Grid Magazine December 2010

Sustainable Philadelphia

december 2010 / issue 21 gridphilly.com

take one!

philamuseum.org

From one to many Cittadellarte now through jan 16

The exhibition is made possible by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, and by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and The Kathleen C. and John J. F. Sherrerd Fund for Exhibitions.

Additional support is provided by illycaffè and the Circoli di Michelangelo Pistoletto, groups of generous galleries and individuals.

Venere degli stracci (Venus of the Rags), 1967, by Michelangelo Pistoletto (Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella, Italy) Š Michelangelo Pistoletto 2 g ri d p h il ly.c o m DEC e m be r 2 0 1 0

g rid ph illy.c o m December 2010 / i ssue 21

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Holiday 2010

Eat, Drink & Be Merry

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Energy | Tough times for the Marcellus Shale severance tax, LED lighting at Green Line Cafés

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Education | Mark Alan Hughes’ new Penn course engages the community, an innovative food incubator in West Philly

Satisfy someone’s sweet tooth with both local and homemade gifts

Green Living | Air sealing is easy and inexpensive, Recycling Challenge offers tips for those old tennis balls

Media | WHYY’s Friday Arts showcases the area’s sustainable fare, a new collection of essays asks, “What now?,” Michelangelo Pistoletto debuts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

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Local Libations

Seasonal beer, booze and wine

Gift Guide

24 26 Green Building | The Vineyards signals resurgence in Francisville, John Longacre heads a new direction in Newbold, (tree) top design at Morris Arboretum

Local Culture

A holiday cheese plate

Food | Vegan eats and metal music come together at Grindcore House, PBC debuts their latest batch of Harvest from the Hood, SIW Vegetables focuses on freshness Gardening | Marathon Grill gets in on the urban agriculture game, the Worm Guy talks compost

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Birds of Paradise Tips for turkey buying

Meatless Holiday

To go vegan, all you need is a plan

Guest | Nic Esposito reports from Hoots & Hellmouth’s farm tour Urban Naturalist | Bernard Brown stalks the (not so) wild raccoon

Shoots & Ladders | Char Vandermeer gets her winter green thumb fix

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Along for the Ride | Julie Lorch goes custom with Stephen Bilenky

Events | Speakers, workshops and holiday happenings Dispatch | An effort to buy-local gives truth to an old adage

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The Pleasures of Slow Food

T

he birth of slow food is an inspiring story. In March 1986, McDonald’s opened its first location in Italy, near the Spanish Steps in Rome. The Steps were built in 1725, the neighborhood was home to John Keats in the 19th century and, not too long ago, Bob Dylan wrote a song about them.

Italian writer Carlo Petrini was outraged by the Golden Arches’ incursion. Fast food was an affront to his proud heritage, his culinary sensibilities and even his sense of right and wrong.

He protested the opening, and three years later founded Slow Food.

Slow Food promotes food that is good, clean and fair. It has chapters all over the world, including one in Philadelphia. Every other year, two massive Slow Food-related events are held simultaneously in Turin, Italy. There’s Terra Madre, an international meeting of food producers, cooks, educators and students who advocate for sustainable farming, and Salone del Gusto, a showcase for high-quality, small-scale producers from around the world. Terra Madre is political and educational; Salone Del Gusto is an incomparable food odyssey.

This year, I was fortunate enough to attend the happenings in Turin, and my traveling companions were some of Philadelphia’s top local food champions: Marilyn Anthony from the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA); Paul Steinke, general manager of Reading Terminal Market; Lily Cope of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation (GPTMC); and a few farmers who have been featured in Grid—Paul and Ember Crivellaro of Country Time Farm and Linda Geren of Highview Farm.

So, what did we see?

Terra Madre is the United Nations of food. It’s stunning and humbling to witness people from around the world, proudly dressed in the clothing of their culture, exchanging ideas. Panel-goers wear headsets, choosing one of the six languages offered by translators for every speaker. Challenges facing farmers and possible solutions are discussed. The atmosphere, ripe with promise and communal purpose, is electric.

This year’s Salone Del Gusto boasted over 900 food vendors. As you might expect, a few hundred were Italian, but almost all regions of the world were represented. (The American contingency was relatively small, but both Victory Brewing Company and Dogfish Head Brewery were represented in the U.S. independent brewers area.)

I’ll fail when I try to describe this wonderland of food—there are football fields of booths, all con-

publisher

Alex Mulcahy 215.625.9850 ext. 102 alex@gridphilly.com ad sales

Claire Connelly 215.625.9850 ext. 100 claire@gridphilly.com managing editor

Lee Stabert lee@gridphilly.com editorial assistant

Ariela Rose ariela@gridphilly.com art director

Jamie Leary jamie@gridphilly.com designer

Melissa McFeeters distribution

Claire Connelly 215.625.9850 ext. 100 claire@gridphilly.com copy editors

Andrew Bonazelli Patty Moran production artist

Lucas Hardison writers

taining fascinating and delectable morsels—plus, it isn’t my intention to make anyone jealous. That said, I will offer one small example of this garden of earthly delights: Honey Park (pictured above).

Here, a distributor served honey from Sardinia, Argentina, France, Scotland and Hawaii, among many other places. Some were thick, white and sweet, others liquid-y, brown and bitter. Could they all be honey? An hour could be spent there alone, and this is one of 900 booths.

The theme of this year’s Salone Del Gusto was “Food = Places,” and with this Holiday issue, we hope to showcase Philadelphia as a gastronomic region. We hope it inspires you to support local purveyors of fine food, and the people who provide them with their ingredients. We also want to inspire you to create during this season of consumption by cooking with loved ones and making your own edible gifts.

From all of us at Grid, Happy Holidays! And in what can be a hectic time, may all of your food be slow.

Kyle Bagenstose Bernard Brown Tenaya Darlington Nic Esposito Jess Harvell Dana Henry Jacob Lambert Julie Lorch Marisa McClellan Natalie Hope McDonald Kyle McLaughlin Ariela Rose Lee Stabert Char Vandermeer Samantha Wittchen photographers

Christian Hunold Raymond McCrea Jones Dick Martin Paul Meyer Dan Murphy Paul Warchol illustrators

Daniel Fishel Melissa McFeeters published by

Alex Mulcahy, Publisher alex@gridphilly.com

Red Flag Media 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 215.625.9850 g r i d p h i l ly . c o m

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OH, LOOK. IT’S A HYBRID. With over 200 SEPTA hybrid buses on the road and more on the way, you’ve probably already spotted one. Keep a look out for the green hybrid decal. It’s our way of saying that you’re in the presence of a lean, green SEPTA machine.

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green building

A Fine Vintage

The Vineyards looks to revitalize Francisville by lee stabert Developer Anthony B. Miles grew up in the city’s Francisville neighborhood. “As a little child, I saw how vibrant the commercial corridor was,” he recalls. “There was a farmers’ market and local mom-and-pop businesses, and it was really safe.” Miles hopes to reinvigorate the community with the Vineyards, an ambitious LEED Platinum development featuring 60 residential units. The project will be accompanied by an adjacent Reading Terminal-style marketplace—boasting fresh food vendors—integrated with residential rental units.

Francisville (bound by Fairmount Avenue to the south, Girard Avenue to the north, Broad Street to the east and Corinthian Avenue to the west) has experienced some lean years, struggling economically and suffering from blight, but, with the development in nearby Fairmount, opportunity has arrived. Miles is the president of RAPOA (Ridge Avenue Property Owners Association), a group of 16 landowners behind this massive undertaking.

The property is the former site of William Penn’s vineyard, hence the name. Units at the development will boast many green features, including automated lighting and energy control, sustainably-produced building materials and full-access green roofs. The project should be completed

School Reform

On the site of a lost landmark, the Newbold neighborhood moves forward by jacob lambert

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in the next 36 months, and the first unit will be ready in March 2011. Miles plans to move back to the neighborhood and live in the completed Vineyards. “To be blessed with the opportunity to resurrect the area is something I don’t think I will ever understand the magnitude of,” he says.

The project has the neighborhood’s full support— and they pushed hard for green development in particular. “It’s monumental for an African-American young man, who was born in this neighborhood, to come back and build a project of this caliber,” says Penelope Giles, Executive Director of the Francisville Neighborhood Development Corporation. “And to achieve LEED Platinum certification? It’s a big thing.” 

The Drexel School, located at 16th and Moore Streets in Philadelphia’s Newbold neighborhood, was crumbling. Long abandoned, rotting and roofless, the former primary school was a literal shell of its former self. Whole staircases had fallen. Floors had collapsed. But, despite the decay, the red-brick exterior retained its 19th century character. “It looked like a castle,” recalls John Longacre of LPMG Property Management, “like something out of a Harry Potter movie.”

Longacre’s firm was interested in retrofitting the structure as residential units, but, after two years, they concluded the building was too far gone. “We tried and tried to save it,” he says, “but it was such an eyesore for so long.” The building was razed in April, and will be replaced by the tentatively-named Newbold Courts, described by

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Room with a View

Rendering of a unit at the Vineyards

Longacre as “South Philly rowhomes for 2011.” In lieu of the proud, disintegrating hulk, the lot will feature 18 LEED-certified single-family homes— the developer estimates total energy costs on the properties will be roughly $800 per year.

Longacre, who also owns South Philly Tap Room, Brew and the former Wander Inn (slated to become American Sardine Bar), doesn’t take the project lightly. He has concentrated his development efforts in Newbold and the abutting Point Breeze for a reason—the area’s proximity to mass transit and adjacent business districts gives it immense promise. By building sustainably on a site that had long laid derelict, he hopes to demonstrate respect towards both the environment and the community. newboldcourts.com

Into the

Woods

On October 5, The University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum celebrated the dedication of its new Horticulture Center Complex, a 20,840-square foot work space for staff. The building’s design was a collaborative effort between Philadelphia’s M2 Architecture and Andropogen Associates, as well as San Antonio-based Overland Partners. Throughout planning and construction, the focus was on sustainability—the building received LEED Platinum certification. Features include a geothermal heating and cooling system, green roofs, photovoltaic panels and rainwater cisterns. 100 E. Northwestern Ave., 215-247-5777, morrisarboretum.org

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ALSO The AIA Philadelphia 2010 Awards for Design Excellence recently recognized Tree Adventure, Morris Arboretum’s 450-foot tree canopy walk. The innovative installation transports visitors from the ground to the treetops, five stories above the forest floor.

“The principle of sustainability is reshaping the way we think about the world, encouraging us to improve the way we design, build and live in the 21st century” — Rob Fleming, Program Director

Become proficient in Green Building Materials, Energy Efficiency, Construction Systems and Sustainable Design

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Energy

Let There Be Light A Natural Gas Drilling site in the Tioga State Forest

Shale Game

D

A tax on natural gas extraction is still up in the air by lee stabert

ue to legislative gridlock, the state has failed to enact a severance tax on drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Governor Rendell has argued that the failure to pass a tax will harm the environment, make it harder for local governments to deal with the impact of drilling and exacerbate the state government’s financial strife. Now, as Republicans seize control of the governor’s office as well as both houses of state government, the odds of getting a judicious tax passed have grown worse.

