Triple F

     On Sunday I took the train into the city to attend the first ever Philly Farm and Food Fest taking place in the Pennsylvania Convention Center.  The event opened its doors at 11 am but I decided to arrive an hour earlier so I could take in an authentic regional breakfast of scrapple (see my post from February 1 "Everything but the Oink") and home fries at the Hometown Diner located in the Reading Terminal Market.  The diner was busy and there was a line waiting for seating so I found a single spot at the counter and placed my order.  Service was friendly but the food still arrived cold, a big disappointment.  So with that behind me I ventured over to the main event.

     I had paid the $15 entrance fee on line and was one of the first in the door to take in over 100 exhibits from local farmers, food producers and artisanal food businesses.  This was a prime event for locavores like myself.  It was part demonstration, part education and part celebration as bee keepers, coffee roasters, apple growers, cattle raisers, sauerkraut makers, bread bakers and milk producers were all in one place to proudly show off their passion for the land.

     There were samples galore of a range of locally produced foods ranging from raw honey, cheese, yogurt, greens, fruits, baked goods and ice cream.  There was even a local popsicle company present with a very clever advertising sign:

     I was very impressed by the number of CSA's now in production, particularly within the city limits.  A CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Its origins date back to the 60's in Japan and Europe as an experiment linking independent farmers and their non-farming neighbors.  The concept took hold in the US in 1986 on two New England farms, in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  It's a symbiotic relationship where both the farmer and the community benefit.  Farmers sell shares of their crops to people who buy in during the growing season.  The resident benefits from fresh, local produce and crops throughout the year from April through October and the farmer has a more dependable and predictable cash flow.  Some CSA farms are even willing to exchange a predetermined set of work hours in exchange for the weekly bounty from the field.  And I was especially pleased to discover that we have a CSA in our own community, The Longview Center for Agriculture, is right in Worcester (although in their literature they claim to be in Collegeville).  More on their story tomorrow.

     I certainly got more than my money's worth at the Farm and Food Fest.  Besides having a veritable smorgasbord of local food samples, I received quite an education as to what is going on locally to provide wholesome and nutritious produce and products to sustain and enrich our lives.  And I also got a free T shirt: