August is Pennsylvania Produce Month, and the Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing & Research Program is celebrating in a big way with recipes, veggie prep tips and all-inclusive guides to help Pennsylvanians navigate their markets and kitchens like pros and enjoy veggies in wonderfully diverse ways.

To kick off the 2017 Pennsylvania Produce Month, PA Veggies will feature "How Top Pennsylvania Chefs Transform Local Veggies in Their Kitchens."Talented chefs from around Pennsylvania will show off their culinary skills in a challenge to craft unique yet simple recipes using Pennsylvania's freshest August produce.Throughout August, readers can find gems on PAVeggies.org like farm-fresh recipes from top Pennsylvania chefs who showcase culinary stars of the summer like sweet corn, tomatoes and melons.Other features include: how Pennsylvania farmers give back through fresh produce donations and cooperation in government assistance programs; delicious ways to drink veggies in juices, smoothies and party drinks; tips for getting youngsters more interested in eating vegetables through engaging them in food prep and other fun trickery; and simple ways to incorporate more vegetables into summer meals to take advantage of the high nutritional impact of the state's summer produce.Easy-to-use guidesPAVeggies.org offers buying, grilling, preparing and preserving guides from experts.The website is serving up summer resources including a Top Tomato Picks for summer 2017 guide to inspire tomato lovers to discover interesting tomatoes at the market (like Green Zebras) and to educate them on what types to use for what (e.g., slicing, sauce making, snacking, etc.).Another way to celebrate the our state's bounty is with the PAVeggies.org Guide to Grilling Pennsylvania Vegetables - helping grilling lovers find even more reasons to cook outside and pair those beefy burgers with some delicious char-grilled zucchini, peppers and eggplant.This time of year, refrigerators across the state most likely are overflowing with fresh fruits and veggies gathered from backyard gardens, local CSAs or farmers markets.Learn how to preserve the taste of summer with the inclusive "How To Preserve and Can Veggies" guide. It's full of tips and recipes from canning guru and cookbook author Marisa McClellan.With ideas for everyone from novice picklers to seasoned canners, this guide will provide all Pennsylvanians with peak-of-summer tastes that will last all year long.For marketgoers intimidated by certain varieties or unsure about what to do with some of the state's finest produce, PAVeggies.org is brimming with information like the "How to Prepare Veggies" guide that walks readers through proper knife skills, mise en place and storage tips.Why shopping locally is importantAgriculture is Pennsylvania's largest industry. All farm markets and farmers markets in the state will be offering an abundance of fresh, local Pennsylvania vegetables throughout the growing season, especially in August.By opting for produce from dozens of CSAs and over 1,000 farm markets and community farmers markets, Pennsylvanians are reducing their impact to fossil fuels use and supporting the local economy in a bigger way than just the dollars spent. For every $100 spent at a farmers market, $62 stays in the local economy, and $99 stays in state.To find the closest market, go to the PA Veggies website and click on Find PA Veggies.Four other valuable resources are the PA Preferred website at

www.papreferred.com; Penn State University's AgMap at

agmap.psu.edu; the Pennsylvania Buy Fresh, Buy Local website at

www.buylocalpa.org; and the Local Harvest website at

www.localharvest.org.Additional ways to find Pennsylvania produce include:• Search the farm database on PAVeggies.org;• Visit your local growers or farmers market regularly;• Stop in at roadside stands as you travel throughout the state;• Buy Pennsylvania veggies at your favorite supermarket (often identified with the "PA Preferred" logo);• Seek out Pennsylvania farms and veggies on menus at your favorite restaurantsInformation from the Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program, a statewide marketing order established by a grower referendum, governed by a grower board and funded by grower assessments. The program's sole purpose is to serve the vegetable growers of Pennsylvania by promoting Pennsylvania-grown vegetables and funding practical vegetable production research.Pennsylvania produces tons of fresh veggiesDid you know that Pennsylvania's 3,950 vegetable growers plant 49,400 acres of vegetables and produce more than 280,000 tons of vegetables including sweet corn, potatoes, snap beans, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, cantaloupes, watermelon, zucchini and other squash, lima beans, lettuce, beets, carrots, onions and fresh herbs?Crops are ranked as follows:1. Sweet corn is Pennsylvania's largest vegetable crop with approximately 10,300 acres per year. Pennsylvania ranks seventh in the country.2. Potatoes cover 5,500 acres.3. Snap beans cover about 5,500 acres. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the nation.4. Pumpkins cover 5,500 acres and Pennsylvania is fourth in the nation.5. Tomatoes cover more than 2,500 acres of fresh-to-market tomatoes plus about 1,000 acres of processing tomatoes.Other top-ranking vegetable crops include peppers (1,200 acres); cantaloupes (1,200 acres); cabbage (930 acres), squash (900 acres); and watermelon (800 acres).