Local Food Journey

arugula, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard, corn, fava beans, garlic scapes, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, oregano, parsley, radishes, rhubarb, scallions, spinach, squash, strawberries, thyme, tomatoes, zucchini

All Posts by Jamie Oberdick

How to make your own scrapple

Editor’s Note: Nick Benard of Bellefonte is a new writer with Local Food Journey. Nick has a local food blog called the Culinary Pen, and is interested in home cheese making with local raw milk, curing meat from local farms, gardening, and home butchering. With this post, he talks about his love of a real Pennsylvania food, scrapple, and offers a recipe to make your own.

I love scrapple. Not just for the savory taste, but also for what it represents: a need to use up every part of an animal and stretch the meat as far as possible. For the uninitiated, scrapple is a mixture of cereal grains cooked in broth with pork meat. The grains can vary, depending on the region. The Philadelphia region is famous for buckwheat scrapple, oats are preferred in Ohio, and rice is traditional in the Carolinas. For me, I prefer the classic Pennsylvania Dutch use of dried corn, particularly Brisner’s Best, which is traditionally dried, roasted corn milled in Pennsylvania.

Continue Reading: How to make your own scrapple

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 06/18, 2013 at 11:16 AM

Morel madness!

Editor’s Note: This story is by one of our new Local Food Journey bloggers, Jim Sechrengost, a Penn State employee who prior to entering the tech world was a chef in restaurants ranging from diners to Chinese places in Southern CA. He grew up in the Somerset/Johnstown area so he has a lot of local recipes from all types of ethnic backgrounds, and will be sharing them with us in the months to come.

When I was young I lived in Somerset County and my uncle introduced me to camping and all the wonders of nature at an early age. We used to go camping as much as his work would allow and he showed me how to live off the land hunting and gathering edible plants. When I joined the military I carried this love of the outdoors with me and every chance I got I would explore and find the new plants that were edible where ever I happened to be. This turned into a love of cooking and trying to find new ways to prepare some of these edible delights. I have cooked in almost every type of restaurant you can think of from Mom and Pop Diners to Chinese.

Continue Reading: Morel madness!

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 06/12, 2013 at 10:42 AM

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

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 06/10, 2013 at 10:08 AM

Local food innovation in Singapore is something you can look up to

Singapore is known for its food. For those who have been there, Singapore is a world of delicious and unique flavors. Much of this food is trucked in, but an entrepreneur has come up with a vertical farming idea that uses limited energy and may enable Singapore to grow more local food for its residents and visitors.

Continue Reading: Local food innovation in Singapore is something you can look up to

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 06/06, 2013 at 09:13 AM

Things are just Peachey in Belleville

Tucked into a beautiful slice of Pennsylvania known as the Big Valley, Belleville is a small town around 25 miles to the southeast of State College in Mifflin County. Belleville is a community with a variety of different Amish and Mennonite groups. One of the groups of Amish are known as the Peachey or Renno Amish, also known as “black-toppers”. Named after the Peachey family, the Peachey folk are industrious with a variety of businesses in the general Belleville area carrying the Peachey name. Two of my personal favorites are local food related—Peachey Greenhouse and the famous A.J. Peachey and Sons. This past Saturday, I decided to take a drive and pay a visit to both of them.

Continue Reading: Things are just Peachey in Belleville

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 06/03, 2013 at 11:33 AM

Video: Three Belle Cheese…Milking past financial and cultural limits

Local Food Journey is pleased to announce that Penn State student and WPSU Multimedia Intern Jessica Paholsky will be producing videos for us that will cover a variety of local food topics, places, businesses, and more. These will generally run every Friday. The first one looks at a few of the challenges of being a goat dairy farmer with Three Belle Cheese General Manager Darren Rhyne.

