Illustration by Anne Lambelet Soul Farming by Charis Lindrooth When Don arrived to work with us at Red Earth Farm, I was skeptical. Now bear in mind, we employ an eclectic mix of people, but Don won the prize for the cleanest-shaved and neatest dressed. His spotless button-up was tucked into crisp khakis. His boots
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Stalking the Spring by Peggy Paul Casella Spring hasn’t really sprung until you’ve snatched up your first bunch of asparagus from the local farmers market. It livens up any dish with its grassy, floral flavor, and the prep work—bending each spear until it snaps toward the bottom end—was one of my first kitchen tasks as
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Illustration by Kathleen White Safe to Grow? by Alex Vuocolo Jennifer Morales knew that the soil beneath her community garden at A and Indiana streets in North Philadelphia might be contaminated. But without the resources or know-how to test the soil herself, there was no way to be sure. “There used to be a
MoreEveryday Beauty by Marilyn Anthony Sisters Joy Johnston Howard and Beth Johnston launched Sistercraft in 2015 to bring “beauty and love into other people’s lives.” Their handmade brooms, blankets, quilts and afghans are symbols of a clean, warm home, but the pair also see their work as a way to push back against the cold
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Unbreakable by Marilyn Anthony Life-threatening health issues. Gun violence. Racism. All of them could have molded ceramic artist Stefani Threet into a very different person. But at every turn of fate’s wheel, she countered her challenges: with strong ties to family, friends and other potters, her love of nature and with her talent and positive
MoreMixing it Up by Marilyn Anthony East Mount Airy visual artist Paul Carpenter’s art teacher once described him as a weird mashup of an artist and a jock. Carpenter’s most popular T-shirt design, a Phanatic-inspired figure elaborately decorated with a richly imagined Philadelphia landscape, surely proves his point. Carpenter, 30, grew up in Springfield Township
MoreIllustration by Mike L. Perry Hell on Earth interview by Heather Shayne Blakeslee In “Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecocide and the Secret to Saving the World” abolitionist Kevin Bales uncovers the fact that, absent the rule of law, the environment is devastated and slavery flourishes. Many slaves are tricked into thinking they are getting
MoreIllustration by Wyatt Glennon Betting the Farm by Amy Laura Cahn Philadelphia needs to act quickly if it does not want to lose its community gardens. We can’t do it without leadership from the Kenney administration. On March 20, a Philadelphia Inquirer headline read “Growing Pains for Gardeners: South Kensington plots may be lost amid
MorePhoto by Jillian Guyette Spears Over Chips by Emily Kovach Big decisions are part of launching anycompany. When Brine Street Picklery was forming, its five co-founders had a particularly pressing dilemma on hand: spear or chip? “It’s the age-old pickle question,” founder PJ Hopkins laughs. “I was outvoted for spears four to one.” The seeds
MorePhoto by Margo Reed Lady and Mr. Marmalade by Emily Kovach Every two or three weeks, Jennifer and Steve Horton play hooky from their 9-to-5 jobs in marketing and economic development, respectively, and spend the whole day transforming local produce and sugar into hundreds of jars of jam and preserves in the Greensgrow Community Kitchen.
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