2010 Farmbook [#012 Special]

p

r e s e n t s

2010

Meet members of the pennsylvania association for sustainable agriculture working to bring fresh, delicious food to local eaters

page

page

4 / Artisanal cheese from a family farm in Chester County

6 / A Kennett Square couple tells a story through their heirloom seeds page 7 / Urban farming gets kicked into high gear

Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture www.pasafarming.org

from PASA’s execut ive

d i r e c to r

To the Readers of Grid, All of us at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) are delighted to share our story with folks who truly understand the importance of building a food system that not only helps to keep good farmers on the land, but good environmental practices in the field and good food on your tables.

PASA is a statewide organization, but our reputation as one of the most “with it” agricultural communities around extends throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and, indeed, to the whole country. With nearly 6,000 members, we are also one of the largest groups anywhere working on sustainability issues on farms in both an intentional and intensive way. Our mission is to promote profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.

There are many ways you can participate in PASA’s programs, some of which you’ll find highlighted in these pages. If you want to farm, or just want to watch, maybe you’ll attend one of our very popular Farm-Based Education Field Days held throughout the year. Or, if you want to learn from and meet others who love sustainable agriculture, please join us at our Farming for the Future Conference, held in State College, PA every February, which draws 2,000 participants from nearly every state and several foreign countries. But if you really love the great food our farmers work so hard to produce, take a look on buylocalpa.org to see where you can find it, or join our Good Food Neighborhood™ to stay in touch with others who are in the know.

PASA is not just an educational program or advocacy group—we actually believe the world can be changed in real time, one food dollar at a time. We’d love to have you join us in that effort, on behalf of the farms, our food and the entire planet.

Brian Snyder Executive Director of PASA

buying Tip Often we are forced to rely on labels for information about where food comes from, and how it was raised or grown. That can be a confusing process—just because something is organic doesn’t mean it was produced on a sustainable farm, or harvested by fairly-treated workers.

Food Alliance, a PASA partner, offers the most comprehensive certification program for sustainably produced food in North America. They evaluate many facets of a business’ practices, including working conditions, humane treatment of animals and environmental protection efforts. So, when making food choices, look out for their seal. For information, visit foodalliance.org.

Contents Birchrun Hills Farm ����������������������������� 4 Restaurant Alba ����������������������������������� 5 Happy Cat Organics ��������������������������� 6 Weaver’s Way Farm ��������������������������� 7 Inverbrook Farm ���������������������������������� 8 Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op ���������� 8 Noble: An American Cookery ��������� 9 Harvest Local Foods ������������������������ 10 Country Time Farm ����������������������������11 Vetri, Osteria, Amis �����������������������������11 Frecon Farms ���������������������������������������12 Paradocx Vineyards ��������������������������12 2010 Calendar �������������������������������������14 Credits Produced by Grid Magazine, © 2010 Alex Mulcahy, Publisher alex@gridphilly.com Lee Stabert, Editor lee@gridphilly.com

W

e all know that food tastes better when it’s prepared by someone

who loves us, or when it recalls something treasured from the past— Dad’s Friday night roasted chicken, your neighbor’s homemade hot fudge or the tangy summer slaw that smells like the very essence of childhood beach weekends. This extends to other factors, too: An exquisite restaurant dish is improved by the environment, whether it’s a verdant patio under the spring sun or a space so shabby and unassuming that the contrast between culinary sensation and décor produces an unexpected burst of pleasure.

This is why eating locally is so powerful. Won’t a pizza taste better when it’s topped with cheese from cows who have names and graze freely, munching on grass throughout the warmer months? What about a salad topped with shredded beets that were handed to you by the very person who pulled them from the earth, still caked in rich, pesticide-

Jamie Leary, Art Director Jamie@gridphilly.com Photographers Tim Mountz, Dan Murphy, David Schrott, Brian Snyder, Lee Stabert, Kennett Square Farmers’ Market Red Flag Media 1032 Arch St., 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-625-9850

DaisyAd4.875x2.5

12/3/09

3:12 PM

Page 2

free Pennsylvania soil? And that tomato from your garden—flush with colors you didn’t know were possible in nature, and born of a seed that was passed down through a local family—is it possible to serve it without a burst of warmth and pride?

Reconnecting with agriculture imbues the process of cooking and eating with layer upon layer of joy and history. How can that not taste good?

Getting that message across is one of PASA’s main goals. These pages feature the personal stories of individual farmers, families and businesses, all PASA members, and all dedicated to enriching our local food web with healthy, wholesome and delicious options. Through that work, a community is created, and we hope their stories will encourage you to enlist—to strike up a conversation at your next local farmers’ market, to choose restaurants featuring farm fresh products, and to make an extra effort to buy from a sustainable farm. Just don’t forget to savor every bite.

NEW YORK CITY

+ contents? + credits?

LEBANON

PHILADELPHIA

LANCASTER

Local flours since 1890.

