Grid Magazine November 2013 [#055]

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

Tender

Call the

Where to buy your holiday bird

Affordab le health care alternatives

turkeys

Nov e mb e r 2 0 13 / i ssu e 55

Doctor

The energy to save…

At Philadelphia Gas Works we’re developing new ways for residential customers to save more money and use less energy, without sacrificing comfort.

That’s why PGW rebates of up to $2,000 are available for homeowners, landlords and even renters who replace their old furnace or boiler.

Find out how to save green by being green at: www.PGWEnergySense.com

Inspire.

Connect. Educate.

Repeat. We Build Community.

October 30th, 2013

Healthcare & Higher Education Green Building Summit - FREE! Keynote by Roger Platt, SVP Global Policy, U.S. Green Building Council Join the discussion with two distinguished panels of experts brought together by our presenting sponsors: The Saint Joseph’s University Real Estate & Construction Alumni and Independence Blue Cross. Hosted by the Philadelphia Eagles with Jones Lang LaSalle as our keynote sonsor.

November 18th - 23rd, 2013

Tours of 150+ Green Buildings in Greater Philadelphia See your city like you’ve never seen it before!

Philadelphia icons and buildings are opening their doors to sustainability advocates who want to see the inside story. See a whole new side to the Philadelphia Zoo, Morris Arboretum, the Barnes Foundation, Lincoln Financial Field, the Kensington neighborhood, the Parkway, the Kimmel Center, Curtis Center, and many more. You can even see the facilities where our household and construction waste and recycling goes! Find out how Philadelphia is becoming one of the greenest cities in America.

March 7th, 2014

PA/NJ Sustainability Symposium Save the date for a full day conference open to all.

It’s not too early to set aside a day for great keynotes, interesting panels, inspiring vision and world-class networking. See you in the spring!

www.dvgbc.org/event

Something to Brag About N

publisher

Alex Mulcahy 215.625.9850 ext. 102 editor-in-chief

Jon McGoran jon@gridphilly.com

You could have the lowest bills on your block

o one ever tries to impress you with a huge gas or electric bill. In fact, the opposite is true. When someone mentions they’re paying next to nothing for their electric bill, we marvel at and envy them. It’s like they figured out a way to avoid paying taxes.

Despite the universal appeal of it, efficiency is elusive. For one thing, meters are located outside homes or in inconvenient places, so you don’t instantly see charges piling up when you flip on the lights. Our energy-guzzling appliances — the DVR and the refrigerator that never turn off— escape our notice, as does the conditioned air that leaks from our houses. Then the utility bill shows up like a speeding ticket, and you find out you were doing 72 degrees in a 67 degree zone, and you are going to have to pay, pay, pay for the privilege.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. Investing in efficiency will, over a period of time, save you money. Like any other investment, it requires planning, work and discipline. Getting started is the hardest part, which is why our local utility companies are dangling some serious money to encourage us to act now. So add it up: More comfort, more money and — for those concerned about global warming — fewer fossil fuels burned. Let our 10-page special section (page 22), cleverly illustrated by Robb Leef, inspire you.

Speaking of inspiration, have you ever attended our bi-monthly talk show, Grid Alive? Co-host Nic Esposito and I interview people featured in Grid on stage. Why come to the event, you ask, when you can just read the magazine? I love print as much as anybody, but nothing beats hearing stories firsthand from the actual source.

Our next show is November 14, and I would love to see you there. Our guests will include Elliott Gold from PGW, Howard Neukrug from the Philadelphia Water Department, Janet Milkman

art director

Danni Sinisi danni@gridphilly.com distribution / ad sales

Jesse Kerns 215.625.9850 ext. 100 jesse@gridphilly.com copy editor

Andrew Bonazelli writers

Bernard Brown Rosella Eleanor LaFevre Lauren Mandel Kristin Maranki Molly O’Neill Peggy Paul Brian Rademaekers Owen Taylor Emily Teel of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council and Avi Golen of Revolution Recovery. All are smart, dynamic and fun people who will make you proud to be a citizen of Philadelphia.

We’ll also have local beer, thanks to Rolling Barrel and talented local writer Sarah Grey, who will read from an essay featured in the Rust Belt Rising Almanac, published in Philadelphia by The Head and the Hand Press.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. at the Trinity Memorial Church at 22nd and Spruce Streets. It’s absolutely electric — and 100% renewable.

interns

Sarah Adams Danielle Wayda photographers

Jen Britton Katya Gorker Tommy Leonardi Bradly Maule Neal Santos Gene Smirnov Emily Wren illustrators

Andy Hood Robb Leef controller

alex j. mulcahy, Publisher alex@gridphilly.com

Nicole Jarman nicole@gridphilly.com published by

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

cov e r il lustratio n by ro b b l e e f

P o rtrait by G e ne Smi rnov

PRESENTS

Thursday

NOVEMBER 14 Trinity Memorial Church 22nd and Spruce Sts. DOORS OPEN AT

6:00 p.m.

