FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2018
Jennifer Brodsky
267.275.1198
[email protected]
New and Improved PAVeggies.org Puts Pennsylvania Vegetables, Farmers in the Spotlight
Show Your PA Pride, Celebrate PA Produce Month with Videos, Recipes, and Tips
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program (PVMRP) debuted a new website this July at PAVeggies.org. With PA Produce Month unfolding all August long, the website has wrapped up just in time, and will serve as a perfect place for consumers to discover ways to celebrate one of Pennsylvania’s most delicious months. The new updates will appease the needs of many consumers, from the veggie curious who’s just beginning to dip their toe into the local bounty, to the expert who’s eager to seize the local veggie scene for summer entertaining and winter preparation. It continues to offer annually updated marketing tools and resources for Pennsylvania farmers as well.
Some exceptional new features of PAVeggies.org include:
Recipe Videos
Developed to educate and inspire in less than 5 minutes, these fun instructional videos offer 21 recipe ideas across 7 collections, each with a unique theme, like 3 No Fail Veggies Slaws and 3 Pestos Using Unexpected Ingredients. Find them on the PA Veggie’s Blog and on PA Veggie’s Facebook Page.
Farm Videos
In an effort to bring the farm to YOU, these videos go behind the scenes through on-site interviews with 5 Pennsylvania farmers, featuring footage of operations and first-hand tellings of farm life. These videos will be released intermittently on the PA Veggie’s Blog and PA Veggie’s Facebook Page this August. Check back regularly and follow PA Veggie’s on Facebook to catch them all!
New Blogs
The 2018 blogs give a fresh face to the extensive amount of good reading already present at PAVeggies.org, tempting consumers to explore every recipe, interview, farm glimpse, tip, and beyond.
Local Food Directories
Whether you’re looking in your area for an on-farm stand, neighborhood farmers’ market, or CSA, or hoping to connect with a wholesale farmer or auction, these directories address various needs in one clear, central location.
Vegetable Guide
Keep this guide handy as a perfect quick reference of the when, why, and how of local PA veggies. It outlines seasonality per vegetable, as well as unique tips for selecting and preparing.
Farmer Toolkit
If you’re on the other side of the fence, as a Pennsylvania vegetable farmer, then you’ll want to head directly to the Farmer Toolkit, on the Farmer Resources page, where you’ll find numerous items, instructions, and ideas to assist with your PA Produce Month promotions, and marketing all year long.
Consumer Survey
The PVMRP wants to make this experience as user friendly as possible for YOU. Please consider taking the survey or contacting us with your ideas and feedback.
Consumers can also be on the lookout for PA Veggie brochures, PA Veggies price cards and roadside signs, which serve as trustworthy indicators that local produce is near. If you can’t happen to find what you’re looking for through one of the PA Veggies’ resources, the PA Preferred website at www.papreferred.com; Penn State University’s AgMap at agmap.psu.edu; the Pennsylvania Buy Fresh, Buy Local website at www.buylocalpa.org; and the Local Harvest website at www.localharvest.org are all valuable resources as well.
The PVMRP, along with many of the organizations and their corresponding sites mentioned above, lead continued efforts to support Pennsylvania’s largest industry, agriculture. These resources are not meant to solely entertain but, more importantly, to cultivate and nourish new relationships. On-farm stands, neighborhood farmers’ markets, many supermarkets, CSAs, restaurants, and specialty grocers, near you, all throughout the state, are offering fresh, local vegetables through spring, summer and fall, and especially in August. It’s the perfect time to celebrate the state’s successful industry and familiarize with the friendly people who grow your food.
By opting for produce from dozens of CSAs and over 1,000 farm markets and community farmers’ markets in PA, Pennsylvanians support both the environment and economy – reducing their impact of fossil fuels use and keeping money close to home. In fact, for every $100 spent at a farmers market, $62 stays in the local economy, and $99 stays in state. With the new website offering an abundance of easily accessible information and inspiration, both consumers and farmers can enhance their efforts and fortify the local vegetable industry.
The Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program is a statewide marketing order established by a grower referendum, governed by a grower board and funded by grower assessments. The Program’s sole purpose is to serve the vegetable growers of Pennsylvania by promoting Pennsylvania-grown vegetables and funding practical vegetable production research. Consider liking PA Veggies on Facebook
(PAVeggies), following along on Instagram (@PAVeggies); and using #PAVeggies to find and share homegrown PA happiness experiences.
EDITORS: If you have any questions, please contact us at 267.275.1198 or [email protected].