WASHINGTON, DC

Lancaster/Lebanon County, PA

800-624-3279

www.daisyflour.com

2 01 0 farmb ook

|

PASA3

2002

Birchrun Hills Farm Ken and Sue Miller

specialty Artisan cheese, grass-fed veal and pork find them Headhouse

Birchrun Hills Farm A local dairy farm turns out killer cheese, and a few surprises

O

n his first day of kindergarten, the teacher asked Ken Miller what he wanted to be when he grew up. It was an easy answer, since he could only imagine becoming one thing: a farmer.

offered something that we grew, people would line up to buy it.” Members eventually started inquiring about buying milk, cheese and ice cream. The Millers already had neighbors in the yogurt and ice cream businesses, so cheese seemed like the obvious choice. contact 2573 Horseshoe Sue did some research and discovered a PASATrail, Chester Springs sponsored course on artisanal, raw milk cheesebirchrunhillsfarm.com making. “I had missed the deadline to sign up,” she birchrunhillsfarm explains. “So, I called them up and said, ‘You have @verizon.net got to get me in to this class, no matter what.’”

The Millers used neighbors for market research, and they loved Birchrun’s cheese from the beginning—both a “Birchrun Blue” and “Highland Alpine,” a delicious, nutty alpine-style hard cheese. (“They still get home delivery,” jokes Ken.) The business has We were so lucky to be able to stay in this region blossomed from there. Birchrun now where people think agriculture is dying. It’s really not. offers “Fat Cat,” a creamy, milder cheese that began as a happy accident It’s just reinventing itself... — s u e m i l l e r after temperature problems in the aging room, and in the summer when the cows’ milk is especially low in fat, they At this point, the Millers only sold to the comroll out the seasonal Matilda Summer Tomme. “It’s modities market, but they had always harbored really just been a whirlwind for us,” says Sue. “We were so lucky to be able to stay in this region where a desire to sell directly to their neighbors. They began experimenting, and offered a produce CSA people think agriculture is dying. It’s really not. It’s for a few years. They were overwhelmed by the just reinventing itself.” positive response. “People wanted to connect Birchrun Hills also continues to reinvent itself, with the farm,” says Ken. “We knew we were good with the help of the Millers’ two sons. Up until two neighbors and all, but we didn’t realize that if we years ago, they were selling their bull calves to the Farmer’s Market, The Market at the Piazza, Fair Food Farmstand, DiBruno Brothers, Betty’s Speakeasy, Almanac Market

“

PASA4

Miller’s grandfather had been a farmer, but the last cows were sold by the time Ken was 10, and his father was a schoolteacher. At 14, he started raising bull calves that he bought from a friend’s father.

After college, Miller leased more land and added corn and soybeans to his portfolio. But, even then, his goal was to become a dairy farmer.

Miller bought his first heifers in Spring 1980. Over the next decade land values in Chester County skyrocketed and the economics of dairy farming changed. Ken and his wife Sue were at a crossroads: they could succumb to industry pressure and grow their herd, taking on debt and hiring employees, or they could get creative.

”

|

201 0 fa r m b o o k

Restaurant Alba

livestock market, and getting five dollars for 100-pound calves. It cost them more to haul them to the sale. Their son Randy had an idea and approached Sean Weinberg at nearby Restaurant Alba.

Weinberg promised Randy that if he raised the veal, Alba would buy it. The veal is 100 percent grass-fed and grassfinished, and the animals are raised in the same humane manner as their female counterparts. Weinberg fell in love with the product, and Randy is paying his way through Cornell.

Then their younger son Jesse, a junior in high school, learned about world-famous Parma hams, and the fact that they were fed by-products from the parmesan cheesemaking process. He thought they should try the same thing at Birchrun Hills, so they brought several pigs, and now sell that meat alongside the veal and cheese at local farmers’ markets.

Birchrun Hills’ cheese is phenomenal because the milk is. Their pastured heifers eat only feed that the Millers grow themselves, and have a lifespan over twice that of an average dairy cow. “The care and welfare of our cows is really important to us,” says Sue. “They’re the backbone of our business. They were born here; their mothers were born here. We’re really connected to them. How we care for them, how we feed them, how we milk them is all very important, because it adds to the quality of the milk, which adds to the quality of the cheese.” photos b y david schrott

Sean Weinberg has restaurants in his blood. His parents own the legendary Rose Tattoo Café in Fairmount, and, after years of studying cooking—including stints in Italy and Mexico, and an externship under The French Laundry’s Thomas Keller—he worked five years at the helm there. Along with his wife Kelly, Weinberg has always been intensely passionate about farm-to-table cooking, and he was frustrated by the limitations of being in the city. So they moved. “In the city, we got deliveries once a week and were forced to make that last,” says Weinberg. “Now I can go out to the farms personally a couple times a week. Some of our stuff never sees a refrigerator.”

Weinberg integrates all that beautiful local product into rustic Italian cooking, much of it done on a huge woodfire grill, which helps to amplify the natural flavors. “The soul of any good Italian restaurant is the ingredients,” says Weinberg. “It’s really about letting things speak for themselves, letting them sing.”

The farm-fresh focus means a seasonal menu, which can take some getting used to for American eaters. “Some people look at us and think we’re not doing a good job because we’re not carrying asparagus right now. Getting people to eat seasonally, and understanding why we cook seasonally is actually more of a challenge than coming up with the dishes.”

Being out in the ’burbs has other advantages. The Weinbergs keep a home garden and raise chickens whose eggs end up at Alba. Sean is always fiddling with their diet, trying to get the best possible product. “Eggs are probably one of my most important ingredients,” he explains. “People always wonder why the pasta is so good, and all the custards. It’s all about the eggs.”