Continue Reading: Video: Three Belle Cheese…Milking past financial and cultural limits

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/31, 2013 at 02:00 PM

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

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/28, 2013 at 02:08 PM

Fundamentals of Pairing Wine with Food

Post by Jamie Ryan, Wine Consultant & Educator, Mt. Nittany Winery

In wine and food pairing, the fundamental goal is balance. The flavors found in both the wine and the elements of a dish should be balanced and neither should overpower the other. A well-matched pairing should enhance the existing elements of each and ultimately bring out new flavors that are not detected in the wine or food when they stand alone. As a wine educator, the most frequent questions my students always ask how they can make safe pairing choices when they are on their own, either at home or dining out. Here are some basic guidelines that are fairly universal in the world and I find that they are a great place for beginners to dive in and start playing with their pairings.

Continue Reading: Fundamentals of Pairing Wine with Food

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/23, 2013 at 12:17 PM

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

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/20, 2013 at 09:58 AM

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

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/17, 2013 at 09:22 AM

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?

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/15, 2013 at 10:39 AM

Want to become a food blogger? Write for Local Food Journey!

Hi everyone! We are looking for volunteer writers for Local Food Journey. If you have a passion for local food, the philosophy behind local food, and enjoy writing, then we would love to have you join us as a contributor. This blog has always been about the local food community and having the community contribute to content we believe makes perfect sense.

Continue Reading: Want to become a food blogger? Write for Local Food Journey!

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/14, 2013 at 01:58 PM

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Elk Creek brewer offers summer beer/food pairings

Editor’s Note: This is part 1 of a two-part look at summer food and beer pairings with Centre County brewers - today, Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks, and next Friday, Otto’s Pub and Brewery. Traditionally, pairings of food and drink has usually been about wine. But over the last decade or so, as craft beers and ales have become more and more prevalent, beer and food pairings have come to the forefront. Everybody knows how well a nice cold glass of beer goes with wings or burgers, but what about more adventurous pairings? I recently talked to Tim Yarrington, the brewer responsible for the excellent libations that Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks puts out on a regular basis, about some beer food pairings that will make you want to head to Millheim and grab a growler or two.

Continue Reading: Elk Creek brewer offers summer beer/food pairings

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/10, 2013 at 11:35 AM

Finally, someone sets the record straight on what’s “real” Pennsylvania Dutch food

I grew up in York, PA, which is part of what is considered the most famous of our state’s “Pennsylvania Dutch” country. While York doesn’t attract the throngs of tourists that Lancaster does, Pennsylvania Dutch cooking has had a big influence on the area’s local eating. Because of this, I consider myself a bit of a Pennsylvania Dutch food “purist”—for example, I know that if a book has a recipe for “Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie” and it includes a crust, then it’s not an authentic recipe. So, I was quite thrilled to stumble upon an NPR blog post about a new book by a Pennsylvania Dutch food expert, William Woys Weaver.

Continue Reading: Finally, someone sets the record straight on what’s “real” Pennsylvania Dutch food

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/08, 2013 at 02:05 PM

Local plant sales offer variety of food and ornamental plants

Plant sales are a fairly common sight in and around Happy Valley in May. They are a boon for gardeners who want to find unusual or native plants to add to their garden. They are also a good way to keep your garden a more “pure” source of local food, since instead of buying plants that were shipped to a big box store, you buy plants from a local vendor or organization.

Continue Reading: Local plant sales offer variety of food and ornamental plants

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/06, 2013 at 03:15 PM

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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

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/03, 2013 at 01:04 PM

Comments (0) | Permalink | Tags: farmersmarket | buyfreshbuylocal |

At the Dinner Table with French Penn State Graduate Student Sandra Rosseau

Editor’s note: At the Dinner Table is a new series on Local Food Journey. The concept behind this feature is a type of conversation you might have at dinner with a friend. I am sure many of you have talked local food at dinner, while having local food on the table (how meta is that?), so this series will feature members of the local community talking about local food and the role it plays in their lives. This is the first in the series, and in this inaugural At the Dinner Table I talked to Sandra Rosseau, a PhD student at Penn State from France. She came to Penn State in 2007. Her research interests now focus on the roles that humor plays in the context of Franco-Algerian memory. In her free time, she enjoys music, photography, and as you will soon see, cooking.