A severance tax is a tax imposed by a state on the extraction of natural resources—such as natural gas—that will be used in other states. According to PennFuture, the proposed tax (based on legislation that’s been on the books in West Virginia for over 20 years) would have generated more than $100 million a year, with that figure increasing to more than $630 million annually by 2014.

For many environmentalists, any drilling in the shale is unacceptable, but it’s happening, and with no financial safety net in case of incident. In a cash-strapped state like Pennsylvania that’s been forced to cut educational and environmental programs, this money could have a tremendous impact. 96 percent of natural gas is produced in states that have severance taxes,

Rate Cap

Reminder 8

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but that hasn’t stopped PA legislators from fighting its passage.

In response to the stalemate, Rendell signed an executive order issuing a moratorium on leasing of state forest land for natural gas drilling. Unfortunately, with the November 2 election results in—and with them, a new Republican governor—that stipulation can quickly be reversed.

“We hope the new governor [Attorney General Tom Corbett] changes his mind about the need to enact a severThe Pennsylvania ance tax on natural gas drilling,” says Budget and Policy Christine Knapp of PennFuture. “The Center maintains state needs the revenue to ensure that an online ticker it has the ability to adequately oversee (pennbpc.org) the industry, enforce environmental tracking the amount of money laws and repair the damage that drillthe severance tax ing causes to our land, water and comdelay costs the munities. He needs to understand that state.

On Novemif we don’t pass a severance tax, the ber 2, the number costs of the damage will be paid by was over $103 taxpayers.”  million dollars.

$103,000,000

Daniel Thut, co-owner of West Philly’s Green Line Cafés, first heard about the benefits of LED lighting three years ago. He started experimenting with the lights, but found them too bright for a laidback café. Now, with the help of PekaSys, a sustainable technology company, Thut is giving LEDs another try.

After testing a number of bulbs, receiving a PECO Smart Ideas rebate and a grant from Greenworks Philadelphia, Green Line Café’s three locations will be outfitted with LED lights. In fact, installation at the location on Baltimore Avenue is nearly complete.

The cafés have a total of 153 bulbs to replace—the switch could save them up to $3,000 a year.

—Ariela Rose 4239 Baltimore Ave., 4426 Locust St. and 3649 Lancaster Ave,. greenlinecafe.com

Time is running out! The rate caps on PECO electricity expire on January 1, 2011.

In all likelihood, rates will go up immediately. Now is the time to invest in energy efficiency measures for your home, and to rethink your electricity usage.

For details on the rate caps and easy energy-saving tips, visit gridphilly.com.

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Education

month-long billing cycle. The goal: Lower collective energy consumption (compared to the same billing cycle in 2009) by the most kilowatt hours.

The competition is one of six student-run community projects. Fresh off his year in government, Hughes was eager to develop a course that respected the “umbrella” nature of sustainability. “There’s no place at Penn where a single course can give you the full breadth of what we’re Mark Alan Hughes’ new course at Penn talking about when we talk about sustainability,” channels the city’s competitive drive by dana henry he explains. “It’s very complicated. I knew that hilly loves a good rivalry. there’s mets versus phillies. I wanted to take advantage of some of the stuff I Eagles versus Giants. Pat’s versus Geno’s. South Philly Vikings versus learned during my year with the city, as well as maintain some of the relationships with city colthe Shooting Stars. So, can our competitive spirit help the city save en- leagues.” Guest speakers this semester include ergy? ¶ Neighborhood Powerdown, an energy savings competition organized Mayor Nutter and Katherine Gajewski, current by the University of Pennsylvania, is betting on it. Part of “Sustainability in Director of Sustainability for the city.

“Sustainability in Action” also pulls expert Action,” a course designed by Mark Alan Hughes, founding director of the lecturers from four schools and seven differmayor’s Office of Sustainability, the program pairs students with teams of ent Penn departments. Rather than the usual West and North Philadelphia residents for a post-lecture discussion, students partner with city agencies and community organizations, and apply what they’ve selections from the Required reading learned in real-life problem solving scenarios. Topics range from food to water to green space.

Required Watching Neighborhood Powerdown connected students with PECO and the Energy Coordinating Agency to develop a list of energy-saving tips and help residents set their kilowatt-hour goals. Throughout October and November, teams participate in workMayor Nutter’s Rachel Carson, Joel Kotkin, The shops and attend meetings. ResiGreenworks Silent Spring, Next Hundred dents are asked to keep a log of their The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard, Philadelphia Plan, 1962 Million: America in storyofstuff.com 2009 2050, 2010 habits and student advisors will be available to answer their questions.

School Spirit P

syllabus

Communal Table An abandoned supermarket is transformed in West Philly by natalie hope mcdonald

The supermarket on 48th Street (between Spruce and Pine) has been vacant for almost a decade. But, thanks to $1.5 million in federal grants, the Enterprise Community Development Corporation is ready to break ground on the Center for Culinary Enterprise, the first food incubator of its kind in the nation, dedicated to training and employing local chefs starting in high school.

Philadelphia’s Friday Architects has been charged with designing the project. The longtime eyesore in this increasingly prominent business and education corridor will become the city’s latest LEED-certified building.

Currently, asbestos tiles are being carefully removed from the former grocery, a storage tank is being lifted out of the basement and shelving with rotted food is being stripped out to make room for a full-service kitchen, classrooms, retail space and a public restaurant, Little Louis’ BBQ, that will provide hospitality instruction with paid, on-the-job experience. The center, estimated to cost $5 million, will train at least 100 high school juniors and seniors as burgeoning food entrepreneurs.

“It’ll be the most comprehensive food incubator ever built,” says Enterprise Center managing director Greg Heller. “Young people will be growing food [at the Walnut Hill Mini-Farm eight blocks away] and selling it on the table. It’s a green project that will transform the regional food system.” theenterprisecentercdc.org/cdc

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Results will be tallied and announced during a celebration in December.

University City District in West Philly, Associación Puertorriqueños en Marcha and Women’s Community Revitalization Project (WCRP) in North Philly played a vital role in identifying potential participants for the 50-person teams. For Nora Lichtash, Director of WCRP, the opportunity to partner with the university could not have come at a more crucial time. “Our goal is to help people to stay in their homes,” she says. “There’s a lot of pressure on people because of increasing housing costs, and utilities are a large part of that.”

Hughes believes the project’s competitive angle will increase its effectiveness. A recent study by O Power, a smart grid software company, placed a smiling or frowning face on energy bills to indicate whether a residence was below or above average consumption compared to similar households in their neighborhood. The icon incited enough rivalry to lower a nighborhood’s overall consumption by one to three percent—the same reduction required of PECO by Act 129. Likewise, when University of Pennsylvania faculty and staff were challenged to reduce peak hour consumption in August of 2009, overall consumption was cut by 12khw or 20 percent. 

Center for environmental PoliCy

Watch presentations by local sustainability leaders and track community projects on the class blog: design.upenn.edu/sustainabilityinaction.

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Urban Sustainability Forum “Air Quality in Philadelphia” November 18 | 6pm

Green 2015: An Action Plan for the First 500 Acres Join mayor nutter and Commissioner DiBerardinis at this special forum to launch the city’s action plan for creating new park space.

December 7 | 6pm

visit the academy today!

call 215.299.1000 or visit ansp.org/environmental 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia

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Green living

Signed, sealed, delivered

L

eaks in an old house can be easy to find because they’re easy to feel. Put your hand up to the edges of your windows and doors during the colder months, and you’re likely to get a handshake from Old Man Winter. But, the costliest leaks are often located in the places you don’t normally go—in attics, basements and crawlspaces. Besides saving you 20 percent on your heating and cooling costs, air sealing and insulation dramatically improves your comfort level at home. Extra bonus: It’s cheap!

Air sealing your home is simple and inexpensive by samantha wittchen The chimney effect In the winter, a leaky house acts like one large chimney. As warmer air generated by the furnace moves up through the house—into the attic and out of the roof through leaks or poor insulation—cold outside air is drawn in through leaks in the basement. This creates one giant convection current that must be stopped. Focus on the attic and basement; it’s akin to wearing a hat and socks in winter. Turns out Mom was right after all.

TheThe Department Department of Energy of Energy recommends recommends doing twotwo steps stops before before sealing: sealing:

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Assess your ventilation needs for indoor air quality

Locate all air leaks, even the hard-to-find ones

Some people worry about making their house “too tight,” leading to indoor air quality concerns. A home that is poorly ventilated can accumulate formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds and mold (if there’s excess moisture). This is very unlikely to occur in older homes because it’s virtually impossible to seal them to a dangerous degree. If this is a concern, contractors can use diagnostic tools to measure your home’s air leakage (and “tightness”).

You’ll get the most accurate measurement of air leakage and leak location from a qualified energy auditor. (See Grid’s July issue for more on choosing one.) But, if you have access to all parts of your house—including your attic, basement and any crawlspaces—you can locate leaks yourself. The Energy Star website (energystar. gov) has a handy DIY guide for air sealing your home.

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Sports Equipment

by samantha wittchen

Keep treadmills, tennis balls and tired sneakers out of the landfill

20,000 tons of tennis fact Approximately balls end up in landfills every year Donate: Goodwill accepts sporting goods (with the exception of bowling balls); visit goodwillnj.org to locate the donation center nearest you.

solution

Play It Again Sports accepts a wide range of sporting goods, from baseball gloves to skis to treadmills. They have locations in Mt. Laurel, NJ (4201 Church Road, Suite F, 856235-2573) and Berwyn, PA (1004 Lancaster Ave., 610-651-0202).

Avenue, 610-651-0202).

YouYou might might even even get get a few a bucks few bucks for your for your stuff.stuff.

Recycle: The internet is full of boutique recyclers: rebounces.com re-pressurizes old, bounceless tennis balls; recycleyourmat.com takes yoga mats; and greentrophyproject.org accepts the spoils of your athletic victories (trophies, medals, plaques and awards). Visit Earth911.com/recycling for more.

Nike recycles footwear through its Reuse-AShoe Program (nikereuseashoe.com).

Common places for leaks to develop: Doors and Windows

Attic hatch

Wiring holes

Recessed lights

Outdoor faucets

Dryer vents

Furnace flue

vents and fans

Plumbing vent stack

basements One of the most common areas of air leakage is in the basement where the foundation wall comes into contact with the floor joists and frame of the house. Sealing up the holes in the “pocket” where the floor joists attach to the foundation goes a long way towards improving the air-tightness air-tightness of of your yourhouse. house.Added Addedbenefit: benefit:you youmight may also also be sealing up a rodent thoroughfare.

