The Pennsylvania Farm Show is the United States' largest indoor agricultural event. It's held in January of every year, and showcases a wide variety of farm or agricultural specialities - like sheep shearing, square dancing, barrel racing, bull riding, honey harvesting, show pigs, and butter sculpture. And if none of that strikes your fancy, then the food court is why you go and pay the $15 parking fee. Various food associations host booths selling food made of their association's products. The PA Bee Keepers Association sells honey ice cream and honey waffles, while the Livestock Association sells pork barbecue and lamb stew. The Dairymen's Association tends to have the longest line as they sell the famous farm show milkshake. Even though I focus on donuts, if you are at the PA Farm Show, you need to get a milkshake.
The PA Cooperative Potato Growers sell baked potatoes and french fries, but also, what you may not expect - potato doughnuts! These donuts are made on site, and are usually sold as soon as they leave the fryer. You can get them plain or with powdered sugar, but this year, they also added cinnamon sugar to the options. When I first heard about potato doughnuts, I expected them to taste a lot like a french fry, but in reality, they are very similar to a cider donut, with a slightly less sweet flavor profile. I tried the cinnamon sugar variety (which cost $.75 each, $4 for a half dozen, or $7 for a dozen), and as someone who appreciates the simplicity of a cinnamon sugar donut, I loved the cinnamon sugar potato doughnuts. The warm dense cake was favorable, but definitely accentuated by the cinnamon sugar. I'm not sure I'd enjoy the plain version as much (but did I get a plain one so that I could compare the two? No.).
I accompanied my donuts with a honey waffle, cup of apple cider, and a half chocolate, half vanilla milkshake, which, I think, made for a balanced breakfast that Saturday morning, and is a breakfast I would recommend to anyone.
After filling my stomach, I took off for the other buildings of the Farm Show Complex. I walked past goats, sheep, cows, chickens, and rabbits, before swinging by the apple growers stand in the main expo hall. There, they also had cider donuts which I decided to sample as well. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth the $1.25 they charged. It was coated in cinnamon sugar, but not even the cinnamon sugar could disguise just how bland of a donut it was. It just wasn't worth the calories and I didn't even finish it. (Again, if you want a good cider donut, check out my previous posts)
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