3rd Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA

Monday, June 06, 2011

Early summer CSA shares are always very “green” heavy, though Lancaster Farm Fresh has done a great job of mixing those greens up - its not just lettuce! This week I received:

1 Bunch Spring Garlic - Certified Organic - T.O.G.

1 Bunch Red Scallions - Certified Organic - Sweetaire Farmdale Organics

1 Head Green Leaf Lettuce - Certified Organic - Green Valley Organics

1 Bunch French Breakfast Radishes - Certified Organic - Outback Farm

1 Head Bok Choy - Certified Organic - Millwood Springs Organics

1 Bunch Curly Parsley - Certified Organic - Noble Herbs

1 Bunch Green Mustard Greens - Certified Organic - Maple Lawn Organics

1 Package Cremini (Baby Bella) Mushrooms - Certified Organic - Mother Earth Organics

1 Package Shiitake Mushrooms - Certified Organic - Mother Earth Organics

1 Bunch Rhubarb - Certified Organic - Elm Tree Organics

1 Head Red Leaf Lettuce - Certified Organic - Railroad Organics

1 Bunch While Scallions - Certified Organic - Friends Road Organics

1 Bunch Green Dandelion Greens - Certified Organic - Hillside Organics

I was so happy for the mushrooms this week, and tender young garlic!

Tonight! Dollar Stroll on Baltimore Ave.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

West Philadelphians (and other’s welcome, too!) come on out on this beautiful evening and support your local businesses and the Baltimore Ave. business corridor. ONE DOLLAR beers, samosas, ice cream, and more!

Dickinson Square Farmers Market and annual “Junque” Sale

Thursday, May 26, 2011

There’s a new farmer’s market in town! Dickinson Square Park in Philadelphia’s Pennsport neighborhood will celebrate the beginning of the summer seasowith debut of its farmers’ market, in partnership with Farm to City, the first weekend in June. The neighborhood’s annual art market and “junque” sale will coincide with the opening day of the market.

The Junque Sale, now in its third year, will feature artisans, live music, hula hooping competition, and quality second-hand good from neighbors’ personal collections.  Neighbors and guests are also encouraged to donate items to the white elephant table, sales from which will go to support the park and farmers’ market.  Additional funds will be raised through the sale of raffle tickets; the winner of the raffle will receive a ready-to-hang printed canvas featuring a vintage photo of Dickinson Square, dated April 12, 1910.  The sale will begin on 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, and continue until 2:00 p.m.

The Sunday farmers’ market (http://www.dspfarmersmarket.com/) will open June 5 on the northwest corner of Moyamensing Avenue and Morris streets and will continue every Sunday through October from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Three farms from the region—Darmo Family Farms, Down Home Acres, and Two Gander Farm—will bring organic, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables, as well as eggs, flowers, honey, and other products to Dickinson Square Park for the first time.  There are plans to add a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance) terminal to the market by midsummer, which will allow low-income households to use their food stamp benefits at the market.

No idea what to do with your little urban space?

Take this informative workshop, and learn a few things about how to design your little plot for maximum impact, or take your current garden to the next green level.
“Sustainable Garden & Landscape Techniques”

Fairmount Park Horticultural Center
N. Horticultural and Montgomery Drive Phila. Pa.19131
9AM Registration     9:30 Workshop Begins      
$10.00Registration fee
For more registration information call Penn State Extension at
215-471-2200 Ext 100.
http://extension.psu.edu/philadelphia/programs/master-gardener

A Penn State Extension Philadelphia Master Gardener and Senior Ecologist, Antonio F. Federici, will offer ways to save money while helping to save the environment.  Topics will include capturing rain water for gardening, composting, turning lawns to meadows and other “green” landscaping measures that rely less on chemicals and more on our relationship with nature. Come with a pad and pencil because you’ll want to take notes on the many ideas presented.

Mariposa Co-Op Needs Your Help!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Mariposa Co-Op, a member-run and organized co-op in West Philadelphia, needs your help to start it’s renovation on a new, much larger co-op space on time! Members have been working hard for the last few years to write grants, get matching donations, host fundraising events, and increase membership and member equity.Mariposa’s goal is to raise $60,000 by May 31st.  Every bit of help in meeting Mariposa’s fundraising goal helps this neighborhood, situated in one of Philadelphia’s “food deserts,” provide healthy, organic food products and produce to the community. If you want to make a donation or learn more, go HERE and check-out the neat video! If you are already a member and can further increase your equity, go HERE. And if you’d like to become a new member and join the future newly expanded co-op, go HERE!