Attics are trickier than basements in Philly rowhomes because they’re often tight spaces that are tough to access. Make sure you’re ready to:

Wear a dust mask or or ventilator. ventilator Wear gloves and and safety safety glasses. glasses Be on the lookout for nails sticking sticking through through your your roof. roof

A caulk gun Silicone or acrylic latex caulk (for gaps that are 1/4” or less) Expandable spray foam (for gaps up to 3”)

Same things you’d need for a basement

Get Get dirty. dirty

Rigid insulation, reflective foil insulation or drywall to cover larger holes

You’ll Need:

attics

You’ll Need:

Anywhere different materials meet (foundation & walls, chimney & siding, brick & wood siding)

Heat-resistant caulk to seal flues and chimneys Aluminum flashing to keep insulation away from flue pipe Utility knife and sheet metal scissors Tape measure and staple gun Flashlight

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Media

TV Dinner

A local show offers an inside look at sustainable eats by kyle bagenstose

W

HYY producer Monica Rogozinski understands the power of television—she uses her “Art of Food” segment on WHYY’s Friday Arts program to give viewers an inside look at our city’s sustainable food initiatives. ¶ “Video has a wonderful quality,” says Rogozinski. “You can see who’s making your food—what their faces look like, how they talk, how they’re growing the food—and you can really feel their passion.” ¶ Since the show’s debut, Rogozinski and her crew have filmed all over the region. Episodes have taken viewers to a farm using a water-efficient irrigation system, the home of chocolatiers incorporating ingredients from urban gardens and the kitchen of a chef cooking chicken without the help of an oven. ¶ “The segments are a combination of my taste for food and support for food that is produced in a sustainable way,” says Rogozinski. “When an item is produced with great care, there’s usually a great story behind it.” 

Books

Friday Arts airs on the first Friday of every month at 8:30 p.m. on WHYY.

Hope Beneath Our Feet Martin Keogh, Editor • (North Atlantic Books) • $18.95 In the introduction to Hope Beneath Our Feet, editor Martin Keogh discusses the birth of his son, and how it led to some uncomfortable questions: If the environment is really as damaged and unfixable as facts and figures suggest, how do we go on? He looked to writers and activists from around the world for answers, and wove this collection from their responses.

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Keogh has managed to wrangle a lot of intellectual heavy-hitters—environmentalists Bill McKibben and Vandana Shiva, the late historian Howard Zinn, journalist Michael Pollan—and Hope offers an excellent overview of the contemporary environmental movement.

And, despite its slightly new age-y title, Hope is not a breezy, feel-good,

everything’s-going-to-be-okay kind of book. Its strongest pieces are deeply realistic about the planet’s current condition and its possible future. Pollan sums it up this way: “Going personally green is a bet, nothing more or less, though it’s one we all should make, even if the odds of it paying off aren’t great.” —Jess Harvell

art preview

KOA Michelangelo Pistoletto: From One to Many, 1956–1974 by Lee Stabert

O

November 2 – January 16, 2011 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; look for an interview with Pistoletto in January’s Grid.

n november 2, the philadelphia museum of art debuted Michelangelo Pistoletto: From One to Many, 1956–1974, a survey of the Italian artist’s varied and complex oeuvre, and Michelangelo Pistoletto: Cittadellarte, an exhibition of the artist’s current work at his interdisciplinary laboratory. Pistoletto has long used his work as a lens for contemporary society—this includes issues of waste and ecology.

One of the artist’s most famous works, Venere degli stracci (Venus of the Rags), contrasts the pristine beauty of * Cittadellarte tackles many antiquity with the detritus of social issues—politics, modern life. He is also intent economics, education. Oh, on engaging his audience—his and dessert. Inspired by the mirror paintings (painted tisconcept of “Love Difference” (embracing sue paper on polished stainless the disparities between cultures), the steel) incorporate viewers in an collaborative organization has developed intimate and affecting way.  pastries and ice cream, specifically a

energy audits interior design commercial residential

halva (sesame)-flavored gelato. Inspired

by Pistoletto’s flavor, Philadelphia’s own Capogiro has debuted Sesamo, a flavor that will be available in their retail cafés for the duration of the exhibit.

KOAngotti.com

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food On Tap

Harvest From the Hood

There’s local beer, and then there’s local beer.

Philadelphia Brewing Company recently released their latest batch of Harvest From the Hood, a freshhopped brew employing locally-grown hops from PBC’s courtyard and nearby Greensgrow Farms.

A seasonal specialty, the beer is brewed on the same day the hops are handpicked.

With a rich amber color and excellent balance of crisp hop flavor and malty goodness, this is a tempting cold weather brew. Harvest From the Hood, Philadelphia Brewing Company, 7% ABV; available on tap at local bars and in 22 oz. bottles

Farm Profile

SIW Vegetables

Grindcore House Vegan fare comes to Pennsport

by ariela rose

This past August, longtime vegans and Pennsport residents Mike Barone and David Anthem opened Grindcore House, the city’s first completely vegan coffeehouse.

Named for the extreme music genre and housed in a cozy corner space, the shop is a haven for accessible vegan fare.

“We wanted to offer coffee in this neighborhood,” says Anthem. “We also felt like there has been a shortage of actual 100 percent vegan businesses in the city.”

At the shop, rice, soy, coconut and almond milks are offered in place of dairy creamer, and bagels are spread with tofu-based cream cheese. A display case illuminates decadent dairy-free treats and the café recently started serving sandwiches.

Despite the meat-free fare and metal music, Grindcore attracts a diverse crowd.

In fact, the pair has found that the majority of their customers are locals happy to have a community space. Since opening, Grindcore has hosted a rotating selection of prints by local artists. Plans for a lending library, CSA pickup and compost exchange are all in the works.

1515 S. 4th St., 6:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Mon. – Fri.; 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sat. & Sun., grindcorehouse.com 16

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It might seem like a tease to talk about sweet corn in November, but that’s what SIW (Stepped in What) Farm does best. “We make sure it’s fresh,” says farmer H. G. Haskell III. “Every ear of corn we sell is fresh-picked that day—in fact, we’ll pick it two or three times a day if we need to.”

The 60-acre Chadds Ford vegetable farm also cultivates over 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. The leftovers make it into SIW’s canned tomato sauce. The key factor is ripeness. “When big companies make tomato sauce—picking them by the tractor trailerload—the tomatoes can’t all be super ripe or they’ll get squished,” explains Haskell.

“But we pick them ripe, and use smaller boxes. We also use local sweet onions. It’s a very simple recipe.”

SIW now makes hundreds of cases of sauce, a portion of which they donate to local food cupboards. They also sell raspberry butter, pumpkin butter and ketchup (which Haskell claims has a cult following). SIW Vegetables, 4317 S. Creek Rd., Chadds Ford, siw-vegetables.blogspot.com; available at SIW’s farmstand, Winterthur Farmers’ Market and the Fair Food Farmstand

grindh ouse photo by Raymo nd Mc Crea Jones

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Agriculture

Earthly Delights Meet the Worm Guy

by natalie hope mcdonald

City Farming E

Marathon Grill gives a boost to urban agriculture

by ariela rose merald Street Urban Farm was once a vacant lot, home to piles of trash and an abandoned VW van. Now, thanks to Patrick Dunn and Elissa Ruse, five raised beds cradle a bounty of winter produce and 10 community garden plots offer an outlet for landless Kensington residents. The farm will serve as a model for Dunn as he helps Marathon Grill turn underutilized spaces into blossoming farms. “[Marathon] came to one of our fundraisers in the spring, saw what we were doing and got really excited about it,” explains Dunn. “They contacted me a few months later saying that they owned all this vacant land and wanted to do something positive for the city.”

The local restaurant chain currently owns 12 small lots throughout Philadelphia, but Dunn—along with Marathon owner Cary Borish—is searching for something larger.

They plan to purchase the land through the restaurant’s Marathon Loves Philadelphia Foundation and begin farming this spring.

“I thought identifying the lot would be easier,” says Borish. “It needs to be the right size, it needs to get the right sunlight and it needs to be in the right area.” Locations have been considered in Brewerytown, Kensington and Strawberry Mansion. The ideal neighborhood will have a pressing need for healthy food, and a planned paywhat-you-can farmstand will offer residents half the harvest. The other half will end up on the plates of Marathon diners.

“We love the idea of using local, sustainable, urban farming for our produce, but that’s not the driving force behind this project,” says Borish. “We’re doing it because a huge component of urban farming is bringing people together through food.”  emeraldstreeturbanfarm.wordpress.com, marathongrill.com

Giving Tree

For 20 years, Urban Tree Connection has been on a crusade to provide low-income Philadelphians with access to affordable and nutritious food. In early October, the organization received $10,000 in grant money from the Lincoln Financial Foundation to support their Growing Healthy Initiative. Since 2006, the program has worked to repurpose the city’s many vacant lots. Distressed land in Haddington, West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia has been transformed into urban gardens. Once established, the gardens serve as community spaces, feeding local residents and educating young people on the benefits of eating healthy, staying active and respecting the environment.

5125 Woodbine Ave., 215-877-7203, urbantreeconnection.org

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Ed Mullock loves worms so much he’s thinking about sending out holiday cards adorned with Red Wigglers—wearing little Santa hats. Often referred to as “The Worm Guy,” Mullock has become the go-to voice on composting at the Big Green Earth Store, hosting regular presentations at the South Street shop.

“I started reading up on composting about two years ago,” says Mullock, an avid gardener. The idea of using worms to compost is nothing new—Charles Darwin wrote a book about it in 1881. “It produces a terrific byproduct and plant food,” he explains. “It also helps fight diseases in plants and keeps insects away.”

At his home in King of Prussia, Mullock keeps a Worm Factory, a multi-tiered box made of interlocking trays, that allows him to turn everything from banana peels to vegetable scraps to cardboard and junk mail into enriched compost.

Thousands of microbes did you thrive in each teaspoonful. know?

“Worms do the mixing for you,” says Mullock, proud There are 1,000 worms in one owner of anywhere between pound.

15 and 20,000 worms. “They reproduce very quickly but You can feed worms shredded they also self-regulate their paper, cardboard, population.” vegetable peels As Wigglers—who double and apple cores; their population every 90 avoid meat, dairy days—eat and excrete their and citrus. way through garbage that It takes about might otherwise end up in three months to landfills, they produce someget the first tray thing better than any plant of plant food. food he’s ever used. “It actuGoing forward, the worms ally smells nice,” he says, produce one tray “like a walk in the woods.” per month.

When Mullock’s not Keep the getting his hands dirty in temperature of his own garden, he’s workyour Worm Factory ing with schools to teach between 40 and kids about reducing waste 80 degrees. naturally. He’s also looking Worms can surinto providing commercial vive two weeks pickup of food waste for without any food. restaurants, businesses and They can also eat schools. half their weight in food each day.