SHOW STARTS AT 7:00 P.M.

YOU’VE READ THE MAGAZINE, NOW SEE THE SHOW! FEATURING

TICKETS

$5.00

Buy tickets in advance at STORE.GRIDPHILLY.COM

and you’ll be entered to win a free T-shirt!

Avi Golen

Janet Milkman

Elliott Gold

Howard Neukrug

Founder and Co-owner Revolution Recovery

Executive Director Delaware Valley Green Building Council

Manager of Energy Efficiency Programs Philadelphia Gas Works

Water Commissioner Philadelphia Water Department

Limited Edition Tote

made by Fabric Horse from waxed canvas & recycled materials

PLUS: A reading from

the Rust Belt Rising Almanac by Sarah Grey

REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED BY

available online at

store.gridphilly.com

CO-SPONSORED BY

SUSTAINABLE

19103

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Departments COMMUNITY 8

Bridge Work

9

Care Packages

Joint Care

10 Block Party Composter Kids

GREEN LIVING 12 Signs you’re getting warmer Garden variety 13 Weed Eaters

FOOD 14 Pear Up 16 Pure Bliss

Cornering the Market

AGRICULTURE 18 The best birds in town

angles 36 Urban Naturalist: When algae meets fungus 40 Events: Food Day, Design Fest, and a bumper crop of harvest celebrations 46 Dispatch: Groundbreakers who paved the way for today’s urban agriculture

ENERGY savings

now! feature by brian rademaekers • illustrations by robb leef

These energy efficiency programs put their money where your house is. co nte nts photo by emi ly teel

*Every MINI NEXT vehicle is covered for up to 6 years or 100,000 miles from the in-service date (whichever comes first). MINI NEXT Warranty Program provides coverage for 2 years or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first) from the date of the expiration of the 4-year/50,000-mile MINI New Passenger Car Limited Warranty. MINI NEXT cars are only available at authorized MINI Dealers. Please see your MINI Dealer for complete details. Š 2013 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The MINI name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

community Plain Sights

Bridge to the past Buried beneath a leafy canopy and camouflaged by summer shrubbery, this brick skew arch bridge has kept its integrity 116 years after its construction and 67 years after the last trolley ran through it. Originally built for the Fairmount Park Transit Company in 1897 with 15 consecutive angled brick arches, the “Chamounix Tunnel� ported trolleys that ran a loop through the park under Old Chamounix Road. That road was struck from the grid long ago and now serves as both a mountain bike trail and a footpath for travelers en route to the Chamounix youth hostel. For more on this story, visit the Hidden City Daily, hiddencityphila.org.

In partnership with Hidden City, Plain Sights highlights historic structures with compelling stories hiding in our midst.

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p hoto By B radley Maule

Fee Simple

Area health care providers explore affordable business models by kristin maranki

A

growing number of health care providers, both traditional and holistic, are turning to patient-centered models that make care more accessible, regardless of insurance coverage. As an alternative to insurance rules and bureaucracy, these providers have adopted simpler payment models that offer better patient access to care, greater autonomy in pricing and lower administrative costs.

Dr. Bruce Hopper’s Rittenhouse Square primary care practice, Hop MD, offers monthly individual and small business memberships that include access to his personal phone number and e-mail address and a list of primary care services. His Restaurant Worker Referral Program allows restaurants to cover basic office visits by paying into a common fund for employees. “By removing the vast bureaucracy between patient and doctor,” he says, “care is extraordinarily affordable.”

Joint Venture Every day is Mother’s Day

Moms take care of babies, but who takes care of moms?

Mama’s Wellness Joint offers a holistic approach to wellness for women and their families, including a variety of workshops, yoga classes for every age (including prenatal and postpartum), childbirth and breastfeeding education, meditation and massage. The Joint occupies a bright, historic space at 11th and Pine, and features natural product lines that owner Paige Chapman says have earned the place its “healthy CVS” nickname.

Products include restorative yoga props (from Greensaw Design & Build), homeopathic remedies, local raw honey and milk, Paige’s mother’s specialty salt and jam and more.

