Mother Earth News Fair, Seven Springs, PA -- September

Ken B · July 1, 2015

The 2015 Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania will be Fri Sept 18-Sun Sept 20 -- http://www.motherearthnews.com/fair/pennsylvania.aspx

We (Southern Exposure Seed Exchange) organize the tomato tasting for it, we'll be bringing 75-100 varieties. Like I wrote in the Heritage Harvest Festival thread, we'll be focusing on varieties featured in Craig's new book for this year's tasting.

(We'll also have peppers and muskmelons and watermelons for tasting, too!)

I've never made it to this one myself -- I usually keep busy with going to the Heritage Harvest Festival, and other folks from SESE help out with it -- but it's a big and popular event, 20,000 different folks over the 3 days! But *maybe* depending on how busy I am I'll get to finally go this year...

Ken B · September 14, 2015

Coming up this weekend! Our tomato patch is still looking pretty good, likewise the peppers, so we'll have lots to send to the tasting. (Even a few watermelons too.)

I won't make it this year -- I'm too behind in the office and out in the gardens -- but really really hope I'll make it next year!

**nctomatoman** · September 21, 2015

What an amazing time! I got to spend a good bit of time chatting with Ira and the SESE gang, and since my two workshops not only focused on (of course!) tomatoes but lots of the varieties that were being sampled in the tasting, could funnel lots of folks in that direction after my talks. It was pretty gratifying having two full/overflowing houses. Mostly, it was such fun to get to meet quite a few of my fellow Storey/Workman/Timber author mates. Great folks, and we are all grappling with the same types of issues as fairly new authors in a rapidly changing environment.

So my completely unanticipated, surprising, overwhelming year of activities is finally winding down (and I am both glad, and in a bit of a letdown). I've got a few podcasts/radio shows remaining, and three local workshops.

On to Seattle, Chicago, Kansas City, Alexandria, Leesburg, Morehead City, Longwood Gardens and goodness knows what else next year!

Ken B · September 18, 2016

This year's is coming up this next weekend (Fri Sept 23rd-Sun Sept 25th). Our tomatoes are holding up pretty well (we wait til early June to plant out most of our tomatoes, so that they'll still be in decent shape for Sept. festivals). So lots of tomatoes, good amount of peppers, and a few melons.

I won't make it myself -- keep hoping to make it to one of these, but doing the Heritage Harvest Festival earlier in the month is always a ton of work, and then I always end up having too much work afterwards out in the fields and in the office to catch up on...

(Not a tomato tasting, but -- if anyone's going to Carolina Farm Stewardship Association's Sustainable Agriculture Conference -- I'll be at that one if anyone wants to say hi! That's Nov 4-6 in Durham, NC -- https://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/sac/)

**nctomatoman** · September 18, 2016

Hey Ken - I think my MEN Fair days are over, except for perhaps Asheville, going forward (until I get more books written, anyway). So skipping Seven Springs this year - but looking forward to the CFSA`

**coronabarb** · September 19, 2016

Went to ours here in Oregon for the second year. Always so much to do and see. Hubby drove a tractor and got a free hat. ;-) I really love it.

**nctomatoman** · September 19, 2016

Hey Barb - did you visit the Victory Seeds booth and meet Mike and Denise Dunton? I wanted to get to the Albany OR fair, but it wasn't in the cards. Glad you had a great time! (a bit too much snake oil stuff being hawked amongst the many vendors..but to each their own!)

**coronabarb** · September 19, 2016

Snake oil stuff...I avoided those booths. :v Yes, I am sure I got by Victory Seeds at some point. Hope some day you can get out here.

Ken B · September 20, 2016

Oregon is my old stomping grounds, so hoping that one of these years it'll work out for me to be the SESE guy who goes out for Albany.

Ken B · August 20, 2017

This year's is Fri Sept 15th-Sunday Sept 17th -- https://www.motherearthnewsfair.com/pennsylvania/ -- full schedule isn't up yet, but I think the tomato tasting's usually on Saturday.

Will this be the year I finally make it to this one? Not sure, as always, it's coming after the Heritage Harvest at Monticello, and it's hard for me to go away to a different festival right afterwards...

**nctomatoman** · August 20, 2017

Have a great time at either or both that you attend, Ken - say hi for me....will be in Yellowstone on vacation!

Ken B · September 11, 2017

Coming up this weekend!

Cool weather's continuing to slow down our tomatoes, but we'll still have a decent amount. (Though we've had a few nights below 50 recently, so that's gonna hurt the flavor some.)

(Weird thing with our tomatoes I've never seen before: last week I was picking slugs off our fruits! We've got small grey slugs around, but normally we don't see them in the summer much -- we see them a bit on strawberries in late spring, then they disappear when it gets hot, and we don't notice them again til later in the fall when they're hanging out in the lettuce etc. But this year August was so cool and mild -- 80s and 70s and some 60s, with more rain late in the month -- that we started getting slugs hanging out in the nice moist hay mulch under the plants, and crawling up into the plants to suck on the fruits...)