Continue Reading: At the Dinner Table with French Penn State Graduate Student Sandra Rosseau

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/02, 2013 at 10:00 AM

Stanford student finds connection between local food and building a diverse community

Local food has many benefits, from supporting local businesses to just plain tasting good. But did you know that local food has potential to enhance diversity and improve race relations in the local community? A student from Stanford makes his case on the Huffington Post.

Continue Reading: Stanford student finds connection between local food and building a diverse community

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/01, 2013 at 11:02 AM

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

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/29, 2013 at 12:42 PM

Otto’s spring/summer menu includes food grown in on-site garden

Otto’s Pub and Brewery finds a lot of what they serve both on the plate and in the pub glass from local vendors, but one source can be best described as hyper-local—a couple of onsite gardens. These onsite gardens may entail some work—when I talked to Pete Herncane, head chef of Otto’s, for this post he had just came in from weeding their garden—but they offer a source of very fresh herbs and vegetables for their local food menu.

Continue Reading: Otto’s spring/summer menu includes food grown in on-site garden

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/25, 2013 at 12:37 PM

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Five Reasons to Compost

You just made a big pot of soup with all sorts of stuff you got from the farmer’s market. Now you have carrot tops, potato peels, yellowed greens, etc. Throw them in the garbage? No way! You have compost, not trash.

Continue Reading: Five Reasons to Compost

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/22, 2013 at 03:01 PM

How Harrison’s innovation, partnerships with local vendors create great dishes for diners

As our Unpaid Field Hand pointed out yesterday, the local food scene here in Central Pennsylvania is growing as rapidly as a tomato plant in June. One of the pioneers and advocates of local food is Harrison’s Wine Grill and Catering, located within the State College Hilton Garden Inn. They do local food and they do it quite well, as evidenced by multiple awards for both their restaurant and their catering. This Local Food Journey post will take a look at how Harrison’s built relationships with local farms and other vendors to become a go-to source for innovative dishes made with Central Pennsylvania ingredients.

Continue Reading: How Harrison’s innovation, partnerships with local vendors create great dishes for diners

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/18, 2013 at 02:48 PM

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Recipe: Oven-fried Pennsylvania panfish a surprisingly tasty dish

Saturday was the first day of trout season in Central Pennsylvania, and thousands of anglers hit Pennsylvania waterways in hopes of catching their own local food. While many fish for trout due to the fish’s delicious flavor, there is another group of Pennsylvania fish that are as tasty and like trout are often caught in the spring - panfish. Panfish such as crappie, yellow perch, and bluegill may offer small fillets, but their sweet, mild flavor make them a welcome addition to the local food table.

Continue Reading: Recipe: Oven-fried Pennsylvania panfish a surprisingly tasty dish

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/15, 2013 at 09:00 AM

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How one CSA plans planting with you in mind

Participating in Community Support Agriculture - you probably know it as a “CSA” - is a lot like subscribing to a farm like you might a newspaper or magazine. You buy a subscription, or as it is better known, a share, at the beginning of the year. This helps participating farms, as they can establish their operating budget for the year, and gives the farm a known market for the produce, meat, eggs, dairy, etc. that their farm will produce that year. In turn, people with CSA shares get a regular source of the best food their local farm can offer. So, how do CSA farms manage this system? How do they plan the growing season and work with the community each year to give them a bounty each week or month? To find out, I talked to Kim Tait of Tait Farms.

Continue Reading: How one CSA plans planting with you in mind

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/11, 2013 at 11:30 AM

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Pennsylvania moves up in 2013 Locavore Index

The Vermont-based local food advocacy Strolling of the Heifers, has released its second annual Strolling of the Heifers Locavore Index, ranking all 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of commitment to local food. Where does Pennsylvania rank?