— Kristin Maranki mamaswellnessjoint.com

Sensible Care Pla RESTAURAN

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Primary Care

215-592-8400

PAYMENT SC ALE: SLIDING PAYMENT MO DEL: SIMPLE

CH IRO PRAC TIC AC UPUN CT UR E

CUST SERV: 456-834-24 56

At Philadelphia Community Acupuncture in Mt. Airy, a sliding payment scale of $15 to $35 lets patients decide how much they can afford for group acupuncture treatment. “Our front desk is staffed by patientvolunteers who love our clinic and community acupuncture,” says co-owner Erin Schmitt.

“This helps keep our overhead and sliding scale as low as possible.”

Dr. Damien Ciasullo’s Rhino Chiropractic practice on Germantown Avenue recently ad-

/800-905-624

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opted a membership model that provides members unlimited care at a fixed monthly fee.

“Members love the affordability, convenience and quality,” says Ciasullo, “but doctors love the lower overhead, reduced stress and more personalized attention.”

For more information, visit hopmd.com , phillyacupuncture.com and rhinochiro.com .

Philadelphia

Seed Exchange Autumn is approaching, and that means free Philadelphia Seed Exchange events where local seed savers can bring their locally saved seeds and take home someone else’s.

This collective of gardeners, urban farmers, botanists and seed savers works to preserve local biodiversity and build a resilient local food system through open-pollinated heirloom seeds and plants.

Visit phillyseedexchange.org for details and to find a Philadelphia Seed Exchange event near you.

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community

Rocking the Block

EVERYDAY

HERO

People making communities better by emily teel

I

n 2010, Emaleigh Doley’s neighborhood was in a precarious state. Rocked by the foreclosure crisis, the community was fragmented, and saw increases in litter and violence. “We had a lot of problems… impacting our quality of life,” Doley says.

That’s when she and her sister, Ainé Doley, co-founded the West Rockland Street Project to strengthen their block. The two dug in, literally, mobilizing their neighbors through Grow This Block, a street beautification effort that now includes an array of programming: block meetings, street clean-ups and even block party planning. “It’s about physically improving the look and the feel,” Doley says, “and about getting everyone more invested in our street as our home.”

A self-described “blogger, neighborhood organizer and communications professional,” Doley has worked as an independent consultant for Next City, DesignPhiladelphia and Axis Philly. In 2011, she co-organized TEDxPhilly, a forum to share ideas to improve life in our city. She puts those ideas to work in her Germantown neighborhood.

Now, Doley is trying to facilitate connections with people working on the same issues elsewhere in the city. “We’re all reinventing the wheel on our own!” If there’s one truth to building strong, sustainable communities, it’s that you can learn a lot from one block.

Find out more about Grow This Block and the latest on the West Rockland Street Project at rocklandstreet.com .

Composting Up Grant supports community composting by molly o’neill

Urban Tree Connection Veggie Kids

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The Urban Tree Connection’s Veggie Kids program in Haddington, which employs children aged five to 16 to grow and deliver fresh produce to impoverished families in their community, is closing the loop with a new composting program. Thanks to a $10,000 grant, the Veggie Kids will now collect organic waste from the same 25 families currently receiving produce deliveries.

The money is part of the 2013 Think Green Grant program from Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful, whose local chapter, Keep Philadelphia Beautiful (KPB) applied for the grant at the urging of the Urban Tree Connection (UTC). Together, the two nonprofits reached out to Bennett Compost to create the proposal. The program will also help expand Bennett’s on-site composting operation at Neighborhood Farms and recruit block captains (in a 10-square-block area) to engage neighbors in composting.

The initial goal of the proposal was to educate Haddington residents about the value of composting, and to develop a community compost program. “This is an area where we haven’t previously seen interest in composting services,” says

Sisters Ainé Doley (left) and Emaleigh Doley

Bennett Compost owner Tim Bennett.

“The idea is to keep the project going beyond the first year,” says KPB director Michelle Feldman. KPB hopes to spend the first year learning best practices and teaching both hard and soft skills to its employed youth to help them replicate the program in other neighborhoods.

“There will be some additional parttime jobs created in these communities,” says Bennett, “but the long-term plan is to transition them to hopefully micro-entrepreneurs, so we’re building wealth in areas that are traditionally underserved.”

Feldman has high hopes for the program. “We think it’s going to make a really big impact. We think that educating folks about composting is part of making really vibrant communities.”

Keep up with Keep Philadelphia Beautiful on Twitter @BeautifulPHL

to p p o rtrait by NEAL SANTOS

#lovelocal

advocating locally-sourced products through private events, tutored tastings, festivals, and various gatherings.

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2013 BEST OF THE PHILLY BEER SCENE

YEARS

BEER FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR 2014

Stay tuned ...

