Tim Mountz's homebred Black Ruffle betrays its future awesomenessTo avoid overusing—and therefore devaluing—the word "obsessed," I'll just say that I am endlessly fascinated by the the baby tomatoes maturing steadily in my plot at Bouvier Community Garden.
Whenever I go to water, trim or nab some herbs I inevitably spend many minutes just staring at them,

Just this year, the University of Pennsylvania established the Penn Garden, an on-campus community garden. The first workday at the garden was June 15, and now that we’re entering July, herbs and veggies are popping up. According to the garden’s website, arugula, basil, mustard greens, radishes, peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are all growing in the

A perfect popover partnerIn my life, I have had a few food obsessions. Sometimes they are things I was exposed to early in life that imprinted themselves on my subconscious (my dad's cinnamon roasted chicken, Donnelly's tuna salad (RIP), peanut butter swirl ice cream, merguez sausage), and some have come in recent years, as my

It's Friday afternoon and we know what you need: Baby turtles! Lots of em!
I spent yesterday morning at The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, watching juvenile diamondback terrapins be released into the coastal marshes near 7 Mile Island.
When nesting female turtles get crushed on the road, good samaritans bring them in, and the Institute harvests the eggs, incubates

Last week we blogged about a Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW) bike sale. If you missed it, no worries. Yesterday, NBW posted on their blog that they will be having a bike sale every week during the months of June and July. Bikes start at $30. Bike sales will be held every Friday during June and

Cheese from Birchrun HillsNext weekend, the White Dog Cafe and Fair Food are coming together for a can’t miss afternoon dubbed “Dining al Fresco at the Farm.” Lucky locavores will learn what it takes to raise quality honeybee colonies at Trey Flemming’s Two Gander Farm and Apiary. They will then enjoy a unique dining experience

The Department of Homeland Security has identified 5,333 “high risk” chemical plants in the U.S. and 247 of them are in Pennsylvania. Each plant puts 10,000 to 100,000 people at risk of deadly chemical accidents and terrorist attacks. Tomorrow, Greenpeace volunteers will be stationed outside of Market East train station, encouraging the public to call

Mayor Nutter rides shotgun in Hybrid X's GT
Today, the Mayor hosted a send-off for the West Philly Hybrid X Team at City Hall.
If you read July's Grid cover story, then you already know all about this hardworking group of teachers and students building hybrid cars and competing for the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize.
On

No, not blackberries—they’re “black raspberries.” It’s a flavor I’m familiar with (ice cream, lollipops) but a fruit I’m not sure I’ve encountered in its natural state. These suckers just arrived at the Fair Food Farmstand from the Wyck House in Germantown. Less tart than red raspberries, the dark morsels are a mild, delicious treat. I

I’ve finally figured out something to do with all my old glass milk bottles. Unfortunately, Natural By Nature Coop doesn’t work on a bottle deposit/return system, but the beautiful bottles are recyclable. That said, I am always loath to toss them in the bin with the rest of the beer bottles and old newspapers. Here’s