2nd Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA Share

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

All the beautiful vegetables were already put away in the fridge when I got home last night, so I thought I’d share this photo of pea tendrils with you. Pea tendrils! I plan to incorporate them into a salad today. Any other ideas?

Monday, May 23 - Full Share

1 Head Green Romaine - Certified Organic - Riverview Organics

1 Bunch Green Kale - Certified Organic - Eagle View Organics

1 Bag Pea Tendrils - Certified Organic - Eastbrook Produce

1 Bunch Asparagus - Certified Organic - Farmdale Organics, Echo Valley Organics or Plum Hill Organics

1 Bunch Spinach - Certified Organic - Farmdale Organics

1 Pint Strawberries - Certified Organic - Hillside Organic Acres

1 Bunch Red Scallions - Certified Organic - Sweetaire Farm

1 Bunch Oregano - Certified Organic - Noble Herbs

1 Package Portabella Caps OR 1 Package Cremini Mushrooms - Certified Organic - Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms

1 Bunch White Scallions - Certified Organic - Railroad Organics

1 Head Red Leaf Lettuce - Certified Organic - Railroad Organics

Time to Harvest: Lettuces!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Have you already harvested your first lettuce of the season? I have cut some mixed red and green lettuce, but just take a look at this beautiful head of red butter lettuce I enjoyed last weekend. A boiled egg, some sea salt, a touch of olive oil, vinegar and dijon mustard - it was perfect! Remember that one you start cutting your lettuce to keep planting every week or so, and you’ll have a steady supply through the Spring.

GRID “Food Issue” Release Party at Reading Terminal Market

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Our favorite local sustainability magazine is back at it again with their annual food issue. Come celebrate this 64-page issue!

Monday, May 16
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
The Fair Food Farmstand near the northwest corner of the Reading Terminal Market (12th and Filbert St. entrance)

Highlights include:
· So You Want To Be A Farmer? It’s hard work but, as Felicia D’Ambrosio explains, not as hard as you think
· Make your own: Pie! Cheese! Cocktail Garden!
· Get to know: The Smart Grid
· Renew Growing Greener, now!
· Snipes and Marathon farms

Plus the Local Food Guide, a one-stop resource for restaurants, cafés, CSAs, farmers markets, buying clubs, farm stands, specialty stores, advocates, caterers, personal chefs and more!

My first Leeks!

Monday, May 09, 2011

I planted my first leeks last summer, and low and behold, they popped up beautifully this Spring. I had to brace myself, both feet solid, to pull these suckers out, beautiful and gritty. After a hearty few washings, I used them to make the recipe for Dilled Green Beans with Seitan from “Super Natural Everyday,” pictured below. Delicious! What are you cooking with leeks?

Eat Local: News From Lansdowne’s Sycamore

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

When Lansdowne farmer’s market opens at the end of May, so will a new booth: the Lansdowne Table. Chef Sam Jacobson of Sycamore will be selling some of the things you’ll find at the restaurant—drunken raisins, completed dishes, etc. What makes this exciting is that he’ll also be making some locally produced cheeses and other items available when he can get them. That includes the Oak Shade cheddar cheese (available through Green Meadow Farm) used at last night’s Green Meadow Farm to Table dinner.

The dinner, by the way, was stellar.

If you’re not familiar with Sycamore, consider stopping in next time you’re in Lansdowne. Yes, I know what you might be thinking: Delaware County, particularly that part of Delaware County, is a bit of a no-man’s-land when it comes to good, non-chain restaurants. I like to think that Sycamore opening up five minutes from my house two years ago is a karmic payback for all those times we had to drive into Philadelphia for dinner. Philadelphia Magazine voted it one of thetop 30 restaurants in the Philadelphia area and Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LeBan gave it agood review. My husband and I eat there fairly often, although we miss their Sunday brunch terribly (they stopped doing that last year).

When we first received the email about the Green Meadow Farm dinner, I was excited. And then I got this email the night prior:

Here is a list of what Chef Jacobson bought at Green Meadow Farm today.  He will be improvising tomorrow night’s Farm to Table Dinner.

