Building Community Through Food

Building Community Through Food

As the crisp, cool winds blow and wood is gathered for fireplaces, the anticipation of family reunions fills hearts with excitement all through the nation. Thanksgiving offers a time to reflect on gratitude and share nourishing food with our loved ones, which inspires me to share with you two independent businesses from my hometown that unite my local community through healthy food: the Today Farm & Market and the PB&J Bar of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.

Both Josh L. of the Today Farm & Market and Susie S. of the PB&J Bar are Azure patrons and business owners who aim to inspire healthy living by serving nutritious food grown in nutrient-rich soil. While Josh and Susie have different approaches to healthy eating (Josh raises grass-fed cattle, and Susie is a plant-based vegan), they both bring people together by encouraging clean, intentional eating within the community.

Welcome to the Today Farm & Market

Owned and operated by Josh L. for nearly three years, the Today Farm & Market is a local hub that strives to support the community and enhance economic growth through agritourism, clean food, and education. The Today Farm serves as the regional drop location for Lycoming County, providing Azure customers with a convenient place to pick up their monthly orders while also supporting a local business. At the Today Farm & Market you can pick up all sorts of treasures from grass-fed meat to fresh eggs, and you can even grow your own produce by participating in a community garden! Josh also partners with over twenty small businesses in the area to find the best quality foods to share with the locals. The Today Farm even has its own restaurant, Chubb’s BBQ, and partners with nearby Bullfrog Brewery to offer a farm-style taproom experience!

Josh is a Pennsylvania native, born and raised in Lycoming County. Much to my surprise, he did not grow up on a farm; he is a self-taught farmer with an entrepreneurial mindset, educating himself through trial and error by reading farming manuals and learning from farmers. Josh was homeschooled growing up and has always had a knack for reading and learning. He was raised in a health-conscious family, which laid the foundation for his interest in farming and healthy eating.

“I’ve always eaten pretty clean. My parents were into homesteading; they made their own yogurt and sourced our food locally. They taught me the importance of eating good-quality food, which piqued my interest in farming.”

“Farmers are some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met; with the most challenges that make the least amount of money. ”

Why did you decide to sponsor Azure drops?

“My mom and aunt are big-time Azure customers and originally introduced me to Azure. I love the business model, and I think the idea of Azure is beautiful! I like how the customers come together to help one another organize their orders from the truck on pick-up day. It’s unique and pretty neat! My hope is that Azure customers feel connected to their local community through the drops here at the Today Farm & Market. We encourage everyone to come to our gatherings for festivities, dinner nights, educational programs, and locally sourced food and products at our market.”

How do you use regenerative and direct-to-consumer farming methods?

“We follow the direct-to-consumer farming model [DTC]. The idea of having DTC products was always at the forefront of what I wanted the Today Farm to be. Cutting out the intermediaries and directly working with our customers has been deeply rewarding, allowing us to maintain our independence so we can focus on educating the public and connecting with the community, and producing quality, grass-fed meat.”

“Since all our meat is grass-fed, soil is the key to absolutely everything. Having live, active, healthy soil is really important. We use a rotational grazing system with our cows which emulates how bison used to roam the land. [...] When cows graze on the grass, they pull on the soil, making the roots grow back faster and stronger. When cows walk on the ground it aerates the soil, and their manure serves as natural fertilizer! Then the chickens spread the manure, distributing the nutrients around the field. Birds and herbivores work together in perfect unison.”

“Over time, the soil builds and produces grass — that’s why it’s regenerative. By intentionally moving the cows around the field, we are producing better soil, which grows nutrient-filled grass, which means nutritious food for us. This system uses what nature already gave us. There’s no need to buy fertilizer when you have the animals doing it for you!”

What does agritourism and community involvement mean to you?

“When I bought the farm, I had zero experience with animal production. I began with the idea of growing sunflowers and hosting outdoor events, but the truth is, I bought cows before I even had a fence! I watched Yellowstone, and I figured that if Kevin Costner could have cows, I could too. It's something I’ve always wanted to do, so I started doing it! I live here on the farm, so if someone has questions about the livestock or my farming methods, I can talk to them and teach them what they need to know.

