Mary Miller 2020-12-05 07:37:43
Explore Pennsylvania’s Flavorful Heritage on the New Culinary Trails Lancaster’s sweet and sticky shoo-fly pie, Hershey’s smooth chocolate bars, Philly’s juicy cheesesteaks—all mouthwatering, for sure, but Pennsylvania has a rich culinary heritage and a diverse breadth of flavors that go beyond its world-famous icons. Ramble your way along country backroads—into the farmlands and through historic small towns—where artisan cideries, breweries, bakeries, and creameries beckon. You can discover these hidden gems on the new Pennsylvania Culinary Trails, a series of self-guided driving trips developed as part of the Culinary Trails Project, a partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and Chatham University’s Center for Regional Agriculture, Food, and Transformation (CRAFT). Read on for a glimpse into some of the trail stops. Apple Trail Being fourth in apple production, Pennsylvania flavors are ripe for the pickin’. The Historic Round Barn and Farm Market in Biglerville has loads of juicy fruit for apple fans, and architecture enthusiasts also will get a kick out of the unusual and rare round building, built to limit construction costs and provide extra room for livestock. Out back, animal lovers visit with donkeys and horses just waiting for a hello and a snack. Across the road at Thirsty Farmer Brew Works, enjoy crispy apple turnovers and warm apple cider donuts served with mugs of house-made beer. Out in Grove City, family-run (including five kids and many animals) Emmett’s Orchard sells warm apple pies, sweet Honeycrisp apple cider from their own cider mill, and huge caramel apples on their rustic farm. No apple trail is complete without hard cider, so a visit to Colonel Ricketts Hard Cider in rural Benton is a must for a glass or a takehome growler—or both. Try the refreshing barrel-finished Apple Sip. Any day that starts with apple donuts and ends with hard cider is a happy day in PA. Charcuterie Trail Charcuterie isn’t just fancy cured meats—not here. Savor some elk jerky from an Elk County farm or some sweet Amish bologna at an outdoor Lancaster market. Or drive to Kowalonek’s Kielbasy Shop in Shenandoah, once the most densely populated town in the U.S., with coal workers who emigrated from Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine, and Slovakia. Most of Shenandoah’s onion-domed Eastern Orthodox churches have since been torn down and the busy main street is no longer bustling, but this kielbasy shop thrives, bringing customers from hours away. Open the door for a whiff of the peppery smoked sausage that will make your mouth water, and pack up the kielbasa dip and pickled bologna before cruising over to the East and West Paden covered bridges (the only twin covered bridges in the country) for the best picnic ever. Travelling mid-state? Drive through the verdant Juniata River Valley to Benner’s Butcher Shoppe in Thompsontown for housemade ring bologna, spicy beef sticks, and smoked cheese. Seeing so much charcuterie often brings out the “maker” gene, so Con Yeager Spice Company in Zelienople fulfills this desire with meat grinders, sausage casings, and seasoning mixes for summer sausage, deer jerky, or hotdogs. Of course, all charcuterie deserves a stunning serving piece, and Edelholz wood products, housed in The Point Barn, a beautifully restored Pennsylvania Dutch structure near Danville, is the stop for a locally made board from Pennsylvania hardwood. Purchase one in-store or order a custom-made board from owner Dick Cormell. (Hint: they make great gifts.) Bread Trail Until the early 1900s, a gristmill—where grains are ground—was in almost every town, as many farmers grew wheat, corn, buckwheat, and oats, but the equipment was too expensive for one farmer to purchase. The gristmill wasn’t just a place to turn wheat into flour but a community gathering place for business deals, gossip, and just plain old conversation. In West Sunbury, Zanella Milling, built in the late 1800s, is Pennsylvania’s only remaining buckwheat mill. Chat with Mike Zanella about buckwheat farming and see the mill where the earthy, nutty buckwheat is ground. Buy a bag or two of flour to take home. The Bread Trail is a story of old and new—old mills occupied by young farmers growing special malt for home brewers. Deer Creek Malthouse in Glen Mills is one place where homebrewers can purchase top-notch ingredients. New to homebrewing? Start with the Amber or Pale Homebrew Kits. Grains here are locally sourced and the owners are experts in brewing and distilling. But this trail isn’t just flour and malt. It’s also about iconic Pennsylvania baked goods, such as the tender and creamy whoopie pies at places like the family-owned Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop near Lancaster, located on a picturesque backroad out in Pennsylvania farmland. More of a city person? A stop at Lost Bread Company in Philadelphia will fill your trunk with goodies such as Deli Rye and Whole Grain Sunflower Potato, using local grains and old-style techniques. City or country, baker or lover of bakeries, there’s something for everyone. FERMENTED & PICKLED FOODS TRAIL Fermenting and pickling are food preservation methods that have a long-standing history, but because of the health benefits and crave-worthy flavor, these zingy foods have made a resurgence in popularity. The Canning House, a restaurant in the small town of Forty Fort, has local kombucha on tap and even offers a kombucha flight. The refurbished canning factory is also filled with quirky shops—perfect for wandering after your meal. Oley Valley Organics, near Reading, carries locally made fizzy ferments such as beet kvaas, kimchi, and kefir. Jarred foods without the “fizz” are also worth seeking out. Stop at the Venango General Store in Venango, where owners Mark and Tracey Olenick tell their tale of how they went from being pickle fans to full-on experts, selling their pickled items in their gourmet shop and eatery, where you can watch live music on the weekends. Many of our daily foods such as coffee, chocolate, and cheese are fermented, too, and nothing’s better (no, really) than the naturally fermented mozzarella from Caputo Brothers Creamery near York. Rynn and David Caputo have perfected their “mozz,” and visitors can even take frozen curds home to replicate it themselves. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mary Miller is a Pittsburgh-based culinary historian and registered dietitian who worked with CRAFT (the Center for Regional Agriculture, Food, and Transformation) at Chatham University and the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to develop the Culinary Trails for Pennsylvania. Mary can be found driving through the state meeting artisan food and beverage makers and finding ways to share their amazing stories and delicious products with others in order to build appreciation for their passion and increase economic opportunity for small business owners.
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Tasty Trails
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