Baby Back Ribs, Capons, Brisket, Butter, Cream, Oak Shade Raw Aged Cheddar, Heirloom Tomato Juice, Salsify, Fiddleheads, Claytonia, Baby Arugula, Golden & Chiogga Beets, Baby Fennel, Red Cabbage, Rabe, Leeks, Cucumbers, Pea Shoots, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Wild Garlic, Spring Onions, Strawberries, Honeysuckle, Chives, Cilantro, Chervil, Thyme, Mint, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Dill.

Yep, I immediately started drooling. And then Chef Jacobson disclosed that he picked the majority of the produce himself with the help of some of the folks at Green Meadow Farm, several of which were at the dinner. For someone interested in eating locally grown foods, that’s just . . . well, fantastic. And the dinner didn’t disappoint, let me tell you.

We started off with an amuse bouche—a spoonful of honeysuckle sorbet. Ian Brendle, one of the farm’s owners, told us later that this was made with honeysuckle syrup that his girlfriend makes from honeysuckle blossoms collected from the farm. She says she makes a tea concoction of sorts from the blossoms, although Ian’s father noted it takes forever to collect the five gallons of blossoms needed to make the syrup. Oh, and if you have honeysuckle on your property and want to use it, make sure it’s the edible variety—some honeysuckle blossoms would make a nasty-tasting syrup. The sorbet itself was lightly sweet and quite good.

Next up was chilled heirloom tomato soup made with coconut, Kaffir lime leaf and cilantro. While everything was really good, this soup was my second favorite dish of the night. Yesterday was pretty warm as far as spring in Philadelphia goes, so it was nice to have a cold soup. The coconut milk used (not local) was done with a very light hand—just enough to give the soup a bit of creaminess. The lime was very evident but not heavy in the slightest. The cilantro was the last flavor to come through, bright and delicious. Oh, and let me tell you about the heirloom tomato juice this soup was made with! Ian let us know that it is pressed through a sieve by local Amish women. The flavor was really wonderful, especially after suffering through crappy, tasteless supermarket tomatoes all winter.

We then moved on to seared scallops with butter roasted salsify, minted fiddleheads, and pea shoots. Chef Jacobson always seems to have scallops on the menu, and no matter how he makes them, they’re always excellent. Sadly, they’re not locally grown, but that’s okay—my guesstimate is that at least 90 percent of the ingredients from last night’s dinner were. I’ve cooked salsify before, but I liked last night’s version better. The fiddleheads had such a great, fresh taste. The pea shoots, by the way, were actually Claytonia, a green I’d never heard of before. As a whole, it was a really nice dish.

And then there were the main courses. Yes, courses. Chef Jacobson served up three dishes, all served family style at each table. The first was capon in mustard cream with caramelized leeks, spring onions and baby fennel rice, along with asparagus spears. The capon was just . . . really, really good. The asparagus was a little on the thick side but still tasty. My only complaint about this dish (and the entire dinner) is that I might have enjoyed more sauce—it was very lightly sauced.

The house-smoked barbecue brisket and ribs with sauteed red cabbage rabe with wild garlic, Oak Shade cheddar mashed potatoes, and fresh watermelon relish was something I could eat every day of the week. The brisket and ribs came from aged angus beef, and both were tender and yummy. The red cabbage rabe was a first for me—I’d never heard of it. Ian’s father told us that the shoots sent up by overwintered brassica vegetables—the rabe—are all edible (and delicious, I might add). The wild garlic made this dish. The pungeant fresh garlic added a very specific taste and I couldn’t get enough of. It’s hard to make bad mashed potatoes (okay, I guess that’s not entirely true), but these were fantastic. Just enough cheese, perfect texture.

There was also a baby arugula salad (micro greens, really) with roasted beets, cucumbers, and a creamy dill and chive dressing. Also good, particularly the dressing.

But the last dish was my favorite: strawberry rhubarb compote with a shortcake biscuit and Lancaster cream and custard. I’m much more of a cheese person than a sweet dessert person, so it’s strange for me to rave over a dessert. This was so perfect and so simple, though, and it was insanely good. Maybe it was the light ending to dinner or maybe it was just the flavor of the fruit and the texture of the biscuit. Chef Jacobson noted that they are considering adding a version of it to the regular Sycamore menu, so hope springs eternal that I’ll get to have it again.