The Weinbergs have cultivated personal relationships with a cadre of local farmers. For years, they have bought cheese from Birchrun Hills Farm. When the Millers mentioned raising their male calves for veal, Alba volunteered to be their first customer. “It’s 100 percent grass-fed, not finished on feed in any way, no antibiotics, no hormones,” says Weinberg. “From the get-go, it was some of the best veal I’ve ever had.”

Those relationships are the lifeblood of Restaurant Alba. “We’ve always looked at it as an obligation to support local farms, and be sustainable. I’ve never looked as it as a trend,” he explains. “We have the ability to touch so many people and teach them about local foods.”

Restaurant Alba, Sean and Kelly Weinberg, 7 W. King St., Malvern (adjacent to the Malvern R5 Train Station) restaurantalba.com

2 01 0 farmb ook

|

PASA5

HAPPY CAT ORGANICS A local seed company quietly amasses a tomato treasure trove

H

earing Happy Cat Organics’ Tim Mountz talk about tomatoes is enough to make any food-loving soul long for summer. Along with his wife Amy Bloom, Mountz has compiled a seed collection featuring 200 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. If that sounds like a lot, have no fear: Mountz promises to cap the operation at 250.

2003

Happy Cat Organics

Tim Mountz & Amy Bloom specialty Heirloom Tomatoes and Seeds

find them Happy Cat’s seeds are available through their website. Seeds & produce are also available at Winterthur’s Farmstand, the Kennett Square Farmers’ Market and Headhouse Square Farmers’ Market.

In 1993, Mountz’s grandfather, who was raised on a farm and kept a large garden, was killed in a car accident. Tim inherited all of his seeds. After some research, he came across William Woys Weaver in Devon, author of a book called Heirloom Gardening, and, with his help, began to decipher his inheritance. “It was so amazing,” says Mountz. “Some of the seeds were traded from Native Americans to the Germans when they first came to Pennsylvania, and now they’re in my hands. So, I started collecting everything I could get my hands on.”

When he married his wife Amy, she set to work organizing his treasure trove, and it eventually became a small business. “That’s the part that I love— the seeds and plants,” says Mountz. “Produce? Meh. I like to grow what I like to grow.”

Bloom works at Winterthur, the old Dupont estate in Kennett Square, and that is where they live and farm. This past year, they cultivated 172 distinct varieties of tomatoes (in addition to other plants such as heirloom beans, carrots, radishes and peppers). Mountz will be more than happy to tell you about each and every one. There’s the Coeur de Pigeon (heart of the pigeon), a beautiful little yellow tomato that looks like, you guessed it, a pigeon heart. Or his line of peach tomatoes, golf ball-sized orbs that are fuzzy on the outside rather than shiny.

Mountz can sometimes sound more like a sommelier than a farmer: “They’re just really sweet,” he

that he bred: the Black Ruffle. It’s a mix between Zapotec and Black Krim. “The Black Krim has smoky, salty, raisin-type fruits in it,” says Mountz.

“Mind-blowing. I can still remember the day when I tried one for the first time.” The Ruffle is a stabilized version of a cross-breed that occurred natucontact 610-217-7723 rally in the field. People seem to love it. “It’s like I Kennett Square, PA wrote a song for the Clash,” says Mountz. “There happycatorganics.com are people raving about this tomato. And I’m just thinking, ‘Oh my god. It’s my baby.’”

Mountz’s enthusiasm is more than contagious; it’s inspirational. He is clearly captivated by the Some of the seeds were traded from Native Americans magic of seeds—put them in the to the Germans when they first came to Pennsylvania, ground, watch them grow, join a legacy. He is a proselytizer, and and now they’re in my hands. So, I started collecting everything even went so far as to mail the Obamas some seeds for the White I could get my hands on. — t i m m o u n t z House garden.

“Most farmers, they grow eight extols, “with really great characteristics—a lot of varieties,” says Mountz. “And then they bring them high, fruity tastes to them.” to the market, and put a sign up that says ‘heirloom When asked about a favorite, he throws back his tomatoes.’ That’s boring. Each one has such an head in exasperation at the impossible nature of amazing history, and a story. You wouldn’t think I’d such a question. He eventually settles on a tomato be able to remember 200 varieties, but I remember a little bit about each one, and if I don’t, I do know that it tastes frickin‘ amazing.”

“

PASA6

”

|

201 0 fa r m b o o k

How does Lancaster support its local farmers?

With great community design

2004

Weavers Way Farm David Zelov

Weaver’s Way Farm Using small parcels of urban land, a local co-op reaps a plentiful bounty

O

find them Available at Weaver’s Way Co-op, local farmers’ markets and via CSA

contact 215-843-2350

ff of Washington Lane in East Mt. Airy, down a rough little driveway, is the Mort Brooks Memorial Farm.

There, on land leased from the Awbury Arboretum, farmer David Zelov and his crew of apprentices and volunteers are taking local to a new level. On only a few acres of urban land, this offshoot project of Weaver’s Way Co-op is producing fruit and vegetables that will help stock not only the co-op’s produce shelves, but also provide wholesome options for the local community at farmers’ markets and roadside farm stands.

