DelVal Crop Science

Join us for a 3-part evening class on chocolate with tastings from your home! Register here https://delval.edu/programs/continuing-professional-studies/non-credit-classes-and-certificates/chocolate

Wednesdays, November 2, 9, & 16
6:00-7:30pm ET via Zoom

Ever wonder where cacao comes from and how it's made? Join us in this three week, noncredit, virtual, synchronous community course, led by plant physiologist Viviana Medina Rodríguez, Ph.D., to trace the origin and production of this versatile, savory confection from cacao bean to bar! Learn not only about the history of chocolate, but also about when and how the first chocolate bar was made (long before the first Scrumdidilyumptious bar), the ethics of chocolate, and more! This course will also include a chocolate tasting component-registrants will be mailed a curated chocolate tasting kit which will include cacao beans, nectar, and more to be used for the final class. The class will be sure to have your mouth watering for more!
Viviana Medina Rodriguez, Ph.D. is a plant physiologist, cacao expert and agronomist, and a native of Puerto Rico who specializes in tropical crops including cacao, coffee, mangoes, avocados, and more!

Local Event: Delaware Valley University Offers All About Cacao & Chocolate: From Bean to Bar! Course this Fall Check out the latest community post from one of your neighbors. (The views expressed in this post are the author’s own.)

Tomato, squash, and pepper crossing lessons for the Penn State Master Gardeners who are participating in Grow Save Repeat.
The crossing lesson was presented by Rebecca, senior plant breeding club president.
Penn State Extension Master Gardeners Delaware Valley University DelVal Crop Science

Cannellini beans drop at for the farm to table dinner. Beans grown Roth Center for Sustainable Agriculture at

Showed the DVU plant breeding plot to Maggie Saska today. has done an amazing job with the layout and management. We have some tomato families with so many flowers that they could be ornamental. Some of the violet sparkle x Santa Fe grande progeny are already ripening! So much variation in our small garden! Nice work

Pennsylvania Forage and Grasslands Annual Picnic at Ag. Progress Days is happening rain or shine. Hope you can make it and submit your hay samples for cash prizes. https://www.afgc.org/wp-content/uploads/PFGC-Picnic-Flyer.pdf

I've lived growing with the community members at Robert Morris Apartments in Morrisville, PA the last three summers! This is one of the things I'll miss most when I move to Washington. Stay in touch folks! May you regularly have soil under your nails and sunshine in your hearts.

Resources are available. It's okay to ask for help.

Pepper picking from our breeding lines to add a little heat and habanero fruitiness to special brew.

So excited to share our novel peppers with the community.

These F5 siblings were selected under field conditions and are a bit unruly grown under hydroponic, branching like crazy. Selection-89 is producing the most large fruit. Color and flavor are still segregating which is fun. This will be a one of a kind beer! 🌶🌱🍻