I had the pleasure of attending the Farm to Table conference a few weeks ago where several of the area’s farms and natural food companies were represented, showing off their goods.

Here are a few of my favorite organizations who were represented at the event:

The Green Chef PA is a collection of four lovely women based in Sewickley who are on a mission to change the way people think about, shop for and prepare food. They were preparing a few of their favorite fresh and fast treats for the crowd to munch on while they were checking out the event. They offer catering, personal chef services, instruction and gardening resources. Everything they make is prepared from scratch and made with the freshest local ingredients possible.

Buy Fresh Buy Local is a lovely website devoted to being a central resource for over a thousand places to find local food in Pennsylvania.

The Rachel Carson Homestead Association is planning a HUGE bash on the Rachel Carson bridge (9th Street bridge) to celebrate the anniversary of Silent Spring‘s publication later this summer. More details have yet to be published, we’ll keep you posted!

Soergel Orchards in Wexford is having a special Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 17 from 11am-4pm, and you can get 10% off of your purchase in the market when you bring your own bag and enjoy lots of family friendly activities. Check out Soergel’s Organic and Natural Foods Department for all natural and gluten free selections as well as the fresh and natural dairy products.

EcoCents Pittsburgh is a great resource for all things green, fresh and local. Pick up a copy of their 2010 Pittsburgh’s Green Guide for valuable coupons and special offers for yoga, outdoor activities, restaurant discounts and so much more. Businesses featured in the Green Guide are all committed to supporting the environment and Pittsburgh’s local economy.

Harvest Valley Farms offers a great community supported agriculture (CSA) program with full and half shares available. Pick up locations are scattered across the Pittsburgh area.

yumpittsburgh is making connections between local food and their eaters and is a project of Penn State.

Milestone Specialty Produce grows the most delicious hydroponic lettuce I’ve ever tasted. Their lettuce is served in several Big Burrito and Eat N Park Hospitality Group restaurants. You can also buy a head of lettuce attached to the roots for optimal freshness at the East End Food Co-op and Right By Nature.

Emerald Valley Artisan Cheese is located in beautiful Scenery Hill, PA and offers delicately flavored Formage Blanc and so much more. Orders can be placed right on their website.

Local Harvest is the best national resource for real food, real farmers, and real community. Find local farmers markets you didn’t know existed and enroll in CSA programs that aren’t already full for the season!

I was pleased to see such a great representation of resources in Western Pennsylvania dedicated to providing local, organic, fresh and healthy food to city residents who can’t get to the countryside on a regular basis. In doing research for this post and in my own quest to eat more locally produced items, I found countless resources in and around the Pittsburgh area—there are so many, I can’t list them all in one post! I plan to do a regular “Eat Local, Pittsburgh” post series here on IheartPGH. I’d love to hear your ideas of topics to cover and about those hidden gems who are providing the freshest and most nutrient rich foods in and around Pittsburgh.

Please leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of the 2010 EcoCents guide to help you take advantage of all of the great green resources this city has to offer!

Photos via robjdlc on Flickr.