So, there you go: last night’s Green Meadow Farm to Table dinner. I feel like a moron for all my superlatives, but the truth is that it’s in the top five meals I’ve eaten at a restaurant. Period.

The Night Market is Coming!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Philly’s fantastic night market is coming soon! Sign-up to receive your special invite before the event!

Easy and Cheap Pallet Garden for small spaces

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I LOVE this DIY tutorial from Fern at Life on the Balcony. With just a simple wooden pallet (available free, on the side-of-the-road, almost anywhere in Philadelphia), a staple gun, some landscape fabric, potting soil and plants you can make and incredibly cute hanging garden for your balcony, front porch, back “yard” or any little urban spot. I’m going to try this soon, and I’d love to see your versions!

Follow the directions HERE.

Erin

Community Grants for Clark Park

Friday, April 08, 2011

Are you a West Philly denzien who loves Clark Park, but could think of a few improvements to make it better? Now’s your chance! University City District (UCD) and the Clark Park Partnership, a consortium that oversees park maintenance, events, policies and capital projects, have announced the 2nd annual Clark Park Community Grants. Up to $3000 for one or more projects that enhance Clark Park will be awarded. Eligible projects will include planting, mulching, maintenance, signage, park cleanup, or other permanent improvements to the park.  (Educational or cultural programs are not eligible.) Projects awarded last year were the installation of the first commercial-grade special needs swing in the Clark Park playground as well as the watering and maintenance of 30 Clark Park trees by the skilled UC Green Corps. For more information, look here.

Important Dates

March 21, 2011: Guidelines and application released at http://www.universitycity.org (click here to download)
May 2, 2011: Applications completed and sent to:

Clark Park Community Grant Program
c/o University City District
3940 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

E-Z Grow Vegetable Workshop

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Trying to make the best of your paltry city lot? Or maybe you’re interested a larger plot that aims towards vegetable self-sufficiency? Either way, it’s good to learn the tricks of the trade.

April 9, 2011
Penn State Philadelphia Master Gardeners 2nd Saturday
EZ Steps to Grow Vegetables (Come and Learn from my Mistakes!)

Fairmount Park Horticultural Center
N. Horticultural and Montgomery Drive Phila., Pa.19131
9AM Registration    
9:30 Workshop Begins  
$10.00 registration fee

Julie Cox, Penn State Philadelphia Master Gardener and avid long time
vegetable gardener, will be addressing the questions and dilemmas of
the beginning vegetable gardener. Topics will include site selection,
soil testing, planning, planting, nurturing, and harvesting in a
mostly organic approach. A fan of “Intensive” or “Square Foot”
gardening—she will have you hooked on homegrown tomatoes in no time.

This Week’s Philadelphia Orchard Project Work Days

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Spend a few hours helping Philadelphia Orchard Project green our city with edible trees! Volunteers of all ages and skill levels are welcome. These events often involve digging, planting, and spreading compost and mulch, so expect to get dirty. We can’t guarantee tools for all; if you bring your own, it is advisable to write your name on them. Snacks and beverages to share are also welcome.

Orchard events can generally be expected to last between 2 and 4 hours (smaller events are designated with an *asterisk).  We recommend that you check your email the morning of an event to confirm whether it will be postponed to the rain date. If you intend to volunteer at an event, please RSVP via their website (www.phillyorchards.org). By clicking on an event description, you can see how many people have signed up and where your help is most needed!

CALVARY ORCHARD PLANTING
Saturday, April 9 @10am
41st & Reno St, West Philadelphia
Join in a follow-up work day with volunteers from the Calvary St. Augustine church. We’ll be mulching and planting more in the new orchard. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.
POP NURSERY WORK DAY
Saturday, April 9 @ 1pm
Weavers Way Farm @ Awbury Arboretum, North Philadelphia
Lend a hand potting up plants and spreading mulch at POP’s nursery yard at Weavers Way Farm. See (www.weaversway.coop/index.php?page=185) for directions.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend.
RAINDATE: Sunday, 4/10 @ 1pm
PEPPER ORCHARD PLANTING
Tuesday, April 12 @ 1pm
South side of Pepper Middle School, 2901 S. 84th St, West Philadelphia  
Assist students from Pepper Middle School in expanding their orchard with new fruit trees, berry bushes, and perennials.  In collaboration with community partner the Urban Nutrition Initiative.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend.
RAINDATE: Wednesday, 5/13 @ 1pm.