There's a lot more in Hershey than Chocolate! Hershey is a company town, named for Milton S. Hershey, the chocolate man who built a candy empire, and a thriving town that's one of the top tourist attractions in Pennsylvania...with a 4th grade education. It's an amazing story, but after I've told you that history, and the history of the big HersheyPark amusement park, we're going to leave chocolate behind, and talk about something I'm much more comfortable with: booze and food. So there's an interview with Coty Edwards, the master distiller at Hidden Still Spirits. They're making some really good bourbon, and bottling genuine tequila, too. There's also a short interview with Matt Gundrum, director of brewing operations at the resurrected Iron Hill Brewing right there in Hershey (and Philly, and Lancaster, and Wilmington, and Huntingdon Valley). It's a very happy story. I visited some fun places in the area, like The Filling Station, and Gary's Bar, Pronio's Market and the Hershey Fresh Market (and little Pikku Piru!), Parkside Hotel, and Tröegs Independent Brewing. The next day I made a shortcut batch of stuffed peppers with Cathy's idea assistance, and I'll tell you how that worked; pantry cooking! There's a progress report on the new book (with a new working title: Whiskey: An Illustrated Primer), and a little bit of personal excitement about going to a friend's Juneteenth celebration. What I'm Drinking Today is a Heaven Hill Deatsville Edition 13 Year Old Bourbon, aged in a type of warehouse you may never have seen before. Did it affect the flavor? I think it might have...or maybe..."oh hell, that don't work at all." Next episode will be about...something. Yup. Again. See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Some Central Pennsylvania Moonshining History for you! Prince Farrington was the man to know in central Pennsylvania during Prohibition. With a network of 30-odd stills in ghost towns, stone donuts, and The Florida Fruit Farm, this North Carolina transplant and his perpetually angry wife Martha ran a business that kept whiskey in the glasses of people in Philly, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and reportedly as far away as Toronto. But Repeal didn't stop him. He kept on moonshining until the FBI caught him in a Florida fish camp, where he was making a batch of orange brandy! A rare solo episode of Seen Through A Glass, just me and the mike and a glassful of unorthodox history. Enjoy! What I'm Drinking Today is a new release from Michter's, a first-ever barrel-strength release of their US*1 Sour Mash Kentucky Whiskey, and it is a doozy. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is, appropriately, about Centre County's two distilleries, Big Spring Spirits and Barrel 21. Next episode will be about...something. Something good! See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Another episode I've been wanting to do: The Big Valley, the Kish Valley! The Big Valley is about 45 minutes southeast of State College, an hour from Harrisburg. It's an idyllic rural paradise of farms, markets, restaurants, and small food producers. And the engine that keeps it running is Kish Bank, a local family-owned bank that's been in the Valley for over 100 years. Kish Bank is named for the Kishocoquillas Creek, which runs down the Big Valley (and is the reason it's also known as The Kish Valley). The vital nature of the bank is why I decided to interview Greg Hayes, the CEO of Kish Bank, and the great-grandson of the founder. Then I toured around the Valley: donuts, Amish stores, butcher shop, winery, and all the friendly people you'll find here. It's a wonderful place, and you should visit soon. But there's not a lot to drink there! What I'm Drinking Today is the Proof & Wood Tumblin' Dice Rye finished in Jamaican rum casks, a fantastic experiment. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is all about farm experiences in Happy Valley; it seemed appropriate! Next episode will be Part II of The Big Valley, a profile of Reedsville, and an interview with chef Quintin Wicks of Revival Kitchen, an incredibly well-regarded farm-to-table restaurant in this tiny town that draws people from as far away as Pittsburgh and Baltimore. See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

