Three turtles are waiting in the garden at the Max Myers Playground. The kids have to find them. As David Crutchfield, garden educator with Farm Philly’s Junior Farmers program, leads the after-school program attendees outside, the children sprint ahead, eager to dive into the kale, squash, beets and other plants to search. The Northeast Philly
MoreTo the Readers of Grid,All of us at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) are delighted to share our story with folks who truly understand the importance of building a food system that not only helps to keep good farmers on the land, but good environmental practices in the field and good food on
MoreWe all know that food tastes better when it’s prepared by someone who loves us, or when it recalls something treasured from the past—Dad’s Friday night roasted chicken, your neighbor’s homemade hot fudge or the tangy summer slaw that smells like the very essence of childhood beach weekends.
MoreA local dairy farm turns out killer cheese, and a few surprisesOn his first day of kindergarten, the teacher asked Ken Miller what he wanted to be when he grew up. It was an easy answer, since he could only imagine becoming one thing: a farmer.
MoreA local seed company quietly amasses a tomato treasure troveHearing Happy Cat Organics’ Tim Mountz talk about tomatoes is enough to make any food-loving soul long for summer. Along with his wife Amy Bloom, Mountz has compiled a seed collection featuring 200 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. If that sounds like a lot, have no fear:
MoreUsing small parcels of urban land, a local co-op reaps a plentiful bounty
Off of Washington Lane in East Mt. Airy, down a rough little driveway, is the Mort Brooks Memorial Farm. There, on land leased from the Awbury Arboretum, farmer David Zelov and his crew of apprentices and volunteers are taking local to a new
A young farmer works her family's land
Claire Murray farms land that belonged to her grandmother. Her parents live there as well, and so does her uncle, who raises pastured poultry. “It’s like this little family compound,” she explains.
Farmers use community to stay viable
Buying locally often takes a bit more effort than walking into the nearest supermarket. But there are creative people out there making it easier for small farmers to compete for your dollars.
Buying local is only a few clicks away
Situated on a tucked-away little stretch of road in Lansdowne, Harvest Local Foods (formerly Farm Fresh Express) can be a tad difficult to find. Fortunately all customers really need is a different kind of address: harvestlocalfoods.com.
A local pork producer does things the right way, with exceptional results
Paul and Ember Crivellaro raise pigs. Really good pigs. Pigs good enough to fill the sausages and top the pizzas at acclaimed Philadelphia restaurants Vetri and Osteria and satiate the beer drinkers at Standard Tap and Johnny Brenda’s. But it wasn’t always that way:
A third-generation orchard looks to the future
The Frecon family has had a storefront in Boyertown since 1952. Richard Frecon and his family settled in the area in 1944 and began planting fruit—apples, peaches and nectarines. After outgrowing their roadside farmstand, they converted an old restaurant into a permanent retail location where they could sell their