One of the things that drew me to Germantown was the amount of space to plant things in the ground. I’ve had my share of container gardens in concrete backyards that left me wanting to grow more plants. What I really wanted was enough space to grow my own food. In a time when supply
MoreIllustration by Lynn Scurfield The Long (Long) View interview by Heather Shayne Blakeslee Elizabeth Kolbert’s book “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History” is a great read for anyone who is in need of a little perspective about our place as humans on an ever-changing planet. It was 1705 when the first mastodon tooth was discovered
MoreSavory Winter Stew by Anna Herman Some version of this soup is always on my stove during open house gatherings in fall and winter. Although the recipe is somewhat vague on quantities, almost any combination of vegetables works. The key to a good soup—or any other dish—is the quality of the ingredients. Use whatever you
MoreIllustration by Charlo Frade Black Snake at Standing Rock by Judy Wicks A 1,000-year-old Lakota prophecy tells of a Black Snake that would rise from the deep and move across the land, bringing destruction and great sorrow. The Sioux believe that the Black Snake has arrived in the form of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the
MoreThe Gift of Good Health by Anna Herman There are few things more appreciated than a lovely homemade gift, especially one you can eat or drink. Hosts and hostesses will welcome a batch of sweet and spiced nuts to put out with drinks, or brandied fruit to accompany dessert. Cooks and non-cooks alike can admire
MoreAfter Midnight by Heather Shayne Blakeslee At a time of year when we hope to reflect on what is most important to us in our families, communities and within ourselves, we’re being confronted with just how wrong things can go when we aren’t vigilant about our values every day of the year. After a
MoreIllustration by Herbie Hickmott The Morning After by Lucy Vernasco By 4:15 p.m., our only trace left in the Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Clinton campaign office was the 3-foot-tall “H” drawn on the chalkboard behind the counter. It was the week after the election, and our phone-banking card tables were in their final resting places in the
MoreIllustration by Carter Mulcahy Sharing Our Plenty by The Coalition Against Hunger Following a bitter and contentious election, family gatherings will no doubt meander through, or completely around, treacherous topics this holiday. Some will avoid political discussions all together, some will commiserate, others celebrate. However, we hope that the holidays will be a time of
MoreBeautiful Beets by Peggy Paul Casella The beet plant is an ancient member of the chenopod or goosefoot family of vegetables, along with chard and spinach, and its leaves are similar in taste and texture to that of its relatives. In fact, the greens—not the sweet red root we think of when we think of
MoreIllustration by Nicholas Massarelli You Can’t Buy Health by Jerry Silberman Question: What does it mean for me to be healthy?The Right Question: Can I be healthy without a healthy community? I suspect that we have an inborn ability to recognize good health in another person when we see it—and that our perception of beauty
MoreIllustration by Bart Browne The Heart of the Holidays by Emily Livingston Last year walking my elderly, mixed-breed dog through the streets of Center City on a chilly morning following the holiday season, I noted a lot of holiday-related detritus all over the sidewalks. For blocks and blocks, the curbs were lined with broken and
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