Our Local Food Videos

Collards at Smiley’s Garden Angels Hunger Relief Farm

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded in the Summer of 2023 with Ty Simmons of Human Agricultural Cooperative and Ephraim Smiley with Smiley’s Garden Angels at their Hunger Relief Farm in southeast Fort Wayne, Indiana. Ty and Ephraim talk about how they each became farmers and how their nonprofit organizations teach and mentor youth in gardening, farming and food distribution, while growing a wide variety of produce, including collards, that is donated to those in need in their community.

Winter Squash at The Olde Farmhouse

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded with Travis and Gail Roberts at The Olde Farmhouse in Kosciusko County between the towns of Pierceton and Warsaw, Indiana in the Fall of 2023. Travis talks about how the farm grows large quantities of eleven different types of winter squash as well as many other products on their large diversified family farm. Gail talks about the many ways winter squash can be prepared from storage over the winter months.

Pears at Bender’s Orchard

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded with Joe and Rachel Bender at Bender’s Orchard in Noble County Indiana, between the towns of Columbia City and Albion in the late Summer of 2022. Joe and Rachel talk about how they started their orchard in 1987, how they care for the trees, and the different varieties of both European and Asian pear that they grow in their orchard.

Peppers at RiverRidge Farm

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded with Nathan Fingerle at RiverRidge Farm near the town of Roann in Wabash County, Indiana in the Summer of 2022. Nathan describes how their small farm produces many varieties of fruits and vegetables year-round, both outdoors and in hoop houses. Nathan explains the different types of peppers grown at RiverRidge Farm and how they harvest tens of thousands of peppers each season.

Tomatoes at DeCamp Gardens

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded with Pam and Jim DeCamp at DeCamp Gardens near the town of Albion in Noble County, Indiana in the Summer of 2022. Pam and Jim describe the farm they have owned and operated for over 50 years. Jim explains how they plant, grow and harvest over 50 varieties of cherry, slicer and paste tomatoes for their customers.

Microgreens at Something Better with Beth

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded with Beth Ritzman at her climate-controlled urban micro-farm in Fort Wayne, Indiana in February 2023. Beth explains the many varieties of colorful and nutritious microgreens that she grows, and how her customers enjoy eating them. She demonstrates how she plants and harvests microgreens every week for her customers at home, in stores and for chefs in restaurants.

Spinach at Hungry Dog Farm

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded with Andy Balabuch and Elaina Robbins at their Hungry Dog Farm in Fort Wayne, Indiana in February 2023 during their winter growing season. Andy explains why he loves to farm and how he seeds, waters and harvest spinach even in winter. Elaina tells about Ginger, the Hungry Dog and the important role he and their three cats have on this urban farm that grows a wide variety of produce for their community.

Rhubarb at Joyfield Farm

This Harvest of the Month farm video was recorded with Cliff and Arlene Kindy at Joyfield Farm, in Wabash County, Indiana in June 2022, during the peak of rhubarb season. Cliff discusses how they worked to build healthy soil at Joyfield Farm, to grow a wide variety of produce for over 39 years. Cliff explains how rhubarb plants grow and Arlene describes how to cook and enjoy rhubarb all year long.

Radishes at Hawkins Family Farm

This Harvest of the Month farm video was recorded at Hawkins Family Farm in Wabash County, Indiana in late October 2022, as they were harvesting their crop of different types of radishes. Zach Hawkins, and his father Jeff, explain how they care for the vegetables crops and livestock on their farm by first caring for the health of their soil. Zach describes how they grow over 2,000 pounds of radishes each year including red radishes, colorful winter radishes and Korean radishes for kimchi.

Asparagus at Wise Farms

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded at Wise Farms in Whitley County, Indiana in early May 2022 at the start of the asparagus harvest season. Margaret and Tom Wise, the farmers and owners of Wise Farms explain how the tender stems of the asparagus plant, called asparagus spears, grow from the plant’s roots, called an asparagus crown, each Spring. They describe how they care for and harvest from the 4,000 asparagus crowns on their farm.

