Grid Magazine November 2014 [#067] by Red Flag Media

Susta i n abl e Ph i l a d elp hi a

NOVEMBEr 2014 / issue #67 gridphilly.com

BUBBLING UP Wild fermentation in Philadelphia

All Weather

A commuter commits to cycling every day

Philly Bike Expo

Bike artisans convene at the Convention Center

Culture Club My first steps in fermentation

ix months ago, my family was visiting our friend Linda’s farm. An intern, a young woman from Holland, was staying with Linda, and while we were chatting, her neighbor, Anna, who immigrated from the Ukraine, stopped by. Lots of culture here, I thought, but there was about to be more. ¶ Anna had brought something that she wanted to share with Linda, something years ago she had smuggled into the United States from her homeland: kefir grains. As a friendly gesture, she redirected her gift to us. Now, I’ve been interested in fermentation for some time, but in an abstract, sometime-in-thefuture way. Having the jar of the grains handed to me—which looked like a pile of slimy pellets the color of cauliflower—made me feel like someone had just given me a kitten I didn’t ask for. A great gift, but an even greater responsibility. Anna informed us that all we needed to do was to leave the kefir grains in milk on a countertop. Wait, didn’t my mom tell me not to do that? But I followed Anna’s instructions, covering the milk and kefir grains with nothing but a cheese cloth, and watched it begin to separate. After a few days, I strained this new concoction, removing the grains, and summoned my courage to have a drink. My wife, the less expendable parent, watched with some apprehension. The taste was … intriguing. Tangy. Hmmm. For a few days, I drank alone. It became a nightly ritual, drinking what I called my “milk beer.” I began to feel more confident in the process, and I started leaving the milk out longer so the fermentation produced an even tangier drink. My wife was soon joining me, adding blueberries and honey, which sweetened the kefir, but didn’t disguise its pungent yet attractive personality. This continued for a few months and, while I can’t discount a placebo effect, I felt glowingly healthy. I became obsessed with the possibilities of fermentation. When I encountered local fermentation expert Amanda from phickle.com, I asked her if she thought a fermentation bar would be feasible.

publisher

Alex Mulcahy alex@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 102 managing editor

Sara Schwartz sara@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 103 art director

Danni Sinisi danni@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 112 distribution / ad sales

Jesse Kerns jesse@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 100 Drew Brightbill drew@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 114 copy editor

Andrew Bonazelli junior designer

Corey Jameson interns

Frances Dumlao Jenine Pilla writers

Alas, I fell out of the habit. Vacations, combined with the responsibility of both feeding the grains and consuming the kefir, caused me to slip. The Ukrainian grains remain in my refrigerator, and I’m pretty sure they can be revived. It’s heartening to know that there’s a great scene here in Philadelphia, and when I’m ready to get some culture, there will be people here ready to share.

Jack Braunstein Bernard Brown Nic Esposito Emily Kovach Megan Matuzak Bobby Szafranski Emily Teel photographers

Raffi Berberian Christian Hunold Stephen Ladner Mitchell Leff Gene Smirnov illustrators

alex j. mulcahy, Publisher alex@gridphilly.com

Daniel Kaye Laura Weiszer controller

Nicole Jarman nicole@gridphilly.com published by

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community Mark McGee organizes electronics recycling events several times a year.

Plugged In Mark McGee, Kensington's undisputed electronics recycling champion story and photo by Megan Matuzak The average American throws away approximately 62 pounds EVERYDAY of electronics a year, says KensHERO ington resident Mark McGee, citing a WHYY podcast on electronics waste. “I don’t think people realize there is a lot of toxic stuff out there when they throw a TV away,” McGee says. McGee helps promote electronics recycling in Kensington, an area he's lived in for over 50 years, through his volunteer work with Sustainable 19125 & 19134. The resident-driven organization was created by the local Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) and the New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) with the support of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) to promote sustainability, and aims to make the two zip codes the greenest in the city. Through Sustainable 19125 & 19134 workshops, McGee talks about electronics recycling and organizes electronics recycling events several times a year. His work has prompted Sustainable 19125 & 19134 to dub him a “Champion of Electronic Recycling.” Holly Logan, Philly Fixers Guild co-founder, praises the work McGee does: “Bringing eCycling to our neighbors prevents them from disposing of electronics improperly and [lets] them know that there are these other opportunities to recycle them so that they go to the proper outlets where they will hopefully be less harmful,”

says Logan, who met McGee through Sustainable 19125 & 19134. McGee has also been a Green Guide for Sustainable 19125 & 19134, and a volunteer with the NKCDC, since 2009. As a sustainability focused block captain, or Green Guide, McGee works to educate his neighbors about composting, recycling, rainwater collection and, of course, electronics recycling. As a 12-year member of the NAC, McGee helps develop plans to address the needs of the neighborhood, including preventing house foreclosures and helping the elderly.

When he's not working on improvements to his neighborhood, he maintains an orchard next to his home. Over a decade ago, PHS donated seeds, and now the orchard yields figs, Bing cherries and grapes, which McGee happily gives away to neighbors, passersby and even “sleepy bus riders.” “Mark … never expects to be recognized, but should be for all the work and commitment he has to improving his community,” says Diana Jih, community relations specialist at NKCDC. McGee adds: “If everybody helps a little bit, it goes a long way. You have to give back to the community to make these things happen.”

SALUTES Dr. Ann Fowler

Dr. Ann Fowler Rhoads, recently retired from a 36-year career at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, received the 2014 Henry Meigs Environmental Leadership Award, its highest honor, from the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education on Sept. 27. A botany professor at Penn, Rhoads has co-authored several books with Tim Block, including The Plants of Pennsylvania and her achievements include conducting research on Pennsylvania plants and tracking invasive non-natives. The award is named in memory of Henry Meigs, one of the Schuylkill Center’s founders. Dr. Rhoads is the ninth winner of the award. 8

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Jenny Greenberg The Neighborhood Gardens Trust named Jenny Greenberg as its first executive director in September. Greenberg, a city planner and nonprofit professional, has focused her career on the environmental restoration of underused urban spaces, and has fostered opportunities for city residents to engage with nature. As a grant-writing consultant to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, Greenberg developed strategies for major public projects along the Central Delaware River Waterfront in Philadelphia and has created plans for environmentally sustainable developments. NGT is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society with a mission of preserving, protecting and increasing the number of gardens and open spaces.

Mayor Nutter In September, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Mayors Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Annise Parker of Houston created the Mayors’ National Climate Action Agenda. As a way to show that emission reduction projects are essential, the mayors' Agenda calls for national and international binding emission reductions agreements; stronger standards to report and track pollution; drafting or updating local actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and growing the carbon offset market by removing barriers to municipal offset projects. "[I]t’s time that cities across the nation come together and work toward a greener, more sustainable future," Nutter says.

IN · SIGHT Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk Schuylkill River's east bank ; Locust St. to the South St. Bridge

Bank on It Walkers, runners and cyclists can now add a new path to their outings: the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk. The $18 million, 2,000 foot-long concrete structure runs parallel to the eastern shore of the river from Locust Street to the new stair tower at the South Street Bridge, and extends the Schuylkill River Trail. As part of The Circuit—300 miles of multi-use network of trails throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania with 50 miles in progress and more planned—the Boardwalk provides more direct access to the Trail for residents in South and West Philadelphia. The Boardwalk sits about 50 feet from the shore and its 15-foot wide pathway has four widened overlooks to allow people to rest, fish and take in the Center City and University City views without blocking the main drag. The entire path is supplemented with solar-powered overhead lights for evening runs and rides. The project was built by Crossing Construction, Weeks Marine Construction, Nucero Electric and All Seasons Landscaping. Boardwalk design and engineering was funded by the City of Philadelphia, and was completed by URS, Pennoni Associates and CH Planning. Ramp design was executed by Michael Baker Engineers. The Boardwalk is part of the Schuylkill River Development Corporation’s plan to connect the Trail on the Schuylkill Banks from the Water Works to Bartram’s Garden by 2016.

photos by Ra f f i B erberi a n

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ENVIRONMENT

Canoeing is planned for the East Park Reservoir's west basin. Above right: The marshy middle basin provides a hunting spot for herons and foxes.

Phil Wallis, Executive Director of Audubon Pennsylvania

Drinking It In

The East Park Reservoir provides home for birds, and in 2017, a nature center by bernard brown • photos by christian hunold

he pied-billed grebe flying south along the Atlantic Flyway can see the water in the East Park Reservoir right away, but you, looking at the embankments from the ground, could be forgiven for thinking it was all just a forested hill in Fairmount Park. But then you might notice that the sides of the hill are straight lines, and that off of Reservoir Drive, a blue brick road cuts into the woods, blocked by a Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) gate. Back when the East Park Reservoir was built in the late 1800s, its four basins held only water, and its embankments were covered in blue brick— sterile and uninviting to any but engineers. Over time, woods took over where they could. Philadelphia’s population shrank and stopped using three of the basins, which over 200 species of birds have been happy to take over. Swallows and swifts zipped and darted above the embankments, catching insects in midair, while Audubon PA and Outward Bound staff gave prospective funders (along with photographer Christian Hunold and me) a tour of the reservoir this July. We spotted herons and foxes 10

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hunting below in the marshy middle basin. By October, most of the summer birds will have flown south, replaced by migrants stopping on their own migrations. Ducks, grebes and other waterfowl will spend the winter on the open water of the Reservoir’s west basin. Local birders armed with binoculars had been sneaking up the East Park Reservoir’s embankments for almost 30 years by the early 2000s, when the National Audubon Society office started searching for a site for an urban environmental education center, according to Phil Wallis, Executive Director of Audubon Pennsylvania. In 2009 Audubon linked up with Outward Bound, an outdoors leadership development group, which was then searching for a new Philadelphia headquarters. Both organizations realized they could save a lot of money and minimize the red tape involved by sharing one space and building project. The partners still have to raise $9 million, according to Hadley Wilmerding, Development Coordinator with Philadelphia Outward Bound, but they’ve cleared their biggest hurdle:

signing a lease with the City in June for the “Discovery Center.” The underutilized (at least by humans) Reservoir might seem like a natural spot for a nature center, but any private use of public parkland in Philadelphia is complicated, and in this case the layers of control (the site is technically Parks & Recreation Department land used by the PWD), along with visitor safety and drinking water security concerns, gave them more bureaucracy to navigate “a lot of people, a very complex symphony,” according to Wallis. The PWD is keeping the east basin to build three enclosed drinking water cisterns, but the Discovery Center will be open by 2017, according to Wallis. It will primarily be used for Audubon and Outward Bound programming, but the public will be able to use both the building and the planned trail network. “When it’s open, they can come on in through the front door, no charge,” says Wallis. “We haven’t figured it all out since they haven’t built it yet. And we want to go beyond that and have public events—owl prowls, for example.” The birds, of course, will be free to come and go as they please. bernard brown is an amateur field herper and bureaucrat. He writes about urban natural history and sustainable eating.