The 31-year-old Zelov grew up in northwest New Jersey. He went to Rutgers to study natural resource management, but ended up becoming involved with the campus’ student-run organic farm. “I didn’t think I would end up in any sort of farming career,” says Zelov. “But just working there, I got more interested in it.”

He held a few jobs—including managing a CSA—before realizing that he didn’t want to be in an office. At that point, Zelov was living in Philadelphia and started looking for agricultural jobs. He didn’t think he’d find anything in the city, but then some people mentioned to him that Weaver’s Way Co-op was looking for a farmer.

Weaver’s Way has been running the Mort Brooks Memorial Farm—named for a late

specialty Seasonal produce

Mort Brooks Memorial Farm, Awbury Arboretum, 1011 E. Washington Ln., Philadelphia; Saul CSA, 7100 Henry Ave., Philadelphia weaversway.coop

board member—as an educational venture since 1999. Students from local schools started seedlings, then planted and harvested them.

The goal was to bring kids out and show them where their food was coming from.

Eventually, Weaver’s Way started researching small urban farms that were actually turning a profit—or at least breaking even—on an acre or less, and decided to expand operations.

They brought in Zelov, rented a tractor, tilled the earth, sowed some cover and planted their first real crop in the spring of 2007.

Weaver’s Way is constantly looking for ways to be more efficient within the confines of an urban environment. They now offer CSA shares grown on a small plot of land in Fairmount Park that they farm in conjunction with Saul High School. They’ve also teamed up with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s City Harvest program to run a greenhouse, and, this year, erected hoop houses (unheated, covered structures) at Mort Brooks that, through January, produce arugula, kale, chard, bok choy and scallions. This year, they even took over the backyard lot of a house on East Mt. Airy Avenue—it was their leek field.

C

ommunity Heritage Partners works with local food, farmers markets, historic architecture — and now we’ve created Lancaster’s first downtown grocery store for Expressly Local Foods.

That means more city residents are buying the best of locally-grown every day, and more Lancaster County farmers are selling products to a stable, nearby marketplace.

The best of community life and farming. Brought together by Community Heritage Partners.

Read more about Expressly Local Foods and other Community Heritage Partners projects at chpartners.net

Design & Development for People and Places

717.393.1639 info@chpartners.net L I F E T I M E

MEMBER SINCE

PASA 1999 2 01 0 farmb ook

|

PASA7

Inverbrook Farm A young farmer works her family’s land

C

laire Murray farms land that belonged to her grandmother. Her parents live there as well, and so does her uncle, who raises pastured poultry. “It’s like this little family compound,” she explains.

But Murray didn’t grow up farming. She was raised near her family’s property, and attended Penn State University, studying environmental resource management. During her senior year, she encountered a professor who had a CSA, and then attended the PASA Conference. That was the beginning.

Now she cultivates five of the 100 acres of land her family owns in Chester Country. That small plot produces enough fruits and vegetables for Inverbrook to offer 60 full CSA shares. Inverbrook’s produce is also available at the Kennett Square Farmers’ Market, and the farm serves as a drop-

off point for Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op.

Like many of today’s young farmers, Murray is taking advantage of the Internet to spread the word. Inverbrook has both a website and a blog where she writes about a variety of farm-friendly topics, including the perks of buying pastured turkey for Thanksgiving, favorite recipes and attending the First Annual East Coast Fermentation Festival in Kennett Square.

On December 31, Murray’s grandmother passed away at the age of 94, and she used the blog to eulogize the farm’s matriarch: “From her I inherit my love of acidic tomatoes, roma beans, and swiss chard. I learned how to french beans and score corn for freezing, how to prepare rhubarb so it tastes just right on warm buttered toast, and how there is nothing better than her strawberry freezer jam. Her simple but delicious cooking gave me an early and concrete taste for the virtues of farm fresh ingredients. I will miss her greatly, but know that her spirit lives on at Inverbrook.”

1995

Inverbrook Farm Claire Murray

specialty Produce, pastured poultry find them Available via CSA and at the Kennett Square Farmers’ Market contact 610-563-3116 345 Lamborntown Rd., West Grove inverbrook.com

Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op Farmers use community to stay viable

B

uying locally often takes a bit more effort than walking into the nearest supermarket. But there are creative people out there making it easier for small farmers to compete for your dollars. ¶ Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op started as nine farmers in a barn, and has, over the course of four years, grown to include 75 member farms and a business model that makes their produce available across the region. A robust wholesale business supplies local restaurants and stores with an astounding diversity and volume of products, and a large CSA program allows local eaters to support not just one farm with their weekly share, but dozens. LFFC also recently added a buying club to the co-op. Buying club members will be able to pick up from CSA drop locations, but with full control over their order and PASA8

|

201 0 fa r m b o o k

Noble: An American Cookery If there’s one bartop in the city as beautiful as that first post-work drink, it belongs to Noble: An American Cookery. The jaw-dropping single piece of wood stretches almost the entire length of the Sansom Street restaurant. It was purchased from Hearne Hardwoods in Oxford, PA, a company that focuses on salvaged and sustainable wood. They had the entire naturally-fallen tree—Noble just got a slice.

Noble has gone through some changes recently—most notably, the addition of chef Brinn Sinnott (Fountain, LaCroix, Supper, Amada)—but one thing that hasn’t changed is their commitment to seasonal food.

