GridPhilly

The urban ag movement is gaining steam—and getting supporters in high places. Here is a message from the City of Philadelphia:

Dear Urban Farming Entrepreneurs and the like, The City of Philadelphia is issuing a Request for Information to gather indications of interest and experience in operating and managing sub-acre commercial, chemical-free farming plots on a City

Hopefully the recent activity in Washington has gotten you in the votin' mood: The Philadelphia Orchard Project could use your support. Here is their message:

The Philadelphia Orchard Project needs your vote—we've been chosen a as Green Heroes Grant Program finalist! Out of a pool of 398 entries we were selected as one of five finalists

I have a particular interest in wheat (and flour!) these days, so when I saw this Atlantic story on the growing local flour movement I was excited. (Yes, excited about wheat.)
About 10 days ago, I spent the afternoon up at the Annville Mill learning about Daisy Organic Flour for an upcoming story in Grid. Dave

The sushi restaurant recently accused of selling whale has closed. Check out the original Griddle post here. 

Written by former (and future; spoiler alert!) Grid contributor Tenaya Darlington, the blog Madame Fromage reads like a love letter to all things cultured. This woman really digs her cheese, and is forever seeking out new and interesting varieties. Recent posts cover topics such as surface mold (yum), cheese packed in grape skins, cheesemonger defections

Today marks our first spring rain, and even though this weekend’s weather was far more pleasant, the wet weather does have its merits: What would our flowers be without water? That said, it's still hard to keep from getting the blues on days like this.
So how can we turn rainy days into happy ones? By

For me personally, the most illuminating section of Michael Pollan’s game-changing book The Omnivore’s Dilemma addressed industrial organics. He was able to show the ways in which large-scale organic agriculture—though less harmful than conventional ag due to the dearth of chemicals and pesticides—can be just as unsustainable. And that’s if what they’re doing is “organic”

We're still giving you the who's who of the top CSAs in the Philadelphia area, but act fast because 2010 shares are getting gobbled up faster than a boxful of local chocolates—John & Kira's chocolate bees to be exact!)

The owner and CSA manager of Wimer’s Organics, Bud Wimer, knows a thing or two about quality

As a vegetarian, I've always had two main passions: seasonal produce and veggie burgers. As for the latter, I'm on a constant quest to find the perfect version (mind you, the word “perfect” is pretty much interchangeable with words like “craziest” or “most unpredictable”), and the BBC just might be onto something. (Onto me, perhaps?

Mrs. Q, as she’s called on her blog Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project, is a middle school teacher who’s spending 2010 eating lunch from her school’s cafeteria every day. Whatever the kids are served, she will eat—and take pictures of. Even a quick scroll through is pretty disturbing: nothing is fresh and