In last month’s issue, I wrote about how Philly could start a City-run composting drop-off program. Unfortunately, the City might not have the staffing to mount such an effort. Forty years ago, when the City was launching its recycling program, it had 23 employees in its recycling office. Today, the Department of Sanitation has two.
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Second Harvest by Marilyn Anthony Monika Crosby, a “true blue farmer’s daughter,” does not grow vegetables. Employing what she calls “picking with a cause,” Crosby runs Philabundance’s gleaning program, coordinating volunteer vegetable harvests at three commercial farms in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Since 2014, Philabundance has redirected 760,000 pounds of produce to low-income families. Dating
MoreBeyond the Brown Box by Emily Kovach If you’re a seasoned CSA buyer, you probably already have a favorite farm that does heirloom tomatoes just right, or you know a farmer who will surprise you with a crazy new item you’ve never seen. This season, try a new kind of CSA. Here are some options
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Big changes to federal policy are cascading into local programs and breaking down barriers to healthier lives for some of our most vulnerable residents
MoreParsnips and Carrots by Peggy Paul Casella These earthy-sweet cousins have a lot in common: They both belong to the Umbelliferae (or Apiaceae) family of plants—along with parsley, fennel, celery, cumin, coriander and dill—which are characterized by feathery leaves and umbrella-shaped clusters of flowers. They both grow wild in Europe and West Asia, and they
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New Bakers, Bakeries and Cafés about Town by Emily Kovach For many of us, the workday begins with coffee and a bagel at the corner café and ends with a baguette from the local bakery. It’s a simple and satisfying pleasure to bite into a still-warm, aromatic sourdough, or see that our favorite kind of
MoreDaily Bread by Anna Herman It is hard to improve upon the fresh bread available from so many excellent local bakeries. But you can come close, and few things are as magical as transforming flour, water and salt into fragrant loaves—so it is worth your time to try. Whether turning out unleavened, hand-rolled flatbreads, or
MoreSweet Potatoes by Peggy Paul Casella They might not be as flashy as other super foods, but sweet potatoes pack a serious nutritional punch, and have impressive concentrations of fiber, potassium and other essential nutrients. Most notably, sweet potatoes are one of the most potent natural sources of beta-carotene and other pigment-related antioxidants, which have
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photo by Sang Cun by Alex Jones The view from the north side of Vine Street just east of Broad is all high-rises and highways: concrete, brick and asphalt as far as the eye can see, with neat rows of street trees lining the road as a perfunctory nod to nature. But, north of the
Morephoto by Ryan Scott Lovin’ Spoonful by Emily Teel At any successful party, guests might remark over their plates, “This is really good. You should sell this!” While many hosts smile and wave off the idea, Kate Hartman followed through. She started her company, Good Spoon Seasonal Foods, cooking grass-fed beef chili that she served
MorePorcSalt & Rooster Street Provisions sell delicious, hand-crafted charcuterie in small batches
PorcSalt, the project of Chef Matt Ridgway in Rosemont, N.J., and Rooster Street Provisions, owned by Tony and Kristina Page in Elizabethtown, Pa., are doing things with meat that are new and yet old, and all thoroughly delicious—hand-crafting charcuterie in small batches and building careers around