My grandfather bought a nail file in Kane, PA almost 100 years ago. I still have it...but I'd never been to Kane. Turns out I really should have! Kane, "the star in the forest," is another small central PA town that punches above its weight. There's the iconic Texas Hot Lunch (I interviewed owner Mike Bechakas, and had two of his very, very good Texas Hots), two distilleries, two wineries, a drive-in theater, a great coffee shop, a famously good butcher shop, a wonderful restaurant and a cut-above pizza place...and that's just the usual STAG stuff, there's the whole Allegheny National Forest right there! You know I'm kind of obsessed with the whole Texas Hot/Coney Island hot dog thing. Well, to prepare for my interview with Mike, I dove deep into the internet, and found a guy who's even more obsessed...and he's gone way down that rabbit hole and come back with some great history. Check it out here! There's still mystery to it, but this answers a lot of questions. There was so much, I did something I've never done before: I interviewed the town's mayor. Brandy Schimp is in her 9th year as mayor of Kane -- she was the Pennsylvania Mayor of the Year in 2024! -- and she did indeed have her finger on the pulse. She actually dragged in a colleague to the interview, so you get a twofer: Kate Kennedy, who's the director of the Kane Area Development Center. They're both Kane natives, and they were very fun to talk to. I went out to the Kinzua Bridge State Park and saw the cast-down remains of the mighty railroad trestle, and the skywalk they've made of what's left. Very cool, and even though the skywalk is under renovation right now (it's going to be open for leaf-peeping in the fall), the view and the visitor center is worth a visit. Back home, I've got a plug for Riversongs, the annual fundraiser for environmental education here in beautiful downtown Millheim. Since it is Millheim, there's live music from two bands, a raffle, and plenty of good beer. Come on out on March 29th! What I'm Drinking Today is the incredibly crisp and refreshing Allagash House Beer, which my old friend and new book collaborator Em Sauter brought me when she visited last week to work on our new book project. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about the wonderfulness of hanging out by a firepit, because it's that time again! I note three Centre County spots where you can do that. Next episode will be...something. Look, I have something really good lined up for four weeks from now, but I'm still looking for something for the next episode. I'm working on it. So...see you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

How about a nice hot bowl of stew? Stew means a lot to me, and I'll bet most of you like a good bowl of beef stew, or chili, or goulash. Or maybe some ratatouille? How about some good Belgian waterzooi, or a Polish bigos, or a plate of Thai curry? A bowl of grits and étouffée at the Elk Creek Café set this episode off, which is why I interviewed Elk Creek chef Jon Forshey about what stew is, and some tips on making better stew, and an added bonus, his memories of his grandmother, "the patron saint of Poverty Hollow." That's where Jon learned to cook, and we'll talk about that, too. I'll tell you about my own stew journey, how learning to make a good stew really taught me how to cook, and fired me up to learn more. One of the things I learned about was bay leaves, and I'll use my first podcast sidebar to tell you about them. Bay leaves are more interesting and versatile than I realized, used in cooking from Baltimore to Baton Rouge, Germany, Delhi, Manila, and back to the Bay Area! Then I'll walk you through making my own birthday dinner, a nice pot of Carbonnade Flamande, a Belgian beef stew made with onions and beer, and about the State College pub crawl Cathy and I did while it was simmering at home. What I'm Drinking Today is one of the beers I used in the Carbonnade, Ommegang Abbey Dubbel, a rich, spicy old friend from back in the early days of craft beer. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about the new 2026 Happy Valley Inspiration Guide, tons of great things to do in Centre County. Next episode might be about Kane, PA, if I can get the interview scheduled in time; the person I'm interviewing has a very busy schedule, but they're the right person for the job. If not, there are other STAG irons in the fire! See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ "Snare Roll" FX by freesound_community on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/users/freesound_community-46691455/) arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Join me on a journey deep into the reaches of the Coal Patch, following the anthracite trail to...Shamokin! I didn't think I'd do a coal country episode when I started the podcast, but Shamokin kept coming up (mostly because listener Jay Zalewski kept telling me about things in Shamokin), and here we are. But don't worry; Jay was right, this is a town worth a visit. I interviewed Eric Kuijpers, a Dutch native who's been in the US for many years, and now owns and runs the Covered Bridge Brewhaus. We'll talk about his love for Dutch and Belgian beers, his micro-scale distilling, and why his flagship beer is named Ho-Butt. We make other stops: the other brewery in town, Lost Mine-D, and have an ESB. You know