The Philly Farm and Food Fest: A Recap

Last Sunday was the Philly Farm and Food Fest, an expo of all things local, featuring artisanal producers of goods ranging from vegetables to alpaca wool.  Hosted by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and Fair Food Philly, the fest is meant to help local farmers and small food producers to gain a larger consumer base.

Elena Crouch-

When I arrived at the convention center, it was packed with people milling around and sampling local products.  I was hungry and ready to sample some food and talk to some producers!

The most interesting item I tried was probably the carrot marshmallow from Mainland Inn’s table, which was basically a standard hand-made marshmallow flavored with carrot juice.  The little triangles of marshmallow were presented on a bed of chocolate “dirt”, and they had little bits of real carrot leaves stuck into them, to make them look like fat little carrots.  Mainland Inn also had “pastrami eggs”, which were preserved eggs served dipped in bread crumbs and topped with sauerkraut and dijonaise.  I liked those as well, enough to purchase a dozen eggs from them (non-pastramified).

There were also many cheese makers showing off their cheeses, all of which were great because I really like cheese.  This Red Cat cheese actually wasn’t my favorite, but it was clear that all of Birchrun Hills Farm’s different cheeses are made with care.  The cheesemonger was more than happy to explain the science behind cheese-making and how different types of cheeses acquire their particular flavors (it’s actually pretty cool).

I was also excited to see Severino pasta there, because Severino is the bomb-diggity.  I find that their dried pasta has so much more flavor than mass-produced brands like Barilla, and I also love the rustic, uneven shape that their pasta has, which shows me that it really is made by hand.  I usually buy the whole wheat casarecce, but at the fest I saw that they have so many shapes and flavors that I’m definitely going to expand.  I mean, who doesn’t get excited when they see roasted chili, sesame ginger, and lemon basil-flavored fresh pasta all in the same place?

Honey also had a strong presence at the fest, with many different vendors showing off their particular varieties.  I love honey and it’s always interesting to taste all the different flavors of honey that exist, because they are all so different from one another.

There were also several grain vendors, specializing in stone-ground, freshly milled flours and corn products.  I am a sucker for freshly milled, whole grain flours, so I went ahead a bought a bag of stone-ground spelt flour from Small Valley Milling Co.  I’m looking forward to making this bread!

Then there were plants and flowers for sale as well.

And alpacas! Maybe not for sale but they were cute and fluffy and mildly terrified.  There was also an incredibly obese bunny on display.

Grace Jemison-  

Being a Nutrition minor from Lancaster, PA (Amish country through and through) who works at an urban farm in Southwest Philly and is passionate about clean eating and local farming, I could not be more excited to visit the Food and Farm Fest! It was all of my favorite things combined.

I was greeted with a starter of good ole Chipotle chips and guac. It was off to a great start! 

There was a fantastic West Philadelphia presence at the expo. One of my personal favorites was from Penn’s Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative, Rebel Ventures. It’s a youth-run company teaching high school students about entrepreneurship and nutrition by making, designing and selling their own granola bars. They are trying to improve the nutrition in the food deserts of West Philly. The Rebel Bars have only six ingredients: rolled oats, honey, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and salt. You may have seen these preservative-free granola bars sold at Bridge Cafe, and they are trying to expand them to West Philly’s corner stores as well.

Another favorite vendor of mine was Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms. This mushroom grower, packer, and shipper is America’s oldest and largest certified organic mushroom farm. They have a healthy obsession with high quality, rising standards and producing the best possible organic mushrooms.

Spruce Hill Preserves, located just blocks from campus, is a small-scale producer with large-scale deliciousness and happiness. They use traditional practices to make new flavors of jellies, jams, marmalades and fruit butters such as Strawberry-Basil, Honey Bourbon Blueberry and Maple Bourbon Smoked Apple. They utilize local ingredients whenever possible, sourcing all of the fruit and herbs from the Philly area. They truly are made “with love, not preservatives!”

The fruity goodness continued with Beechwood Orchards (they visit the Penn farmers market on Wednesdays), Weaver’s Orchard, and Frecon’s Cidery. They turned local fruit into delightful and refreshing spirits.

And the farming nerd in me loved learning from other urban farmers about their techniques and CSA programs. I (of course) petted the alpacas. I also learned about the hydroponic farm system, which is now available small-scale for people’s own backyards!

The Fest was full of incredible samples, excited owners, and fresh and local food galore. It was a reminder of all of the fantastic fare available within or right around the city and the awesome owners of these companies. It reminded me to support these small businesses and that local always is better!