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Media

Bee Afraid

Philadelphia author educates and entertains with his latest eco-thriller, Deadout by Alex Mulcahy

oo often, the message of sustainability is delivered in a heavy-handed and humorless way. That’s why Jon McGoran’s delightful books with doomsday plots are so welcomed. Drift and Deadout, the first two books in a trilogy about the adventures of Doyle Carrick, a good-hearted but reckless detective, fall under the category of “eco-thriller.” At their core, the books offer the pure entertainment of a “good guys vs. bad guys” story, but McGoran manages to introduce ideas about food safety and sovereignty in a gentle way, and from the differing perspectives of fully-fleshed characters. In Deadout, released in August by Forge Books, the plot revolves around the disappearance of native honey bees, and a corporation with a genetically modified bee ready to come to the rescue. Grid caught up with our former editor in chief to discuss his latest work. Let’s talk about the primary character of both Drift and Deadout, Doyle Carrick. Why is someone who is, at times gruff, violent and antisocial so likeable?

Well, the first reason is that it is written in the first person. You are in Doyle’s head. That goes a long way to making a character sympathetic. Doyle is a good guy, his impulses are all good and he’s funny, which I value highly. It’s interesting to talk about the GMO (genetically modified organisms) issue through characters with different viewpoints. You get the perspectives of activists, farmers, businesspeople, and then Doyle Carrick trying to make sense of it all.

That was a cold-blooded calculation. I wanted to explore these issues, and I wanted to do it in a way that didn’t feel like a lecture and that wouldn’t feel like it was irrelevant to the plot. Doyle slowly becoming aware of these things allows the reader to just as slowly be made aware of them. Him coming at it with no established viewpoint, maybe a little skepticism, it keeps the [other characters] from getting too preachy.

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Let’s talk a little bit about the science of the book. In both of those books, you depict scenarios where things go terribly wrong. How much of that is a fictional device and how much of that is even a possibility?

How long have you been involved in the anti-GMO movement?

On some level, the whole time. I was the editor of The Shuttle at Weavers Way for 20 years. When GMOs first hit the market, we started writing about it. I wasn’t All the technology is definitely necessarily 100 percent against on the table. The genetically it, but that we should be aware modified bees ... well, they are of it, and no one seemed to be. So already releasing genetically much of the information that is out modified mosquitoes in Brazil there is unclear, in part because the in order to stop certain diseaspeople who are concerned about it es. There is stuff being done in have such strong viewpoints, and research labs. There are goats in large part because those with that have human genes in them the biggest interest, the biggest Available now from so they can produce human monetary interests, are intentionForge Books breast milk. There are goats ally muddying the water. with spider genes in them so It is a hot topic now. But even they create spider silk in their milk. These are today, I do book events and people say, “Yeah I ennot just paranoid fantasies; this is science. So, joyed the book and I didn’t know this stuff was going while some of the stuff in the books has not on.” It’s kind of stunning that there is still that level been done yet, its definitely possible. It’s just a of education [that needs to be done]. It’s gratifying matter of someone applying the resources and when someone says, “Hey, I just learned about this finding the motive to do it. [issue] and I am going to find out more about it.”

Deadout

photo by stephen la dner

b.good's White Bean & Rosemary Quinoa Kale Bowl has organic quinoa, kale, veggies, shiitakes, beets, cannellini beans, parmesan cheese and a red pepper vinaigrette.

Have It Your Way Can grab-and-go food be good for you? Two suburban restaurants say yes by Jack Braunstein

here is hardly an idea more counterintuitive than that of a healthy, fresh fast food restaurant—especially one with a commitment to sourcing locally. Two local entrepreneurs hope to change that, and they’re starting in the suburbs. This summer saw the grand opening in Marlton, New Jersey, of the tri-state area’s first b.good, a Boston-based chain of fast-casual eateries on a mission to reimagine the fast-food model as one centered on “real food and real people,” Deb Lutz, who owns the restaurant’s franchise rights for the greater Philadelphia area, connected with local food advocate Fair Food, and plans to open five such restaurants in and around the city in the next few years. Patrons can have their choice of local, grass-fed beef, hormone-free poultry, a house-made vegan patty on a host of burgers and sandwiches, or opt for a kale and quinoa bowl or seasonal salad. “People really want know where their food is coming from, they want know what’s in it, photos cou rt esy o f b .goo d & bryn a n d Da ne' s

they want to make sure it’s good for them and good for their families,” says Lutz, who worked in Johnson & Johnson's marketing department for 20 years. “Twenty years ago, it was the want to understand salt content, and then 10 years [ago] it was fat and trans fat,” she says. “And now it’s really about not just understanding the nutritional content of food, but also the sources of the supply.” Across the Delaware, another restaurateur, Bryn Davis, has his sights set on spreading the gospel of healthy fast food to suburban America. Bryn and Dane’s, named after Davis and his 14-year-old brother, Dane, aims to open up two new locations in the coming year in Plymouth Meeting and Ambler, in addition to the flagship location in Horsham, which opened in 2012. Davis, who launched the brand with $12,000 he earned working at his grandfather’s farm for a year, says that for fresh, healthy food to break out of the niche market, it has to be as approach-

Bryn and Dane's Tennessee Bleu wrap has crispy chicken, tomatoes, Romaine, cheddar and spicy Tennessee bleu sauce.

able as possible. “My thing is, if there’s a guy coming off a construction site and he walked into our location, would he feel alienated or stupid ordering something? A lot of time at healthy restaurants, that happens,” says Davis, whose menu features a diverse lineup of smoothies, wraps and “grab-and-go” offerings like house-made popcorn and nut mixes. Vegetarians have the option to swap out the prominently featured lean grilled chicken for a non-meat option like a black bean burger or grilled portabella mushroom. Both Lutz and Davis agree that this feels like a turning point for casual dining in America. “I feel like as our generation gets more buying power, it’s going to be completely in demand,” says Davis. “I think at this point, it’s almost like an evolution or an education. I don’t think we’re ever going to turn back and say ‘screw it, let’s have unnatural foods again.’ I think it has enough momentum where it’s not gonna stop.” N OV E M B E R 20 14

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Skip the typical sage and thyme for Thanksgiving and instead opt for Chai-Spiced Apple Crisp, Pumpkin & Coconut Thai Curry and Roasted Flatbreads are great Broccoli Salad with for an easy dinner Tahini and Za’atar. on—or off—the grill. 14

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The Spice Between

Skip the usual suspects for Thanksgiving fare and give late autumn produce a kick story and photo by emily teel

he momentum around food in november all leads up to one day: Thanksgiving. The butter-laden Thursday with its repetitive flavor profiles, celebrates all things autumnal. But for all of the fanfare around the day itself, Thanksgiving represents but one dinner ... and maybe a few turkey sandwich lunches afterwards. To ensure a full month of exciting seasonal eats, skip the sage and thyme that appear so heavily in the Thanksgiving menu and use other aromatics to dress up produce. You’ll never miss the nutmeg with pumpkin when it’s in a fragrant Thai-style curry. Enjoy a chunky, charred broccoli salad with tahini dressing and za’atar. Save pie-baking for the holiday and make a weeknight dessert of gluten-free apple crisp fragrant with clove and cardamom. emily teel is a food freelancer dedicated to sustainable, delicious food in Philadelphia. See more of her work at emilyteel.com .

Chai-Spiced Apple Crisp (gluten-free)

Pumpkin & Coconut Thai Curry

active time: 20 mins., total time: 1 hour yields: 8 servings

active time: 35 mins., total time: 45 mins. serves 4

Filling: 5 medium apples (2 ½ pounds), peeled, cored and diced 2 tablespoons lemon juice ¼ cup light brown sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom Topping: ½ cup butter, softened 1 cup gluten free rolled oats ¾ cup almond flour ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup light brown sugar 1 tablespoon sesame seeds ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg teaspoon ground cloves teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 350ºF. Toss apple with lemon juice, salt, cornstarch, cinnamon, ground ginger and brown sugar and spread the mixture evenly in a 13 x 9 inch (2 quart) baking dish. Stir together topping ingredients into a crumble and sprinkle over apples. Bake until fruit juice is bubbling and topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving for a thicker texture.

1 1 2 3 1 1 1

pound of peeled and cubed pumpkin pound firm tofu tablespoons red curry paste, divided tablespoons coconut oil, divided tablespoon cornstarch 13.5 ounce can coconut milk tablespoon fish sauce (or 1 ½ teaspoons salt) 1 large shallot 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips 3 small bok choy, chopped and well-washed Thai basil, to garnish Fresh cilantro, to garnish Steamed brown rice, to serve alongside

Heat oven to 400ºF. Drain tofu, squeezing out as much water as possible and cut into cubes. In a medium bowl, make a paste out of one tablespoon red curry paste, a tablespoon each cornstarch and coconut oil, and a pinch of salt. Add tofu cubes to the bowl and gently fold them in until they are well coated. Spread tofu cubes into a single layer on a baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally until they appear dry and sizzling, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy bottomed pot over high heat, warm 1 tablespoon coconut oil, one tablespoon red curry paste, and ginger until fragrant and sizzling.