I love a good hot dog, like they have at the Coney Island Lunch, opened in 1918! I filled my cooler at Fisher's Boston Pierogi, and picked up some meaty snacks at Masser's Farm Market and Irish Isle Provisions. I met up with Jay and had drinks at Oliver's Cigars and Spirits, and the Heritage Restaurant & Pub, then enjoyed some pizza and camaraderie at James' Pizza, an old-time corner bar and pizza joint. I learned a lot about the Coal Country, and I'll share it with you. But you really should go yourself, and meet the friendly inhabitants. Good bunch! What else? Well, What I'm Drinking Today is another Tröegs beer, their Dark Lager, but I'm doing it for a cause (and because it's really good!). The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about a winter jewel in the crown of Centre County, Black Moshannon State Park, where you can skate, ski, fish, and even go ice-boating; that's a wild ride! I don't talk about my new book, American Whiskey Master Class, for the first time in four months! Time we both took a break, eh? Next episode? I don't know. Yet. I have one interview I can do, and I've got a couple I might do, and it's going to be one of those. The suspense is killin' me. See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Oh, hey. Hi. Have a good Christmas? Me too. Got up early, stayed up late, right? So I'm here with a whole bunch of coffee drinks to get going this morning! I didn't know what to do for a relaxed post-Christmas episode, and then I remembered this interview with John Mleziva of State Line Distillery. They make a great coffee liqueur, and we talked about that. I knew we'd be just sitting around drinking coffee on that morning after Christmas, so I made that into an episode. Then I told you more about the press trip to Mexico I took back in 2011 to see how Kahlua is made, with all the feels, and all the delicioso, and the extra-special cocktail we learned how to make. And the donkey herb moonshine we had. Yeah, not a typo. Was that Kahlua cocktail What I'm Drinking Today? Oh, honey... I drank two cups of coffee (after my usual two mugs earlier) while I was taping the show, a La Colombe Triple Latte, and four different coffee liqueurs. My heart rate is a bit elevated right now. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment: yeah, more coffee; the three great coffee roasters in Centre County. And then a handful of other things, like the nice gift I got from the Pittsburgh Whiskey Friends, and one last holiday book plug, and a possible new New Year's Eve tradition, and a little bit of classical music appreciation. Next episode is an interview with Dad's Hat distiller Herman Mihalich! See you next year, in 13 days! Happy New Year! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Auld Lang Syne" (traditional), performed by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comAll sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

It's the FIRST Smack-Dab Center of the Holidays episode, a town profile of Mifflinburg! The holiday episode is about...Mifflinburg? Yes! For a couple reasons, but the biggest one is the Mifflinburg Christkindl Market, the annual recreation of an authentic German Christmas market on Market Street. Crafts and goods (many handmade, many unique), indulgent foods and drinks for the young and adult, music, entertainment, and Hilby the Skinny German Juggle Boy (click on that link for a New York Times profile of Hilby) all in one place, a wonderful festival. We've also got a wonderful interview with Nikki Keister-Hornig, the proprietor of Gable House Bakery, where we wander surprisingly far afield (Hong Kong, Italy) but then bring things back home with Nikki's insights on cookies: it's hard to bake just three, so baking is so often a communal activity. She'll also tell you her secrets on how to bake great pastries with supermarket ingredients, and the best thing she's ever made at Gable House (BOURBON was involved!). I'll also tell you about a trip I took to Asheville, NC for the release of Sierra Nevada Celly Drippins, a brewery-only beer made from the "drippins" from the huge hop sacks they use to dry-hop Sierra Nevada Celebration. There's a short interview with Sierra Nevada's Brian Grossman (chief brewer at North Carolina, and son of founder Ken Grossman) about how Celly Drippins is made, and a report on my first visit to Buc-ee's, the famously gargantuan Texas-based "convenience store" chain. Hey, remember the scalloped oysters I told you about last episode? I made them for Thanksgiving, and had the leftovers for breakfast on Friday! Remember: today is Small Business Saturday, and there's a growing list of central Pennsylvania small shopping suggestions for you at the new website! That's SeenThroughAGlass.com! Once again, huge thanks to my daughter Nora Bryson for building the site, with a merch store, a blog, Corgi pix, and more to come. What I'm Drinking Today is hyperlocal. Boal City Brewing Cream Ale is a delightfully delicate but flavorful way to savor a beer that won't fill you up; perfect with your big holiday meals. