A day picking blueberries.

Sunday's blueberry outing was, despite the charcoal-gray skies, quite a success. Though the weather may have convinced a few potential pickers to stay inside, those of us who made the trek had a great time. Yes, we had to wait out a passing storm beneath the shed:



Meanwhile, Bill gave us a history of the blueberry patch, with its two thousand bushes still going strong after more than thirty years. He and Sally have been tending these bushes for the past sixteen years, and, with regular pruning, it sounds as though it'll keep going strong when it's time to change caretakers again. Ten minutes each year to prune each bush - multiplied by two thousand - and they'll simply keep producing berries.



As near as I can tell, everyone ate their fill of berries; when they're so ripe and fresh, eating another one, or two, or a handful, is just too hard to resist. We weren't the only ones with that idea, from what Bill tells us. The birds flock to the patch to feast on the ripe berries, and there are so many to be had that no one seems to mind. A neighbor's deer, meanwhile, get to enjoy all of the berries that aren't good enough to sell, particularly those with bugs inside. The deer don't seem to mind, and it helps keep the pest problems to a minimum.



And there were a few occasional sprinkles once we started picking, but the day was cool, refreshing, and there were seemingly endless rows of ripe berries just waiting for us to take them. When we began picking, Bill estimated that the patch had already exceeded their worst year of production, with 3,300 quarts of berries picked so far. With plenty more to go:



For those looking for a recipe to use up some of their excess blueberries this year, here's one for blueberry-peach jam that's become a standard in our house:

Blueberry-peach jam with star anise and lavender
Makes about 4 pints

Ingredients

• 4 cups blueberries
  
• 4 cups peaches, peeled and chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• ½ cup water
  
• 5½ cups sugar
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 3-inch stick cinnamon
  
• 4 points star anise
  
• ½ tablespoon dried lavender

Directions

1. Place the water in a small saucepan with the cinnamon and star anise. Bring just to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat. Allow to steep at least thirty minutes before removing the spices.
   
   
2. Place the spice-infused water, fruit, and lemon juice to a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   
3. Add the salt, sugar, and lavender, stirring to dissolve. Bring back to the boil, and stir constantly until the jam thickens. Remove from the heat.
   
   
4. If canning into pint or half-pint jars, leave ¼-inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Alternately, refrigerate and use immediately.

Blueberry picking - July 13th.

Now that summer has arrived, with its promise of bountiful produce, it's time for another Slow Food event! For those interested in joining us, we'll be picking, eating, and learning about blueberries at Bill Vint's blueberry patch in Snyder County. Tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, July 13th, it's a chance to learn a bit about blueberries here in our region, as well as an opportunity for those who'd like to bring home their own for cobblers, pancakes, jams, or what have you.

If you're interested in joining the group, please contact Brian Garthwaite (garthwaite [dot] brian [at] gmail [dot] com). If you have extra seats available for the ride - or are looking for some - we're happy to help connect those interested in carpooling. More details, including directions, will follow for those who'd like to be part of this event!

Also, if you happen to have a favorite blueberry recipe you'd like to share with the group, we'll post those here on the website. Look for Brian's spiced blueberry-peach jam, as well as any others the Slow Food folks may have. We hope to see you all there!

April 21st - Anne Quinn Corr in Lewisburg.

The trees are starting to show a bit of green again, and we're just one week away from another Slow Food event! The Local Action Network is hosting Anne Quinn Corr for a talk about the history, motivations and projects of the international Slow Food movement. The lecture will take place at 8:30pm on Monday, April 21st, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Lewisburg. (The address is 42 S 4th St. Please enter through the side door off the municipal lot.) More details are available on the LAN website.

Anne Quinn Corr is the author of Seasons of Central Pennsylvania: A Cookbook, and is one of the founders of the Slow Food Central Pennsylvania convivium in Centre County. She lives in State College, where she writes a food column for the Centre Daily Times and teaches in Penn State's Nutrition Department. She also runs a catering business.

The Local Action Network is an all-volunteer community group dedicated to fostering sustainability in the Central Susquehanna Valley through relocalization, or the reestablishment of local food networks, the strengthening of local economy, and the development of local energy production. Check out their website, www.LocalActionPA.org, for more information.

In the spirit of local, sustainable food, LAN is also partnering with the Northwest Earth Institute for a group discussion on food and sustainability. Please contact them if you're interested in being involved. From LAN's website:

This Earth Day Consider the “Menu for the Future”

Food is much in the news these days -- from questionable industrial farming practices, to tainted food recalls, to shortages caused by fuel input prices or competition with alternative biofuels for arable land. Given that we currently expend on average about 14 calories of energy to generate 1 calorie of edible food, it’s worth thinking about whether there might be a more reasonable way of doing things.

James Beard once said, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” For centuries food has been used to mark the change of the seasons, to bring together a family at the end of day and as an integral part of many celebrations. In recent years, food has grown to represent a multi-billion dollar global industry and a point of confusion for many struggling to understand the risks and benefits associated with choices such as organic vs. conventional, meat vs. vegetarian, or local vs. global. Food impacts our lives and environment in so many ways, on a multitude of levels. Yet few people take the time to weigh questions such as: “Where is my food coming from?” and “What are the implications of my food choices?”

In response to a growing need to consider the larger implications of our food choices and understand food’s relationship to sustainability, the Local Action Network (www.LocalActionPA.org) is proud to partner with the Northwest Earth Institute (www.nwei.org) in the launch of Menu for the Future, a six-session group study guide to be released in celebration of Earth Day, 2008. Menu for the Future offers people a unique opportunity to gather in small groups to examine the effects of modern industrial agriculture on both human and ecological health, explore emerging food system alternatives, and discuss how we as individuals can contribute to a more sustainable food supply.

Selin's Grove Brewing Company

This past Sunday was our trip to the Selin's Grove Brewing Company, in downtown Selinsgrove, for a tour of the brewery and a sampling of some of the brewpub's fine beers and food. Steve, the brewmaster, took us through the brewery and the beer-making process, from malt to kettle to keg to glass. Afterwards, we headed inside the brewpub for a sampling of seven of the beers on tap - as well as some of their house-made root beer - with a selection of food from the brewpub's kitchen.

For those who couldn't make it, here are a few photos:


Brewmaster Steve describes the types of malt used in beer making.


Crystal malt, which is sweet enough to eat out of hand.


An array of some of the specialty malts used to create different styles of beer.


Brewmaster Steve explains the brewing process.


The Selin's Grove Brewing Co.'s hand-made mash paddle.


Copper fermentation tanks full of developing beer.


From left to right, the India Pale Ale, Scottish Style Ale, and Captain Selin's Cream Ale.

Care to see some more?

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Selin's Grove Brewing Company
121 N. Market St.
Selinsgrove, PA
(570) 374-7308
http://www.selinsgrovebrewing.com/