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.
MoreWhat brings you to the food issue? Are you trying to find that tiny restaurant for a transcendent dining experience? Is it a recipe you need that will unlock your creativity and wow your friends and family? After all, what is more pleasurable than eating or preparing a delicious meal? (Please don’t say your answers
MoreHow to eat well when your cupboard is bareby Sarah GrayIn these recession times, as jobs grow scarce and the city slashes its budget, food prices are also on the rise: In 2007 and 2008, the US saw its worst rise in food prices in 17 years.
MoreThe Omnivore's Dilemmaby Michael PollanPenguin, 2006 $26.95When The Omnivore’s Dilemma came out in ’06, it was not the first book to take a look at our industrial food system with a critical eye, but it quickly became one of the most well-known. Part of that is due to the interesting structure of the book, where
MoreA Lancaster County Farmers group show how local, organic food makes strong farms and healthy foodby Will DeanLancaster County is full of rolling hills, plowed fields and the occasional tall, silver silo; to the average observer, it can all seem the same. With a closer look, though, one plot of turned soil can be radically
MoreNorth Philly still lacks fresh food accessby Tenaya DarlingtonKensington, one of Philadelphia’s poorest neighborhoods, has undergone significant revitalization over the last few years, especially along the southern corridor that borders Northern Liberties. You’ll now find a coffee shop, a Spanish imports store and even a sustainable fish merchant amid the tattoo parlors and check cashing
MoreEight years ago, Sara Cain attempted to turn Philadelphia’s infamous mystery meat concoction into a treat that herbivores could enjoy. A good friend of hers, who had grown up on scrapple, lamented the loss of the local delight since becoming a vegetarian.
MoreJoe Evans was a carpenter by trade until his back went out. With some time off, he and his wife Angela, who shared a love of hunting for wild mushrooms, decided to try growing them. The venture was so successful that Joe quit his job and put his carpentry skills to use building customized, fabric-covered
MoreWild Mushroom Pâté with toma primavera and arugulaNow that you can no longer use the cold weather as an excuse to be anti-social, why not invite some friends over and make them a fancy appetizer that highlights some local seasonal flavors?
MoreIsn’t it inspiring to see Michelle Obama and a class of fifth graders digging up the White House lawn, planting the first garden there since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in 1943? It’s clear that nutrition is going to be a priority for our First Lady, and her interest in it is personal; a few years
MoreHow to start heirloom veggies from seedby Phil ForsythSo you’ve been enjoying those orange, yellow, purple, green, striped, two-tone, cherry, plum, pear-shaped and downright unusual tomatoes from the farmer’s market. Then you get your hands on a seed catalog and the names call to you: Black From Tula, Golden Sunray, Aunt Ruby’s German Green. So
More