Community / Blogs

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

Baba Ghanoush with Sea Salt

Posted by Emily Wiley on 08/29 at 07:39 PM

Just three more days left to enter our eggplant recipe contest! Share your favorite recipe now for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Harrison’s Wine Grill in State College.

Looking for inspiration? Try this recipe for Baba Ghanoush from Jenna Weber for PBS Food. It makes use of the final eggplant of the season and is delicious as a sandwich spread or an appetizer with crackers and olives. 

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Live Local Music

Album Review: Southern Air by Yellowcard

Posted by Karen Marchuska on 08/29 at 12:47 PM

Grade: A+

After being a band for 10 years, you would think Yellowcard might run out of things to write about.  Instead, they took all those experiences from the decade that they’ve been making music together and turned it into an album full of songs about believing in yourself and overcoming anything, both of which they’ve had to do plenty of.  Though their sound has morphed and matured through the years, this album is very reminiscent of their major label debut from 2003, Ocean Avenue, with the soaring violin solos and their scathingly personal, but oh-so-relatable lyrics.  With that album they challenged the genre of pop-rock, and with this new release they personally hammer the last nail into the coffin of conformity.  Instead of infusing their tracks with overly produced pop synths and beats, they sprinkle in some violin and intense rock’n’roll drumming, making the sound uniquely theirs.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Corn Fritters with Sweet Tangy Chili Soy Sauce

Posted by Cara McShane on 08/27 at 03:03 PM

I rarely find the time to sit down and watch TV, but when I do, you better believe it is almost always going to be food-related.

I recently caught a re-run episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network. This particular episode was about crunchy food and featured the Indonesian Corn Fritters served with a sweet tangy chili soy sauce from E&O Trading Co. (now known as E&O Asian Kitchen) in San Francisco. They looked and sounded pretty heavenly. Since I don’t have any plans to visit San Francisco in the near future, my next step was to re-create the dish in my own kitchen.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Measure of garden success?

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/24 at 02:54 PM

Recently, several fellow gardeners and I discussed something that ended up being very interesting: how do you define a successful garden year?

We came to a conclusion—it’s all subjective. When you garden, you go into it with a variety of goals in mind. These might include fresh-grown herbs and veggies, saving money, or just making the yard look prettier. These are the yardsticks to measure a good garden year.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Potato Patch

Posted by Tony Ricci on 08/22 at 10:14 PM

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.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Celebrate Julia Child

Posted by Emily Wiley on 08/20 at 11:31 AM

Celebrate Julia Child’s 100th birthday this month! Find recipes and share your favorites. Watch early episodes of The French Chef and Baking with Julia. And read tributes from celebrity chefs.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Our Town

Thank You Indiana County!

Posted by Whitney on 08/20 at 08:37 AM

WPSU received calls from all over Indiana County during the broadcast premiere of “Our Town: Indiana” on Thursday, August 9. You can watch the entire broadcast at http://wpsu.org/tv/episodes/ourtown. Our volunteers were so dedicated throughout the entire project and you can see the extensive credits list at the end of the program. With friends at The Jimmy Stewart Museum, IUP, The Indiana County Tourist Bureau, The Indiana County Chamber of Commerce, and friends from Nanty Glo who joined us for this production, we had a whole crew on board to help showcase all that Indiana County has to offer! Thank you to everyone who called and thanks to all the businesses who provided production funding for the project.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Too Much Zucchini? Try Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/17 at 01:32 PM

Tons of zucchini are a garden cliche. They are so easy to grow that’s it’s almost impossible to not have more zucchini than you need. By this time of the year, all your friends politely turn down your offer of free zucchini because everyone in their family, at work, and in their circle of friends has given them about 1,000 zucchinis.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Ides of August

Posted by Tony Ricci on 08/14 at 03:01 PM

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.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Live Local Music

Local Artist Profile: Annelise

Posted by Karen Marchuska on 08/09 at 03:07 PM

Penn State junior Annelise Gaus didn’t realize she was holding onto a talent until it burst out of her. She thought that her writing wasn’t anything special, until she posted an original song on her Facebook to get back at an ex-boyfriend. And while the online diss felt good, all the praise she got for her song felt way better.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

The Inevitable

Posted by Tony Ricci on 08/09 at 08:00 AM

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

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Harvesting Eggplant

Posted by James Eisenstein on 08/08 at 01:42 PM

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.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Our Town

Our Town: Bellefonte – Looking for Volunteers!

Posted by Jessica on 08/08 at 11:09 AM

WPSU’s “Our Town” series is making a return to Bellefonte! The first episode, done in 1997, featured many aspects of this charming Victorian town—from the places to go, to the things to do, to the deeply rooted history of the area. But now, for the show’s 70th episode, it is time for an update!

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Local Food Journey

Eggplant Recipe Contest

Posted by Emily Wiley on 08/03 at 11:06 AM

How do you eat an eggplant? Share your favorite recipe by September 1st for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Harrison’s Wine Grill in State College.

Submit your recipe today!

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink

Live Local Music

Music for the Waning Summmer Days

Posted by Christopher Will on 08/01 at 01:15 PM

Just because the summer days are fading, doesn’t mean you can’t still add to your summer soundtrack.  Here are 10 fantastic new songs that have dropped recently, all viable summer tunes even as fall is just around the corner.

Read more »

Comments (0)

Permalink