Add shallot, bell peppers and pumpkin and toss to coat. When peppers and shallot have wilted slightly, add fish sauce and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered until pumpkin is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. When the tip of a paring knife slides through a pumpkin cube with ease, add bok choy, cover and simmer five minutes more, just until bok choy stalks have softened slightly and leaves appear bright green. Taste and season as needed. Serve spooned over brown rice and scattered with torn Thai basil and fresh cilantro leaves.

Roasted Broccoli Salad with Tahini and Za’atar active time: 25 mins., total time: 45 mins. serves 4 to 6 as a side 1¾ pounds broccoli (3 large crowns), washed and trimmed into bite-sized florets 1 large red onion, sliced into half-moons 1¼ cup olive oil Salt ¼ cup tahini 2 tablespoons plain yogurt 3 tablespoons lemon juice (half of a large lemon) 2-4 tablespoons water 1 clove garlic, minced Za’atar

Heat oven to 450ºF. In a large bowl, toss broccoli and onion with olive oil and a teaspoon of salt until well coated. Spread broccoli and onions into a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast until bright green and beginning to char, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly. In a blender, mix lemon juice, yogurt, tahini, garlic and a pinch of salt until well combined. Add water until it becomes a good consistency for drizzling. Drizzle broccoli and onion with tahini dressing and sprinkle heavily with za’atar. N OV E M B E R 20 14

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On A Roll

Philly Bike Expo enters its fifth year

Bicycles are in my blood. My first “job” at the age of 10 was sorting bank slips for my dad’s custom framebuilding business Bilenky Cycle Works and I never looked back. I left my post there briefly to get my degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M. The Texas saying , “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could” was reversed for me, as I headed back to Pennsylvania as soon as I graduated. There was work to be done! Along with Simon Firth, Ray Hanstein, Maria Dziembowska, my dad, Stephen Bilenky, founded the Philly Bike Expo in 2010. Focusing on artisans, activEvent Director, Philly Bike Expo ists and alternatives, the Philly Bike Expo creates an environment that fosters relationships between the cycling community and the dedicated companies and organizations that are the foundation of bicycles as a lifestyle, and it was only natural that I became involved. We host the Expo to celebrate the artisans whose craft enables us to ride two-wheeled art, to applaud the activists whose tireless efforts further our cycling infrastructure and to explore cycling as a fun and efficient transportation alternative. Now in its fifth year, the Philly Bike Expo promotes the fun, function, fitness and freedom to be found on two wheels. Last year we outgrew our previous venue and moved to the Pennsylvania Convention Center where we had a record number of exhibitors and attendees. In January I traveled to Africa to ride my bike from Sudan to South Africa. I used the many hours of solo saddle time to brainstorm and figure out how I could make the Philly Bike Expo bigger and better. We’ve come up with some new ideas for 2014 and they are pretty awesome if I do say so myself. (In our new space there’s room for a test ride area, food trucks and even more clinics and seminars to learn from.) There are so many reasons to love cycling. It’s efficient and earth-friendly, a fitness activity that all ages can enjoy, a breathtaking way to see your neighborhood and the world and it brings people together, too. My hope is that the Philly Bike Expo instills (or validates!) in you the same passion for bicycles that I have in me.

BINA BILENKY

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is freedom. Freedom to do what you want, when you WHY DO YOU BIKE? “Cycling want, where you want. Its liberating. I’ve seen genuinely timid individuals speak, and ride, with tenacity.” — Brandon Andrew Formanes, Upper Darby, Pennyslvania 6 | Philly bike expo 2014 | phillybikeexpo.com

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Baby On Board F Kidical Mass gives families biking in Philadelphia a boost

written by Emily Kovach

or parents in the city who can’t drive, or avoid driving as much as possible, transportation can be tricky. How do you get your brood and all their belongings to and from places outside of your neighborhood? A growing community of families in Philadelphia are answering that question by turning to bicycles.

Dena Driscoll and Marni Duffy both bike frequently, placing their kids at the front of their family cargo bikes. Driscoll, 30, a mother of a 3-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter, commutes into Center City most days from Manayunk to her son’s preschool. Duffy, 31, a

Fishtown resident, has ridden as far as Chestnut Hill with her three kids (ages 3, 6 and 8). Hauling their kids around via bike isn’t always easy, but, according to Driscoll, “If you’re in a car, you’re part of the pollution problem.” Duffy adds that for her, there’s a self-care aspect, too. “When

Most cyclists prefer to have their children in a rear bike seat but a growing number of people are keeping their children in front, as shown.

we’re in the car, I’m miserable and the kids are miserable. I just feel so much better on the bike.” Driscoll and Duffy are active members in the Philadelphia chapter of Kidical Mass, a grassroots group that seeks to bring awareness to family cycling through group bike rides, community building and education sessions. In September, the group hosted a free daylong “The ABCs of Family Biking” workshop at Fleisher Art Memorial, and for the Philadelphia Bicycle Expo, they’ve organized a panel titled “Family Biking 101.” The panel will be informal, focus on questions from the audience and “not be preachy,” promises Duffy. Cargo bikes will also available for test rides. Family cargo bikes are attention magnets. While ubiquitous in a bike-friendly city such as Amsterdam, they’re a much rarer site on the Philadelphia streets. The most common questions that Driscoll and Duffy field revolve around cost (bikes like theirs start around $2,500), and safety. Simon Firth, an owner of Firth & Wilson Transport Cycles on 9th & Spring Garden, a shop specializing in cargo bikes, echoes the statement that the safety issue is critical. “Philadelphia is getting a lot safer to ride a bike around in,” he says. “The more people you see riding around and doing it happily, the safer it feels for everyone.” Duffy and Driscoll maintain that the best kind of safety is safety in numbers. It’s the main motivation for building a community around family cycling. “The best way to become a safer, confident family biker is to do it with more experienced people,” Driscoll says. On the group’s frequent group rides, newer family bikers can feel supported and protected by the veterans, and on Kidical Mass’ Facebook group, members post questions, share good routes, vent frustrations and promote other kid-friendly bike activities in the region. “Kids are cargo” is a common slogan in the family biking community, and it’s Kidical Mass’ goal to ensure that they’re treated as the most precious cargo of all. To learn more about Kidical Mass, visit kidicalmassphl.org .

WHY DO YOU BIKE? “[A]s corny as it sounds, [the] pure and unwavering joy that I get every time I’m on my bike. It makes me very happy and I feel healthier for it.” — Jackie VanOrden, Manayunk/Roxborough

8 | Philly bike expo 2014 | phillybikeexpo.com

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Built to Suit W

Custom bike-making sees a resurgence in Philadelphia

written by Emily Teel

hile all bikes are good, some are extra special. At Firth & Wilson, the Spring Garden bike shop Simon Firth coowns with David Wilson, the two will happily fix a flat, adjust a derailleur or upgrade a set of handlebars. Under the name Hanford Cycles, Firth also builds custom bikes, and is one member of a growing community of craftspeople doing so here in Philadelphia. Custom bike-building, like fitting a suit, begins with a person and a specific set of measurements. While standard bikes are built to bear the weight of the heaviest potential person the manufacturer anticipates will ride them, Mark Weaver, of Weaver Cycles in Collingswood, New Jersey, says that he, and other bike builders, take into consideration a person’s height and weight, as well as the length of their torso, arms and inseam to determine frame shape and size, and the gauge of the tubing for the frame, whether it be steel, aluminum or titanium. Some materials are lighter, some heavier, but just as a suit can be made of wool or linen, “it’s all about the fit,”

according to Weaver. A bicycle that is improperly fit can cause pain or tingling, especially after long rides, so these measurements are key, and adjustments can be made to suit the rider. “It’s literally the first thing I ask after their first ride,” Weaver says. Fit also encompasses the weight of the bike. A bicycle too light for the person riding it “feels noodle-y.” Too heavy a bike yields the opposite: the ride rigid, the bike inflexible. Balance it correctly and there’s a harmony between rider and machine. Beyond the question of dimensions and materials is also one of functionality. What are the rider’s needs? Will this be a bike for racing? Or

city commuting? If it’s for racing, will it be cyclocross? On roads? Or trails? Perhaps this will be a bicycle for a cross-country ride, or for transporting children. If it’s for commuting, what kind of job does this person have? If it’s a woman, will she need to bike in a skirt? On rainy days? The answers to questions like these will determine how the bike builder begins and, within the shop, who that bike builder might be. Weaver races mountain bikes and got his start building for friends in that community, eventually expanding to include road and cyclocross bikes. Drew Guldalian, of Engin Cycles, focuses on traditional road bikes, touring bikes and mountain bikes, which he sells from his Chestnut Hill shop, Wissahickon Cyclery. Firth and Wilson focus on bikes for city riders, including those for commuting and those that could replace a family car to move children and cargo. Stephen Bilenky and his team at Bilenky Cycle Works, the most established shop in Philadelphia, do a little bit of everything, but