THE BREWERS PLATE 2014 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

rollingbarrel.com

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Green living

Signs of Global Warming Think global, message local

I

by molly o’neill

f record-setting heat waves and thousand-year floods aren’t enough visual proof of global warming, maybe art will help.

The Franklin Institute, in collaboration with local partners, is using artful signage to spread the word about climate change — and what Philadelphia neighborhoods are doing to minimize its impact.

The Franklin Institute is part of the fourcity Climate & Urban Systems Partnership (CUSP), created by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Each city’s approach is different; Philadelphia’s team took a place-based approach, with signs highlighting climate issues and the surrounding neighborhood’s response to them.

A tally of days over 90 degrees is placed near cooling community gardens. Warnings about increasing heavy downpours are erected by CUSP next to rain barrels installed by residents with help from New Kensington Community Development Corporation. The newest and largest piece, a

mural at the Huntingdon SEPTA station, was unveiled just a month ago. It highlights SEPTA’s wayside energy storage project, in which the agency is capturing, storing and reusing energy created by braking trains.

CUSP Senior Program Manager Richard Johnson says he hopes interested neighborhoods and community-based organizations will reach out at phillycusp.org to become part of the CUSP initiative.

“It’s not about gloom and doom,” he says. “We’re empowering people. We’re really excited about how the community is responding, and the science behind why these responses work.”

Garden path

Philadelphia is the nation’s epicenter of horticultural excellence and home to exceptional gardens and parks.

This handy map guides you through Center City gardens and parks with many points of interest along the way.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, founded in 1827, has played a pivotal role in the development and ongoing beauty of many of these green spaces and inspires thousands from around the world through its annual PHS Philadelphia Flower Show each March. Now, let’s go for a walk!

center city gardens

PHS creates the go-to garden guide

Four enchanting Squares provide focal points for a multitude of gardens around them. Begin your walk at each of these historic spaces - Logan, Rittenhouse, Franklin or Washington - and see where the garden path leads.

Parkway Museums District 12 15

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14 The Philadelphia Museum of Art

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Rodin Museum

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Logan Square features lush plantings maintained by PHS around the Swann Memorial Fountain.

Along the Parkway, visit the Sister Cities Park.

Launch a toy sailboat and play in splash fountains.

10 The Barnes Foundation Logan Square

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Franklin Institute

22 PECO Green Roof Tour

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5 Fairmount Park Welcome Center

21 23 20 Rittenhouse Square

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Rittenhouse Square hosts events & festivals, and a farmers’ market throughout the year amid large mature trees, winding pathways, and whimsical statuary.

PHS Pop Up Garden

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Historic/Waterfront District

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Liberty Bell

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Race Street Pier is the most imaginative new green space on the river. It includes an upper level “Sky Promenade” and a lower level “Sun Lawn.”

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The Avenue of the Arts’ attractive sidewalk planters bloom with a seasonal mix of flowering trees, perennials, and annuals.

Race Street Pier Elfreth’s Alley

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Independence Visitor Center

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Old City

Chinatown

City Hall

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Washington Square

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Race Street Pier

Franklin Square

National Constitution Center

Reading Terminal Market

Avenue of the Arts

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Headquarters

Rittenhouse Square District

For information visit PHSonline.org and click on “events.”

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Pennsylvania Convention Center

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Rittenhouse Square

Convention Center / Washington Square District

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1

2301 Market Street

PHS maintains the plantings on the 45,000-square-foot PECO Green Roof which includes an observation deck with stunning views. Plan your visit at least two days in advance. Tours are held on the third Tuesday of each month, April through October.

Logan Square

Pop Up

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Penn’s Landing

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Society Hill 40

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Headhouse Square

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The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society motivates people to improve the quality of life and create a sense of community through horticulture. PHS offers workshops, trips and learning programs for all gardening enthusiasts and special benefits to members that include free admission to gardens across the country and tickets to its world-famous Flower Show.

If you love gardening or enjoy the outdoors, PHS is a wonderful organization to get to know. Join us at PHSonline.org.

100 N. 20th Street – 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 • p: 215.988.8800

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Sure, you know all the cool bars in the city, but do you know where to find a 45,000-squarefoot green roof park or the Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden? Now you do. The Pennsylvania Horticulture Society (PHS) presents the first walking guide to Center City Philadelphia’s gardens and parks. This colorful map is now available in hotels, SEPTA stations, museums and other attractions citywide, and an expanded version is available at PHSonline.org . “The idea [was to] lift up Philadelphia’s most treasured public spaces and some of the hidden gems of the urban landscape,” says Alan Jaffe, PHS’s Director of Communcations. “A guide dedicated to our outdoor assets had not been compiled—until now.”