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is getting into the cold: where to find the best cup of hot chocolate in State College! I have notes about three American Whiskey Master Class signing events in central PA in December, including one next Sunday that's a fundraiser for one of our favorite local non-profits, the Penns Valley Conservation Association! You can get tickets for that one right here. Remember, a signed copy is a great holiday gift for your whiskey-loving friends that you can now buy at the new website! Next episode is another holiday episode, back on the regular Thursday schedule. Get ready! See you in two weeks...er, ten days! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ "record_scratch_short.wav" by Halleck (https://freesound.org/people/Halleck/sounds/29938/ ) Music Box (Carol Of The Bells) by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Thanksgiving is coming, so here's a food show, and a family Thanksgiving side recipe, and "shop local" holiday advice! "Wild Food"? That's right, this is the FORAGING episode! I interviewed two foragers, both friends of mine here in Penns Valley: forester Andrea Ferich and my friend and pinochle partner, John Dubosky. They'll tell you about how to find and harvest wild mushrooms, we talk a little about paw paws, and Andrea talks about ginseng and some cool stuff she's doing with hickory nuts, and I finally get to talk to someone about teaberry! I'll tell you about our family fave Thanksgiving side dish, scalloped oysters, and the supply crisis that almost ended it. The next episode is dropping Saturday after Thanksgiving, which is Small Business Saturday, so I've got a bunch of central Pennsylvania small shopping suggestions for you. And...there will be a bunch more in the show notes on the new website! That's SeenThroughAGlass.com! Huge thanks to my daughter Nora Bryson for building the site, with a merch store, a blog, Corgi pix, and more to come. Finally, STAG has a home! What I'm Drinking Today is a winter classic from way back, Samuel Smith Winter Welcome, a beautifully malty mouthful that soothes my weary soul at this time of year. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about grooving to live music at some great drinking spots (you know, multitasking). I'll tell you about two American Whiskey Master Class signing events in central PA in December, and remember, a signed copy is a great holiday gift for your whiskey-loving friends that you can now buy at the new website! Next episode will be a Mifflinburg profile that's also our first holiday episode. Get ready! See you in two weeks (and two days)! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

THE WOLFE IS LOOSE!! Erik Wolfe, that is. I sat down with Stoll & Wolfe distillery co-owner/founder/distiller Erik Wolfe a couple weeks ago when we did an American Whiskey Master Class event there. I wanted to get his thoughts on a number of things, and as usual, I had a whole page of questions to ask. That's not what happened. I asked my opening question, and Erik took off like a rabbit. We covered -- excuse me, he covered a lot of territory, and honestly, I found it all fascinating, so I just let the recorder roll. It's a bit longer than we usually go, but I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it. I did take the book to Baltimore shortly after that, and had an event at Sisu, a new little bar with a big personality, run by friends of mine...and maybe yours, because they've become well-known in State College and Philadelphia. I also got a great dinner in Little Italy, at Benny's, advertising "The Best Balls On The Block," and it was no hollow boast. What I'm Drinking Today is a Stoll & Wolfe whiskey, very limited release, one barrel only of a rye whiskey made with Rosen rye and malted Rosen rye. The result was intriguing, and wonderful. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about pizza again; three great spots in Centre County! (More pizza because holy cow! That Original Italian Pizza episode went crazy! You loved the OIP Story!) Next episode? I have an interview with an old friend, a young old friend, who's brewing in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and I take the opportunity to profile that wonderful little town, our first Lancaster County profile. I also deliver some big news about the Seen Through A Glass holiday schedule that I think you're going to like. A lot. Be sure to listen all the way to the end, especially this time! See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.auMusic promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