I love the bike paths. The paths that run from Valley Forge into the WHY DO YOU BIKE? “Honestly, city and through the city are beautiful and amazing and just a real pleasure. I always think that if more people could come to Philly and ride that path, they’d realize just how stunning of a city Philly really is.”— Selene Yeager, Emmaus, Pennsylvania 10 | Philly bike expo 2014 | phillybikeexpo.com

they’ve received international recognition for their tandem bikes, including the Viewpoint, a semi-recumbent tandem designed to be shared by riders of differing abilities, including those with special needs. A custom bike is a reflection of an individual rider. Bilenky has been building custom bikes in Philadelphia since 1983, starting just as the West Coast mountain bike was in its formative years and was inspired by the classic European builders—in the ’70s, he had seen these traditions embodied in the work of Chestnut Hill’s Hill Cycle, Germantown’s Lambert Cycles and Drexel Hill’s Harry Havnoonian. The mountain bike “revolution” shook the established bike industry, resulting in a resurgence of bicycle manufacturing innovation and spawning new companies, materials and methods. Bilenky synthesized his early inspirations with the emerging technologies to create a wide-ranging portfolio of specialty commuting, racing, touring, tandem and cargo bikes. “We’ve been at this long before the current sustainable, locally made movement,” says Bilenky. “It’s gratifying to see the shift away from disposable bikes stamped out in Asian factories.” Now, according to Bilenky, bike-making is experiencing a resurgence. “In the hand-built world … the U.S. is now Mecca.” Alongside local-sourcing of clothes and edibles, the interest in artisan manufacturing has bolstered bike builders. A bike is “an item for more sustainable transport,” says Bilenky, but craftsmanship means that “now people look at it as something desirable in itself.” The result has been a nationwide explosion of interest and innovation in bike-building. Oregon and California have been home to much bike-building, but Bilenky’s efforts and tenacity placed Philadelphia in the national spotlight. Not only has his shop turned out awardwinning custom bikes for decades for national and international clients; they’ve also helped build the bike community in Philadelphia. An active supporter of West Philadelphia-based bike education nonprofit, Neighborhood Bike Works and the Philadelphia Bike Messengers Association, the shop also hosts the Junkyard Cyclocross every December. In 2010, Bilenky and his daughter, Bina, hosted the first annual Philadelphia Bike Expo to showcase the work of local and national small manufacturers of bikes and bike gear. The Expo has run every fall since. Bilenky Cycle Works has built countless bikes, but Bilenky says, “I’ve also built frame builders,” one of whom is Firth, who worked for Bilenky for more than a decade. Recognizing that the city was taking active strides to support a welcoming environment for cyclists, Firth and Wilson opened their shop to supply Philadelphians with tools to support a

bike-based lifestyle. Now, the pair are working to create a cargo bike of their own design, but they face a dilemma that underscores a duality in the bike-building world. If they manufacture their design overseas, they’ll be able to retail the finished product for about $1,500, but if they manufacture it in-house using local labor, they’ll have to retail the bike for three times as much. “It’s unfortunate, because it would mean that most people wouldn’t be able to afford it,” Firth says. Bilenky knows this dilemma well: “On one hand, you want your brand to be bigger, to do more bikes, but if the cost of living is x and production is y, well, somewhere they don’t add up,” In addition, each recognizes that there’s something special about maintaining control of the process, a control that Guldalian would never want to relinquish. “I think of myself more as micro-manufacturing, building specialized tools to make specialized products,” he says. A meticulous machine guy whose contemporaries like to do things by hand, it might come as a surprise that Guldalian opened Wissahickon Cyclery in 1995 as a 23-year-old with no professional bicycle experience. He spent the next 10 years building relationships with his customers at the Chestnut Hill shop before beginning his bike-building business, Engin Cycles. Selftaught, Guldalian relied on those relationships when he started building. He asked 20 of his regular customers to front money for materials, which he used to build prototypes, asking that his patrons ride them and offer feedback, treating their initial investment as a credit to be put toward their own custom bike. “I had made 35 before I took a penny from anybody,” he says. “At least the first 100 bikes that I sold, I intimately knew the people who were going to buy them." Now, balancing his time between the shop and the store, Guldalian builds a complete bike every two weeks, even painting them himself, and he has a wait list of about seven months. “I want every one of those bikes to be the best bike I can make,” he says. Weaver, another self-taught bike-builder, embraces a bit of an artist’s sentimentality: “I just really like seeing my bicycles out there. … Somebody posted a photo of three or four of them together and I thought, ‘Wow, those are all mine, they all have my hand on them.’ It felt really good.” Bike-building balances these worlds of craftsmanship and artistry with utility. “A bike is a personal tool, [and] an approachable thing,” Bilenky says. “You might not be able to get a Ferrari, but most people could afford a pretty high-performance bike.”

Get Into Gear

Now that you know where to get your custom bike, here’s where to find Philadelphia-based bike gear. — Emily Teel

→→ Fabric Horse: The originator of the U-lock holsters, Fabric Horse also makes utility belts, canvas bags and the best and baddest fanny packs, all from sustainable materials in Philadelphia. fabrichorse.com

→→ ALLONEWORD: Handstitched cycling caps in the kookiest and cutest of fabrics, including the option for custom work. allonewordshop.com

→→ R.E.Load: Backpack-style and cross-body messenger bags designed and made by bike messengers. Stitched start-to-finish in their Philadelphia studio, R.E.Load’s bags, frame pads, lock covers and other accessories have become an industry standard as customizable as bikes themselves. reloadbags.com

→→ Go Cycling: Philly-based apparel company selling Yards Brewery and Flying Fish Brewery jerseys, as well as those featuring our city skyline. Bonus? A portion of proceeds for Philly-themed apparel goes to Neighborhood Bike Works! gocycling.com

→→ Lone Wolf Cycling: Subtly patterned jerseys, caps, shorts and T-shirts for the discerning road rider. lonewolfcycling.com

phillybikeexpo.com | Philly bike expo 2014 | 11

12 | Philly bike expo 2014 | phillybikeexpo.com

Paving the Way Since 2008, Philadelphia has taken strides to make its streets safer for cyclists story by Nic Esposito • photos by Mitchell Leff

f you wanted to have your voice heard and presence felt while bicycling in Philadelphia in 2007, then you’d most likely join the Critical Mass ride designed to disrupt automobile traffic and create a spectacle of advocacy. But in 2014, if you want to be seen and heard, Philadelphia has the Naked Bike Ride, where over 2,000 participants bare their bodies and celebrate the freedom to ride leisurely through the streets of our great city.

Mayor Michael Nutter participates in Bike to Work Day on May 17, 2012, an annual event hosted by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Needless to say, a lot has changed since Mayor Michael Nutter took office in 2008. Although he’s credited with ushering in a younger and more progressive Philadelphia, (which definitely lends to the lack of inhibition needed to ride naked through the street), this sea change in thinking surrounding bicycling has actually been the hard work of public officials, city planners, nonprofit advocates, small business owners and private citizens who all see the bike as the most appropriate, cost-effective and convenient mode of transportation for urban living. When asked what have been the greatest achievements in Philadelphia’s cycling scene since 2008, Alex Doty, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, has many examples. But his highlights are the creation of buffered bike lanes (as seen on Pine and Spruce Streets), and the creation of 750 miles of interconnected urban off-road trails known as The Circuit. As he thinks back to 2007, he notes, “The standards in bike facilities that we would have thought were impossible are now a reality in Philadelphia.” While he concedes that Philadelphia does not have sleek bike lanes with bike

traffic lights or bike parking, he adds, “Today, the number of people I see out on the street when I’m biking on the nastiest weather day are the same number as the people I would see biking on the sunniest day 10 years ago.” [»]

If you’ve ever wondered how the image of a bicycle with a directional arrow could keep a cyclist safe on the narrow streets of South Philadelphia or Fishtown, the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities has a good answer. This symbol, called a sharrow, is not only intended to alert drivers to share the road, but are also intentionally marked as directions for the safest bike riding routes through a densely populated neighborhood. Each street where these symbols appear has been researched and selected for light traffic flow and absence of a bus route. So, if you have trouble getting from your door to a buffered bike lane, just follow the arrows.

phillybikeexpo.com | Philly bike expo 2014 | 13

Today, the number of people I see out on the street when I’m biking on the nastiest weather day are the same number as the people I would see biking on the sunniest day 10 years ago.

Alex Doty

Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

Mayor Michael Nutter gestures April 30, 2013 as three bike-sharing providers demonstrate their products in preparation for Philadelphia’s bikeshare system.

These numbers are not just anecdotal. According to the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, citing the U.S. Census, 13,000 Philadelphians bike to work daily. Philadelphia is also the only U.S. city to have two neighborhoods—South Philadelphia and Center City—to be in the nation’s top 25 best biking neighborhoods. Andrew Stober, Chief of Staff for the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, points to the Mayor’s Greenworks Plan as a key initiative that led to these numbers. Among the many sustainability focused directives of Greenworks, specific biking highlights were building the east-to-west bike corridors on Spruce and Pine Streets, as well as lanes in North Philadelphia on Kensington Avenue and West Philadelphia on

Walnut Street, designing the Complete Streets plan, building off-road bike trails that include The Circuit and the soon-to-open Manayunk Bridge Trail, and increasing the number of bike racks on city streets to at least 2,700 since 2008. Signed as a mayoral executive order in 2009 and passed as a city ordinance by City Council in 2013, Complete Streets identifies road and sidewalk space as a “limited public good” that must be shared by myriad users including pedestrians, buses, newsstands and bikes. The plan calls for policy improvements such as balancing the needs of all users, to more technical improvements, such as timing the traffic lights to “minimize pedestrian delay and conflicts.” But more importantly, for bike advocates, the ordinance

WHY DO YOU BIKE? “It’s fast and inexpensive, and you don’t have to wait for

public transportation. Anyone can do it, and the more bike lanes and infrastructure, the more ‘regular’ people will join in.”— David Wilson, Fishtown

