Penn State Extension Food & Health

07/23/2025

Grab your reusable shopping bag and head to your local market to pick up the ingredients for this week's Market Fresh recipe! This week we are featuring a Peach Spinach Salad! 🍑🍑🍑

For the full recipe and more, visit our Market Fresh resource page at:
https://extension.psu.edu/resources-for-market-fresh-with-extension

07/19/2025

Overflowing with blueberries? Try making blueberry syrup or blueberry spice jam; both are great homemade gifts to give out this upcoming holiday season! 🫐🎄🎁

Read on here to get the recipes: https://extension.psu.edu/ways-to-enjoy-blueberries

07/18/2025

PA Produce Feature #13: Zucchini or Yellow Squash

👩‍🌾 Also known as summer squash, this vegetable is a staple in many gardens across Pennsylvania. You can also eat the flowers!

👩‍🌾 Harvest Season: June to October

🌱 How to Select: Good-quality squash should be firm, have smooth, shiny skin, and be small in size. Aim for vegetables that are 4 to 8 inches in length. Large squash is good to eat but will have a lot more seeds than smaller ones.

🌱 Avoid: Any that are soft, wrinkled, blemished, dull in appearance, or show signs of mold.

🌱 Storage: Refrigerate for 3 to 5 days in a plastic bag, but best if used within 2 to 3 days of purchase or harvest.

🌱 Nutrition: Summer Squash is an excellent source of Vitamin C!

🌱 How to prepare: Steam, grill, fry, bake or add to soups, stews and vegetable side dishes! You can also shred it and bake into bread.

Read more about all the ways you can prepare zucchini: https://extension.psu.edu/creative-ways-to-use-zucchini

07/16/2025

Keep on crackin’ those pistachios! 💙
2 ounces = about 100 nuts

Nighttime pistachio snacking 😋

Eating pistachios every night for 12 weeks altered bacteria in the gut, according to a new study

A new study led by Kristina Petersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State, determined that nighttime pistachio consumption positively affects gut bacteria in adults with prediabetes.

Researchers observed that consuming about two ounces of pistachios each night for 12 weeks resulted in significantly different stool microbial community profiles compared to those who consumed the recommended 15 to 30 grams of a carbohydrate snack.

Read more: https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/nighttime-pistachio-snacking-may-reshape-gut-microbiome

07/11/2025

PA Produce Feature #12: Sweet Peppers
🫑Also known as bell peppers, they are available in almost every color of the rainbow!

🧑🏽‍🌾Did you know? The green pepper is a pepper that has not fully ripened yet. When left on the plant, the peppers will change from green to yellow, orange, and red! The darker the color of the peppers, the sweeter their flavor.

👩🏻‍🌾Harvest Season: July - October

🫑 How to Select: Good-quality bell peppers will be firm, smooth-skinned, and evenly shaped. The coloring will be even, with no blemishes.

🫑 Avoid: Peppers that are soft, have wrinkled skin, are bruised, or have pock marks (scars). The first signs of mold will show at the stem and bottom of the pepper.

🫑Storage: Store whole peppers unwashed; will keep refrigerated for up to 3 to 5 days in a plastic bag.

🫑Nutrition: Bell Peppers are one of the best sources of Vitamin C!

🫑 How to prepare: Eat raw with hummus, add to casseroles, or stuff with filling as a main dish!

Here is a perfect oven-free meal using your slow cooker. Slow Cooker Southwest-Style Stuffed Peppers Recipe: https://extension.psu.edu/slow-cooker-southwest-style-stuffed-peppers-recipe

07/09/2025

Head to your local market to buy ingredients for a BERRY delicious recipe! 🫐🫐 This week's featured recipe is a Blueberry and Cream Smoothie!💙 For the full recipe and more, visit our Market Fresh resource page at https://extension.psu.edu/resources-for-market-fresh-with-extension

07/08/2025

Interested in learning more about home canning?

Don't take chances with canning recipes handed down over the years. Use procedures that have been scientifically tested to ensure safe and high-quality canned products.
Read on below 👇
https://extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-basics-of-home-canning

Canning can be a fun and economical way to make fresh foods available year-round. Here you will learn procedures that have been scientifically tested to ensure safe and high-quality canned products and optimized for prolonged storage.

07/06/2025

Looking to add more plant-based meals to your routine? 🫑🌶🥕

Join Penn State Extension for an interactive one-hour virtual cooking session where we'll explore flavorful recipes featuring fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products.

"Let's Cook at Home: Plant-Based" is happening LIVE on Wednesday, July 9th at noon. Can't make it for the live session? As a registrant, you'll get the recording along with recipes and resources!

The deadline to sign up is July 7th, so register today: https://extension.psu.edu/lets-cook-at-home-plant-based

07/03/2025

PA Produce Feature #11: Berries - Raspberries and Blackberries
Raspberries are available in red, black, purple, and gold, with the most common being red raspberries. Blackberries are deep purple to black in color, larger than a raspberry, and cone-shaped.

👩‍🌾 Harvest Season: July - September

🌱 How to Select: Good-quality berries will be firm, plump, and dry.

🌱 Avoid: Berries that are smashed, leaking juice, or have mold. Also, avoid berries that are too firm, green, or if many in the container are still attached to the stem.

🌱 Storage: Berries are highly perishable and delicate; Eat berries as soon as possible after purchase. Berries should last up to 3 to 5 days in a dry, sealed container in the refrigerator. Do not wash until ready to use - moisture will speed spoilage.

🌱 Nutrition: Excellent source of fiber and Vitamin C in every cup of berries!

🌱 How to prepare: Wash the whole, fresh berries under cold, running water. Eat raw, in salads, desserts, and sauces!

🌱 Enjoy those berries year-round by freezing them…Here is our “Let’s Preserve” fact sheet on freezing fruits: https://extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-freezing-fruits

07/01/2025

It's International Joke Day, so here is a joke and a recipe! 😜🌽

Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado and Tomato Recipe: https://extension.psu.edu/grilled-corn-salad-with-avocado-and-tomato-recipe

06/27/2025

PA Produce Feature #10: Green and Yellow Beans
Also known as String Beans, Snap Beans, or Wax Beans!

👩‍🌾 Harvest Season: Mid-June to the beginning of October

🌱 How to Select: Look for fresh, clean beans with smooth skin

🌱 Avoid: Beans that are soft, discolored, or wrinkled.

🌱 Storage: Before refrigeration, brush off any visible dirt or soil with a vegetable brush. Do not wash or snap off the ends before storing to keep them fresh for longer. Best when eaten within 2-3 days, but will keep for 5-7 days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

🌱 Nutrition: Full of fiber and Vitamins A & C!

🌱 How to prepare: Wash the whole, fresh beans by gently rubbing them under cold, running water. Snap beans are a versatile vegetable that can be added to many dishes.

🍽 Try this recipe! Balsamic-Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Parmesan: https://extension.psu.edu/balsamic-roasted-green-beans-with-shallots-and-parmesan-recipe

06/25/2025

Time for another trip to the market! This week's featured recipe is Marinated Carrots!🥕🥕🥕
For the full recipe and more, visit our Market Fresh resource page at https://extension.psu.edu/resources-for-market-fresh-with-extension