Continue Reading: Pennsylvania moves up in 2013 Locavore Index

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/10, 2013 at 08:38 AM

Tasting spring with grilled chicken with lemon-garlic arugula

Well, what do you know. During the last several days the weather finally began to resemble spring after what was a pretty cold March, followed by a chilly start to April. Yesterday was especially nice and really got me thinking spring, a time of year that I just plain love.

There are two local-food related things that I love about spring time—the first fresh greens of the year and breaking out the grill. While a spring greens salad with a grill burger made from local beef is a nice way to kick off the spring season, I decided yesterday to try to combine greens and grilled meat in one dish.

Continue Reading: Tasting spring with grilled chicken with lemon-garlic arugula

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/08, 2013 at 10:00 AM

Newly incorporated Friends & Farmers to hold local food potluck April 16

Some good news to report for those looking for more local food sources. Friends & Farmers, a food cooperative in State College committed to showcasing the best local products in support of a strong local economy, has taken several important steps toward opening a member-owned community grocery store that is open to the public, seven days a week.

Continue Reading: Newly incorporated Friends & Farmers to hold local food potluck April 16

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/05, 2013 at 01:20 PM

Check your garden temperature before sowing (even after it finally gets warm!)

Even though winter is hanging around this week like a lazy brother-in-law who just won’t get off the couch, those of us who garden turn our thoughts to planting seeds. While many gardeners have already started seeds indoors in trays under artificial light, we are really one warm spell away from being able to plant seeds outside.

Continue Reading: Check your garden temperature before sowing (even after it finally gets warm!)

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/03, 2013 at 02:30 PM

Local Food Journey announces new editor

Hello everyone. My name is Jamie Oberdick. You may (hopefully? maybe?) recognize my name as one of the gardening bloggers here at Local Food Journey. I am the new editor of Local Food Journey.

Continue Reading: Local Food Journey announces new editor

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/01, 2013 at 09:57 AM

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Measure of garden success?

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.

Continue Reading: Measure of garden success?

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/24, 2012 at 02:54 PM

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Too Much Zucchini? Try Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms

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.

Continue Reading: Too Much Zucchini? Try Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/17, 2012 at 01:32 PM

Five Unusual Edibles from the Garden

Right now, people are beginning to harvest all sorts of stuff from the garden. Some of it is conventional stuff, like tomatoes. However, there’s a lot of food in gardens that many people ignore. Some of these may sound outright, well, weird—but give them a shot. They are the “best kept secrets” of the garden.

Continue Reading: Five Unusual Edibles from the Garden

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 07/18, 2012 at 08:50 AM

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Rabbit vs. Gardener

I have heard before that a mild spring means a lot of rabbits the following summer. 2012 seems to be proving this true, as we have had both a warm spring and seemingly, a lot of rabbits.

Continue Reading: Rabbit vs. Gardener

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 06/25, 2012 at 11:50 AM

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Diverse Beans a Warm-Weather Garden Star

Beans are a popular garden plant, with good reason—they are one of the tastiest vegetables in the garden. They are also pretty easy to grow, and with a little bit of TLC you can get quite a yield of tasty pods or shelled beans that can be used in all kinds of recipes. Beans are also a perfect garden crop for vegetarians because of their high protein content. What’s not to like?

Continue Reading: Diverse Beans a Warm-Weather Garden Star

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/31, 2012 at 09:31 AM

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How to Transplant Tomatoes Now for Great Harvests Later

It’s mid-May, which is peak time for “putting in the garden,” an old saying that means planting your frost-sensitive plants now that we are mostly past the risk of frost. (Although not completely, more on that later.)

Whether you started tomatoes from seed or bought the plants at your favorite garden center or farmer’s market, transplanting them the right way is very important.

Continue Reading: How to Transplant Tomatoes Now for Great Harvests Later

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/23, 2012 at 09:43 AM

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Ten Tips to Get Your Garden off to a Great Start

Despite some recent backsliding into winter, spring weather is mostly here to stay. If you are like me, you are steadily spending more and more time in the garden, getting things growing to start the season. A good start is very important for a successful gardening season, as your plants are very young and tender at this point.