14 | Philly bike expo 2014 | phillybikeexpo.com

GEARING UP

calls for “[giving] full consideration to accommodation of the safety and convenience of all users of the transportation system.” When asked what he considered to be the most important initiative, Stober says, “Any one of these accomplishments are impressive on their own, but collectively, I think the biggest accomplishment is the change of thinking that we have been able to create through firmly establishing cycling as a choice mode of travel that is safe and convenient for all Philadelphians.” For a biker such as myself who has been viciously “doored,” yelled at and almost sideswiped by city drivers since 2009, I appreciate Stober and the Nutter Administration’s work, but I am still all too aware of the dangers that bikers face in the city. Ray Scheinfeld also knows this reality all to well. On the third Wednesday of May for the past 10 years, he has organized our region’s “Ride of Silence” that memorializes bicyclists killed on the roads in the Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and New Jersey area. He says that on average, 4 people die per year in the region. Last year, two Philadel-

phians died on the roads. Scheinfeld adds, “While I hope not to have to do this, I have to advocate for the safety of riders in the region.” Another advocate is the self-proclaimed “bike lawyer” Stuart Leon. He started representing bicyclists in 1986 and has been exclusively representing them since 2005. Although he also commends the increased visibility of bike lanes and signage, he also says, “So many of the crash victims I work for have been hit by motorists, even though they are bicycling in bike lanes and paying attention to the motorists and traffic conditions surrounding them.” He calls motorists’ use of smart phones a “black plague” and says that the city must write more tickets for opening a door into a cyclist or for hitting a cyclist in a bike lane. He says that he rarely ever sees those tickets in court. Planners and advocates also see the need to build on the safety issue in the next Mayoral administration. Stober cites his office’s study, other cities’ physically buffered two-way bike lanes, and the need to bring this infrastructure

Bicycling may be a priority for Mayor Michael Nutter, but he’s not the only advocate in the Nutter household. His wife, Lisa Nutter, volunteers with the Philadelphia nonprofit Gearing Up, which provides women in transition from abuse, addiction and/or incarceration with the skills, equipment and guidance to safely ride a bicycle for transportation, exercise and personal growth. Kristin Gavin, Executive Director of Gearing Up, applauds Lisa’s support. “Lisa is an avid (and strong) cyclist, who joined Gearing Up when we started in 2009. Since then, she has been a champion for us, providing ongoing insights on smart organizational development and, most importantly, sharing her passion for the joy of pedaling.” To learn more about Gearing Up, visit gearing-up.org.

to Philadelphia. Doty also touts the Bicycle Coalitions’ agenda, to be released in two months, heavily influenced by New York City’s Vision Zero Plan, which sets the ambitious and crucial two-decade goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and serious injury on New York streets. According to Doty, other cities have taken the biking bar and moved it higher. But as he views it, Philadelphia needs to keep up, because, “biking is one of those activities that shows people that a city is interesting to live in and exists on a human scale.” 

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Keeping Culture Alive A dedicated community in Philadelphia revives the lost art of fermentation written by Justin Klugh photos by Gene Smirnov

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novem be r 20 14

Seven thousand years ago, a thirsty Neolithic Iranian watched

Eurasian grapes ferment into two and a half gallons of wine. He may not have known at the time that it was wine, or that he was Iranian, or that one day, his jar would be on display at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. He likely attributed the process he witnessed to something that made sense to him, like magic, or perhaps the intervention of a decent god.

Amanda Feifer, writer of phickle.com, says people tend to find fermenting addicting: “They tend to make one thing and then suddenly their entire house is covered in jars."

Whatever it was, it didn’t scare him off, nor the next few millennia of fermenters. But with the relatively recent advent of processed foods, the number of fermenters dwindled. Now, a renaissance of the practice is afoot, led by both food activists wishing to control food production and the health conscious who read studies about the positive effects that “good” bacteria found in fermented food can carry. Today, it exists in the form of what Carly and David Dougherty hand me—a bottle of apple and hibiscus kombucha—across the table of a coffee shop. With an excited squeak, the container is uncorked. Inside is a sparkling, harmonious draught of sweet tea cultured with yeast and bacteria, bursting with life after several months sealed tightly on a shelf. Fermentation eats up nothing more than it does time; kombucha can take anywhere from a week to a month, with a lengthier brew leading to more sugars being consumed. “We’re pretty patient people,” Carly says, adding that perhaps the waiting is the hardest part. “If you can follow a basic recipe, then you can make a ferment.” Two years ago, the Doughertys embarked on a four-month venture to California’s Bay Area during a personal farmhouse culture tour that included Santa Cruz, Oakland and Berkeley, which locked in their fermentation passions. Since then, they have become part of an expanding circle of fermenters in the Philadelphia region, and insist that the process is for anyone. Their business, Food and Ferments, has been a full-time job since January 2014, and is why they recently relocated from Chestnut Hill to a larger facility in upstate New York, where, if it starts with a “K,” they ferment it: kombucha, kraut and even kvass, all available at the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market and at the Rittenhouse Farmers Market on Saturdays. “Beet kvass is like a pickle juice,” David says. “After long nights on the town, that’s our hangover cure.”

Food That’s Alive

The Doughertys heap praise upon many of their compatriots, including Amanda Feifer, a foodie, teacher and writer of phickle.com, her blog of fermentation facts, finds and recipes. Feifer is a lively source on fermentation’s slow-moving microbial chaos and how far it’s come. n ov e m b e r 20 14

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“Most fermentation is sugars being consumed and turned into something else,” she explains. “Even in ancient alcohol ferments, it was true, if not understood. Only the shamans would have access to them, and they put a liquid in a closed vessel and it starts moving. If you don’t understand the science, of course it seems like magic.” Fermentation is actually a frenzy of microscopic science. For example, with sauerkraut, the specialty of local fermenter Cobblestone Krautery, a cabbage already comes layered with lactic acid. Sealed in a container with a bacterial culture and left in room temperature, the sugars on the cabbage are slowly devoured by the lactic acid. This creates carbon dioxide and in turn, small quantities of alcohol via one of two culturings: a living bacteria culture like salt or whey to speed up the process (cheese); or wild fermentation, during which the fermentation is given no culture and takes longer to occur (fruits and vegetables, like sauerkraut). The process prolongs the shelf life of food, making regional crops even more sustainable. “It’s very easy to source local produce,” insists Cobblestone Krautery owner David Siller. “And we’re working on always using local ingredients.” Siller sells his products at Weavers Way Co-op, Greensgrow Farms, the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market and other local markets. Near the end of the process, the health benefits kick in. Enzymes are created that boost vitamins already in the food, and new vitamins—distinctly from fermentation—are created. Pickles, cabbage, carrots or whatever you’ve jarred is now swimming in probiotics, fermentation’s friendly microorganism byproduct. They emerge from the process alive and at their most beneficial to human health. (You gain nothing from consuming dead bacteria.) Probiotics are available on their own as supplements, but these don’t have the potency to fend off something like salmonella or ulcers. For that, you need fermented food.

Blessed Are the Cheesemakers: Bread, Beer and Cheese

Sourdough bread, like that made by Michael Dolich at West Philadelphia’s Four Worlds Bakery, provides benefits that don’t stop with the fermented bread itself, but reach out to any foods touching it. “There’s an inverse relationship between flavor and volume when we talk about bread,” Dolich says. “The denser it is, the more complex flavor you’re going to get. With the really light, fluffy stuff, you’ve got to add to it because it loses all of its flavor. When you eat sourdough bread, it opens your palate to whatever you put on the bread and makes it tastes better.” Restaurants such as Hawthorne’s, OCF, Lovers and Madmen, Earth Cup, Green Line Café and Ultimo Café agree, and all serve Dolich’s 20

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bread with their menu items. The bread can also be found at Mariposa Food Co-op and Harvest Local Foods in Lansdowne. “We’re still at the very beginning of discovering all the stuff ferments can do,” Feifer adds. “It’s not just probiotics, it’s not just digestion and immunity and improved absorption and increased mineral content. It’s other weird compounds that don’t exist anywhere else that are created in the fermentation process.” Feifer’s enthusiasm for fermentation is routinely on display during classes she teaches at Reading Terminal Market through Fair Food’s education series. In September, it was a sodamaking workshop that sold out far in advance. “People don’t just make one thing and then they’re like, ‘Oh, that was fun,’” Feifer says of the addiction to ferment. “They tend to make one thing and then suddenly their entire house is covered in jars. If you live in small studio spaces, you might want to make an investment in an airlock and a recap. The two together would cost $10.” It’s easy to do right, and it’s easy to do again— but things get more complicated outside of your kitchen. “It’s fine for one jar,” Feifer says, “but if you’re spending $10 on every jar, that would be impossible for me. I have 50 ferments going at any given time.” It’s as simple as thinking of the foods you like, and then putting them through a process that brings out even more of their natural flavors. Pickles are a traditional starting point, and as Feifer says, “They’re probably the best ferment to make; you don’t need any special equipment, you don’t need anything—you need salt and vegetables.” Yogurt is another popular at-home ferment, and offers an alternative to the pricey high-quality yogurts at the grocery store. “There are yogurt cultures you can purchase for nine dollars that will live literally forever,” Feifer says. “You can make yogurt for the rest of your life just by buying good milk.” Jon Medlinsky, brewer of heavily fermented sour beers at Khyber Pass Pub, is in attendance for Feifer’s soda class, quietly seated in the back, only to be immediately outed by Feifer after someone asks about beer fermentation. “Home brewers doing sour beers for the first time, it’s difficult,” Medlinsky says. “For most people, their first sour beers are terrible. Mine were terrible.” Medlinsky says a sour beer’s signature tart, acidic flavor can come from fermenting lambics and red ales with fruit, but the real thrill is in using the untam-

able bacterial strains, brettanomyces and pediococcus, the fiends that sour beers and spoil wines. They are wickedly temperamental, having strong, flavorful reactions to the passage of time. It can take months for the beer to be drinkable; longer if you wait for it to hit maturity, but each passing day is a gamble. “People think sour beer can be dangerous for them, but it really almost can’t be,” Medlinsky says of the timely, finicky process. But the practice doesn’t scare him. Not like cheese does. “Cheese is really difficult to do,” Medlinsky warns, his beard practically curling fearfully at the thought. “As a home brewer, I can go out and buy Hefeweizen yeast when I’m making a Hefeweizen, and I follow a recipe, and I get a pretty stable, normal product. And you can do that with cheese, too. But it’s almost illegal.” Medlinksy is referring to rules set by the Food and Drug Administration, which has rigid stances on milk, and a lot of people going down the cheese-making path wind up turning back when faced with the full brunt of the government’s standards. This past June, rebellion almost erupted from the FDA’s threats to ban all cheese-making on wooden shelves. But an hour from Center City, past the endless corn of the Oley Valley and through the covered bridge that gives Covered Bridge Road its name, is Stefanie Angstadt’s Valley Milkhouse. Angstadt is more aware than anyone of milk’s treachery. “Milk is such a living and breathing chemical substance as it is,” she says. “If you don’t do anything to it, it will ferment. Fermentation is happening right now in the gallon in your fridge.” It was happening to milk thousands of years ago, too, when peasants stored their surplus supply in

West Philadelphia’s Four Worlds Bakery's Michael Dolich praises sourdough bread's ability to take on the flavors of whatever it is paired with.

