The New York Times has a interesting short feature on efforts by Walgreens in Chicago to address food deserts by stocking produce and fresh food. They’re calling them “food oases.”  A drugstore might not seem the obvious venue for solving a grocery-store problem, but Walgreens offered something useful: ubiquity. “That’s the exciting thing about Walgreens, they’re

Last week, the Redevelopment Authority (RDA) released a report on vacant land in Philadelphia, revealing the grand scope and cost of the city's vacant properties, and a new plan to manage the land in a more uniform manner.
Here are some key statistics from the report:

There are currently an estimated 40,000 vacant lots located in neighborhoods

I had a busy week, so it wasn't until the weekend that I was able to catch up on my stories. 30 Rock, which has really been on a roll lately, featured a hilarious—and pointed—storyline dealing with greenwashing (and smug liberal self-satisfaction). It all started with Liz Lemon, a new pair of jeans and a store

Check out Tenaya’s local holiday cheese picks in the latest GridThis coming weekend, Grid superstars Tenaya Darlington and Marisa McClellan are teaming up for a cheese tasting at Quince Fine Foods. Visit Madame Fromage for details, and be sure to check out their contributions to the new Holiday Issue.

Now that you’re armed with a game plan for surviving the holidays sans meat (see Grid’s December issue p. 26), here are some recipes to further help you along the way. The New York Times has a slew of vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving recipes, displayed oh so decadently with photos that are sure to make you

The Atlantic has an inspirational (and incredibly detailed) story on urban farming in New Orleans after Katrina. Even more so than Philadelphia, the Big Easy is contending with an abundance of vacant land—and complex food access issues. Urban agriculture has the potential to be a vital element of tackling those problems: Enter the next generation

Over the summer, the Fair Food team went on a series of farm tours. Albert Yee of Messy and Picky has posted some beautiful pics from Meadow Run Farm, Green Meadow Farm and Smucker’s Meats (some of these images are a bit graphic). Nothing like adorable animals to brighten up a Friday afternoon. Via Meal

Nature is pretty awesome. This video made me think of how Ricky Gervais (on the Ricky Gervais Show podcast) would always try to explain to Karl Pilkington that other species are not less evolved than man—every cat is not on its way to humanity—but that they are perfectly evolved for their place in the ecosystem.

As exhibited by our December holiday issue, ‘tis the season for celebrations around the table with sustainably-prepared foods and friendly folks. That’s exactly the idea behind Greensgrow Farms’ third annual Whole Hog feast. The farm is bringing in Campbell’s Soup’s exec chef Tom Griffiths to prepare a sprawling buffet for meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike. The dishes

Grid HQ is delightfully close to Reading Terminal Market. This is great for many reasons—most notably the breadth of cheap, delicious lunch options and our proximity to the Fair Food Farmstand, locavore mecca extraordinaire.  But there’s not a lot of great beer in this hood. And we’re a crew that love us some good (preferably