Co-owners Bruno Pouget and Todd Rodgers had a vision for a restaurant that would reflect the American bounty throughout the year. All their wines are North American, and their entire beer list is comprised of American craft beers.

Their food is also sourced domestically—and, whenever possible, locally.

When it comes to buying close-to-home, they often rely on Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op. Using an organization that has access to over 50 farmers allows them a bit more control over their menu. Chances are that someone will have what they’re looking for.

The restaurant also has its own garden. Over the summer, herbs, tomatoes, peppers and icicle radishes all came from raised beds on the roof. Pouget and Rodgers’ old restaurant, Blue on Long Beach Island, always featured a garden. “It’s something that tells a story to our guests,” explains Rodgers.

“I think that’s really important to people today.”

without the full-season commitment.

(The CSA members will still get a better price.)

“It’s a great model, because we’re taking the power back,” explains General Manager Casey Spacht. “We’re making the decisions for ourselves, creating a good, healthy life for our farmers and customers. It’s a system that we can really stand behind.”

Every week farmers tell Spacht what products they’ll have available; it changes daily. He then sends out a price list to wholesale customers. Once orders

2009

Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op specialty Products from over 70 Lancaster County farms find them Available via CSA and a new buying club, as well as through local businesses contact 717-656-3533 48 Eagle Dr., Leola lancasterfarmfresh.com

Noble: An American Cookery, Bruno Pouget and Todd Rodgers, 2025 Sansom St., 215-568-7000, noblecookery.com

are placed, the produce takes less than 24 hours to get from the fields to its destination.

All the farmers in LFFC are sustainable, organic growers. When new farms apply for inclusion, current members observe their operation first-hand, making sure their values align with that of the co-op.

The issue of values also led LFFC to start their own trucking division. They weren’t happy with their contractors, so the farmers made a decision to change things. They now have three full-time drivers, all being paid a living wage, along with benefits and a free CSA share.

The geographical constraints of the co-op within Lancaster County mean that even as the group grows, it remains a tight-knit community. The morning before Grid talked to Spacht, a member’s barn burned down. “I made a call to all of our farmers,” says Spacht. “Today they’re there helping him clean up.

And we’re going to be building a new barn for him in a week or two. We can make it happen because we have this network of friends and family that are all within the co-op. If another farmer needs help, people help.”

2 01 0 farmb ook

|

PASA9

2007

Harvest Local Foods Buying local is only a few clicks away

S

ituated on a tucked-away little stretch of road in Lansdowne, Harvest Local Foods (formerly Farm Fresh Express) can be a tad difficult to find. Fortunately all customers really need is a different kind of address: harvestlocalfoods.com.

From that (online) location, residents from all over the Philadelphia area can order farm fresh produce, meat, dairy, eggs and dry goods. By the time you arrive home from work on your delivery day, a cooler filled with local, sustainable goodies awaits you. For a flat $10 delivery fee, you can get as much or as little as you like.

Run by Mary Ann Ford and Pam Nelson, Harvest Local Foods has been in business for almost five years. Until recently, they operated under the name Farm Fresh Express, but thanks to the threat

of litigation from food conglomerate Chiquita (who apparently felt the name infringed on their “Fresh Express” packaged salad brand), they had to make a change.

Harvest Local Foods currently works with dozens of local and regional producers (in addition to Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op), sets up shop at the Lansdowne Farmers’ Market during the warmer months and opens the small storefront a few hours a week for retail shopping (and customers picking up their orders to skirt the delivery fee).

The online ordering process is simple, and the options are astounding—five different varieties of artisanal sausage, cheese from a farm in Lancaster County worked by three Phoebe Titus orders from Harvest Local Foods generations of the same family, locally-made every week. As the mother of two small children, she tofu, fresh hothouse greens. Every product revels in the opportunity to plan meals in advance and includes information on the specific farm it feed her family beautiful local products. “I feel like eating locally, and as sustainably as possible, is important,” came from and their growing methods. This

family meals

says Titus. “But the quality also improves that way. I feel like my health has improved since doing this, and that it’s the best thing to do for my children as well.”

She packs her Harvest Local Foods order with tons of veggies as well as responsibly-sourced olive oil, rice and dry goods. “They put a lot of thought into where they source their products,” she explains. “And even though, on the one hand, the selection is much smaller than at a regular grocery store, I have so much more confidence in it, and it’s so much more diverse.”

Ordering from Harvest Local Foods is not the only way Titus supports local farmers. Along with her husband, she runs Cinema 16:9 in Lansdowne (cinema169. com), a boutique movie theater showing independent, foreign and classic films. They source most of their concessions locally—including popcorn and hot dogs from farms in Lancaster—and Titus makes the trip out there for pick-ups at least once a month.

PASA1 0

|

201 0 fa r mb o ok

Harvest Local Foods Mary Ann Ford and Pam Nelson specialty Home delivery of local farm fresh products find them Order through their website or stop in at the Lansdowne storefront Thurs.-Sat. contact 484-461-7884 305 Windermere Ave., Lansdowne harvestlocalfoods.com

year HLF even carried Thanksgiving turkeys, picked up personally by Nelson from a small family farm.