Cobblestone Krautery owner David Siller recommends sourcing locally for any ferments: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very easy." n ov e m b e r 20 14

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Do It Yourself: Kefir

photos and story by amanda feifer

ilk kefir is a sour, drinking yogurt, and for making it yourself, the first thing to know is that you need a culture. You can buy it, but first look on listservs, Craigslist and other sites for people willing to part with their grain—or symbiotic communities of bacteria and yeast (SCOBYs)—for free. Grains can happily and safely be stored at in fresh milk in your refrigerator for 10 days.

Creating the Right Environment for Milk Kefir The essential elements for successful milk kefir fermentation: * Temperature: Room temperature is great for milk kefir. Anything in the 64 to 78 degree F range will work just fine. Warmer temperatures will speed up fermentation; lower temperatures will slow it. * Aerobic or Anaerobic? There are different kinds of fermentation. Some require air (aerobic), others require no air (anaerobic). Milk kefir is technically an anaerobic process, but you don’t need to work to keep your grains submerged like you do when pickling vegetables. * Fermentation Time: The longer milk kefir ferments, the more acidic it will be and the lower it will be in lactose. Don’t ferment for longer than 48 hours. Although these grains are acid-tolerant, even they have their limits.

Choosing the Right Milk You can make milk kefir from just about any kind of milk; just remember to give your grains a period of adjustment when you switch from one milk to another. * Fat content: Every set of grains I’ve had has been happiest in full-fat milk. However, lower-fat milks are fine to use if that’s what you prefer. Your grains may reproduce more slowly, and your final product may not be as delicious, but that’s OK (and also subjective!).

* Raw vs. Pasteurized: Some grains that you purchase will come with a note or a warning that raw milk can kill them. Raw milk has a very heavy bacterial load that can sometimes compete with or dominate the colonies in your grains. When you get new grains, I recommend growing them in the same type of milk that they have been grown in by their previous owner, at least for a while. If they’re used to pasteurized and you want to use raw, give them a couple weeks in their original milk, then split the grains. Run them through the normal kefir paces for a couple weeks and continue to maintain a batch in the pasteurized milk, just in case. After several batches, take note: Have your grains shrunken or grown (weighing them before). Is the kefir you’re getting ideal in flavor, taste and texture? If they seem to be thriving after several batches, you’re good to go. * Animal: Goat milk kefir is delicious. I’ve never had sheep’s milk kefir, but have heard that it, too, contains lactose, the food of the kefir grains, and should work well. Cow’s milk works great. * Non-Dairy: Non-dairy milks do not contain lactose and are inadvisable. If you are vegan or cannot have any dairy at all, I would recommend trying a different cultured beverage, such as water kefir or kombucha. If you dislike dairy or can only tolerate small amounts, you can use a very small amount of finished milk kefir to culture your non-dairy milks.

Making Milk Kefir Place about 2 Tablespoons of grains into a quart jar. Pour in your chosen milk. Fill to about the 3 cup mark. Place the lid on, or cover with a cloth and a rubber band. Let your jar sit at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 24 hours (see “Fermentation Time” above for more detail). Strain finished kefir into a jar through a nonmetallic, fine-mesh strainer. Place grains into a new jar or vessel and cover in milk. Repeat.

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preparation for future outages, and had their foresight rewarded by the discovery that, over time, their reserves had partially solidified and fully soured. That is the full spectrum of fermentation in the dairy world—milk spoiling into curd. Angstadt specializes in “tangy, oozy, creamy” cheeses that rely heavily on strict amounts of lactose and precise timing to hit their peak flavor, but don’t have lengthy shelf lives. (Philadelphians can buy her cheese at the Fair Food Farmstand in the Terminal, too.) Cheese can be the roughest fermenting ride in town, and Angstadt knows it. “You can try all you want to have it be as controlled as possible,” she says. “But in the end, you’re at the mercy of something that’s really wild. And I think that’s kind of sexy.”

Batter Up: Prosciutto, Cured Meats

What is sexy about something natural and mysterious that refuses to play by the rules? For Andrew Wood, head chef and farm-to-table enthusiast at Russet, the allure lies in the cyclical nature. “We’re only two generations removed from this,” he says. “My grandma fermented things. So, if you look at it over a 150-year span, it’s the grocery stores that are the trend.” Wood is accustomed to watching the weeks tick by as he prepares his duck prosciutto and other cured meats; after, of course, the part where he beats them without mercy. “You gotta beat it up with a baseball bat to break down the muscle fibers,’” Wood says. “And then our prosciutto takes a year—it’s just pork and sea salt. That’s it. Then you wait.” At six months, the meat is good to go, but it can be another six months before it reaches the intended level of dryness, and 10 to 18 months later before the water has left the meat and penetrated the salt. But that’s the straightforward approach. It’s a widespread falsehood that salami is the easiest starting point of meat fermentation, because once it’s broken down in a meat grinder, the surface area is larger and will absorb more bacteria, now requiring a hurry-up fermentation like cheese. If the salami isn’t immediately cultured, Wood says, “Bad things are gonna happen.” No one’s getting hit with a bat or anything, but the salt may not penetrate correctly, or the acidity may not dip low enough. Wood shakes his head at some catastrophic memory. “All kinds of weird and different things can happen with salamis.”

Cobblestone Krautery's Kensington Garli-Kraut and South Philly Jungle Kraut

Simple Plan: How to Get Started

It’s the potential for the weird and different—like Cobblestone’s “Jungle Kraut” or Food and Ferments’ beet kvass—that has brought fermentation home to more and more Philadelphia kitchens, thanks to a strong regional base of willing local experts with endless tips. Feifer hails the importance of keeping a marker and masking tape near the fridge for dating and labeling jars. “And do not do cauliflower first,” Feifer warns. “It tastes great, but it smells.” Food and Ferments’ David Dougherty echoes that sentiment: “Ultimately, you trust your senses. If it smells like crap and it’s green and growing hair, it’s probably not good to eat it.” There certainly exists an industry of fermentation gear, the usage of which guides the process along amicably. But Feifer has always found alternatives to coming home with her arms full of equipment. “All of the people I’ve found that say buying equipment makes it better are people that are usually selling something,” she says. “I’ve tried all of these things so many times and I’ve never experienced any benefit to spending the extra money.” Fermentation is at its purest when performed simply—there was a time when this process required nothing more than a wine jar and a lot of time to kill. Being a natural process, it’s going to occur in some cases with or without your involvement; you are merely controlling the elements in play when it does. The Doughertys recommend starting with a

one-gallon container, or even just a mason jar. “Temperature is really important,” Carly advises. “If it’s 90 degrees in your kitchen, those microbes are gonna do different things than if it’s 65-70.” They have a room adjacent to their kitchen, separated with a sheet that stays cool with an AC unit in the window. Food and Ferments now includes up to 10 different ferments of various sizes; when demand forced them to bring home their first two-gallon crock, they knew they’d hit the big time. For those more interested in kraut by the truckload, renting out kitchen space has allowed Cobblestone Krautery to produce 100 gallons in a batch. “The most important part of the whole thing, in my opinion, is labor,” Siller says. Cobblestone makes use of large, food-grade 33-gallon plastic containers, storing shredded cabbage in a Hobart shredder at Greensgrow Farms. “Just plan, and don’t get too nervous about it.” Siller says. “Don’t buy a bunch of CSA food items and then realize too late that it’s too much food.” When performing a cooking method from before the invention of writing, it helps to embody the practices closer to agriculture in its fledgling, highly natural stage. It also helps to do so around here, where Philadelphia’s fermenters are always pointing to and repeating each other, usually without even realizing it. Angstadt, her Oley Valley operation only five months old, has found it nothing but convivial: “It’s fun to geek out over this stuff, and it’s nice to have people in this immediate area that are willing to do that.”  n ov e m b e r 20 14

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GERMANTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL

through

LIFE

O P E N H O U S E S : O C T O B E R 2 5 & N O V E M B E R 11

3 1 W E S T C O U LT E R S T R E E T, P H I L A D E L P H I A , PA 1 9 1 4 4 215.951.2345

W W W. G E R M A N T O W N F R I E N D S . O R G

Fall is for Planting. Make your tree count! NOVEMBER 2, 2014

Join us for an adventurous trail run that will send you maneuvering through the rolling fields that spread across Lundale Farm.

$30 adults | $20 children under 18 LIMITED SIGN UPS AVAILABLE

PRIZES FOR TOP CATEGORY WINNERS - EVERYONE GETS A FREE TSHIRT FOR SIGNING UP!

After the run ... celebrate with us!