Wherein we return to Lewistown and Shy Bear for another interview with podcast inspiration Jason Ufema to get the straight skinny on what's going on with their Hershey satellite operation. Shy Bear Brewing owner Jason Ufema was only the fourth person I interviewed for the show, and the quality of that interview is a painful memory, so we decided to have a do-over. Seriously, there was stuff we missed, and it was a chance to talk to a pretty wired-in guy about how things are going in the brewpub business. Speaking of Lewistown, Goose Day is coming up! It's officially September 29th, but since that's a Monday, they've streeeeeetched it out to include the weekend, so things start flying on Friday the 26th. There's a drone spectacle, craft vendors, music, goose and blackberry-themed drinks (yes, goose drinks!), and of course, lots of goose dinners, goose pizza, goose tacos, and so on. It's great fun! What I'm Drinking Today is a first: fresh draft beer from my home tap, this year's Troegs Oktoberfest. The Smack Dab In The Centre segment is TWO side-by-side upcoming Fall festivals, the Millheim Oktoberfest on September 27th, and the Aaronsburg Dutch Fall Fest on October 4th and 5th (plus I slipped in a plug for the Mifflinburg Oktoberfest that same weekend). Next episode? It's a big one! You've probably seen an Original Italian Pizza shop in central PA, they're all over. The OIPs are ubiquitous, but varied: the signage and menus are similar, but not exact, and then there's about ten shops up in Syracuse. Are they franchises? Single owner? Or is it just a common name? Well, I've got the story, direct from the son of the guy who started it all, with some inside scoop on the whole thing. You gotta listen to this one! See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com) "Oktoberfest Polka Party" is AI-generated, and I apologize for that. I gotta find another clip for Oktoberfest. It's available at StockTune https://stocktune.com/free-music/oktoberfest-polka-party-4061-18253 "News Intro" by Kalvin C The Media Guy from pixabay.com/music "Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.auMusic promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.

When your central PA town is too small to get the attention of Wegmans, or Giant, or Weis, it's time for a local hero: the independent grocer! Rural Pennsylvanians need to eat too, and we like variety just as much as city-dwellers. Luckily, just like with craft brewers, and small butchers, independent grocers can often deliver stuff that bigger supermarkets can't. Local stuff that's too small to work with the big guys, the delicious favorites that the big guys don't understand (pepper slaw? Pickled quail eggs? Ham salad!!), and fresh-as-this-morning local produce! I interviewed two local grocers: Russ Burkholder, of Burkholder's Country Market right here in Millheim, and Lindsay Hutchinson, who runs People's Provisions, in Elliotsburg. Burkholder's has made local a mission, and Russ has some great insights on how an independent stays afloat. Lindsay has a very special idea at People's Provisions, about fostering community with food in central Perry County. You'll want to visit both places -- and your local grocer -- when you're done listening. I cooked with some provisions I got at Burkholders, mixed with vegetables from a friend's garden, and I'll tell you about that; lots of hot peppers and corn and cheese! What else? The Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest collaboration beer is What I'm Drinking Today, and the Smack Dab In The Centre segment is about finding the blazingly fresh locally-grown food that's bursting out of Centre County fields right now. I'm also going to be taping new episodes of What's Brewing PA with Glen Macnow next month, and I give you a heads up on what's coming there. Next episode? After almost three years, I finally have an episode about Pennsylvania wineries! I got a bottle of Traminette, and it intrigued me, and I just kept digging till I came up with a story. See you in two weeks! Until then? TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE PODCAST! Seen Through A Glass is sponsored by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Come visit Centre County! This episode uses these sounds under the following license:Creative Commons CC BY 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Champ de tournesol" by Komiku at https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ arrow-impact-87260 Sound Effect found on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com)"Glow" by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.auMusic promoted by https: //www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ All sounds sourced by STAG Music Librarian Nora Bryson, with our thanks.