story by Jaclyn Hardgrove | illustration by Zachary KutzLast summer, I started snatching my neighbors’ trash. Paranoid of onlookers, I’d tip toe, concealed by darkness, up to the curb where my neighbors had so politely pushed their waste. I’d sneak around, quickly grabbing objects. But now, after a year of cultivating my own
MoreDon’t have access to a clothes line? Try Bog Berry Dryer Balls when using your dryer. Philadelphia’s Brooke Petry, an herbalist and former baker, makes these biodegradable dryer balls with wool from Lancaster County and an eco-friendly company in Maine.
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When Tandi Book started making soap as a hobby about eight years ago, she was using common vegetable ingredients, like coconut and olive oils. But after meeting her husband, who worked on an organic farm that raised beef, she began experimenting with tallow, or beef oil.
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story by Leah R. TroianoAs a kid, my Saturday-morning chores included cleaning the bathroom. Like most kids, I wasn’t a huge fan of any chores, but the bathroom was particularly difficult for me. Much to my parents’ displeasure, I cleaned as quickly as possible while holding my breath, dashing in and
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Story and Photos by Char Vandermeer
Summer’s tapped. It’s over. Done. With any luck, crisp, cool autumn nights are working wonders on the radishes, kale, Swiss chard and brassicas that have taken over your garden. (If you haven’t planted your greens and radishes yet, put this magazine down and run to the
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Photo via saveourgardens.org If you’re a honey bee enthusiast, we have some bad news. Backyard beekeeping in Plymouth Township is under serious threat. The Plymouth Township Council recently proposed a bill to ban backyard beekpeeing on lots of 30,000 square feet or more. This ban would restrict beekeeping on 92 percent of residential properties in
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story by Suzanne LevySometimes, I’m just astonished. I look at the credit card bill and think—how did we spend that much? The evidence is on the page—a latte, a run to the office supply store, a visit to the hardware store. It’s not exactly an extravagant lifestyle, yet cumulatively these small purchases seem to gang
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story by Char VandermeerNow that cooler nights and shorter days have taken over, it’s time to bust out the greens and radishes again.
And they’re easy—really! I know gardeners always say growing vegetables is “easy,” but often they’re stretching the truth, and sometimes they’re flat-out lying. Not so with loose-leaf lettuce, Swiss chard and kale. So
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story by Marisa McClellanFresh corn and juicy peaches are great, but there is no summer food more versatile than plump, sun-ripened tomatoes. Because their season is fleeting, I make a point of preserving as many tomatoes as possible in as many ways as I can. Here are some ways I stash away enough Romas,
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story by Samantha WittchenFACT: Fire extinguishers should be inspected annually to make sure they’re charged properly and in working order. Every six years, an extinguisher must be taken apart, examined and recharged.
PROBLEM: Fire extinguishers in the U.S. are often filled with Halon 1211, the trade name for an ozone depleting gas that is hazardous
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