Here are ten tips, in no particular order, to get your garden off and moving toward a big harvest.

Continue Reading: Ten Tips to Get Your Garden off to a Great Start

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 05/07, 2012 at 01:45 PM

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Paper Pots Offer Cost-Effective, Environmentally Friendly Home for Seedlings

In my last post I talked about planting seeds indoors. And given that we are four to six weeks away from the last frost as I write this, you should have seedlings growing somewhere in your house.

Continue Reading: Paper Pots Offer Cost-Effective, Environmentally Friendly Home for Seedlings

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/20, 2012 at 09:00 AM

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Planting Cold-Hardy Veggies for Spring Crops

As you probably noticed, the weather in mid-March was more along the lines of early June. This caused some absolutely incredible early spring scenes as spring growth is about a month ahead of schedule—blossoming trees, daffodils in full display, and perennials peaking out of the dirt at a much earlier date than normal.

For us gardeners, it was so tempting to get out there and plant something. So I did. I planted several rows in my garden, knowing full well that they would need protection later from the inevitable cold snap. If you still haven’t planted, no worries—you still have lots of time to plant cold-hardy vegetables in your garden.

Continue Reading: Planting Cold-Hardy Veggies for Spring Crops

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 04/05, 2012 at 03:18 PM

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Starting Seeds is Easy: How to Plant the Seeds

If you followed my last blog post, you should be ready to plant some seeds indoors. First things first, fill your cell flats with moistened potting soil or seed starting mix. You want it moist, not saturated.

Next, plant the seeds. This is by far one of the most important tasks of your gardening year, and you need to make sure you do it correctly because, well, you want them to germinate.

Continue Reading: Starting Seeds is Easy: How to Plant the Seeds

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 03/23, 2012 at 01:07 PM

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Starting Seeds is Easy: How to Set Up

The weather has been warm lately, warm enough to start thinking about gardening. However, while the mild weather is great for daffodils, crocuses, and forsythia, it’s still too chilly to plant vegetables, especially frost-sensitive types like tomatoes and beans. You want to hold off planting those outside until early-mid May.

Continue Reading: Starting Seeds is Easy: How to Set Up

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 03/16, 2012 at 09:00 AM

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Take a Jar of Summer off the Shelf

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.

Continue Reading: Take a Jar of Summer off the Shelf

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 02/22, 2012 at 02:50 PM

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.

Continue Reading: Pulling Summer from the Freezer when it’s Freezing Outside

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 02/07, 2012 at 11:09 PM

Don’t wait to make online seed orders for 2012 garden season!

We are in the heart of winter, so buying garden seeds may not be the first thing on your mind. However, if you are planning on ordering seeds online (you will more choices online than you will in a store), now is the time to do so.

Continue Reading: Don’t wait to make online seed orders for 2012 garden season!

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 01/18, 2012 at 06:48 PM

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Five Gift Ideas for the Gardener in Your Life

Looking to buy a holiday gift for that special gardener in your life? Here are five great suggestions:

Continue Reading: Five Gift Ideas for the Gardener in Your Life

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 12/12, 2011 at 02:58 PM

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First National Thanksgiving and York County Filling

I grew up in York, PA. Christmas and Easter were at my grandma’s, but Thanksgiving was at my parents’ house. There was typically a crowd of 12-15 relatives, but it always felt to me, as a kid, like 50 people because my childhood home is pretty small.

Continue Reading: First National Thanksgiving and York County Filling

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/22, 2011 at 03:35 PM

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Sowing the Seeds of a Great Marriage

Going to go a bit off-topic here, but I had to share this story with everyone who reads this blog. Gardening is something that often is done together by couples and who knows how many relationships are sparked at a plant sale or garden center. However, gardening is not really thought of something as romantic, per se.