The erstwhile corporate accountant credits the worms for doing the hard work. “Their tunneling and eating mixes, aerates and adds life to food waste,” he says. “They do all the work and don’t complain.”  wormfactories.com

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Primex is Proud to Host the Glenside Farmers Market this Winter!

The Regionʼs First Green Spa

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The Glenside Farmers Market has found a winter home at Primex Garden Center.

Primex will host the market in our covered greenhouse on Saturdays from 10-2pm, from Dec. 11 through Feb. 26 (excluding Dec. 25 and Jan. 1).

215.545.3344 262 S. 16th St. Philadelphia

Organic and Biodynamic Skincare Transformative Massage Fair Trade Boutique

Gift Certificates Available

For every gift certificate you purchase we will donate a portion to The Center for Literacy in Philadelphia (Through 2010)

Things are popping here at Primex for the Holiday Season.

Come in and browse our greenhouses for live plants including gift ready amaryllis, poinsettias, cyclamens and paperwhites. Let our staff help you select the perfect Christmas Tree along with any roping, wreaths or Don’t forget! greens you may need.

Primex is hosting its annual

PRIMEX IS HERE

Wine & Cheese Night December 5th, 4:30-7:30

HOLIDAY NEEDS.

Join us for the evening of noshing and relaxed shopping or just enjoying the holiday atmosphere.

for your

RSVP Event. Please call the store to respond.

Serving the Glenside Community since 1943 435 West Glenside Avenue, Glenside 215-887-7500 primexgardencenter.com

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gathering around the table to share

a meal is one of life’s most universal pleasures, so it’s no surprise the ritual is essential to our holiday celebrations. This season, we wanted to focus on that experience, and all the ways you can make it more engaging, thoughtful and delicious.

Cook with family, buy your ingredients locally, consider how food was treated before reaching your plate and, if you decide to give gifts, think simple, sustainable and edible.

Oh, and don’t forget to raise a glass.

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Green Valley Dairy

You won’t find many cave-aged cheddars in these parts, and that’s part of what makes this raw-milk dream from Lancaster County so special. It’s nutty, sweet and flecked with tiny tyrosine crystals from aging.

Pour a local IPA and set out a crusty loaf of Metropolitan bread. Don’t forget to toast the rinds.

Calkins Creamery

This Brie-style cheese has a sweet, vegetal aroma and a beautiful ivory paste. Like the real stuff from France, it’s made from raw cow’s milk. You can taste grassy notes and layers of complexity—flavors you’d be hard-pressed to find in supermarket Brie. It’s delicious for breakfast alongside chive eggs, or served fireside with roasted chestnuts and a drizzle of local honey. In the glass: champagne.

Valley Shepherd Creamery

New Jersey Locatelli? You got it! This cave-aged sheep’s milk cheese is sweetly robust—think lamb chops and brown butter. Shave it over gnocchi, or serve it straight up with meaty green olives, rosemary flat bread and a curvaceous red.

Amazing Acres

This leaf-wrapped goat cheese has gained favor with Inquirer food writer Craig LeBan, who chose it as a favorite this fall. It’s mellow and gently boozy—the cloak of grape leaves is soaked in brandy. Tender and creamy, it’s sure to win the hearts of the goat-cheese averse.

Serve naked or with baguette rounds and a snifter of pear brandy.

Regional cheeses perfect for holiday snacking by tenaya darlington madamefromage.blogspot.com Looking to introduce your guests to some local specialties?

Why not dazzle them with stellar cheeses from the region?

Local cheesemakers produce a variety of styles—whether you favor creamy and mild or wild and pungent.  All of these cheeses are available at the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market.

Other cheese counters, such as Di Bruno Bros., Downtown Cheese and Milk & Honey Market also carry local cheese.

God’s Country Creamery

Finally, a blue that’s mellow enough to serve to your granny, but interesting enough to impress the cheese geeks in the family. This wonderfully creamy blue is pungent and woodsy with pronounced black walnut notes. Serve it with port or barley wine, alongside biscotti and dried figs. For a quick appetizer, spread it on baguette rounds and top with toasted walnuts and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

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Gone are the hefeweizens, saisons, farmhouse ales and crisp pilsners. Poof! See you next year. As temperatures drop and the light takes on that certain autumnal glow, you need a new kind of brew—something strong, dark and mysterious to entertain your palate.

It’s stout season. Made using roasted malts, these rich, complex brews channel some favored wintry flavors: chocolate, coffee, dark fruits and smoke.

Bring a sixer of local stout to your next holiday gathering or, better yet, hunker down in front of the fire with a good book or a reliable conversationalist.

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Lancaster Brewing Company, 5.30% ABV

The most drinkable of the bunch, Lancaster Milk Stout is creamy, smooth and mild, with just the right amount of sweetness.

Victory Brewing Company, 9.1% ABV

This complex brew is the hoppiest of the lot—floral notes complement hints of chocolate and smoke.

Weyerbacher Brewing Company, 8% ABV

This beer is a paragon of boozy vigor, enlivened with the flavors of licorice and dark chocolate.

Fegley’s Brew Works, 9% ABV

A taster favorite, this bottleconditioned brew has a pleasant bitterness cut by notes of coffee and molasses.

Tröegs Brewing Co., 7.5% ABV

Notes of chocolate, coffee and caramel elevate this smooth, slightly-sweet stout.

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Philly isn’t only the domain of beer lovers—there are some enticing regional wines and spirits to choose from. Not only will these local libations add flavor and character to your holiday festivities, they also make excellent gifts.

Based on an old Mennonite gingersnap recipe—passed down through Art in the Age owner Steve Grasse’s mother—SNAP is a bottle full of spicy goodness.

Though vanilla and cinnamon are strong on the nose, this local spirit drinks more like whiskey, with an intense ginger kick. Produced in small batches with organic ingredients, SNAP is delicious paired with apple cider, dropped into pumpkin beer (Pumpkin

Bombs!) or stirred into hot coffee. Grasse also recommends a cocktail of SNAP, bourbon and ginger ale (with a squeeze of lime). Frankly, the brown elixir is satisfying enough all on its own—though you won’t catch us passing on a glass of SNAPnog this holiday season.

$32.99, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (116 North 3rd St.), available at state stores and local bars; artintheage.com.

Chaddsford Winery Founded by Eric and Lee Miller in 1982, Chaddsford Winery is housed in a renovated colonial barn built in the 17th century.

The winery sources all its grapes from the Miller Estate Vineyard in Chester County, as well as other southeastern Pennsylvania vineyards. A variety of dry whites, reds and seasonal sweet wines make up their collection.

Try the Pinot Noir with hearty fall vegetables, such as butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, and

the Holiday Spirit blend heated and spiced with cinnamon. The winery is open daily for tours and tastings.

$13.99-$29.99; available at Chaddsford Winery (632 Baltimore Pk., Chadds Ford), Peddler’s Village Wine Shop in Lahaska, state liquor stores and by the glass and bottle at City Hall’s Christmas Village, chaddsford.com

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Fowl fit for a family gathering

by lee stabert

I

f you’re making your holiday turkey selection based on personality, then a heritage breed Red Bourbon is probably the way to go.

As we approached their enclosure at Griggstown Quail Farm in Princeton, NJ, the colorful birds moseyed on over to say hello. They gobble-gobbled, the males fluffed their feathers into that familiar crown (an embellished childhood hand come to life), and the army of birds intently followed our path as we traversed to a dry patch of land.

A few years ago, Slow Food Central Jersey encouraged Griggstown to experiment with the heritage turkeys. They started with 50 birds, and this year they’re raising 700. “The Red Bourbons are very friendly,” explains Griggstown chef Matthew Systema (who also runs the farm store and manages a portion of the wholesale business).

“The white turkeys couldn’t care less.”

It was true. Their monochromatic cousins barely gave us a passing glance. Huddled together in their open-air barn emitting a low hum of cackles, the white birds were foolishly eschewing the adjacent fields thanks to a recent nighttime hawk scare and a celery raid by a few of Griggstown’s meddlesome cows. “Now we can’t get them to come out of the barn,” says Systema with an appropriate mix of amusement and exasperation.

Though these white turkeys are the same breed as your average Butterball, the end result is far superior. The free range birds are given allnatural feed—free of hormones, antibiotics and

growth stimulants. “It’s pretty much how you raise them and how you treat them that leads to a better bird,” explains Systema. “There’s almost a marbling effect in the turkeys, as opposed to the fat staying on the outside and running off during cooking. The moisture stays in the bird, so it’s almost impossible to overcook them and have them dry out. The reason for that is how much exercise they get—from going outside—the grain, and giving them all the tomatoes and other leftover vegetables from our produce fields.”

The turkeys aren’t technically organic—their feed doesn’t come from a certified organic field— but they’re raised in a sustainable and humane way. “Most turkeys in a traditional house are given one square foot,” says Systema. “You can feed a bird organic feed, but if you still cram it into a barn, what are you getting out of it? You’re getting an organic bird that’s been caged up.”

Griggstown sells both varieties of birds plain, brined (a 24-hour soak in kosher salt, brown sugar, honey, water, coriander, fennel seed and

star anise) and “oven ready” (packaged in a roasting pan and stuffed with garlic and herbs).

Griggstown also offers pheasants and geese. You can order directly from the farm (for pickup at Headhouse Farmers’ Market) or through the Fair Food Farmstand.

Fair Food is offering multiple options—in addition to Griggstown, they’re facilitating sales for Koch’s Turkey Farm (Tamaqua, PA) and Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op (most of their birds are coming from Spring Water Farm in Paradise, PA).

The Co-op is an organization of over 60 organic farmers in Lancaster County. Kevin Tucker, the Co-op’s meat maestro, seconded Systema’s insistence that lifestyle has a huge impact on taste. Their member farms go a step further than free range, giving all their birds access to pasture where they’re encouraged to forage as much as possible.

After talking to the turkey experts, it becomes clear that personality might not be the best criteria for selecting your bird, but lifestyle probably is. You’ll get a more delicious meal, and support a local sustainable farmer. Gathering your family around an animal that was respected in its life and treated with care upon its death adds another level of interconnectedness to a holiday feast. It’s a teachable moment—and a tasty one at that. 

You can feed a bird organic feed, but if you still cram it into a barn, what are you getting out of it?

—matthew systema

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Glenn Brendle Green Meadow Farm:

Matthew Systema Griggstown Quail Farm:

Kevin Tucker Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op

Jennie Noakes Fair Food

You only need to brine a turkey if it’s been frozen; otherwise, I can’t taste the difference. A really fresh turkey, roasted properly, will be as juicy as can be.

My grandma will not let me help with the turkey. (Laughs) We tell people 12 to 15 minutes per pound at 350 degrees, and baste it with the juices and a little bit of butter. The hardest things are the simple things done well—kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, a little bit of butter, that’s it.

I do things a bit differently than most people. I cut it up and baste it in a maple syrup glaze, and then roast it in the oven.