Blackberries at Cordes Berry Farm

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded at Cordes Berry Farm, a U-Pick farm in Wabash County in July 2021 during the height of blackberry season. Erica Cordes, the farmer and owner of Cordes Berry Farm, explains how blackberries and other brambles grow and how their family cares for the plants all year long. She talks about the two varieties of blackberries they grow and how to know when the berries are ripe and ready to pick.

Carrots at Berry Hill Farm

This Harvest of the Month video was recorded at Berry Hill Farm in Wabash County in December during the farm’s extended fall carrot harvest season. Myron Metzger, the farmer & owner of Berry Hill Farm, explains how carrots grow and how he harvests them. He shares how he grow a wide variety of produce on his farm and encourages everyone to grow food in their backyard.

Strawberries at BroxonBerry

This Harvest of the Month farm video was recorded at BroxonBerry in Wells County in mid-June, during the peak of BroxonBerry’s busy strawberry season. BroxonBerry’s farmers, Amber Broxon and Justin Miller give a tour of their small produce farm and explain how strawberries grow. Then demonstrate how they care for the strawberry plants all year long, and how to know when a strawberry is ripe, and ready to pick.

Apples at Orchard Hill Farms

This Harvest of the Month farm video was recorded at Orchard Hill Farms a large commercial orchard in Noble County during September. Rick Meyer, Manager of Orchard Hill Farms explains how apples grow and how they are picked, washed and sorted before they are sold. Hertha Meyer, Rick’s mother and Orchard Hill founder, shares the history of the farm and why she loves growing apples.

Farm to School: Bridging the Gap Between Local Food and Local Kids

The Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team highlights the value of regional farm to school programs to help children enjoy new healthy foods and learn how they are produced on farms right here in Northeast Indiana. Narrated by Kylee Bennett, Youth Well-being Coordinator for Parkview Health and Director of the Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team, this video shares insights from educators, community wellness professionals, school food service directors and local producers all working to advance farm to school initiatives in our region.

Navigating Food Labels

Learn the meaning behind words you find on food labels and why buying local food can offer consumers greater transparency. Join the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network for a discussion on what some key food words really mean. Find out why buying local food not only allows you to know where your food comes from, but helps you know more about the ingredients and how they are produced.

Keynote Conversation

A forgotten 'essential': How the COVID-19 pandemic reveals the lost value of local food—and what we can do about it. Community health. Climate change. Food insecurity. Rural decline. Social inequity.

This engaging discussion between Kara Hackett, Managing Editor of Input Fort Wayne, and Lela Nargi, a veteran freelance journalist covering food systems, social justice issues and science, was recorded at the Northeast Indiana Local Food Forum & Expo held at Purdue University Fort Wayne on September 20, 2021.

Farm to School Breakout Session

Bridging the Gap Between Local Food and Local Kids

This informative presentation about the value of Farm to School programs in Northeast Indiana was led by Kylee Bennett, Youth Well-being Coordinator for Parkview Health, who also serves as the Program Director of the Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team. The other panelists include Lisa Bradley, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Coordinator for Early Childhood Alliance, Dr. Julia Smith, Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Purdue University Fort Wayne, and Becky Landes, Food Service Director for Manchester Community Schools and consultant/trainer for the Institute of Child Nutrition. Read the presenters’ full bios.

Climate and Food Systems Breakout Session

Turning down the heat: A local look at climate and food systems

We all see the headlines saying our world is warming, but what’s happening to Indiana’s climate and does any of this matter to our local food system? This session examined Indiana’s past and future climate, explain the connections between climate and food systems, and share ways that communities (and individuals) can grow local climate solutions. This presentation and discussion was led by Melissa Widhalm, Operations Manager of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center; Nicole Nelson, Instructor of Biology & Environmental Science, University of Saint Francis, and Pat Carney, Program Manager, City of Fort Wayne City Utilities. Read the presenters’ full bios.