wishlists
Thursday, February 28, 2008
I need ideas!!
Bob Pierson (the gentleman I work for at Farm to City) is going to a meeting next week on value-added foods made from Pennsylvania farm products, sponsored by Penn State. He wants to bring ideas to this meeting on what people in the Philadelphia area want to have in terms of value-added foods (transformed by cooking, canning, freezing, or special preparation). So! What foods would you like to see in local stores, the Winter Harvest buying club, the Fair Food Farmstand in the Reading Terminal Market, etc., that can be made from food produced in PA (from produce, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products and combinations)? General categories of ideas include specialty cheese and sausages, minimally-processed food, ready to cook dishes.
You can leave your ideas as comments to this entry, or email them to me (my first name [at] farmtocity.org) with VALUE ADDED in the subject line.
(To clarify, please note this isn’t a wishlist for a particular shopping location like the Farmstand, or produce varieties you wish farmers would grow. It’s just a general wishlist for value-added products you wish were available in the Philadelphia area.)
You know me - I’m always on board with more cheese. I’d also really love to see pretzels.
Sharp cheese. Tortilla chips could be fun. Non-egg pastas. Maybe dried fruit?
I’m not sure if this is wish list-y, but I REALLY want access to the beans and grains that are grown in PA 
Hi!
Traditionally seasoned sausages like sweet italian, andouille, breakfast, etc. (no interest in chipotle or ginger or pear of some such thing) from pork, chicken, or turkey would be great! Also quick bread mixes like cornbread or cranberry.
Kisses to Bob!
I’d love to see frozen fruits and vegetables. For those of us without a deep freeze (Hi Michael Pollan!) it would be so wonderful to find a source of flash frozen berries, sliced peaches or plums, peas, beans, and peppers.
I second the request for dried beans and grains, as well as the request for canned tomatoes: whole, diced, paste; and tomato products: sauce, chutney, salsa. Mmm.
This may sound too simple and/or lazy, but I would be interested in seeing whether canned local veggies (not pickled - those are easy to find, but just canned) could be made available. Maybe it wouldn’t be practical for producers or consumers in terms of labor costs and price, but I thought I’d throw that out there, as I feel like cheeses, sausages, pickled veggies, jams, etc. from local sources are readily available, but basic canned vegetables made from PA produce are not.