Green Drinks Philly on Weds. Feb. 3rd!
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Green Drinks Philly meets the first Wednesday of every month at Standard Tap in Northern Liberties. Open to anyone who considers themselves any flavor of environmentalist (that’s you, local eaters!), Green Drinks is an opportunity to hang-out, drink, and network with like-minded Philadelphians. Not only is Standard Tap a beautiful building in a convenient location, they source ALL local beers! Hurray! Join this international green drinking movement. And if you don’t happen to live in our fair city, find a Green Drinks in your town HERE.
Standard Tap
6:00 - 9:00 PM
2nd & Poplar St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Tel: 215 238 0630
http://www.standardtap.com
http://www.standardtap.com/map.htm
Roots and Squash to soup
Monday, February 01, 2010
By this time of year, I think that we are all starting to get a little tired of winter vegetables. I’m already dreaming of fresh tomatoes and basil. But there are plenty of ways to spice up the vegetables that are in season. Just chop them up, cook them down in some broth, and puree them - or not. Add beans or grains and have a hearty meal. . Add a fried onion and some garlic, and I like to add a kick - fresh ginger, curry, or hot peppers.
Combinations
sweet potatoes and butternut squash
potatoes and parsnips or celeriac
carrots and ginger
kale and potato
vegetable stew
potato leek and onion
spinach, greens, and potato
turnip, carrot and cream
mushroom, shallot
Good News! Root is back on the shelves!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
After the holidays, it got impossible to buy Root on the shelves of our local liquor stores. FINALLY that situation has been rectified and Wine and Spirits is back in stock. You can purchase Root at these locations:
2nd Street
12th Street
19th & Chestnut
Society Hill
17th & JFK
Manayunk Main Street
South St
If you haven’t already found your favorite Root recipe, try some of the recipes features on the Art and the Age of Mechanical Reproduction website HERE.
February GRID Happy Hour
Monday, January 18, 2010
Want a relaxing hang-out after your MLK volunteering? Come pick up Grid’s brand new February issue, where you can read about Elkins Park’s new food co-op, our quest for the city’s best tofu bánh mì and the launch of Philadelphia’s Recycling Rewards program. Also included, sustainability resolutions from local notables such as Iron Chef Jose Garces and Mayor Nutter!
$3 Drafts and Half-Price Appetizers!
Chat with the Grid team and other Grid fans!
Monday, January 18, 2010
5:00pm - 8:00pm
The Abbaye
3rd and Fairmount
Philadelphia, PA
Posted by Erin on 01/18 at 02:54 AM
Make some chili!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
I had some corn cut from the cob from the summer, those New Jersey canned tomatoes I wrote about a couple weeks ago, organic kidney beans I bought from the Kensington co-op at Greensgrow’s farmers market, and various other items and have been eating chili for a week. Make some this weekend!
Posted by Allison on 01/16 at 04:47 PM
New Year-Round Farmers Market at the Piazza and other Winter Markets
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A new YEAR-ROUND Farmers Market featuring locally produced items will launch on 1/16 at the Piazza at Schmidts’ (North 2Nd Street And Germantown Avenue) and continue every Saturday from 10:00am-2:00pm. Grass Fed Beef, Naturally-Raised Pork and Duck, Free Range Chicken, Naturally-Raised Lamb, Cage Free-Pastured Eggs, Artisan Cheese, Breads and Baked Goods, Organic Vegetables/Produce, Honey, Preserves, Fair Trade Coffee and even all natural Dog Treats! Over 20 vendors to choose from and FREE PARKING in the designated lot across from the Piazza.
There are other local farmer’s markets open throughout the Winter at:
Fitler Square Farmers’ Market
23rd St. & Pine St.
Saturdays 9 am - 2 pm; Year round
Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market
Walnut St. at 18th St.
Saturdays 9:30 am to 3 pm; Year round
Clark Park Farmers’ Market (accepts SNAP cards)
43rd St. & Baltimore Ave.
Saturdays 10 am - 2 pm; Year round
Philadelphia Green Skills Conference
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia Water Department are co-sponsoring a Green Skills Conference. Want to learn about rain barrels? Or how to start a community garden? Or what do to with abandoned property in your neighborhood? Greening your home? Sign-up for the Saturday session and pick up some skills. Tickets are just $10 HERE.
Join The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for a morning of learning and networking for people interested in urban greening and its Philadelphia Green program. The annual Skills Conference offers training, information, and workshops for community groups and individuals who are committed to improving the quality of life in their neighborhoods. This year’s theme will be about the important subject of “stormwater management.” (Sponsored in part by the Philadelphia Water Department and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Conference Schedule
8:45 – 9:15 am Registration & Continental Breakfast/Information Tables Open
9:15 – 9:30 am Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:30 – 10:00 am Keynote Presentation: Howard Neukrug, PWD Office of Watersheds
10:15 – 11:15 am Concurrent Session 1 Choose one of the following
A. Greening Homes: Tips & Tricks/Retrofit for Row homes
B. Rain Barrels
C. Greening Open Space: Recreation Centers & Playgrounds
D. Garden Tenders/Starting a Community Garden, part 1
11:15 – 11:45 am Networking/Information Tables Open
11:45 – 12:45 pm Concurrent Session 2 Choose one of the following
A. Greening Homes: Tips & Tricks/Retrofit for Row homes
B. Rain Barrels
C. Greening Streets: Norris Street, Columbus Square
D. Garden Tenders/Starting a Community Garden, part 2
Cost: $10. Scholarships are available. For more information and a brochure, contact Dawn Waters at 215-988-8845 or .
