Homegrown Happy Valley

Want to get creative this Valentine’s Day? Talk to Janet Robinson, creator of The Piper’s Peck. Her small business makes delicious alternatives to chocolate and candy hearts: jams, jellies, salsa and fudge with a kick from her homegrown hot peppers.

I don’t even like really spicy food, but I’m hooked on Robinson’s products. Her delectable peppery fudge reminds me of Juliette Binoche’s character in Chocolat serving hot chocolate spiked with chili pepper. Her Raspberry Chipotle jam turns my PB&J into a sophisticated sandwich. And her Hot Pepper Jelly is my new favorite snack food—I prefer it on crackers, with or without cream cheese.

A Local Holiday Feast

One of my favorite things about living local is the food. Treat someone special on your list to a local dinner or some homegrown treats. Here are a few ideas (feel free to leave your own suggestions below).

• Drinks: Otto’s or Elk Creek brew, local wine, Tait Farm Shrub with sparkling water
  

  Give the gift of local brew this holiday season

• Appetizer: Salmon spread from a local farmer’s market served with crackers; cream cheese with Tait Farm Chutney spread on crackers, served with local apples

Here in the United States pasta is treated more like filler than food. But fresh pasta, which belongs in an entirely different food group than the $.79 supermarket brand, is a delicacy that deserves as much attention and praise as the ingredients poured over it. So when Carolyne stumbled upon a new vendor at the farmer’s market selling artisan pasta and ravioli, she immediately pulled out her wallet. The pasta didn’t disappoint, and when she learned that the company was opening up a permanent location downtown, she went back for more.

Guest blogger Carolyne Meehan–a mom, former English teacher, and supporter of all things local–finishes her diary of working on a local farm in exchange for fresh, local produce with Part Three: “When Life Happens — Literally.” If you’re just joining in now, check out Part 1 here or Part 2 here.

While my Happy Valley friends watched the Nittany Lions handily defeat the Zips on Saturday, I took an alternative approach to the afternoon.  I canned.

I finally heard the call of the mountain of Roma tomatoes growing on my countertop.  So after driving to the Millheim Farmers’ Market to buy a bit more garlic and basil (stopping at Elk Creek Café for delicious brunch) I decided to go home and test my newly learned skill (I use the word “skill” loosely).

Guest blogger Reenie Kuhlman is co-founder of GoodPR, Inc., a communications consulting agency that helps businesses, organizations and people whose mission is to do something good for the world.  Reenie, a mother of two and a lover of all things local, details her experience planning an eco-friendly tailgate with food from Pittsburgh (her hometown) and State College (her favorite tailgating locale).

Time to trade the flip-flips and t-shirts for booties and sweatshirts—make those Nittany Lion sweatshirts. The best part about this weather is the electrified feeling in the air. In Happy Valley you can actually smell the leaves falling from the trees. And that means only one thing: Penn State football. 

Guest blogger Carolyne Meehan–a mom, former English teacher, and supporter of all things local–continues her diary of working on a local farm in exchange for fresh, local produce with Part Two: “You Know it’s Early When You Have to Wake The Farmer.” If you’re just joining in now, check out Part 1 here.

While I was away all week (and, yes, sticking to my goal of purchasing vegetables and meat from farmer’s markets only), Katie and Michele were hard at work at home preparing for the Food Inc. movie and panel at the State Theatre and reception at Webster’s Cafe. When the busy day arrived, they were rewarded with a sampling of local goodies that basically doubled as dinner. Check out Day 1 for a quick glance at what the panelists and guests sampled at the reception.

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• peaches
• raspberries
• corn
• tomatoes

The ladies of Homegrown Happy Valley would like to thank the wonderful locals, businesses, artisans and friends who helped make the Food Inc. panel discussion and reception a great success. We’re extremely grateful that the State Theatre brought this important movie to town, then embraced the idea of having a panel. Also, a big thank-you goes to  Webster’s Cafe for hosting our post-panel reception on short notice. We appreciate everyone’s help and support and hope we can keep working together to promote the goodness and community that evolves from buying local.  Let’s continue to celebrate the wonderful bounty and work toward change.

Panelists:

Greetings from British Columbia (Vancouver and Whistler to be exact), where I’m bombarded by advertisements for local produce. So far, we’ve escaped the supermarket, getting all of our fruit and veggies from two farmer’s markets. But there’s just two meat vendors (one bison, one beef) and no dairy vendors.

As I mentioned last week, it’s exciting to see what local products are available in different regions. Yet, as great as it is to be on vacation, I look forward to next week when I can purchase all of my dairy, meat, and produce from local vendors in Central Pennsylvania.