The organizational jujitsu that goes on in that small space to get three bags of spinach to customer A and two parsnips to customer B is a marvel—and a lot of hard work for Ford, Nelson and their staff. The feedback is what makes it all worthwhile. “I love to hear from the mom that has two kids,” says Nelson.

“She says, ‘This makes my family work and it’s so healthy. I love it.’”

Country Time Farm

2004

A local pork producer does things the right way, with exceptional results

P

aul and Ember Crivellaro raise pigs. Really good pigs. Pigs good enough to fill the sausages and top the pizzas at acclaimed Philadelphia restaurants Vetri and Osteria and satiate the beer drinkers at Standard Tap and Johnny Brenda’s. But it wasn’t always that way: In 1996, the hog market had bottomed out. The Crivellaros were selling pork for 10 cents a pound—without Paul’s day job, the farm never would have survived.

So, Paul did some research, reaching out to folks in Philadelphia. A friend eventually put him in touch with St. Joseph’s University marketing students who were tackling, as their senior project, connecting local farmers with local restaurants. What started with one restaurant has now grown to almost 15. Crivellaro also sells his pork at the Reading Terminal’s Fair Food Farmstand, the Phoenixville Farmers’ Market and the Kimberton Whole Foods.

So what makes his pigs (mostly Big Black and Gloucestershire heritage breeds) so special? “Our

pigs are raised humanely,” says Crivellaro. “What the public is buying in the general grocery stores today versus our product? There’s no comparison.”

Crivellaro has lived on farms his whole life, but over the last few years, through his involvement in PASA and the sustainable farming community, he has gained more than customers. “People want to know where their food is coming from,” he says.

“They care about the sustainable farmers, the local farmers. The small family farmer is dying out, and they care. Through the last few years, my wife and I

Country Time Farm Paul and Ember Crivellaro specialty Pork find them Available at the Reading Terminal’s Fair Food Farmstand, the Phoenixville Farmers’ Market, Kimberton Whole Foods and over 15 area restaurants.

contact 610-562-2090 Hamburg, PA countrytimefarm.com

have found a lot of friends through this.

Not just customers—we consider them friends.”

Vetri, Osteria and Amis Marc Vetri has been using Country Time Pork in his restaurants’ dishes for over 10 years, ever since the day Paul Crivellaro walked into his kitchen. The Berks County pigs make their way into the sausages and charcuterie at Vetri and Osteria, and will eventually be used at the brand new Roman trattoria Amis.

“They’re just great people,” says Osteria head chef Jeff Michaud. “They take a lot of care in what they do, and do it the artisanal way. The meat is so good that we’ve done carpaccio with the stuff, and nobody would ever think of doing that with pig.”

Every three or four months, Michaud and his team at Osteria get a whole 300-pound pig from Country Time, and turn it into salami, proscuitto and lardo. They also get weekly deliveries of pork shoulders for fresh sausage. The quality of the meat really shines in their simple, soulful Italian cooking.

Vetri, Osteria and Amis, Marc Vetri, Jeff Michaud, Jeff Benjamin, Vetri: 1312 Spruce St., 215-7323478, vetriristorante.com; Osteria: 640 N. Broad St., 215-763-0920, osteriaphilly.com; Amis, 412 S. 13th St., 215-732-2647, amisphilly.com

Love ‘n Fresh Flowers :: from seed to centerpiece ::

A small floral boutique and market garden in Philadelphia specializing in sustainably grown local flowers, uniquely organic designs, and vintage charm.

We love weddings!

www.lovenfreshflowers.com

2 01 0 farmb ook

|

PASA11

frecon farms A third-generation orchard looks to the future

T

he Frecon family has had a storefront in Boyertown since 1952. Richard Frecon and his family settled in the area in 1944 and began planting fruit—apples, peaches and nectarines. After outgrowing their roadside

farmstand, they converted an old restaurant into of promise. In the storerooms, the fall’s harvest a permanent retail location where they could sell lies nestled in huge wood crates bearing the “Fretheir goods. Richard’s son Henry and his wife Torrie con” stamp. So many apples! Gala, Granny Smith, took over in 1969, eventually expanding the retail Honey Crisp—the list goes on. operation to include produce from local farms and Growing apples sustainably is an intensive specialty items from regional natural foods proprocess. It takes five years for a tree to bear fruit, ducers alongside their fruit and fresh apple cider. and then, after the 15-25 year lifespan, the trees Through PASA, they have also teamed up with loare removed, and the soil sown with grass to rid cal dairies doing artisanal cheese and glass-jarred it of impurities and parasites. After a fallow year, new trees are planted, on a rotating basis. It is immilk, and livestock farmers raising hormone-free, portant not to plant the same fruit twice in the grass-fed meat. They also carry free-range turkeys during the holidays. same block. “Two years back, my husband came Now their sons, along with a third business in, so excited,” recalls Frecon, “He said, ‘I can now honestly say that every partner, are planning to tree on this property has been take over. Their daughter 2008 also works in the store. “To planted by me.’” keep it open, we’re going In the fall, Frecon Farms to need to have interested offers apple picking, grows pumpkins and hosts a Blueyoung people,” explains Torrie. “And in our family, grass Picking Festival featurit’s our children that have ing food vendors and local Henry and Torrie Frecon expressed a desire and incraftspeople. It’s all about vested the capital to keep showcasing where food specialty Apples, peaches, this land a farm.” comes from, telling the story nectarines, fresh apple cider Just a few minutes up the of a family farm and getting find them Available at road from the retail store consumers to make that exFrecon Farms retail outlet are the orchards. Rows of tra effort. “You’re definitely and at local farmers’ trees stretch up a tremengonna pay more for a galmarkets. The farm also dous hill. From the top, you lon of Pennsylvania pressed hosts events in the fall; can see the neighboring apples that were raised in a visit the website for more farms and the expanse of good, systemic orchard that information. the family kept an eye on than the valley. There is somecontact 610-367-6200 thing spectacular about an you will for Chinese concen501 South Reading Ave., orchard in winter—rows trate,” says Frecon. “But who of gnarled trees mustering knows how it was handled, Boyertown their energies for a spring and how it was grown? And freconfarms.com that matters to people.” explosion. They are a sea