— Peggy Paul

What is

PENNSYLVANIA’s Greenest Restaurant The Nature Conservancy wants you to vote for one of three semifinalists to be named Philadelphia’s greenest restaurant based on: sustainable seafood, free-range and grass-fed meat, organics, local and seasonal ingredients, and water (tap instead of bottled). Voting ends 5 p.m., October 15. Visit nature.org/ naturesplatePA to vote.

Weeds Showing some love for our wild urban fauna

What do infused cocktails, art installations, the concrete cracks of Philly streets and your shoes all have in common? Find out by attending an event with We the Weeds, an ongoing project led by artist Kaitlin Pomerantz and botanist Zya Levy that aims to explore and expand the knowledge of the city’s diverse, yet lesser-loved flora.

Visit them at wetheweeds.tumblr.com , or find them on Facebook.

Drink the Weeds Botanical Tea Party, hosted by the Hot Tea Project through the Asian Arts Alliance.

Silk-screened botanical labels created with Second State Press Philadelphia’s community print shop.

Botanist Zya S. Levy (left) and artist Kaitlin Pomerantz

Prototype for a mural to be installed this fall at 53rd and Warren St. through the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Restored Spaces Initiative.

Photos Cou rt esy o f we t he w e e ds to p r i g h t ph oto by Katya Go rke r

Paper cutouts from a papermaking project through the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts’ Restored Spaces Initiative

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food

Edyl Cunampio, of the Longview Center for Agriculture

for The grower

The W ho le Foo d

Asian Pears Le av es are n’t the on ly thi ng s tha t cru nc h in au tum n story and photos by

emi ly tee l

What to look for Choose pears that feel firm. They should be ready to eat immediately, but they keep well at room temperature for 10 days, and up to three months under refrigeration. Store them separately, as ethylene released by other fruits will hasten their demise.

Nutrition 101 As with apples, their close relatives, Asian pears are low in calories, but high in fiber, as well as potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K and the micronutrient copper.

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hen the first frost arrives, the summer growing season is officially over.

Storage crops console us as cold settles in — apples, potatoes and winter squash grace our tables with their rosy hues and sweet flavors as we, like the plants, slow down. And even as we lament the loss of summer, delights abound at fall farmers markets: quince, cranberries, black walnuts and Asian pears. Also known as apple pears, Asian pears are harvested from late August through October. They are rarely show-stoppers — they tend to have an ordinary round shape, yellow or dusty brown skin and a firmness that lacks the sensuous yield of a ripe peach, but they have charms all their own: bright crunch, refreshing juiciness and subtle sweetness.

An alumna of Fair Food, Philabundance and Greener Partners, emily teel is a food freelancer profoundly dedicated to sustainable, delicious food in Philadelphia.

See more of her work at emilyteel.com .

gridphil ly.co m NOVE M BER 2013

While hardier than apples, their cousins, Asian pears are susceptible to damage from a variety of sources. Their biggest insect threats include the codling moth, the plum curculio and the stinkbug. While the trees are blooming, they’re also vulnerable to a bacterial infection called fire blight, which makes limbs appear scorched, with wilted leaves.

Edyl Cunampio, orchard manager at the Longview Center for Agriculture, in Collegeville, grows Asian pears and other tree fruits with as few chemical inputs as possible. Instead of regular applications of fungicide, bactericide, insecticide and antibiotics, he protects his trees by monitoring insect populations and spraying neem oil, which interferes with insect life-cycles while stimulating the trees’ own immune response. As preventative measures, he also applies powdered clay to repel insects, and fish emulsion to nourish the trees. “You play the game, but you don’t play to win,” says Cunampio. But he adds that Asian pears typically fare better than apples, and he recommends them to novice fruit growers. “They’re much easier to grow. They don’t have much problem with fungus or insects.”

Beyond pest management, the most demanding part of growing Asian pears comes in early summer, when 80 percent of the juvenile fruit on each tree must be removed. This practice, called thinning, “is crucial,” says Lisa Kershner, who grows Asian pears with her husband Ike at North Star Orchard, in Cochranville. Though thinning might seem counterintuitive to eager home-growers, it’s a necessary step to ensure that the remaining fruit grows large and overburdened tree branches don’t break. “If you don’t thin, you wind up with small pears that don’t taste like anything.”

European pears are often picked underripe, but Asian pears must be tree-ripened to ensure sweetness. Cunampio says that people who come to Longview to pick pears sometimes have trouble choosing because they expect all ripe fruit to be soft, but Asian pears remain crunchy and firm, even when ripe. Wait for them to soften and they’ll be overripe, mushy and unappealing.