I’m planning a Wild Turkey glaze on my Red Bourbon.

Also, homemade cranberry sauce is key.

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phot os by da n mu rph y

Reserve your holiday turkey today Ordering through Fair Food (Reading Terminal Market, 12th & Arch Sts.): Pickup is Wednesday, November 24 at Fair Food Farmstand. Visit fairfoodphilly.org to place your order.

Naturally-raised Turkeys from Koch’s Turkey Farm (Tamaqua, PA) $2.99/lb.; available weight ranges: 8-12 lbs., 12-16 lbs., 16-20 lbs., 20-24 lbs., 24-28 lbs., 28-32 lbs.

Deadline: 9 p.m. Thursday, November 18.

Organic Turkeys through Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op (Quarryville, PA) $4.50/lb.; available weight ranges: 14-19 lbs., 19-22 lbs.

Deadline: 9 p.m. Thursday, November 18.

Heritage Breed Red Bourbon Turkeys from Griggstown Quail Farm (Princeton, NJ) $7.99/lb.; available weight ranges: 7-10 lbs., 11-14 lbs.

Deadline: 9 a.m. Monday, November 15.

You can also order directly from Griggstown for pickup at Headhouse Farmers’ Market (griggstownquailfarm.com).

Fair Food is also offering four turkey alternatives: Naturally-raised Capons through Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op $4.50/lb.; 8-11 lbs. each.

Deadline: 9 p.m. Thursday, November 18.

Naturally-raised Guinea Hens through Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op $4.50/lb.; 3-3.5 lbs. each.

Deadline: 9 p.m. Thursday, November 18.

Naturally-raised Pheasants from Griggstown Quail Farm $7.25/lb.; 2.5-3 lbs. each.

Deadline: 9 a.m. Monday, November 15.

Naturally-raised Geese from Griggstown Quail Farm $9.00/lb.; available weight ranges: 8-10 lbs., 10-12 lbs.

You can special order meat and fowl through the Fair Food Farmstand, Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op and Griggstown at any time throughout the year; contact them for details.

How big a bird do you need?

Estimate one to one-and-ahalf pounds per person.

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A

s the weather cools and the holiday season gets underway, most of us find warmth in shared meals with family and friends. Many of these events revolve around iconic meat in the middle of the table and a side of buttery mashed potatoes—so, when you’ve made the choice to go vegan, things can get tricky. But, with the right amount of planning and elbow grease (and an even temperament—no matter how many times you’ve been asked where you get your protein), a vegan holiday can be delicious.

All you need is a game plan

by ariela rose

Start brainstorming early and make a list of dishes you enjoy on special occasions. Maybe it’s a recipe that you never have the motivation to make during the work week, or an old standby that never lets you down. Either way, avoid dishes heavy on the faux meat. The best way to introduce family members to meatless fare is to use simple, whole ingredients—especially those that are fresh and in season.

Everyone gets wrapped up in their own planning during the holiday season and your omnivorous loved ones may not think of your meal time concerns. Tell them you’d like to prepare vegan options and suggest simple ways for them to “veganize” traditional holiday dishes without sacrificing taste. Vegan butter in the mashed potatoes, vegetable broth instead of chicken in grandma’s chestnut stuffing and non-dairy creamer for spiced butternut squash soup are all great suggestions.

Of course, your family should accommodate your animalfree requests, but no one wants to eat spelt cornbread that tastes like sawdust. Host a mini holiday meal with a group of friends before the main event as a way to test your recipe ideas. Plus, this will give you a chance to decide how easy—or difficult—it will be to double or triple recipes for gatherings full of second and third cousins.

Many people snub vegan food simply because they don’t understand it. Ask your family and friends to help you shop and prepare. Invite them to join you at the farmers’ market. If you’re spending the holiday in Philadelphia, the Fair Food Farmstand and Greensgrow Farm are great options for buying protein like seitan and tofu along with your produce. Once you’ve gathered the goods, give your family a few important vegan cooking tips, like how to use ground flax seed as an egg replacer. Plus, your loved ones will be happy with how fast they get to taste everything since vegetables, grains and legumes don’t require nearly as much cooking time as a 15-pound turkey.

Once the meal begins, answer any questions about why you chose to go meat-free informatively without getting defensive.

In the end, there’s no better time to share the benefits of a vegan diet than when your loved ones are stuffing their faces full of dairy-free pumpkin pie.  26

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local potatoes local onions salt & pepper to taste

→ → Grate the potatoes and the onion on a box

I

This simple holiday staple is spectacular by lee stabert

’ve been known to laud Hanukah as the original green holiday— no decorations, no elaborate meat-based meals and an origin story in which one day’s worth of fuel burns for eight. And, adding to my smugness, my family was never big on gifts; dad gave us a little bit of cash (or gelt) and my mom threw a couple nifty items into a clean pillow case.

As for the traditional Hanukah dish—potato latkes—what could be simpler? Potatoes, onions, salt, pepper. Oil for frying. Tweak as you like. Despite their austerity, they are one of the most delicious things you will ever eat (and vegan to boot). Somewhere between oniony homefries and a perfectly-cooked French fry, they embody seasonal decadence. Make in small batches, and eat them hot as they come out of the oil.

Possible additions? Some people like to throw in an egg to bind the mixture. You can also add sweet potato or other shredded vegetables. And, when it comes to dipping sauce, there are those who go sweet—applesauce is classic—and those (like me) who prefer something cool and creamy to balance the warm, savory crispness of perfectly fried latkes. Sour cream is traditional, but I find that crème fra-

iche is an even better choice for adventurous palettes. A little funkier. A bit more forceful.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can doctor yours with chili, citrus or fresh herbs. This is an especially delicious option with sweet potato latkes, as it provides a foil for the sweeter flavor profile.

The best potato latkes are grated by hand.

It’s a cold, hard fact. The thin threads of potato give the fritters’ edges a spectacular crunch and flavor. I use a box grater when I’m prepping a relatively small batch; arm soreness is a small price to pay. Second place goes to the food processor—using the grating attachment. And yes, you can just pulverize the potatoes in a blender or food processor, but for this once-a-year treat, why take such disastrous shortcuts? 

grater and toss together in a bowl. (If you’re feeling lazy, you can use a food processor’s grating attachment). The ratio is about three potatoes to one onion; I prefer Yukon Golds. The potatoes will release a significant amount of water; pour it off. Add salt and pepper. → → Fill a heavy-bottomed skillet with a half-inch of oil (vegetable and olive both work; though don’t use extra virgin for this—it’s a waste) and place on medium-high heat. Form the fritters using your hands, squeezing off any excess water. Place into the oil and press down to flatten. Fry the latkes in small batches, turning them when the underside turns deep brown. Serve with local applesauce, sour cream or crème fraiche.

→ → Don’t make the latkes too big or the middle

won’t cook (plus, your delicious edge to slightly-less-delicious middle ratio will be off)—a heaping tablespoon is a good place to start. → → Don’t undercook them, no matter how anxious you are to start eating. → → Replenish your oil so the pan always has an even layer (about a half-inch). → → Make plenty and don’t plan on a major main dish. People will only want to eat latkes.

Serve alongside a salad tossed with citrusy vinaigrette.

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Tait Farm Foods

Who needs another necktie or

instantly-outdated gadget? Edible gifts are among the most sustainable you can give, especially when they’re crafted by local artisans using local ingredients.

Whether you’re looking for something spicy and savory [below] or sweet and satisfying [next page], Grid’s Holiday Gift Guide is here to help. And, as an added bonus, Marisa McClellan has turned her expertise to exquisite homemade treats for the foodies on your list.

Tait Farm has been growing fruits and vegetables for decades, and in 1986—after a particularly voluminous harvest of raspberries—they started making value-added products. This apple pepper jelly is an enticing seasonal treat, perfect paired with local cheeses or smeared onto a leftover turkey sandwich.

$6.95; available at the Fair Food Farmstand, DiBruno Bros. and Whole Foods; taitfarmfoods.com

Kelchner’s Horseradish Products

Since 1938, Kelchner’s has been churning out horseradish products from their Bucks County facilities. A little bit of the fleshy, white root goes a long way—try it mixed with mustard and tossed with roasted vegetables, or as an added zing in seasonal soups.

$3.00 for one, $30 for a case of 12 online; available at your local Whole Foods, Shop Rite and Fresh Grocer, as well as Green Aisle Grocery, online at kelchnershorseradish.com

Patterson Farms

Your holiday brunches just got better. Patterson Farms has been tapping maple trees for three generations, over 100 years. Located in North Central Pennsylvania, the farm makes more than just syrup—you can buy their maple sugar, maple candy and even maple barbecue sauce.

$13; available at the Fair Food Farmstand; pattersonmaple.com

Weavers Way Co op

For the sadist in everyone! Philly Fresh Hot & Spicy Pickles from Weaver’s Way Co-op will have your friends and family feeling the burn, and begging for more. Brined with fresh diced habaneros, the atomic spears have the perfect balance of heat and sweetness. Pull one out of the fridge, and relish (ha!) as the crisp coolness fades to delicious pain.

$8; available at Weaver’s Way Co-op, Fair Food Farmstand, the Foodery and through Mugshots’ Buying Club.

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Betty’s Speakeasy offers their Tasty Buttons in a variety of seasonal flavors, including white chocolate eggnog and dark chocolate with cranberries and orange zest. Crafted using local cream and local goats’ milk, the bite-sized pieces of fudge are packaged in locally-made boxes.

$15; Betty’s Speakeasy, 2241 Grays Ferry Ave.., bettysfudge.com

The first thing you notice about Danielle Konya’s Vegan Treats is their decadence. Think pumpkin bundt cake with chocolate drizzle [above], sticky buns the size of your hand, oozing chocolate peanut butter mousse bombs and cupcakes in flavors like Black Bottom Cream Cheese and marshmallow. All of Konya’s creations are completely animal-product free and made in her Bethlehem, PA, shop.

$2.75 – $120; available at Vegan Treats and a variety of local coffee shops and watering holes, including Dock Street Brewery, Grindcore House, Royal Tavern and Satellite Café

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Eating a canelé is a distinctive experience—a delicate marriage of textures and flavors—and the traditional French pastries are almost as difficult to make as they are to describe. Market Day’s Gil Ortale says he cried buckets of tears over the fickle sweets before finally mastering their caramelized exteriors, delicate ridges and moist custard-like centers.

Available at local farmers’ markets (including Headhouse, Clark Park, Fitler Square and Rittenhouse), La Colombe, Pumpkin Market, Green Aisle Grocery, Quince Fine Foods and Milk & Honey Market. Ortale also fills special orders; email marketdaycanele@gmail.com

The name Better Together (BT), coined by owner/baker Todd Kelly’s wife Kestra, is a love note between the couple and a testament to the passion put into their renowned brownies.

