Nature’s Miracle Worker by Heather Shayne Blakeslee In the same way that friends in rural areas might know the difference between a tree branch hitting the side of the house and someone knocking on the door, city dwellers learn to distinguish—before we’ve even turned around—the sound of a car behind us from the hiss of
MorePhoto by Marika Mirren Simple Pleasures by Alex Jones No food tantalizes eaters quite like cheese. I’ve been sourcing and selling artisan cheeses produced on small-scale farms and dairies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for seven years, and it still makes me smile whenever a farmers market shopper slows down as they approach my table
MorePhoto compliments of Philadelphia Cheese Guild Education and advocacy are key for a growing industry with changing regulations by Alex Jones On a cold day between snowstorms in January 2016, cheesemakers and dairy advocates gathered in a Penn State agriculture sciences classroom. The small meeting—catered with leftover wheels from the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s cheese competition—marked
MoreSecret Cellar by Emily Kovach To the unsuspecting eye, Emiliano Tatar seems like a regular guy: He lives with his wife and two children in Merion Station and is a full-time general pediatrician practicing in Roxborough. But, like an artisan superhero, in the evening he trades the stethoscope for a spatula and makes handcrafted cheese
MorePhiladelphia’s Tenaya Darlington, aka Madame Fromage, Photo by Jason Varney The Foodies are Coming by Grid Staff Most Philadelphians take for granted that they can stroll down to the Italian Market or hit Reading Terminal to find some of the best artisan offerings in the world, many of which are made right here in Pennsylvania.
MoreSpicy, crunchy and sometimes sweet, radishes always delight by Anna Herman Among the easiest of local crops to get to market—and the fastest crop to grow from seed—radishes are edible as a sprout, as a seedling and at maturity. They can be eaten out of hand, sliced into salads, are great pickled, sautéed roasted or
MoreSpring Seduction by Christina Pirello During that brief but heavenly time known as early strawberry season, I can think of no other fruit that inspires thoughts of sensuality and romance like these lush berries. Slightly sweet, with just enough tartness to sparkle on our tongue, strawberries seduce us… and we willingly submit for a whirlwind
MoreSustainability in the Suburbs? by Danielle Corcione Mistral, pronounced MEE-strall, opened its doors at the King of Prussia Mall on March 1. Nestled between Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor, the brand-new restaurant has aspirations to farm-to-table fare, even if it’s an unlikely setting. Why King of Prussia over Philadelphia? The idea was proposed to
MoreIllustration by Layla Ehsan Protecting and Serving by Brion Shreffler Ahead of another busy Saturday night at the now shuttered Rarest, Sean Ciccarone, 37, took to the streets on March 25 for the #DisruptMAGA (Make America Great Again) protest that coincided with a Trump rally at Independence Mall. It was just one of many marches/protests
MoreIllustration by Jameela Wahlgren Uphill, Both Ways essay by Ginger Osborne It amuses me when I hear young cyclists complain that some car driver yelled at them while they were biking. Yelled at them. This upsets them. Being yelled at. I started riding a bicycle around Philadelphia in the mid 1970s. There were no bike
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