Longview and North Star grow Japanese varieties shinsui and hosui. In Coopersburg, a farm called Subarashii Kudamono — the phrase means “wonderful fruit” in Japanese — grows five proprietary varieties. The farm was started in 1973 by Joel Spira and his wife, Ruth Rodale Spira, after Joel was served Asian pears while in Japan on business. Subarashii Kudamono was not Joel’s first bright idea — he is also credited as inventor of the electric dimmer switch used in most houses. The company now sells Asian pears fresh and dried, as well as Asian pear wine and eau de vie, a clear fruit brandy, similar to grappa or kirsch.

for The cook

Asian pears have a delicate flavor, like a subtly sweet melon, and a juicy crunch. Once uncommon, they now appear regularly at supermarkets, often wrapped in foam sleeves as they bruise easily, but Lisa Kershner suggests avoiding them as you would supermarket tomatoes. Both fruits taste best when tree or vine-ripened — a step that supermarket suppliers can’t take — and the Asian pears in the grocery store are often a grainy, dry disappointment. Kershner says that at farmer’s markets she and Ike must wage a “customer reeducation” campaign to demonstrate the fruit at its best.

Asian pears make a versatile addition to an autumn kitchen where they walk the line between sweet and savory. Because of their crisp texture, which tends to persist, it’s often better to choose one of two avenues for cooking: either very minimal, if any, to maintain their delicate flavor; or very long, to the point where they break down entirely. North Star Orchard employs the second method, slow-cooking Asian pear cider into molasses-y pear butter. Fresh, they provide sweet crunch in a cool weather salad next to bitter escarole, toasted walnuts and salty pecorino. Juiced or puréed, they’re often a component in the marinade for Korean barbecued meats, upon which they have a tenderizing effect.

Thomas McCarthy, pastry chef at Morimoto, appreciates them because they’re “not too sweet, [a] relief from tasting sugary things all day.” He loves the texture of the fruit and the nuances of flavor where “they can be subtly complex with caramel and hints of spice,” but he doesn’t typically cook them. “I find they are just too watery to bake with… I use them as a crispy-even-when-cooked compote… a little tart with yuzu or lemon [but] I still maintain that fresh is the best way to go.” McCarthy’s richly spiced gingerbread is an ideal counterpoint to the pear’s sweet crunch, or the accompanying compote recipe. Bring thick slices spread with salted butter to eat with on an autumn walk in the Wissahickon. You won’t miss summer one bit.

Morimoto, 723 Chestnut St., morimotorestaurant.com

from the kitchen of che f m c carthy

As ia n Pe ar Co m po te & Pa in D’ Ep

icé s

s, immediately Peel and small-dice 2 Asian pear r. colo n ntai mai to toss with lemon juice (Yields 1 cup) for a few sit let and r suga and fruit Combine pears Asian um medi 2 minutes to draw out juices. tsp lemon juice 2 starch and water, Make a slurry by mixing corn ½ cup granulated sugar and set aside.

1 Tbsp cornstarch ttomed Put fruit and spices into heavy-bo 2 Tbsp water ing stirr , saucepan over medium high heat stick cinnamon 1 . boil d rapi star anise pod 1 occasionally, and bring to bring back to whole cloves 3 Add slurry while stirring and for a full minute le, whi the 2-3 allspice berries all ing stirr , rolling boil to cook the starch. ove spices.

Remove from heat and cool. Rem

CO M P OT E

B R EA D

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and

butter a loaf

1 ½ cup all purpose flour pan. Sift together dry ingredients. Gently warm . Using a hand ½ cup buckwheat flour water, molasses and honey together tsp baking soda 2 n sugar brow and er butt m or stand mixer, crea ½ tsp salt eggs add then y, fluff and t ligh look tsp ground cinnamon until they 1 wet and dry and lemon zest. Alternate adding 1 Tbsp ground ginger ture. mix egg and r suga tsp ground clove ingredients to the butter,

into er batt r Pou . ther black d toge ¾ tsp groun Mix until it comes hour, until a pepper greased pan. Bake 45 minutes to an r es out clean. wate com cup 1 toothpick inserted in the center ely. ½ cup molasses plet com l Cool. Turn out of pan. Coo cup honey ¼ allow to age Wrap in a clean dishtowel and r, oz (1 stick) butte 4 and eat Slice r. flavo lop deve to days a couple of room temperature from the cold s, Asian pear cup dark brown sugar with compote or fresh ¼ tea. n gree tsp lemon zest refrigerator, and coffee or 1 2 eggs

for The pantry

Canning Asian pears in syrup requires a heavy dose of lemon juice or other acid, which changes their character. Consider pickling instead, in a brine of water, vinegar, salt and sugar with wintry spices like clove and allspice or bright flavors like lemon and fresh ginger. Or dry in a dehydrator or an oven at the lowest possible setting. Peel, core and slice 6 pears 1/4 inch thick. Place in a bowl of water and the juice of a lemon for a few minutes. Drain, spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake, rotating occasionally, until dry but still pliable. Cool and store in an airtight container.