Organic flour, evaporated cane juice, fair trade chocolate and Lancaster County dairy come together to create BT’s four signature flavors— peanut butter, cookie, chocolate and pumpkin. $3.00 – $38.95; available at btbaking.com, the Fair

Food Farmstand and local coffee spots including the Green Line Cafés and One Shot Coffee

The beloved local chocolatiers’ seasonal additions include Spiced Pumpkins, handpainted bonbons filled with pumpkin pie-flavored caramel, and Chocolate Cherries, naturallydried tart cherries with chocolate ganache and a hint of brandy. They’ve also launched a line of “Urban Garden Bars,” including one made with dark chocolate and fresh mint from the Urban Nutrition Initiative’s school garden. $8 – $29; available online at johnandkiras.com

and at the Fair Food Farmstand and other local farmers’ markets, including Headhouse, Rittenhouse and Clark Park

A small-batch roaster based in Newtown Square, Burlap & Bean offers a host of house blends and single origin coffees. For your favorite caffeine junkie, they curate six-month and 12-month “Coffee Tours”—the lucky giftee will receive a different variety of freshly-roasted, organic, fair trade beans every month.

$12.95 – $13.50; 204 S. Newtown Street Rd., Newtown Square, 484-427-4547, available at the Green Line Cafes, Whole Foods and other local businesses; burlapandbean.com

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Edible gifts from your own kitchen by marisa mcclellan, foodinjars.com

I

come from people who believe that pickles are integral to a good sandwich, that dinner should be eaten around a table and that all the very best gifts are edible. In fact, one of my earliest memories includes reaching up to slip a cooling cookie off the kitchen counter, baked by my dad for friends and neighbors. In later years, he gave up the cookies and started making huge vats of homemade pancake mix—a move that made him extraordinarily popular.

These days, I spend a large portion of my warm weather days preserving the precious fruits of June, July and August.

That squirreled-away stash becomes gifts galore. My extended family is so well-trained that they never buy jam at the grocery store. Instead, they simply wait until one of our Christmas or Hanukah gatherings, knowing that I can be depended upon for a jar or two.

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Here are three of my favorite giftable treats. The Spiced Pear Bread is flavorful and moist (thanks to all the fruit), and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. The Honey Roasted Nuts (with cinnamon and vanilla) are aromatic, sweet and crunchy. And of course, there’s Mo’s Famous Pancake Mix recipe. Pair a jar of it with some homemade jam and you’ll be a holiday hero. 

Makes approximately three pint jars, loosely filled 5 cups raw nuts (I prefer a combination of peanuts and almonds) 4 tbsp. butter 6 tbsp. honey 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

a pinch of cayenne pepper (1/16 teaspoon) 1 tsp. flaky salt (kosher or Maldon sea salt works well)

Makes one large loaf or two small ones 2 cups finely chopped pear 1 tsp. lemon juice ¼ cup softened butter ¾ cup packed brown sugar ¼ cup applesauce 2 eggs 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 ½ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg ½ tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter one standard loaf pan or two small ones.

Peel and chop your pears and toss them with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.

In a large bowl (a stand mixer works nicely, but you can use elbow grease as well), cream together the butter and sugar. Add the applesauce and eggs, and beat to combine. Stir in the chopped pears, taking care not to stir too vigorously—they’ll dissolve into the batter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Integrate the dry ingredients into the wet ones in several batches until combined.

Scrape the batter into your buttered pan(s) and place them in a hot oven. Bake 50 to 55 minutes for large loaves, 35 to 40 minutes for smaller ones. I like wrapping this bread in a couple layers of parchment or wax paper, secured with baker’s string or ribbon, for an oldfashioned look.

Place the nuts in a large skillet or Dutch oven and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and honey together. Once melted, add vanilla extract, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. (This doesn’t actually make things spicy; it just adds a bit of nuance).

When the nuts are toasted (you can tell when the vast majority have darkened spots), pour the butter mixture over the nuts and toss to coat.

Spread the glazed nuts out on a silicon liner (Silpat) or parchment-lined cookie sheet (makes for easier clean up) and roast in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your desired level of roast. Watch them carefully, as they burn quickly.

When you take the nuts out of the oven, sprinkle immediately with salt—it adheres to the still-sticky nuts.

After they’ve cooled, pour these into pint jars and gift with a mixed six of artisan brews.

Makes enough to fill two quart jars 2 3 2 1 ¾ 2 3

cups whole wheat flour cups whole wheat pastry flour cups toasted wheat germ cup cornmeal cup cane sugar tbsp. salt tbsp. baking powder

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir together using the largest whisk in your kitchen. Using a wide mouth funnel, pour the mix into quart jars. If you don’t plan to give the mix away in the near future, store it someplace cold—all those whole grains can go rancid quickly when stored at room temperature.

Print the following instructions on a card and include along with the jar of mix: Whisk together three eggs, one cup of milk and two tablespoons oil or melted butter. Fold in two cups of mix. If it seems too thick, add a bit more milk.

Heat a griddle to medium heat and oil it lightly (a precisely folded paper towel is the best tool I’ve found for this job). Using a serving spoon or a quarter cup measure, portion out the batter onto your griddle.

The pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles around the edges of the cakes pop and stay open. Flip carefully and then cook just another minute or two on the second side. Serve with maple syrup (real only, please), jam, yogurt or honey.

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guest column

by nic esposito

Farm Tour

Hoots and Hellmouth play (and eat) local

I

n February, I joined the band Hoots and Hellmouth at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s (PASA) annual conference. More than once, I was asked if I was the group’s new bass player, or maybe their roadie. In fact, I’m the band’s farmer. It’s not a common title, but, when you work with a band that supports local, sustainable agriculture, things can get a bit unconventional.

The West Philly-based band opened PASA’s festivities with a concert, but their main goal for the conference was to recruit farmers interested in hosting them on their second “Harvest Tour,” launching this fall. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. Bands that play shows at conferences usually end up spending most of their time in the hotel bar, if they bother hanging around at all. But, after sitting with the band

members through three days of workshops, I knew their energy and intentions were in the right place.

The Harvest Tour is really just an extension of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. CSAs rely on an intimate relationship between farmers and consumers, building trust and community. And, as the band can attest to after traversing this country, a thriving community craves music. So, rather than CSA members in remote rural areas having to drive a few hours into the city, Hoots and Hellmouth bring the show to them.

Among the gracious hosts was the Dickinson College Farm in Boiling Springs, PA, run by Jenn Halpin and Matt Steiman. After a potluck dinner, opener Birdie Busch started the evening with her sweet serenading, the Savage Detectives told tall tales of the band’s origins, and then

How many farmers do we have tonight?

How many eaters?

You all should get together and talk.

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Hoots and Hellmouth got the crowd dancing, stomping their feet on the impromptu stage set up in the barn. It was an intimate experience in the style of a traveling road show.

But the night’s finest moment came when Farmer Matt took the stage for a final word. It may have been the long night of dancing—or the couple cases of beer that were drank—but the only words he could muster were, “How many farmers do we have tonight?” A few people raised their hands. Then he asked, “How many eaters?”

A few more people raised their hands. Finally, Farmer Jenn interrupted, “What are you trying to say?” Farmer Matt replied, “You all should get together and talk.”

At that point, Sean Hoots turned to me and said, “It doesn’t get much simpler than that.”

Hoots and Hellmouth hope to continue this tradition of bringing farmers and eaters together next year, with more musicians and more farms.

Keep an eye out for them next fall when the tour might just roll through your neighborhood. ■

+

Nic Esposito is an urban farmer, activist and co-founder of Philly Rooted; his advocacy for urban agriculture was profiled in April’s grid. For more on the band and the tour, visit hootsandhellmouth.com.

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urban naturalist

by bernard brown

Masked Menace

T

he fat raccoon waddled down the sidewalk like he owned it, offering no indication that he viewed the human walking behind him as any threat at all. I followed slowly for a minute, enacting a surprising level of decorum—“After you! No, take your time!” Eventually, it slipped through the short fence around the triangular pocket park at the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and 46th Street and into the bushes. I scampered past, cautious that this overly-courageous raccoon might be rabid, but, truth be told, I think it was just apathetic. The beast was as thoroughly a part of the neighborhood as the pigeons and the rats.

Indeed, almost anywhere in the country where there are trash cans, there are raccoons, diving in, getting fat and lazy, and having more babies than they otherwise would. “Subsidized predators” (including skunks and opossums, plus the predators we feed intentionally, namely cats) are a major problem for the animals one link down the food chain. All those extra raccoons are digging up a whole lot more turtles’ nests.

I’ve seen their prints on the muddy banks of

The beast was as thoroughly a part of the neighborhood as the pigeons and the rats.

Cobbs Creek—perhaps they were taking a break from our leftovers to muddle for wild food—but even farther out in the “wild” we’ve done them a favor by wiping out wolves and cougars, their most important natural predators.

I grew up in the suburbs, where raccoons crept out of the storm sewers or from under porches at night to forage for trash and cat food.

I was not shocked to find them doing the same thing in urban Philadelphia. We’ve got porches, storm sewers, trash and cat food, too.

Check out these recent headlines from local newspapers: “Raccoons Invade North Philly Neighborhood,” “West Philadelphia Street Overrun by Raccoons,” “Raccoons Ransack the Area.” The reaction in Philadelphia, at least in the press, seems to be fear—will they bite the kids?—and outrage at scattered trash on the sidewalk. Although the rare rabid raccoon is a genuine threat, no one should be surprised to see raccoons sauntering across the street at dusk.

Don’t call animal control (though I should note that they’ll only remove sick or injured raccoons; otherwise it’s up to you). I think it’s time we started thinking of urban and suburban raccoons more like we think of those pigeons and rats: once-wild creatures (pigeons from the rocky cliffs of Europe, rats from Asian riverbanks) whose current existence has become so tied to human civilization as to be part of it.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should mention that a raccoon once stole my shoe. I harbor no ill will.  Bernard Brown is an amateur field herper, part-time bureaucrat and director of the PB&J Campaign; read about his forays into the natural world at phillyherping.blogspot.com.

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photo by C hristian Hu nold

shoots

The Pits L

ladders

ast winter, after helping our neighbors shovel out of a blizzard, we were rewarded with a lovely pineapple. It got me thinking: “How do these things work?” Unfortunately, it remains a bit of a mystery, as last year’s attempts at pineapple propagation failed, and ditto the efforts to start an avocado tree.

Yes, planters have been emptied and sterilized, and your garden has been put to bed for the winter, but it’s important to keep your head in the game and your thumbs green. Personally, I can’t wait to give these cold weather projects another shot.

To get that bromeliad growing, grasp the pineapple firmly (the greener the leaves, the better) with one hand and give the greens a mighty twist with the other hand. Carefully peel off the lower leaves.

After an inch or so, you’ll begin to expose little nubs along the horizontal bands. These nubs will—dare to dream—eventually become the roots of a new plant.