What Does Michael Pollan Eat?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sustainable food guru Pollan, author of numerous local food manifestos*, requests that we “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” But what does he eat? See for yourself in this New York Diet. While some might take exception to his “flexibility” (I especially and not pleased with loose sushi standards) he’s just a guy trying to make it work. Which means that it can’t always work perfectly, but that is no reason not to try. Enjoy.
*The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Second Nature, The Botany of Desire
Posted by Erin on 01/11 at 08:45 PM
Taste test: Fattoria Fresca Jersey Fresh Crushed Tomatoes
Thursday, December 31, 2009
When I was last at the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market, I decided to buy a can and try it out. Let’s face it, most canned tomatoes are crap to middling. But in the spirit of my commitment to local foods, it deserved a chance.
And I’m so glad I did. I ate a spoonful out of the can, and it was delicious. Not merely good, but a great, deep, tomato-ness. Salt and basil are in there (although I couldn’t detect the basil and would prefer to add my own anyway), but otherwise the can says no water, sugar, citric acid, concentrate, puree, or paste. At $3.00 for 28 ounces, it’s not inexpensive, but a can of imported San Marzanos will cost you more than that, and because there’s no water added, what you might call the “usable volume” of the Fattoria Fresca tomatoes is greater than the same size can of something else. Try them—I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Posted by Allison on 12/31 at 11:32 PM
Whoops! Frozen Beets
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Should have pulled these out before the snow started. It’s meant to be warmer this weekend, so if I get them unstuck, I’ll let you know how they fared.
Posted by Allison on 12/24 at 06:54 PM
Tangerine Cranberry Relish
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Aren’t these gorgeous? I almost want to wear them. But instead, I made my favorite winter snack, tangerine cranberry relish. I was out of town for Thanksgiving and so missed the opportunity to make this, but really, I just eat it with a spoon - no turkey/whatever required.
This is very simple: 1 pint of local cranberries (mine from the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market—they have both red and white!), 1 tangerine (ok, not local, but organic and also from the FFFarmstand), about 1/2c sugar (to start). Scrub the tangerine well b/c what makes this is grinding the whole fruit—peel and all. I sectioned it to remove the seeds. Wash the berries. Pulse in a food processor until minced but not mush. Add sugar to taste. That’s it! (Also nice, for obvious reasons, with an orange.)
What to do with Parsnips?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
My favorite thing to do with parsnips is to roast them with other root vegetable and herbs, like the parsnips and carrots above. What else could you do?
1. Boil and puree them with potatoes, or in substitution of mashed potatoes.
2. Add them to a soup - either pureed with cream, or in a hearty stew.
3. Bake them like “fries” and serve them with a zesty dip.
4. Make latkes, or anything else that you would normally cook with potatoes.
5. Add them to a gratin!
I’m sure readers have even more ideas for this winter vegetable. Send them in!
Posted by Erin on 12/16 at 08:59 PM
Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA Extension
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
I extended my Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA though the winter season, and it’s been a pleasure. I decided to split my usual full share with friends because I just can’t get through that many root vegetables and asian greens in a week! Though I only photographed what I took from the share, I’ve listed the entire full share below.
1 green cabbage – certified organic – Green Acres Organics
1 bag Beauregard sweet potatoes – certified organic – Busy Bee Acres – 3 lbs
2 red kabocha squash – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics
1 bunch scarlet turnips – certified organic – Maple Lawn Organics
1 bunch chard – certified organic – Organic Willow Acres
1 bag Detroit red beets – certified organic – Autumn Blend Organics – 2.5 lbs
1 bag parsnips – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics – 2 lbs
1 bag spinach – certified organic – Riverview Organics
2 heads baby bok choy – certified organic – Scarecrow Hill Farm
1 bunch tatsoi – certified organic – Hillside Organics
1 bunch broccoli raab – certified organic – Riverview Organics
Posted by Erin on 12/15 at 03:07 AM
Winter Vegetable Gratins
Monday, December 14, 2009
Gratins are a delicious way to use winter vegetables. You can decide exactly how healthy (or unhealthy) you’d like to make this comfort food.
1. Choose any combination of starchy winter vegetables. In the gratin above I used red turnips, savoy cabbage, and what I like to call fractal cauliflower.
2. Place the chopped and sliced vegetables in a gratin dish. Salt and pepper each layer. At this point you can add cheese between layers, if you’d like. The above gratin uses cream cheese.
3. Fill the gratin dish 3/4 of the way with a cream, milk, or a combination of the two. Add herbs to the dairy before you pour it over the vegetables.
4. Top with grated parmesan, and some sort of breadcrumbs
5. Bake in a 350 degree over for 35 - 40 minutes. For the first 20 minutes cover the dish with tin foil, and remove the foil for the second 15 - 20 minutes.
6. When the vegetables are baked through and the breadcrumbs are toasted brown, the gratin is done. Enjoy!
Posted by Erin on 12/14 at 12:37 AM
December GRID hits the shelves!
Friday, December 04, 2009
Hey everyone! Our favorite magazine about sustainability in Philadelphia hits the stands today! Check out my recipe for butternut squash and mushroom lasagna (pictured below) in the print addition or online.
GRID Cover December 2009 And join us to celebrate its release:
WHERE: The Abbaye (3rd and Fairmount)
WHEN: 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9
$3 drafts and ½ price appetizers!
See you there!
Posted by Erin on 12/04 at 08:13 PM