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Pure Love V

Pure Sweets treats beat eats with wheat

by emily teel

egan, gluten-free bakeries often claim that the average sweettooth won’t be able to tell the difference between their products and conventional ones. Unfortunately, they often disappoint.

Andrea Kyan, owner of East Falls-based Pure Sweets, doesn’t try to compete.“[If] it won’t be as good as an original, I just won’t do it.” Instead of relying on substitutes for eggs, dairy and wheat — and compromising on flavor and texture as a result — she focuses on the richest, most delicious ingredients she can use.

Pure Sweets’ macaroons, gluten-free cookies and crisp bars, which Kyan calls a cross between

“a Rice [Krispies] treat and a Nestlé Crunch,” get richness from coconut, nut butters, fruit preserves and dark chocolate. Are they “as good as?” They just might be better. pure sweets are organic, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, flourless and made without refined sugars.

They’re available at Grindcore House, Ultimo Coffee and online at puresweets.com .

Turning a Corner on Healthy Eating Initiative makes healthy foods easy to find, easy to buy by rosella eleanor lafevre

E

at fresh, feel good. That’s the message at five corner stores in Philadelphia that now feature a Fresh Corner kiosk as part of the Food Trust’s Healthy Corner Store Initiative.

On Sept. 19, Selinette Rodriguez of Polo Food Market (727 N. 10th St.) welcomed a crowd that included State Rep. Dwight Evans for the unveiling of her store’s Fresh Corner kiosk, which features a refrigerated produce cooler and a 16

demonstration space for cooking lessons.

Reminiscing about the corner store he frequented as a youth, Rep. Evans talked about the power of corner stores to spur economic development and encourage better health. Rodriguez is joined in the Fresh Corner initiative by the owners of four other food markets across the city: Olivares, Indiana, Yellow and Corner. In addition to the healthy food kiosks, Fresh

gridphil ly.co m NOVE M BER 20 13

Corner stores have hotspots and colorful signage throughout to call attention to healthful options.

According to data collected by the Food Trust, people are getting the message. Using point-of-sale systems at several stores with Fresh Corner kiosks and some without, the Food Trust has found that sales of produce and water have increased by nearly 50 percent at Fresh Corner stores versus control stores.

Cheese Lovers rejoice!

This fall, Di Bruno Bros. will open a fifth location, a 4,500-squarefoot gourmet market and coffee bar at the Franklin (834 Chestnut St.), featuring a full-service coffee counter, signature products including olive oils and private label coffees, fresh mozzarella made on-premises throughout the day and prepared foods to-go. dibruno.com

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17

Agriculture

Birdland

Area locavores can be thankful they live in a region with an abundance of local turkey options story by lauren mandel • photos by emily wren

E

very Thanksgiving, turkey buyers are faced with a handful of options: Do you save up for the local, organic, heritage breed?

Stick with the mom-and-pop-raised, free-range turkey? Or do you just go for the cheapest bird on the shelf? So many choices.

One thing is clear in our local turkey scene: Philadelphians are becoming increasingly interested in flavor, quality and ethics. I spoke with Bob and Glady Esbenshade — owners of America’s oldest continuously operated turkey farm, Esbenshade in Paradise, PA — to hear what their customers want. “Most of our turkeys are 10-30 lbs,” explains Glady. “They have better flavor [than younger turkeys]. Most companies don’t raise them like that because they feel it’s not cost-effective. We raise them for the flavor, which costs us a little more.” The farm raises and dresses about 9,000 hormoneand antibiotic-free turkeys per year, 7,000 for Thanksgiving alone. The farm has been in the Esbenshade family since 1858, and Glady hopes her son and eventually granddaughter will one day run the business.

What do retailers think about locally-raised holiday turkeys? “The Thanksgiving turkey business is the hardest season of the year,” says Charles Giunta, owner of Giunta’s Prime Shop in the Reading Terminal Market, who typically sells 500-600 Thanksgiving birds.

Norman Weiss, purchasing manager at Weavers Way Co-op, agrees. “You’re matching up the [turkey] sizes with the customers’ demand. The main challenge is logistical — selling that many turkeys, we have to rent a refrigerat18

gridphil ly.co m NOVE M BER 20 13

ed trailer for each location to store the turkeys.”