frecon farms

PASA1 2

|

201 0 fa r mb o ok

2009

Paradocx Vineyard The Hoffman and Harris Families specialty Wine find them Available at the vineyard, through their website, via a CSA and at their tasting room in Kennett Square.

contact 610-367-6200 1833 Flint Hill Rd., Landenberg paradocx.com

Four doctors turn their attention to winemaking CSAs have long been a way for small farmers to finance their operations— shareholders pay in advance and are rewarded throughout the season with top-shelf local products and an insider price. Paradocx Vineyard is applying that same system to their wines. By purchasing a seasonal share, subscribers receive two cases of PDX wine, available at “Pickup Parties” throughout the year, free admission to the vineyard’s Local Musician Music Series, one free “chic paint can” of wine (equal to four bottles), free wine tastings and discounts on additional wine purchased.

Started by two couples—all four practicing physicians—Paradocx Vineyard is a labor of love for the Hoffman and Harris Families­. The 5,000-case winery in Chester County also hosts events and tastings throughout the year.

Local Peat Free Earth Friendly OrganicMechanicSoil.com 110 East Biddle Street | West Chester, PA 19380 | 610.692.7404

VENDORS WANTED for 2010 SEASON! Grid_Magazine_2010_FINAL.indd Held Every Saturday from Memorial Day through Halloween!

1

12/23/2009 9:08:50 AM

Enjoy our fruit year ‘round : Dried Asian Pears available online now!

Featuring organic and locally grown vegetables, fruit, bread, meats, cheeses, flowers and fresh baked goods.

www.wonderfulfruit.com

LansdowneFarmersMarket.com

Red Hill Farm CSA ACCEPTING MEMBERS FOR 2010 SEASON! (610) 558-6799 Aston, PA redhillfarm@osfphila.org www.redhillfarm.org

2 01 0 farmb ook

|

PASA13

spring 2010 Calendar Find more local food events and get involved with your region’s Buy Fresh Buy Local® chapter (there are a dozen across the state) by visiting buylocalpa.org. For information on PASA-sponsored events, classes and workshops, visit pasafarming.org.

February 4, 5, 6 19th Annual Farming for the Future Conference: “The Sustainable Challenge: Providing for a Livable Tomorrow” Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, 215 Innovation Blvd., State College 814.349-9856, pasafarming.org/

737 Constitution Ave., Exton, 610-458-5700, denise@pasafarming.org

April 8-10 Pennsylvania Land Trust Association Conference. April 8–10, The

Desmond Hotel, 1 Liberty Blvd., Malvern, March 6 Chester County “Keep Farming First” Conference. Octorara High School, 226 Highland Rd., Atglen, cc2020.org

conserveland.org/conferences/2010

March 9 Pennypack Sustainability Film Series presents Fresh. 7:30 p.m., Ambler Theater, 108 E. Butler Ave., Ambler,

“Rain Gardening.” April 10, 9 a.m.–11 a.m., Fairmount Park Horticultural Center, N. Horticultural Dr. and Montgomery Dr.,

amblertheater.org/pennypack

philadelphia.extension.psu.edu

March 13 Second Saturday Gardening Series: “Gardening for Butterflies and Hummingbirds.” 9 a.m.–11 a.m., Fairmount Park Horticultural Center, N. Horticultural Dr. and Montgomery Dr., philadelphia.

May 1 Longwood Gardens Wine and Jazz Festival. 12 p.m.–5:30 p.m., Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, longwoodgardens.org

extension.psu.edu

May 16 PASA Summer Farm Start Dinner SE Region. pasafarming.org

April 10 Second Saturday Gardening Series:

conference2010

February 13 Southeast Master Class Double Header: “Chickens in your

Backyard?”; “Planning for Intensive Planting: Small Productive Gardens.” Advance registration required; email denise@ pasafarming.org or call 610-458-5700 ext 317. 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; 12:45 p.m.–2:15 p.m.

February 13 Second Saturday Gardening Series: “Indoor/Outdoor Container Garden-

7

ing” 9 a.m.–11 a.m., Fairmount Park Horticultural Center, N. Horticultural Dr. and Montgomery Dr; philadelphia.extension.psu.edu March 6 Presentation and Guided Tasting: Cheeses from Chester County

Now and Then. PASA Southeast Office,

March 30 “A Useable Feast”: NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) Pre-Conference Dinner; a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Buy Fresh Buy Local® (BFBL) Chapter Network.