Continue Reading: Sowing the Seeds of a Great Marriage

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 11/16, 2011 at 10:00 AM

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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.

Continue Reading: Get your garden ready for a long winter’s nap

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 10/21, 2011 at 07:00 AM

Comments (1) | Permalink | Tags: winter | gardening |

Pumpkins - not just for pies and front stoops anymore

The humble pumpkin at one time was known for being just two things - a front porch decoration and a pie. Also, unless you lived in Pennsylvania Dutch country like I did as a kid and saw “neck pumpkins,” pumpkins were always orange and round.

Continue Reading: Pumpkins - not just for pies and front stoops anymore

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 10/14, 2011 at 08:00 AM

Comments (0) | Permalink | Tags: pumpkins | fall |

Frost looms in the garden, but that’s not always a bad thing

While the weather in recent days has been more like summer, the changing leaves are a definite sign that it is autumn and gardening season is coming to a close. While much of central Pennsylvania hasn’t seen the first frost as yet, that soon will change. It’s definitely frost season.

Continue Reading: Frost looms in the garden, but that’s not always a bad thing

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 09/29, 2011 at 08:20 AM

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Broaden Your Culinary Horizons

Just 20 years ago, the selection of produce was nothing like it is today. Iceberg lettuce, round red tomatoes, green bell peppers, regular orange carrots, and plain potatoes ruled the supermarket shelves.

However, today the expansion of the American palate is quite evident. Sushi is found in supermarkets. An imitation of a latte can be found at a convenience store. Ethnic restaurants such as Indian, Thai, Austrian, and Korean can be found in central Pennsylvania. And the broadening selections for the home chef have expanded culinary horizons, as well.

Continue Reading: Broaden Your Culinary Horizons

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 09/16, 2011 at 10:52 AM

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Saving Seeds from Tomatoes

Okay, you got some fantastic heirloom tomatoes, among the best you’ve ever had. You may have bought them at a farmers market or received them in a CSA box, or perhaps they were gifted to you by a friend. But you’re not sure of the variety so you can’t buy the seeds, right? No worries—saving tomato seeds is actually quite simple.

Continue Reading: Saving Seeds from Tomatoes

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 09/09, 2011 at 01:12 PM

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Useful Beauty

Home vegetable gardens are an ideal and super-local way to get fresh, delicious produce, but they can also be a beautiful addition to your yard. Many vegetable plants not only taste great, they look great, too—and not just on a plate.

Continue Reading: Useful Beauty

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/23, 2011 at 01:29 PM

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Plant Now for Garden-Fresh Fall Harvest

Please welcome Jamie Oberdick to the Local Food Journey! Jamie is an enthusiastic home gardener who grows a variety of plants from around the world in his Centre County backyard. Take it away, Jamie!

A lot of people think of vegetable gardening as a spring/summer thing, and you shut it down in the fall with the exception of the last pumpkins. Actually, there are plenty of different vegetables that thrive in the cooler conditions we have in fall in central Pennsylvania.

Continue Reading: Plant Now for Garden-Fresh Fall Harvest

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 08/19, 2011 at 01:40 PM

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Stalking The Elusive, Worthy Apricot

June 19, 2013

Apricots are the finest of summer's fruits, with dense, juicy flesh and delicate, velvety skins. That's why it is so disheartening when you bite into one, only to find it is mealy and flavorless. To find the best ones, head to your local farmers market.

The Mystery Of the Ridiculously Pricey Bag Of Potatoes

June 18, 2013

Did a 10-pound bag of potatoes really cost $15 back in 2008? We get to the bottom of some puzzling numbers in the lawsuit alleging America's potato growers have become a spud cartel.

Hot Dogs, Bacon And Red Meat Tied To Increased Diabetes Risk

June 18, 2013

A fresh study looks at what happens after people change their meat-eating habits. Those who upped their intake — about 3.5 servings more per week — saw their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes during four years of follow-up increase by almost 50 percent.

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