“My goal is to share what I’ve learned and be a legitimate resource to my community.”

Josh certainly lives out his goal; the day I went to the farm, he introduced me to all the animals: chickens, cows, sheep, goats, and bees. I was able to see for myself the healthy animals and the soil on which they roam and eat. Josh enjoys teaching both individuals and the community at large about farming:

“I love it when kids learn where eggs come from and recognize the importance of tracing food back to its origins. By sharing the whys and hows of what we do, we start to develop a core group of customers that maintains our base going forward.”

Part of maintaining this base of community is holding events at Today Farm. The day I toured the farm, Josh was hosting Flavorful Friday, a biweekly event that highlights foods from around the world, encourages community engagement, and promotes good eating! It was Greek Night, which meant we ate delicious gyros made from lamb and chicken raised on the farm, along with tzatziki and baklava. This is just one of the many events the Today Farm hosts to foster connection.

What are your fall traditions at the farm?

“This year, we’re kicking off the autumn festivities with our annual Oktoberfest. We serve authentic German food, play traditional music, and encourage people to dress up in lederhosen! We have a big German community here in PA, so it makes it easy to host this kind of event. Last year, we had a huge turnout of close to four thousand people! We also have seasonal hay rides and a corn maze that has been a huge hit with the kids! This year, we’re taking it up a notch with a haunted house, designed by my buddy out of three tractor-trailer compartments.”

(It’s the real deal, I saw it for myself!)

What is your vision for the Today Farm & Market?

“We are currently working on building a teaching kitchen to expand the educational aspect of cooking food sourced directly from the farm. My goal is to turn this farm into a finely oiled machine — more sustainable and self-reliant. I want to continue providing the region with the highest quality meat while educating people on the importance of eating grass-fed meat.”

It was clear throughout our chat that Josh truly cares about nutritious food, sustainable farming, and education through agritourism. He inspires us to keep pursuing learning, growth, and healthy eating. This leads us to another local business in the community that connects people to their food with a different approach!

Say hello to the…

PB&J Bar!

The PB&J (plant-based & juice) Bar is an entirely vegan restaurant owned by Susie S. Susie grew up on a dairy farm. After meeting her husband, she moved next to the Today Farm & Market (formerly Styer farm), owned by her in-laws. Together, they shared the land and ran a CSA program before the farm was sold to Josh, the current owner of Today Farm & Market. Susie now lives on her own farm, where she grows and sources fresh fruits and vegetables for the PB&J Bar. She is a certified holistic nutrition practitioner with a background in interior plantscaping. She has been a vegetarian for over twenty years, and a vegan for ten. Susie is extremely passionate about eating healthy and seeks to educate others on the nutritional benefits of a plant-based diet.

Why do you choose Azure?

“I first found Azure while looking for alternatives to another health food program that had become unreliable over the years. I was searching for a consistent drop system, and Azure is just that! They come when they say they will and prioritize the little guy. In Williamsport, we don’t have a large health food store like in other cities, so it’s great to have a reliable source like Azure for bulk and specialty items that I can trust to have a high standard of quality.”

What is a plant-based diet?

Going into this interview I was a bit confused about the difference between a vegan and a plant-based diet. I assumed that all vegans were plant-based. But after speaking with Susie, I learned that this is not necessarily the case.

“The plant-based diet means paying attention to nutrition and caring about what you put into your body. Eating plant-based means no meat and dairy, but it also means you get all of your calories, nutrients, and protein from nuts, seeds, greens, and beans. You can be a vegan and eat junk food all the time. There are many vegan foods, like Twizzlers and beer, that aren’t nutritious. A lot of vegans prioritize not eating animals, but don’t eat plant-based, healthy foods. Even when you go to vegan restaurants, a lot of times they have unhealthy vegan options like veggie burgers that use genetically modified ingredients. That’s why, at the PB&J Bar, we make our own ‘Unbeetible Burgers’ using whole foods from beets, chickpeas, and lentils. When you eat a plant-based diet, you’re being intentional about nutrition by eating a variety of plants, so you’ll get more than enough calories and protein.”