Beer Sampling with 2nd Story Brewing • Live Music Kids Activities • Farm Tours • Demos • Local Food Trucks Lundale Farm is not-for-profit sustainable farming community of more than 400 acres in northern Chester County, crossed by French Creek and the Horseshoe Trail. Once home to the Morris family, Lundale now leases land to a variety of organic farmers. Lundale Farm strives to offer inspiration, innovation, and opportunity for new farmers, landowners, and others who support locally grown food.

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Lundale Farm, 3500 Coventryville Rd, Pottstown, PA

farmtofeettrails.com • info@farmtofeettrails.com • 610.292.0880

2014

Friday, November 21 Adults Only 6 pm – 10 pm Saturday, November 22nd $5 Admission 10 am – 5 pm st

Handmade gifts for sale and magical children’s activities

7500 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19119

across from the Trolley Car Diner in Mt. Airy For more information: development@phillywaldorf.com

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Oct

Preparing Your Chickens for Winter

Is this your first winter with chickens? Maureen Breen’s workshop will go over how to keep chickens happy and healthy in the freezing temperatures. The lecture will discuss chicken varieties better suited to winter, molting, winter feeding, coop preparation, increase of predation and deep litter piling. Space is limited.

→→ Sat., Oct. 18, 11 a.m. $10. Primex Garden Center,

435 W. Glenside Ave., Glenside, Pa. Registration required. call 215-887-7500. primexgardencenter.com

OCT 18

Get Your Community Garden Growing

Join the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Camden County and Sustainable Camden County for a conference about creating and maintaining community gardens. Hear from lecturers with firsthand experience on how to partner with youth in the garden, and logistics and strategies for gardening collectives. Lunch included. →→ Sat., Oct. 18, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. $25. Camden County

Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill, N.J. camden.njaes.rutgers.edu/garden

OCT

Bloomfield Farm Day

Visitors are invited to celebrate farming life, past and present, at Bloomfield Farm Day at Morris Arboretum. In addition to guided tours of Springfield Mills, the Arboretum’s historic creek-side flour mill and the farm property, there will be demonstrations and vendors commemorating Bloomfield Farm’s agricultural history. Learn about time-honored farming professions by educational instructors, including beekeeper Jim Bob, quilter Christine Shamborski, and people from the Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers who will demonstrate spinning and weaving.

→→ Sun., Oct. 19, noon to 3 p.m. Free. The

Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave. morrisarboretum.org

PENCIL IT IN! To have your event considered for publication in Grid, email events@gridphilly.com. Submissions are due on the 19th of every month. For a full list of calendar events, visit gridphilly.com.

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OCT

Watch Party and Discussion for the Documentary, Growing Cities Attend a screening and brief discussion of the documentary film Growing Cities (growingcitiesmovie.com). This film examines the role of urban farming in America, and asks how to revitalize our cities and change the way we eat. →→ Mon. Oct. 20, 6 p.m. Free. Madeville Teletorium, 5600 City Ave. RSVP at foodday.org

OCT 19

The World’s Greatest Farmer Showdown

This family-friendly event will celebrate local farmers and this season’s harvest. Local farm teams will compete for prizes in contests such as the pumpkin shot put, wheelbarrow obstacle course and a farmer-led harvesting competition. Attendees will also enjoy the amateur chili cook-off, live music by the Whiskeyhickon Boys, and speciality craft beer and locally inspired food from Victory Brewing Company. Kids can participate in their own showdown games, Lost Arts workshops and Alpacas playtime. All proceeds will support Greener Partners, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building community through sustainable farming and farm-based education. →→ Sun., Oct. 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $10 per car or $5

per person. Longview Center for Agriculture, 3215 Stump Hall Rd., Collegeville, Pa. greenerpartners.

OCT

Food 101: A Panel Discussion

This panel will provide information about fair trade, what it means, eating organic, and local foods and food deserts.

→→ Wed. Oct. 22, 6 p.m. Free. Madeville Teletorium, 5600 City Ave. RSVP at foodday.org

OCT

The Vital Roles of Birds

John W. Fitzpatrick, the Louis Agassiz Fuertes director at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, will lecture on how birds can save the world. This illustrated lecture emphasizes the vital roles that birds play in fostering conservation of worldwide biological diversity.

→→ Wed. Oct. 22, 2 p.m. $15 for members, $20 for non-

members. Morris Arboretum’s Widener Visitor Center, 100 E. Northwestern Ave. Registration required. Call 215-247-5777, ext. 125 or email education@ morrisarboretum.org . morrisarboretum.org

org/events

OCT 19

Bartram’s Orchard Day and Harvest Festival

Hosted by the Urban Nutrition Initiative at Bartram’s Garden Community Farm, Harvest Festival and River Adventure Day includes fall fun programs, cider pressing and cooking workshops, pumpkin carving, canoeing, fishing and hay rides.

OCT

Kimchi Fermentation Workshop at Greensgrow

Amanda Feifer, fermenting enthusiast behind phickle.com, will discuss kimchi and the basics of fermentation, including proper fermentation techniques and some of the known health benefits of fermented foods. Participants will get their own jar of kimchi to ferment at home. →→ Sat., Oct. 25, noon to 2 p.m. $35. Registration

→→ Sun., Oct. 19, 1 to 4 p.m. Free. Community Farm

and Food Resource Center at Bartram’s Garden, 54th St. and Linbergh Blvd. urbannutrition.org

required. Greensgrow Community Kitchen at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church. greensgrow.org/event/ kimchi-fermentation-workshop-with-phickle/

p h oto cou rt esy o f GROW I N G CITIES FILM

OCT

Fall Fun: Crawly Critters

Discover the critters that call the forest floor their home and understand their role in the ecosystem. The program is appropriate for ages 3 through 8. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Dress appropriately for the weather.

nov

Green Ribbon Trail Race

This five-mile race runs along the Wissahickon Creek, following the Green Ribbon Trail downstream, passing the Evans-Mumbower Mill and circling through the Natural Lands Trust’s Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve, finishing back at the park’s pavilion for the award ceremony and brunch.

→→ Fri., Oct. 31, 10 to 11:15 a.m. Free for members, $7 for

child with adult and $3 for each additional child. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Visitor Center, 1635 River Rd. (Rt. 32), New Hope, Pa. bhwp.org.

NOV

Compost Workshop

In this workshop, participants will create their own compost or worm bin to keep organic matter out of the waste system and turn it into a rich fertilizer for plants. Greensgrow farmer Nathan will teach about home-scale composting systems and cover the best practices of composting for gardeners and urban dwellers. Traditional composting, vermicomposting (composting with worms) and compost tea will also be covered.

→→ Sat., Nov. 1, noon to 2 p.m. $15. Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland St. greensgrow.org/events

NOV

Food Gift Workshop

Learn how to make and package an assortment of homemade and delicious food gifts. Join Anna Herman of Anna Herman’s Backyard Farm School to understand sources and suppliers, labeling tips, and storage and food safety issues. Recipes for sweets such as pecan cherry biscotti and savory items such as barley mushroom soup mix will be provided during the demonstration. Price includes sampling, demo, make-and-take of one product. Materials to make additional products available for purchase.

→→ Sat., Nov. 1. noon to 2 p.m. Cost $40. Education

Center at the Awbury Agricultural Village, 1011 E. Washington Ln. Registration required. awbury.org/events

nov 01

The Penn Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology hosts a tour of the Mexico and Central America Gallery, and adjacent Native American Voices exhibition, with a focus on food. The group will learn about the principal Mayan “top 10” foods, and about diverse food preparation techniques in Mesoamerica and North America. Tours leave from the Kamin main entrance.

Registration required. 1 Parkside Dr., North Wales, Pa. wvwa.org/trailrace

nov

Your Yard, Their Home: Bee, Bird and Bat Houses

Transform your yard into a home for these essential ecosystem inhabitants, and take home a nest box. →→ Sun., Nov. 2, 1 to 3 p.m. $35 (material included).

Mt. Cuba Center, 3120 Barley Mill Rd., Hockessin, Del. Registration required. mtcubacenter.org

nov

Terrariums: History and How-to Horticulturist Josh Coceano leads a 05 workshop on creating unique terrariums. Each participant will receive all material needed, including three plants. A list of where to get more plants, as well as information on care and maintenance, will also be provided. The workshop is limited to 14 people.

admission. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South St. penn.museum/events-calendar

This demonstration, presented by Greensgrow Farms and the Free Library, and led by experts from the Kensington Quarters, will show a nose-to-tail goat butchering, done by Michael Pasquarello, owner of Bufad and Prohibition Taproom, and butcher Bryan Mayer, both of Kensington Quarters. →→ Sat., Nov. 8, 12 to 2 p.m. $35. Culinary Literacy

Center at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central Library, 4th floor, 1901 Vine St. Registration required. greensgrow.org/events

Nov

Walk With the Curator Tour: Oaks

Learn about the value, history and garden importance of oak trees with curator Andrew Bunting. This tour is geared for gardeners from beginners to experts. The lecture will begin at the Scott Arboretum offices. In the case of inclement weather, the tour will be canceled.

→→ Sun., Nov. 9, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Free. Scott Arboretum

of Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, Pa. scottarboretum.org/calendar

→→ Wed., Nov. 5, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $30 for Scott

Arboretum members, $40 for non-members. Wister Center, Gillespie Room, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, Pa. Registration required. scottarboretum.org/calendar

Nov

Biochar: A Climate Change Solution?

What is biochar? And what role can it play in building good garden soils? Dale Hendricks of Green Light Plants will lead a biochar making and cooking demonstration. Bring a cup, bowl and spoon.

at the Awbury Agricultural Village, 1011 E. Washington Ln. Registration required. awbury. org/events

nov

Tree Planting Party Join the Natural Lands Trust in im08 proving Delaware County’s drinking water at this preservation event (suitable for adults and kids ages 8 and up) by helping to plant trees in the area. →→ Sat., Nov. 8, 9 a.m. to noon. Hildacy Farm

→→ Sat., Nov. 1, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Free with

Whole Goat Butchering With Kensington Quarters

→→ Sat., Nov. 1, 8 to 10:30 a.m. $35 to $40.