Stick the peeled scalp into a jar of water. Add a teaspoon of activated charcoal. (The next time you change your water filter, crack it open and reserve some of the charcoal.) The nubs should swell in a few days; when the roots are about

by char vandermeer

four inches long, transplant the pineapple into a 6-inch pot. The spiny fruit, being tropical, likes sun and doesn’t need a ton of water.

Another stranger to Pennsylvania’s climate, avocadoes also make a great quick-starting winter windowsill project.

First, rinse the pits under cool water and wipe them with a soft rag to remove as much goop as possible. Then, around the circumference of the seed, shove three toothpicks or bamboo skewers about a quarter-inch into the midsection of the pit, forming an avocado/skewer-ray sun of sorts. This will allow you to suspend the pit in a glass of water, with the flat side submerged and the point up. Keep the water level high enough to cover the bottom part of the pit.

In three to six weeks, roots will have grown from the bottom, the top of the pit will crack and a sprout will appear, as if by magic.

When your sprout is five to six inches tall, you’re ready to plant your pitling. You’ll want to leave the upper half of the pit above the soil line of a large pot; keep the soil moist. Evidently, these suckers grow fast, so it’s important to pinch leaves off regularly to encourage a bushy plant.

Will you ever harvest an avocado? Eh, maybe… after several years and if you planted a couple companions to allow for pollination.

That makes a pretty good excuse for another batch of guacamole. 

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FREE HOUSEPLANT! Shoots & Ladders will be taking a winter hiatus; look for new columns when the seed catalogs drop.

Char Vandermeer tends a container garden on her South Philly roof deck; she chronicles the triumphs and travails at plantsondeck.com.

Visit either Big Green Earth Store location on Friday, November 26 and receive a free organic houseplant with any $25 purchase when you mention Grid magazine.

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with

I

f, like me, you routinely lust after the beautiful bicycles populating our fair city, then chances are you’ve probably coveted one of Stephen Bilenky’s custom creations. My first encounter occurred last spring on a ride with Curtis Anthony, owner of Via Bicycles.

We were taking a rest under the cherry blossoms along MLK Drive when an insane tandem rolled up. It was light teal and deep purple. Curtis pointed to the name—“Bilenky”—scrawled across the downtube and remarked, “Now, that is a nice bike.”

Last month, I headed to Bilenky HQ, a crowded shop on North 2nd Street exploding with machinery and bike parts. I learned about the process of fabricating a bicycle by hand. It begins with tube cutting and dimension planning.

We find and define ourselves through our machines and our adventures with them.

Stephen bilenky

After assembling the tubing in a jig—either by welding or brazing—the builder adds bridges, gears, brakes and accessories. Then there is the grinding, filing and sanding of all the joints, plus machine frame interfaces for component mounting. The final step is an outrageous paint job, and Voila! A new bicycle, perfectly sized for its lucky rider. Bilenky’s builders turn out about 150 bikes a year.

Bilenky and I rode a 36-mile loop from Frenchtown, NJ, to Easton, PA. It was a quiet route along the Delaware, and we passed through several small towns rife with post-industrial character. My companion’s passion for touring at a relaxed pace stretched our ride well past the six-hour mark.

Bilenky espouses the values of the Slow Bicycle Movement, started in Copenhagen in 2008.

It’s all about the joy of the ride—taking pleasure in self-propelled movement and soaking in the landscape around you. It’s also, of course, about good company; riding side by side for six hours really greases the derailleur of conversation.

Bilenky’s life of mechanical tinkering began at age three when he pulled apart a percolator.

After that came sewing machines, model cars,

by julie lorch

trains and Sturmey hubs. At 10, he opened a bike repair shop in his parents’ garage. He worked in bike shops throughout high school and college, and opened his own frame shop in 1983, under the name Sterling Cycles. In 1992, he changed the name to Bilenky Cycle Works.

For Bilenky, bicycles are both a perfect machine and a trusted confidant. “Bikes help us achieve practical goals and become like wellworn instruments,” he says. “They are like teachers who challenge and test us. In essence, they are a partner, and like other partners we romanticize them as they are and as we would like them to be.” He pauses. “We find and define ourselves through our machines and our adventures with them.”

Right now there’s a six- to 12-month wait for a Bilenky, and I have a jar of change sitting on my kitchen table.  Bilenky Cycle Works, 5319 N. 2nd St., bilenky.com Julie Lorch is a student and bike enthusiast; she’s currently hard at work on where to bike: philadelphia, an upcoming print guide to cycling in the city.

—stephen bilenky

th e route

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Stephen Bilenky with his daughter Bina

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Minutes from Center City Free Parking Accessible by #36 Trolley 54th Street & Lindbergh Boulevard

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Mariposa Food Co-op is expanding Sat. Nov. 20, 2-10 pm into a new location. It needs Raffle at Dock Street Brewing Co. your help to complete the 701 S. 50th St. ,West Philly 215-726-2337 Prizes donated by local artists & businesses. transformation. Join West Philly neighbors Handmade Holiday Shopping at VIX Emporium and businesses to 5009 Baltimore Ave. Fundraiser increase access 215-471-7700 to healthy & Live Music Proceeds to benefit sustainably Raffle Mariposa Co-op produced Expansion.

Eat, Drink & Shop foods.

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nov

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Morris Arboretum: Transforming Lake Reservoir 10 Concourse As part of Morris Arboretum’s Connections Beyond Our Garden lecture series, Gene Dilks from the Garden Club of America will present “Transforming Concourse Lake Reservoir,” discussing the effort to revitalize the lake in 2013, on the 100th anniversary of the Garden Club. She will also guide guests through the 1876 Centennial, the construction of Concourse Lake and its evolution into a popular attraction. →→ November 10, 2 p.m., $18 Arboretum mem-

bers; $20 non-members, Morris Arboretum, Widener Visitor Center, 100 E. Northwestern Ave., to RSVP, call 215-247-5777 ext. 125 or visit education@morrisarboretum.org

Philadelphia Parks Alliance Celebration 14 Autumn Join the Alliance at the Glen Foerd Riverfront Estate in Fairmount Park to honor Bart Blatstein, principal of Tower Investments. The evening’s highlights include live music by the Kenny Ulansey Ensemble, beer from Philadelphia Brewing Company and original paintings

by Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Gogh. →→ November 14, 3 – 6 p.m., $100 - $500 (dead-

line is Nov. 5), Glen Foerd on the Delaware, 5001 Grant Ave., order tickets online at philaparks.org or call 215-879-8159, direct questions to friends@philaparks.org

nov

Kids Cook for the Holidays!

Eye’s Kids Club will host a holi13 Public day cooking class, teaching children how to cook a vegan Thanksgiving meal. Chef Christina Martin will lead the cooking lesson and artist Zipora Schulz will follow up with an art project that teaches compassion for animals.

Urban Sustainability Forum: Nuclear Option 18 The Is nuclear power an environmentally acceptable answer to air pollution and global warming? This month’s forum delves into the controversial topic of nuclear energy and its viability as a solution to Philadelphia’s energy needs. While nuclear power offers the opportunity to maintain energy consumption with virtually no air pollution, it is expensive and may result in long-lasting radioactive waste.

→→ November 13, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., $5 per

→→ November 18, 6 – 6:30 p.m. reception;

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child, Essene Market & Café, 719 S. 4th St., to RSVP, contact Lisa Levinson at 215-620-2130 or lisa@publiceyephilly.org, publiceyephilly.org

6:30 – 8 p.m. program, Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., to register, visit nuclearoption. eventbrite.com, ansp.org

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City Planter: Seed Paper Holiday Gift Tags how to recycle your junk mail into unique plantable gift tags in this after17 Learn hours workshop. Carol and Sarah of City Planter will teach you how to take the extra paper in your home and combine it with seeds that can be watered and planted once the gift has been given. You should have a gift tag to take home that night! Registration required; the class is free. →→ November 17, City Planter, 814 N. 4th St., to register, email info@cityplanter.com or call 215-627-6169, cityplanter.com

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Metamorphosis for Mariposa: to Transform Our 20 Fundraiser Food Co-op Since the early ’70s, Mariposa Food Co-op has inhabited the same cramped storefront on Baltimore Avenue in West Philadelphia. Now the purveyor of organic and natural food is moving to a larger space one block away. Money is needed to renovate and beautify the space, and VIX Emporium is hosting a fundraising party. A portion of sales from the day will be donated and a raffle will be hosted by Dock Street Brewery. →→ November 20, 2 – 10:30 p.m., VIX Emporium,

5009 Baltimore Ave., contact 215-471-7700 or info@vixemporium.com if interested in donating handmade holiday gifts as raffle prizes, vixemporium.com

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Wyck’s Thanksgiving Arranging 20 Flower Join horticulturalist Nicole Juday at this seasonal event and learn how to make a dazzling Thanksgiving floral arrangement. Feel free to bring your own dish or vase from home, or choose one to purchase that day. The cost of this event will vary based on flower arrangement.

Holiday flower arranging workshops will also be held on December 3, 4 and 5. →→ November 20, 2 p.m., Wyck House, 6026

Germantown Ave., registration required; email rschultz@wyck.org or call 215-8481690, wyck.org

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Friends of High School Park Gifts Workshop 21 Natural Prepare for the gift season by making some useful “green” gifts from items in the pantry and garden. Participants will make a pinecone birdfeeder, a room-freshening pomander and a nature-inspired, hand-printed cloth napkin. →→ November 21, 1 – 2 p.m. or 2 – 3 p.m., $5

FHSP members; $7.50 non-members, Friends of High School Park Office, 7910 Montgomery Ave., Elkins Park

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2010 Philly Water’s Friend Competition 28 Best The Philadelphia Water Department is searching for two eco-friendly dogs, one in East Falls and one in the Manayunk/Roxborough area. Each “spokesdog” will be crowned “Philly Water’s Best Friend” and serve as an ambassador, teaching others how picking up pet waste protects the environment. The competition’s grand prize is a $200 gift card to a local pet store. →→ Deadline is November 28, phillywatersheds.org/spokesdog

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The Natives Opening at SCEE Philadelphia-based photog20 From rapher Joshua Marowitz, The Natives is a photography exhibition featuring some of the native botanical inhabitants of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Using the historical “salt” printing process, Marowitz captures the fine details and tone of the plants. The opening reception will feature a talk by the artist and a presentation on native plants by Joanne Donohue, manager of land restoration at the Schuylkill Center. →→ November 20, 3 – 5 p.m., the Schuylkill

Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd., to register, call 215-482-7300 x 100 or email scee@ schuylkillcenter.org

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Scott Arboretum’s Greens Sale 29 Holiday Gorgeous greens, holiday accents and long-lasting wreaths will all be featured at the Arboretum’s Holiday Greens Sale. Finished wreaths designed by the volunteers and staff at the Scott Arboretum will also be available for purchase. →→ November 29, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Wister Center,

500 College Ave., Swarthmore, for information, call 610-328-802, scottarboretum.org

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8th Annual Bike Part Art Show events have as many exciting com03 Few ponents as Neighborhood Bike Works’ annual Bike Part Art Show. The Art Show is a fantastic celebration of cycling, local arts and innovative reuse of waste materials, all for the benefit of NBW’s free youth cycling programs. Bid on art at the silent auction, check out the craft boutique and enjoy the party! →→ December 3, 7 – 10 p.m., $5 suggested dona-

tion, Studio 34 Yoga|Healing|Arts, 4522 Baltimore Ave., for information, email artshow@neighborhoodbikeworks.org, neighborhoodbikeworks.org

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Farming on Leased Land: A Workshop for Landowners 04 &PASA Beginning Farmers If you’re an aspiring farmer without land, or a landowner interested in putting your land to good use, this event may be for you. Members of Temple University’s Fox School of Business Student Project Team will lead the morning portion of this event, while a panel of tenants and landowners will share their leasing experiences after the lunch break. Participants will also learn about the “Farming Futures” program, established to connect experienced landowners with new or expanding farmers in Southeastern PA. →→ December 4, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., $15 PASA

members; $20 non-members, Chester County Economic Development Center, 737 Constitution Dr., Exton, register at pasafarming.org, for information, contact Rebecca at rebecca@pasafarming.org or 814-349-9856 x20

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MES Lecture Series: Fracking in Upper Delaware Watershed 09 the Join Master of Environmental Studies (MES) Program Director Yvette Bordeaux as she discusses rock extraction in the Marcellus Shale.

