Camden’s Community Gardens at the Philadelphia Flower Show

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Right across the Delaware River in Camden, NJ, exciting things are happening in the world of community gardening.  At the Camden Children’s Garden, staff (including me) and volunteers have worked to build over thirty community gardens in Camden, NJ in 2009 alone! 

At the 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show, we’ve put together an exhibit to show off our work.  Soup and Salad: From Camden to the World is an exhibit that’s all about vegetable gardens and healthy eating.  Check out the article in the Philadelphia Inquirer!  Among other things, the exhibit features a gigantic Campbell’s Soup bowl filled with vegetables that are commonly found in soup, including escarole, kale, cabbage, basil, and tomatoes (of course!). 

There is also a huge salad plate that’s planted with lettuce, spinach, and carrot seedlings.  Other features of the exhibit include an orchard filled with citrus and fig trees, and a vegetable and herb garden planted in neat rows and tended by a child-like topiary made out of ivy.  If you’re going to the show, be sure to check out the Camden Children’s Garden’s exhibit and learn all about the Community Garden Program that brings healthy food to one of the poorest cities in the country.

Make your own granola!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Granola can be filled with healthy grains, protiens and dried fruits. But it can also be filled with a lot of saturated fat, oil, and sugar. Make a visit to your local co-op or natural food store (or Reading Terminal Market) and pick up some healthy bulk grains and nuts and make your own! It really only takes about 20 minutes, and you’ll be able to control the amount of fat and sugar. I change-up my granola mix all the time - the latest involves sliced almonds, dried cranberries and goji berries for extra antioxidents. I also always add ground flax for the good omegas and wheat bran and rolled (not quick) oats for fiber. You can make a variation of my recipe here, or search online or in your own cookbook collection. I find in general that fat and sugar can easily be reduced! 

DIY Sauerkraut

Hello!  My name is Erica and I’m excited to join the Farm to Philly team!  I’m a community garden organizer and local food lover from West Philadelphia, check out my bio for more info on the gardens I tend in Philadelphia and Camden, NJ.

For my first post I decided to go with a tried-and-true recipe that I am constantly making in my kitchen; sauerkraut.  Cabbage is a great winter staple, I get mine at Mariposa Food Co-op where they’ve recently been selling small cabbages that are perfect for a mini batch of kraut.

The first step is to assemble your equipment:  a ceramic crock or (food-grade) plastic bucket and a dish that fits snugly into it.  I found my crock at a second-hand store, but you can sometimes buy them at housewares stores.  You’ll also need a cutting board, a glass mason jar with lid, a knife, a dish cloth and a large bowl.

Your ingredients are one small cabbage, sea salt, and water.  The amounts depend on the size of your crock, but I use one small head of cabbage, ½ cup of water, and 3 or 4 Tbs of salt in my ½ gallon crock.

Thinly shred the cabbage.  I find that the best way to do this is to cut it in half and slice thinly from the cut side.  When you’ve cut off a handful of cabbage, put it in the bowl and sprinkle it with salt.  Keep doing this until you’ve shredded the entire cabbage, layering the cabbage and salt as you go.  Put the cabbage in the crock and mash it down with your fist to get it tightly packed.  Mix together one teaspoon of salt in a cup of water and pour it over the cabbage until the cabbage is submerged.  Put the dish into the crock and put it down so the cabbage is under the salt water.  Fill the mason jar with water and use it to weigh the plate down.  Cover the entire thing with a dish cloth to keep away flies and dust, and place it in a dark corner of your kitchen.

Taste the sauerkraut daily to observe the fermentation process.  When it has reached the perfect amount of “sourness,” take it out of the crock and place it in a mason jar in the fridge.  For me, it takes between 1.5 and 2.5 weeks in the winter to reach the perfect point (less time in the summer).  To see the original recipe I used and more fermented food recipes, check out wildfermentation.com.  Enjoy!

New March GRID - seasonal recipes and more!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Hey friends! The March GRID is hitting the stands. Full of season-friendly recipes (including mine for a winter vegan shepard’s pie), and resources for using salvaged materials in your home. Go pick your up now! If you’re outside of Philadelphia, you can still enjoy GRID by reading it online HERE.

Start saving your eggshells!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

As we’ve been kinda snowed in here in Fluffya, I’ve been baking up a storm. And after I empty my eggs of their food contents, I put the shells in a couple of ziploc bags I keep in the freezer. Whatever for? I am thinking about the care and feeding of my future tomato plants. Calcium is a mineral that helps to prevent blossom end rot, the black spot that can develop at the opposite pole to the tomato stem—which is the place where the flower once was attached. So, you take the shells of about a dozen eggs, crush them, and dump them in the hole/container and plant your tomato on top. The roots find the calcium, and as long as I’ve been doing this, I haven’t had a rot problem. If you grow a lot of plants, then that’s a lot of eggs. Better get started!

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

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!

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

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. 

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.