Ken B · September 15, 2017

Forecast's looking good! Partly sunny, slight (20%) chance of rain Saturday and Sunday.

Here's a link to a photo of the tomatoes getting set up -- https://www.instagram.com/p/BZEP_bmB...rnexposureseed

Ken B · September 6, 2019

This year's is coming up next weekend (Fri 9/13-Sun 9/15) -- https://www.motherearthnewsfair.com/pennsylvania/ -- tomatoes + peppers will be out for tasting on Saturday! I won't be able to make it (one of these years...) but Ira will be there and giving some talks.

July 1, 2015	#1
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	Mother Earth News Fair, Seven Springs, PA -- September The 2015 Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania will be Fri Sept 18-Sun Sept 20 -- http://www.motherearthnews.com/fair/pennsylvania.aspx We (Southern Exposure Seed Exchange) organize the tomato tasting for it, we'll be bringing 75-100 varieties. Like I wrote in the Heritage Harvest Festival thread, we'll be focusing on varieties featured in Craig's new book for this year's tasting. (We'll also have peppers and muskmelons and watermelons for tasting, too!) I've never made it to this one myself -- I usually keep busy with going to the Heritage Harvest Festival, and other folks from SESE help out with it -- but it's a big and popular event, 20,000 different folks over the 3 days! But maybe depending on how busy I am I'll get to finally go this year...

September 21, 2015	#3
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	What an amazing time! I got to spend a good bit of time chatting with Ira and the SESE gang, and since my two workshops not only focused on (of course!) tomatoes but lots of the varieties that were being sampled in the tasting, could funnel lots of folks in that direction after my talks. It was pretty gratifying having two full/overflowing houses. Mostly, it was such fun to get to meet quite a few of my fellow Storey/Workman/Timber author mates. Great folks, and we are all grappling with the same types of issues as fairly new authors in a rapidly changing environment. So my completely unanticipated, surprising, overwhelming year of activities is finally winding down (and I am both glad, and in a bit of a letdown). I've got a few podcasts/radio shows remaining, and three local workshops. On to Seattle, Chicago, Kansas City, Alexandria, Leesburg, Morehead City, Longwood Gardens and goodness knows what else next year! __________________ Craig

September 18, 2016	#5
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Hey Ken - I think my MEN Fair days are over, except for perhaps Asheville, going forward (until I get more books written, anyway). So skipping Seven Springs this year - but looking forward to the CFSA` __________________ Craig

September 19, 2016	#6
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	Went to ours here in Oregon for the second year. Always so much to do and see. Hubby drove a tractor and got a free hat. ;-) I really love it. __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

September 19, 2016	#7
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Hey Barb - did you visit the Victory Seeds booth and meet Mike and Denise Dunton? I wanted to get to the Albany OR fair, but it wasn't in the cards. Glad you had a great time! (a bit too much snake oil stuff being hawked amongst the many vendors..but to each their own!) __________________ Craig

September 14, 2015	#2
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	Coming up this weekend! Our tomato patch is still looking pretty good, likewise the peppers, so we'll have lots to send to the tasting. (Even a few watermelons too.) I won't make it this year -- I'm too behind in the office and out in the gardens -- but really really hope I'll make it next year!

September 20, 2016	#9
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	Oregon is my old stomping grounds, so hoping that one of these years it'll work out for me to be the SESE guy who goes out for Albany.

August 20, 2017	#10
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	This year's is Fri Sept 15th-Sunday Sept 17th -- https://www.motherearthnewsfair.com/pennsylvania/ -- full schedule isn't up yet, but I think the tomato tasting's usually on Saturday. Will this be the year I finally make it to this one? Not sure, as always, it's coming after the Heritage Harvest at Monticello, and it's hard for me to go away to a different festival right afterwards...

September 11, 2017	#12
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	Coming up this weekend! Cool weather's continuing to slow down our tomatoes, but we'll still have a decent amount. (Though we've had a few nights below 50 recently, so that's gonna hurt the flavor some.) (Weird thing with our tomatoes I've never seen before: last week I was picking slugs off our fruits! We've got small grey slugs around, but normally we don't see them in the summer much -- we see them a bit on strawberries in late spring, then they disappear when it gets hot, and we don't notice them again til later in the fall when they're hanging out in the lettuce etc. But this year August was so cool and mild -- 80s and 70s and some 60s, with more rain late in the month -- that we started getting slugs hanging out in the nice moist hay mulch under the plants, and crawling up into the plants to suck on the fruits...)

September 15, 2017	#13
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	Forecast's looking good! Partly sunny, slight (20%) chance of rain Saturday and Sunday. Here's a link to a photo of the tomatoes getting set up -- https://www.instagram.com/p/BZEP_bmB...rnexposureseed

September 6, 2019	#14
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	This year's is coming up next weekend (Fri 9/13-Sun 9/15) -- https://www.motherearthnewsfair.com/pennsylvania/ -- tomatoes + peppers will be out for tasting on Saturday! I won't be able to make it (one of these years...) but Ira will be there and giving some talks.