believe so, just look at the facts.

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Local Food Journey

Take a Jar of Summer off the Shelf

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 02/22 at 02:50 PM

In my last post, I talked about the benefits of freezing vegetables to use in the winter. Now let’s look at another way of preserving your garden harvest—canning.

Canning for me brings back memories of my mother and grandmother, who both canned. They canned stuff like pears, green beans, tomatoes, etc. Pretty much straight up, old-fashioned canning.

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Local Food Journey

Why Organic? Part 2: Nutrition

Posted by James Eisenstein on 02/21 at 11:39 AM

If, as I argued in Part 1, organically produced food is more nutritious, it makes sense to eat it. It may cost a little more, but you are getting more for your money.

Over the past 15 years, we’ve learned more about complex healthy soils. They are teaming with little critters, beetle grubs, earthworms, bacteria by the billions, and fungi. Together, they facilitate plants’ ability to obtain micro-nutrients and minerals essential to good health. Compost, manures, and other organic substances in the soil provide these organisms with what they need to do their thing.

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Local Food Journey

Field Notes: Mild February

Posted by Kim Tait on 02/17 at 08:00 PM

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!

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Live Local Music

Live Bands Performing at THON

Posted by Matt D'Ippolito on 02/17 at 12:07 PM

It’s that time of year again at Penn State: THON weekend. And that means essentially 46 hours of back-to-back music blasting from the loudspeakers of the BJC. One of the highlights are the many cover bands that will grace the stage. Here’s a rundown, in order of appearance, of who will be performing this year and what to expect from each band.

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Local Food Journey

Muenster Chicken with Mushrooms

Posted by Kristin Camplese on 02/15 at 09:56 AM

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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Live Local Music

Valentine’s Day Playlist

Posted by Christopher Will on 02/14 at 08:33 PM

Valentine’s Day is a holiday filled with love, longing, and little candy hearts.  This Valentine’s day, here are five songs that you can enjoy while cuddled up with your better half, or in the comfort of your own solitude.

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Live Local Music

Music World Mourns the Death of Whitney Houston

Posted by Matt D'Ippolito on 02/12 at 01:58 AM

Multiplatinum R&B singer Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room Saturday, as reported by the L.A. Times and other media outlets. According to the reports, the cause of death is unknown at this time. She was found in a Beverly Hills hotel room she was staying in for the tribute to Clive Davis.

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Live Local Music

Album Review: “Tramp” by Sharon Van Etten

Posted by Matt D'Ippolito on 02/10 at 11:58 AM

Grade: B

Sharon Van Etten’s third album represents a culmination in the evolution of her confidence. The voice on Tramp is much stronger than the one we heard on Epic and a far cry from the quiet murmurs of Because I Was in Love. The lyrical content of the music seems to have matured in much the same way. The timid girl who sang “Lately I’ve seen / confidence and grace / crawl in a ball / and fear I’ve lost my faith” in the song “I Fold” now repeats that she is alright on the track “We Are Fine” and belts out “You enjoy sucking on dreams,” calling out a former flame in “Serpents.”

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Local Food Journey

Wine and Chocolate Pairings Event at Mt. Nittany Winery

Posted by Emily Wiley on 02/09 at 03:02 PM

You and your Valentine are invited to Mt. Nittany Winery in Centre Hall this weekend for a wine and chocolate pairings event. Treat yourself, your sweetheart, or a group of friends to Mt. Nittany’s wines paired with local sweets from Chocolate Madness.

Event hours are Saturday, Feb. 11th from 12-5pm and Sunday, Feb. 12th from 12:30-4pm. Cost is $4.50 per person, and reservations are required. Contact the winery at (814) 466-6373, 300 Houser Road in Centre Hall.

Continue reading for a chocolate truffles recipe from the winery.

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Live Local Music

Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums of 2012

Posted by David Porter Callanan on 02/08 at 06:06 PM

In 2011, it seemed that nearly everyone in the hip-hop game released a noteworthy project. Debut albums, long awaited releases, collaborative projects and promotional mixtapes made 2011 a year to remember in hip-hop. This year should be no different. Before kicking off my list of the most anticipated albums for 2012, let me clarify some things. This list will not be including any albums which have not been confirmed by artists or record labels (including Dr. Dre’s long awaited Detox) and no albums that are considered pop albums (Nicki Minaj’s Roman Reloaded.) Also the list will be in no particular order because it unfair to rank albums that have not been released or even leaked.

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