→→ Sat. Nov. 8, 1 to 4 p.m. $25. Education Center

Food Tour: Mexico and Central America Gallery

nov

Preserve, 1031 Palmers Mill Rd., Media, Pa. Registration required. Email Debbie Beer at dbeer@natlands.org. natlands.org

Innovative Low Country Cooking at its best!

Beautiful Dining Room Takeout available. Also, full service catering at your place or ours. Featured on

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

6825 Germantown Ave. Philadelphia, Pa 19119 . 215-843-8113

www.GeecheeGirl.com

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gridphilly.com

nov

Sustainable Energy Conference

This year’s conference will focus on how energy efficiency can be a tool to preserve affordable housing and support equitable development. Topics will include advancements in energy efficiency job training and how gentrification impacts affordable housing. There will also be a town hall meeting with Pennsylvania’s new governor.

→→ Wed. Nov. 12, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PECO Energy

Hall, 2301 Market St. $40. Registration required. ecasavesenergy.org/Conference2014

Nov

Ferns in the Garden

Anyone with an interest in gardening and general horticulture is invited to join the Horticultural Society of South Jersey meeting. This month features “Ferns in the Garden,” a program by Master Gardener Joanne Szeliga. Szeliga will discuss requirements for successful growth, how ferns propagate and how they can enhance your garden, featuring seven ferns that can easily fit into your landscape.

nov

Medicinal Herbs Workshop

Get started building a herbal medicine cabinet with this hands-on workshop. Learn how to make infused vinegars and herbal syrups to keep winter coughs and colds at bay. Kristin O’Malley, blogger at herbanmomma. com, will discuss different herbal preparations to boost immune systems to fight off any bugs. Participants will make some of their own virus-fighting products and take home a bottle of elderberry syrup and fire cider to add to their home herbal collection.

→→ Sat., Nov. 15, noon to 2 p.m. $35. Greensgrow Farm, 2501 E. Cumberland St. greensgrow.org/events

nov 16

Hazon Philadelphia Jewish Food Festival

This all-day event includes workshops, demos, marketplace shopping and lectures with food leaders to discuss topics such as sustainable agriculture. Fee covers sessions, samples and kosher lunch. →→ Sun., Nov. 16, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $36 for adult,

→→ Wed., Nov. 12. 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Carmen Tilelli Community Center, 820 Mercer St., Cherry Hill, N.J. HSSJ.org

nov

Fabulous Felt Creations

At this workshop, practice the popular fiber craft of needle felting and the art of sculpting wool fleece using a special barbed needle. With a few simple techniques, create many different pieces from jewelry, embellishments, ornaments, toys, wool pets or sculptures. All participants go home with all the material needed to continue felting.

$18 for student and young adult (6 to 25), $12 for child with lunch included, free for child without lunch. Temple Adath Israel, 250 N. Highland Ave., Merion Station, Pa. hazon.org/calendar

nov

The Workshop Table Supper Club at the Art Department

Shayna Marmar of Honeypie Cooking teaches a social workshop that includes a three-course group meal, cooking instruction and wine and beer. The dinner will be made using seasonal produce from the Fair Food Farmstand. Supper Club is held on the third Thursday of the month.

→→ Thurs., Nov. 13, 1 to 4 p.m. $75 (material included).

Mt. Cuba Center, 3120 Barley Mill Rd., Hockessin, Del. Registration required. mtcubacenter.org

nov

Farm-to-Table Cupcakes Workshop

Attendees will learn how to transform local produce into mini cupcakes. The group will discuss basic cupcake batter and buttercream icing recipes, making a Thanksgiving-inspired cupcake using seasonal produce and two types of frosting that can be flavored for the holiday. Participants will go home with samples and recipes.

→→ Sat., Nov. 22, noon to 2 p.m. $35. Registration

required. Greensgrow Community Kitchen at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, 2139 E. Cumberland St. greensgrow.org/events

nov

Philly Fixers Guild’s Repair Fair

Got broken stuff? Bring it to the Philly Fixers Guild’s Repair Fair. The Philly Fixers Guild is a community organization that supports neighbors and encourages repairing broken items instead of throwing them away. During the Fair, Philadelphians are welcome to bring in their damaged or inoperative possessions to have a capable volunteer fixer help them get it back to working condition.

→→ Sat., Nov. 22. Noon to 4 p.m. Free. Schissler Recreation Center, 1800 Blair St. phillyfixersguild.org

nov

Gobble Gobble Heritage Walk

Join the Bicycle Coalition to get moving after Turkey Day. Participants will walk the proposed trail from Pencoyd to Manayunk via the Cynwyd Heritage and Schuylkill River Trails. A staff member from the Bicycle Coalition’s Policy Department will provide information about each section of The Circuit trail. This event is part of the Exploring The Circuit series.

→→ Sat., Nov. 29, 1 to 4 p.m. Free for Bicycle Coalition →→ Thurs., Nov. 20, 6 to 9 p.m. $65, $55 if you bring

a friend. The Art Department, 1638 E. Berks St. artdeptpa.com/wkspcheckout/workshop-table

members, $20 for member signup. Cynwyd Heritage Trail, Bala Cynwyd, Pa. Registration required. bicyclecoalition.org

MILO K., Hermit Crab

gridph i l ly.com

novem be r 2014

illustrati o n by Daniel Kaye

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A Man for All Seasons A cyclist’s commitment to all-weather commuting by Bobby Szafranski

ast October I got serious about biking. I know it was October because that’s when I ordered a pair of waterproof pants from Amazon. I had already been biking mostly everywhere for just over half a decade, but I had made a conscious decision to only bike, regardless of the weather. So I already had slightly leaky rain boots and a rain jacket, and the only missing component to biking through a downpour was rain pants. Before buying those pants, it was far too easy for a rainy day to force me onto the trolley, but since then I really had no excuse but to bike to work. My partner Nikki and I shared a car, using it maybe once a week, but when we moved to West Philadelphia, I wanted to prove to myself that I could eliminate even those occasional weekly trips. With the exception of occasional family visits to western Pennsylvania, I wanted to be car-free. My endeavor really began before my move from Fishtown when I sold two heavily modified bikes to buy a beloved ’84 Cannondale touring bike off Craigslist that acts as my “every occasion” bike. It’s light and nimble enough to ride in the city,

but also comfortable and geared for long distance rides. Working off my budget, I swapped out most of the old parts to make the bike essentially new and utterly perfect for my needs. My commute from West Philly to work is a nice 3.5-mile ride that takes me between 12 and 25 minutes depending on traffic, weather and if I feel like working up a sweat. Even in the worst of weather, it’s not long enough of a ride to be that bad. The hardest thing about this undertaking has been riding through the winter. And the past winter was a particularly tough one. Slow, careful cycling, using the right gear, and the added satisfaction of being the only one biking into my office got me through it. For all of the trials one faces when cycling every single day, without exception, the thing that makes it possible is changing your mindset. I really wanted to not only accept, but to embrace the weather that cyclists historically battle. When it’s raining, I know that I’m going to get wet. Instead of trying to stay dry, I simply bring dry clothes to change into and get gear that enables me to stay

mostly dry. I’m also particularly lucky that I work for the Clean Air Council. Because the nonprofit is a strong cycling advocate, the executive director understands that when it’s snowing I may be late coming into work, and instead of feeling forced to rush into work to be on time, I get a text from him that simply says “be safe.” I keep going with this seemingly crazy venture because in my mind, there’s no other option. I’ve already decided that this is how I will live my life, and with everything already in place, it would feel like giving up if I went back in any way. Although there are challenges, my decision to bike every day gets reaffirmed when I can bike past a line of cars from Walnut Street’s bike lane with a smile on my face while my fellow Philadelphians are sitting in traffic, bubbling over in rage. It’s a way of life I wouldn’t give up. bobby szafranski is the Special Events Coordinator for the Clean Air Council, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone’s right to breathe clean air.

Each month, Dispatch features personal reflections on adventures in sustainability. Have a story you’d like to share? E-mail getinvolved@gridphilly.com 30

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novem be r 2014

illustrati o n by L au ra Weiszer

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power Trip

From New Delhi to Philadelphia in pursuit of clean energy.

Neha Karmeshu Master of Environmental Studies ‘12, University of Pennsylvania To learn more about Neha’s transition from New Delhi to Philadelphia (and which city has worse traffic), visit www.upenn.edu/grid

Neha Karmeshu (MES ’12) grew up in the bustle and beauty of New Delhi. As the city boomed around her, she says, “energy prices fluctuated greatly — and I wanted to know why.” Neha studied economics and energy trading and went on to consult with General Electric as a risk analyst, researching energy companies to find out whether they were potential business partners. “The companies I analyzed always mentioned their ‘commitment to the environment.’ I became curious as to how you actually assess the quality of those efforts,” Neha says. She chose Penn’s MES program because it offered both the technical knowledge and environmental context she sought in order to understand how companies can make a true commitment to sustainability. Neha took courses on environmental management at the Wharton School, GIS mapping classes at the Design School, and classes in hydrology in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Staff from Penn’s MES Program are here to answer your questions face-to-face on the second Wednesday of each month. Walk right in.

www.upenn.edu/grid

After completing her degree in 2012, she found work at CalEnergy Generation as a Senior Environmental Coordinator, ensuring energy companies’ compliance with environmental regulations in southern California. “I want to conserve resources, and use them in a way that we don’t hamper the productivity of future generations,” Neha says, “To reach that optimal balance, we need to have science and technology on our side, and I’m proud to be part of that process every day.”

www.upenn.edu/grid

www.facebook.com/UPennEES

@PENN_EES