What was your personal journey to eating plant-based?

“I chose the plant-based diet after reading ‘The China Study.’ I’ve been a vegetarian for twenty years, but I needed to see the proof for the last part of it (becoming vegan). After reading the first eleven pages of ‘The China Study,’ I was convinced!”

For those who are unfamiliar, “The China Study” was a research study conducted by biochemist T. Colin Campbell. Campbell grew up on a dairy farm, like Susie, but through his study, he concluded that a plant-based diet is the key to preventing disease.

“I was inspired by this to change my diet and to make a difference, which is why I decided to become a nutritionist. I think about where we live and all the plants growing around us, like corn and soybean fields. That’s all animal feed, that’s not people feed. So why don’t we just grow crops to feed people instead of feeding the cows, killing the cows, and then eating the cows? What if we just planted that food for people? Corn is planted so close together now, and it’s all GMO. It’s sprayed like crazy, without a care if the soil is good or bad.”

“Food is only as good as the soil it's grown in.”

“We need to cut out the middleman, the animals. Where does calcium come from? Cows don’t make calcium, cows eat grass and get calcium from the grass. The strongest animals are plant eaters — look at the ox, the gorilla, and the elephant. Patrick Baboumian, one of the world’s strongest men, is vegan. He famously said, ‘Someone asked me, “How could you get as strong as an ox without eating any meat?” and my answer was, “Have you ever seen an ox eat meat?”’

“Unfortunately, it's only when people get sick that they're willing to listen and change their diets.”

What does community involvement mean to you?

From starting a CSA farm share to working as a nutritionist and a business owner, Susie embodies community involvement, connecting with individuals on their personal journeys to healthier eating, and providing nutritious whole foods to other businesses in the area.

Due to the PB&J bar being one of the few plant-based restaurants in the area, people come from all over greater PA for a vegan, plant-based meal. But Susie also has customers come in who have never tried a veggie burger or oat milk once in their lives! “That’s the beauty of this place,” she tells me.

“We supply our in-house ‘Unbeetible Burgers’ to two local restaurants, the Bullfrog Brewery and The Two Owls. Since we have our own farm, I bring in fresh produce throughout the year. This year, I supplied all the organic blueberries. I use our veggies for Buddha bowls, and grow wheatgrass, micro-greens, and sprouts that I’ve sold to a local café for over ten years.”

Susie loves connecting with the community and sharing her knowledge with others. She also involves her family. When I was there, her granddaughter was taking orders, and Susie told me her two sons come in from time to time to help with the restaurant, giving the place a friendly, familial feel.

What are your favorite plant-based Thanksgiving dishes and traditions?

“There are so many good plant-based Thanksgiving options, like seitan roasts, sweet potato dishes, pies, mac n’ cheese, and mashed potatoes. You can make anything plant-based! In fact, most Thanksgiving dishes are plant-based already. We have several fun ideas in the works for this year’s Thanksgiving celebrations at the PB&J Bar, so keep an eye out! As for Thanksgiving traditions, every year we feed our two turkeys, Donny and Marie, a big fat pumpkin with all the yummy seeds inside!”

What is your vision for the future of PB&J?

“I am actually considering opening up another location that’s more of an express-style restaurant in a different area. We are constantly learning, growing, and experimenting with new ingredients, making sure our recipes are as clean and tasty as possible!”

Connecting Food to Community

Both of these businesses share the common goal of connecting the community to the origins of our food. While Josh and Susie have different perspectives on diets, they are deeply committed to building relationships around clean food and inspiring healthy living — values that align closely with Azure’s mission. Food is a way to build community and connect; from passing down recipes from generation to generation to sharing laughter around the dinner table. So this Thanksgiving, as our families cook together in the kitchen, let us all remember to be grateful for the healthy soil and roots that bind us together, regardless of whether there’s a turkey dinner or a seitan roast in the oven!