7 p.m., Noble American Cookery Restaurant, 2025 Sansom St.,

May 21 PASA Summer Farm Start Dinner.

Milestone Inn, 2701 North Front St., Harrisburg, pasafarming.org May 23 PASA Summer Farm Start Dinner.

Pittsburg Produce Market, pasafarming.org

downtoearthexhibit.org/nceca2010.html

3

Find and patronize nearby Farmers’ Markets.

If every household in Pennsylvania spent just $10 a week on local foods, $2.5 billion would remain in our local economy every year.

Ways to Amp Up Your Local Food 4 Experience

1

Make a direct connection to a local grower through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Besides a delicious weekly reminder of what’s in season, you can learn things like how weather affects harvests and exactly how long it takes a pumpkin to grow. Find friends or neighbors to split your share if the quantities or commitment feel overwhelming.

PASA1 4

|

201 0 fa r mb o ok

2

Seek out and support retail stores and restaurants that have made a public commitment to source from local growers.

If signage or menus aren’t clear, ask for more information.

If they can’t tell you where something came from, think twice about putting it in your mouth.

If access to certain foods isn’t convenient, get creative! Consider organizing a “reverse milk route” to bring fresh milk to your neighborhood direct from a local dairy. Or gather a group of friends and arrange the purchase of a whole hog’s worth of bacon and sausage, or a side of grass-fed beef for your freezers.

5

Grow something, even if it’s only herbs on a windowsill or a tomato plant on the patio. And, if you’re already a master gardener, push the envelope by exploring a small backyard flock of chickens. (Disclaimer:

this might not technically be legal in every jurisdiction.)

6

Get handy in your kitchen. Canning, drying, pickling or fermenting can transform short-season specialties into products you can enjoy for months (especially through the lean winter). Don’t think of it as kitchen drudgery—invite folks over and turn it into a party (the opposite of pot-luck; everyone leaves carrying something yummy). Bring grandma on board as a technical advisor.

7

Have a local food adventure. Both city and country have plenty of interesting markets, pickyour-own operations, wineries and other food destinations.

More and more farms are also offering agrotourism opportunities through “farmstays.”

nt Hill Farm AG offers the following:

1. Farm Stay programs through the PA Farmstay Asociation and can be also found www.PAfarmstay.com and ebervations 2. Fleece and fiber products, 3 .horse boarding, indoor arena and riding trails

Rainwater Harvesting

nt Hill Farm Educational Center offers the following:

acts)

ent

Summer Day Camp (equine and sustainable farming Kinder Camp (4-6 yr old)

Intern programs in Cheese D Making E S Iand G farm N manage-

INSTALLATION

Vocational Programs for teens and young adults with ental and physical challenges S E R V I C E Spring and Fall OPEN HOUSE events Volunteer opportunities year round On line farm store

Jersey cow and Goat milk Dairy products to local Farms Markets

Water Solutions

East Fallowfield, PA 610-384-6005

Through our farm and joint educational center, Flint Hill offers an amazing array of products and experiences, including…

Flint Hill Farm AG, LLC www.flinthill-farmag.org • Farm Stays • Fleece and fiber products

• Horse boarding, indoor arena and riding trails

Flint Hill Farm Educational Center, Inc. a non profit 501c3 Agro-Educational Center www.flinthill-farm.org • Summer Day Camp (equine and sustainable farming tracts) • Kinder Camp • Internships in cheesemaking and farm management • Volunteer opportunities

• Vocational Programs for young adults with mental and physical challenges • Open Houses • Online farm store • Jersey cow and goat dairy products

1922 Flint Hill Road, Coopersburg, PA 18036 Phone 610-838-2928 Fax 610-838-5249

small town america at its b over est. c s i d

Historic Kennett Square browse our unique shops and galleries, dine in one of our gourmet restaurants. growers only farmers market from late-may to october live music at the kennett flash all year round.

For a full listing of events, visit www.historickennettsquare.com or call 610.444.8188

www.goodfoodneighborhood.org

Get Connected!

Looking to make eating local easier? Become a part of PASA’s burgeoning Good

Food Neighborhood™ community. For a low annual fee of $25 ($5 off the regular price when you use the coupon code below), you’ll gain access to a wealth of resources including: →→

→→

→→

Local Food Rewards: Special offers from local producers and businesses, including discounts and free stuff A subscription to Eaters Digest, a monthly e-newsletter bursting with news, local food tips and recipes A seat at the digital Community Table, an online network of neighbors, connecting on topics such as local food shopping, cooking, farmers market finds and learning opportunities

VE SA

$

5

e and receiv Join now s off your five dollar e! scription fe b u s l a u n n a 2010. e code grid

th ut, include At checko , 2010. res May 31 Offer expi

→→ →→

→→ →→

Access to a new, members-only regional message board Personalized seasonal product alerts from local farmers: Want to know when strawberry season begins? We’ll let you know Inside information on tastings, farm tours and other local food events in your area Discounts on apparel and other products from the online marketplace.

You can also access the Good Food Neighborhood™ through buylocalpa.org, where there are tons of features available to all visitors, including maps featuring local farms, farmers markets, restaurants, wineries and breweries, recipes, blogs and the Buy Fresh Buy Local Marketplace.