Bordeaux will highlight risks involved with tapping the Shale and the potential adverse effects on the drinking water of residents along the Delaware River. She will finish with an overview of how the MES program can provide tools to address environmental concerns. →→ December 9, 5:30 – 7 p.m., University of

Pennsylvania, Ben Franklin Room, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St., register for this event at lps-info@sas.upenn.edu, for information, visit pennlps.org/events or call 215-746-6902

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Meadowbrook Farm: Deck the Mantles and Ceilings!

09 Halls, Sign up early for this festive event with Meadowbrook Farm’s volunteer coordinator, Diana K. Weiner; space is limited to 25 participants.

Weiner will divulge holiday decorating tips that only a seasoned florist would know and teach guests how to create roping, wreaths, ornaments and more from store-bought or garden plants.

Make sure to bring along scissors, hand pruners and gloves. →→ December 9, 10 a.m. – noon, $35 members;

$45 non-members, Meadowbrook Farm, 1633 Washington Ln., Abington Township, to register, visit pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/calendar, for information, contact Carol Dutill at programreg@pennhort.org or 215-988-8869

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SBN Holiday Party Crafts Fair 09 and Join the Sustainable Business Network for a fun-filled evening of shopping, socializing and sustainability. Now in its eighth year, SBN’s Holiday Party is graciously hosted by Philadelphia Brewing Company. Locally-sourced food and seasonal PBC brews are included in the ticket price.

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Second Saturday Holiday at the Rotunda 11 Fair Local artists and crafters will sell their handmade wares at the second annual Second Saturday Holiday Fair. This unique craft market will have affordable holiday gifts for all tastes, including jewelry, candles, adult and children’s clothing, hula hoops, whimsical terrariums, local baked goods, knitted and crocheted outerwear, calendars, ceramics and more.

→→ December 9, 6 – 8:30 p.m, $35 - $50,

Philadelphia Brewing Company, 2423 – 39 Amber St., register at sbnholiday10.eventbrite.com, sbnphiladelphia.org

→→ December 11, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., The Rotunda,

4014 Walnut St., for information, contact satellite2ndsaturday@gmail.com, therotunda. org

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Bowman Hill Wildflower Preserve’s Trim a Tree for 10 Wildlife Get in the holiday spirit and help out the wildlife in your area by making edible ornaments. Other activities include a lesson on how animals survive the harsh winter, a story and a short walk around the Wildflower Preserve. Wear warm clothing and bring a sandwich-sized plastic container and bag to bring home your goodies. →→ December 10, 4:30 – 6 p.m., members: $5

adult; $3 child; $15 families; non-members: $8 adult; $5 child; $25 families, Bowman Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Rd., New Hope, pre-register by December 8; call 215862-2924, bhwp.org

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Primex Farmers’ Markets The cold winter weather will cause the 11 Glenside Farmers’ Market to retreat 18 indoors. Luckily, Primex Garden Center will host the market in their greenhouse. Regulars at the market include artisan cookie company Bell Flour LLC, raw wildflower honey from Everichfarms Apiary, produce from Herrcastle Farm, Patterson Farms’ maple products and much more. The market will continue Saturdays through January and February, excluding New Year’s Day. →→ December 11 and 18, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.,

Primex Garden Center, 435 W. Glenside Ave., Glenside, primexgardencenter.com

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PSU Master Gardener Second Fall Series: Holiday 11 Saturday Wreaths for Our Feathered Friends The first ever children’s Second Saturday will teach children that attracting birds to the garden is a fun way to learn about the plants and seeds that nourish our feathered friends in the winter.

Younger children (ages five to seven) will make pinecone and seed feeders, while the older children (eight to 12) will make festive wreaths using natural materials. →→ December 11, 9 – 11 a.m., $10 for one adult

and child; $5 for additional children, Fairmount Park Horticultural Center, N. Horticultural and Montgomery Drs., to register, call 215-471-2200, philadelphia.extension.psu.edu

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Winter Solstice with Land for Southern 21 Conservancy Chester County Celebrate a full moon and the longest night of the year on preserved land in beautiful Chester County. After a brief ceremony of the seasons, enjoy hot beverages by a warm fire. Telescopes will be on hand for star and moon gazing. →→ December 21, begins at dusk (approximately

5 p.m.), $10 suggested donation; free for children 12 and under, Stateline Woods Preserve, 818 Merrybell Ln., Kennett Square, for information, call 610-347-0347 or visit thelandconservancyforscc.com

Businesses compost with Bennett.

If you produce food waste, let Bennett Compost reduce your environmental impact without increasing your costs. Call now for a custom quote.

B ENNET T C O MP O S T

www.bennettcompost.com | 215.520.2406 D EC ember 20 10

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by daniel mclaughlin

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Better to Give

uring the holidays, “It’s the thought that counts” is a sentiment lost on the McLaughlin clan. We’re an Irish family with five siblings and many more nieces and nephews, so the gift-giving gets competitive—it’s the MMA Championship of generosity. We’re always attempting to outdo each other, overlooking our debt/income ratio for the satisfaction of stupefying each other with gratitude.

In the days when my travel budget was a bit more flush, I had a distinct advantage. I was a modern-day Magi, bearing exotic gifts from faroff lands. Past offerings included custom distilled Scotch from Edinburgh, candles in the shape of Stalin’s head from the Museum of Communism in Prague and bottles of wine from Stellenbosch in South Africa. Just try and top that with your Banana Republic gift card.

Now that stupid adulthood has set in—and with it the responsibilities of home ownership, student loans and self-employment—my wings have been clipped, and I’m faced with a humbling holiday reality. But, after years of MVP status, I just can’t abide the thought of gifting someone a sweater set.

The tokens from my travels were literally carried on my back from across the ocean. They were precious treasures to me, signifying a time, a place and an experience, and when I presented 46

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them to a loved one, I felt I was sharing all those things with them, too.

Plus, in our age of globalism, almost everything lining retail shelves comes from afar. (That said, distance-traveled loses its luster when the item is packed in a sea box and crated to your local big box store.) Things that used to be a defining product in one specific part of the world are now available down the street. With little effort, you can buy chai from India, cheese from France, threads from Saville Row, glass from Venice and beer from Belgium.

Sometimes all you need is a change of perspective. This year, as part of a grand experiment— dubbed the Thirteenth Diet—I immersed myself in 12 different diets (vegan, raw, minimum wage) for 30 days at a time. In September, I took on a local challenge—I could only eat foods sourced from within a 150-mile radius of Philadelphia.

Every ingredient had to be considered. For exam-

ple, if a beer was made in Downingtown, PA, but the malt was from Canada, it was off the list.

During this experiment, I realized that local products are exotic. In this era of cross-culturalism and international trade, it’s easy to lose sight of just how little of what we buy is made where we live. Consider your morning cup of coffee, the T-shirt you’re wearing, or the bottle of water on your desk. We rarely stop to consider that an everyday product could have traveled 3,000 miles to get to us.

Before this project, I never paid much attention to where my food came from. Now that I’ve awakened that sense, I can’t turn it off. I check every label, and think twice before committing to purchasing something from Malaysia when it could have been grown in my own backyard.

I take pride in supporting local artisans, farmers and growers, and the thought of giving my money to a neighbor—with a name, a face and an address—feels so much better than funding some anonymous conglomerate across the sea.

So, this year I’m looking forward to giving gifts that have the exotic provenance of my hometown.

The objects will still be vessels for imparting my experiences, still carry the stories of the people I’ve met and the things I’ve enjoyed. I’m excited to show off the counter-global foods and wares that make Philadelphia unique. When you put some thought into the source, you’re giving a gift that benefits more than just its recipient.

Turns out it is the thought that counts.  For more on McLaughlin’s project, visit thethirteenthdiet.com illustration by daniel fishel

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an ivy league degree is closer than you think

Environmental Studies Are More Valuable Than Ever Penn’s Department of earth and environmental science offers two opportunities to earn a Master’s degree in environmental sciences.

Penn’s MES will arm you with the knowledge you need to solve the world’s environmental problems. Focus on one of six major fields of environmental science, depending on your interests and career goals.

Walk-in wednesdays

Master of science in applied Geosciences Penn’s MSAG combines expertise in the theoretical areas of geology with technical expertise in geochemistry, geophysics, hydrogeology, and engineering

complete your degree by going to school full time or part time, taking classes during the day or in the evening.

Environmental Studies featured the first Wednesday of each month

how Safe is Our drinking water?

Yvette Bordeaux, Ph.D. Director, Professional Master’s Programs in Earth and Environmental Science Thursday, december 9, 2010 5:30–7:00 p.m.

Ben Franklin room, houston hall university of Pennsylvania 3417 Spruce Street A free public lecture and Q&A presented under the auspices of Penn’s Master of Environmental Studies and Penn LPS.

geology that will train you to tackle practical environmental problems.

Walk-in wednesdays

Master of Environmental Studies Lecture Series F r a ck i n g i n the up p e r delawa r e waterShe d:

M a s t e r o f e n v i r o n M e n ta l s t u d i e s

Walk-in wednesdays

jo in uS Fo r o u r

rsvp for this event at lps-info@sas.upenn.edu pennlps.org/events • 215.746.6902

discuss your academic options with Yvette Bordeaux, Ph.d., MES Program director

www.sas.upenn.edu/lps o r s e a r c h penn mes penn msag 48

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3440 MArkET STrEET, SuiTE 100, PhilA dElPhiA