story by Marisa McClellanOnce the growing season in the Philadelphia area kicks in, we get six to eight good weeks before the weather is too hot for delicate lettuces. While they do return in the fall once the heat lessens, I take that initial and finite season as a challenge to eat
Morestory by Lucas Hardison This month’s featured beer celebrates Scottish poet Robert Burns, owing its name to his famous line: “the best-laid plans o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.” But don’t worry, lads, nothing went awry with this bottle.
Morestory by Dana HenryTom forrest, owner of Wills Valley & Forrest Acre Farm in Lancaster, maintains that sauerkraut, done right, doesn’t need refrigeration or a warehouse. “There’s not a whole lot of equipment that we use,” he explains of Wills Valley, his minimalist organic vegetable fermentation production. “We’re taking [the product]
MoreWine to Water A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World by Doc Hendley (Avery, 288 pp., $26, January 2012)In 2004, Doc Hendley was a bartender and a bit of a partier in Raleigh, N.C. But an encounter with a family friend whose husband worked for an international aid
MoreStraphanger Saving Our Cities and Ourselves From the Automobile by Taras Grescoe (Times, 336 pp., $25, April 2012)Across the globe, car-centric urban planning has wreaked havoc on many a city. In Straphanger, Taras Grescoe explores this problem by traveling on public transportation in cities like Tokyo, Copenhagen, Los Angeles and even
MoreFool Me Twice Fighting the Assault on Science in America by Shawn Lawrence Otto (Rodale, 380 pp., $24.99, October 2011)In Fool Me Twice, Shawn Lawrence Otto narrates the evolution of science in America. His story begins with the beliefs of the founding Puritans and leads all the way to the
MoreFACT
Glass used in mirrors contains additives that make them unsuitable to throw in the blue bin.
Morestory by Shaun Brady | photos by Sam OberterMario Gentile describes his basic philosophy as a question: “How can the everyday homeowner buy local and afford something that looks really well-designed made out of relatively expensive materials?” His answer: Shift_Design.
Gentile started Shift_Design in 2010, after being laid off from his architecture
Mountaintop removal isn’t happening in Philadelphia, but the controversial mining practice is a major local issue. Philadelphia’s Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) has launched a campaign against PNC Bank for their financing of companies that use mountaintop removal mining practices. This February, EQAT introduced a “Green Your Money” initiative to encourage Philadelphians to pull their
Morestory by Missy Steinberg
At the Teens 4 Good farm on Eighth and Poplar Streets, growing produce relies on a surprising technology: a stationary bike. The bike-powered watering system is a recent addition to the urban youth farm, which previously used a nearby fire hydrant for irrigation.
The new watering system uses a 500-gallon