Despite the challenges for retailers and growers, Glady Esbenshade is confident that her turkeys are superior to birds from industrial farms when it comes to flavor and tenderness. “Some people want a cheaper turkey, but [our customers tell us] ours are better… We have customers from way back who like our turkeys best and have come back for years and years.” Weavers Way Co-op and Creekside Co-op customers enjoy Esbenshade turkeys in part because each purchase supports the local economy and food system. The Esbenshades are mom and pop; buying from them means you’re supporting an irreplaceable agrarian lifestyle.

Most turkey localists seek out sustainablyraised birds, but not organic. Whole Foods Market sees the highest demand for organic turkeys within the city. “During the 2012 Thanksgiving season, one in seven customers bought an organic turkey,” says Matt Rosen, meat team leader at Whole Foods’ Callowhill location. But for most customers at Giunta’s and Weavers Way, the organic price-point is perceived to be too high.

If you want to start a tradition you can feel good about, here’s a list of local and sustainable turkey farms, and retailers that carry their product.

In the Know:

»» Koch’s Turkey Farm Tamaqua, PA

Local Turkey Farms

Family owned and operated since 1953; Certified Humane® antibiotic-free, freerange; organic turkeys available Fair Food Farmstand (RTM), Mariposa Food Co-op mariposa.coop , Whole Foods Market

»» Bell & Evans Fredericksberg, PA

Family owned and operated since the 1890s; hormone- and antibiotic-free Whole Foods Market wholefoodsmarket.com

»» Esbenshade Turkey Farm Paradise, PA

Family owned and operated since 1858; hormone- and antibiotic-free Weavers Way Co-op weaversway.coop , Creekside Co-op

»» Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative Leola, PA

Pasture-raised, organic, biodynamically-raised Fair Food Farmstand (RTM) »» Sensenig Turkey Farm Lititz, PA

Amish-owned and operated Giunta's Prime Shop (RTM) giuntasprimeshop. com , Martin's Quality Meats & Sausage (RTM)

creekside.coop

»» Griggstown Quail Farm Princeton, NJ

Pasture-raised white turkeys and heritage breed Red Bourbons Fair Food Farmstand, Reading Terminal Market (RTM)

martinssausage.com

»» Weaver’s Turkey Farm Leola, PA

Hormone- and antibiotic-free Giunta's Prime Shop (RTM), L. Halteman Family (RTM)

fairfoodphilly.org

»» Howe Farm Downingtown, PA

Second-generation, hormone- and antibiotic-free Broad-Breasted Natural Whites, processed on-site Fair Food Farmstand (RTM)

readingterminalmarket. org/merchants/view/37 ,

Martin's Quality Meats & Sausage (RTM) »» York Springs

»» Jaindl Farm Orefield, PA

Organic free-range and antibiotic-free available Weavers Way Co-op

Turkey Farm New Oxford, PA

Amish-owned and operated; hormone- and antibiotic-free Giunta's Prime Shop (RTM), Martin's Quality Meats & Sausage (RTM)

Available for sale at these locations

NOV EM B ER 20 13

g ri dph i l ly.co m

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Whole Kids Foundation's mission is to improve children's nutrition and wellness with the goal of ending the childhood obesity epidemic.

Through partnerships with innovative organizations, schools and educators we work to provide children access to healthier choices. We aim to help children reach their full potential through the strength of a healthy body.

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It’s easier than ever to retrofit your house room by room, creating a more comfortable home that wastes less energy and money.

E

veryone wants to live in a home that is comfortable and energy efficient. The best way to get there is to look at your house as a whole. That's the approach embraced by programs like EnergySense from Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) and Smart Ideas from PECO. These programs include rebates, incentives, educational programs, energy audits and even free energy-saving items. Together with super low-interest financing from Keystone HELP, homeowners now have the tools to make any home more comfortable, energy efficient and affordable.

feature by Brian Rademaekers & illustrations by Robb Leef

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Three Big Ways

to Save!

Rebates, incentives and financing save you money while you save energy throughout your home

PGW

Keystone

EnergySense

PECO

Smart Ideas

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Rebates, incentives and discounts, on investments big and small!

Includes a range of tools and incentives to reduce energy use.

Super-low interest loans makes energy efficiency affordable.

Program benefits are available to all income levels.

Save small on things like high-efficiency light bulbs or save big on investments like geothermal heating and cooling.

Available statewide, with special low rates in Philadelphia and surrounding counties.

With Smart House Call, save on energy audits and even more on insulation, air sealing and heating system maintenance.

Loans for home improvements from insulation and air sealing to solar panels and new windows.

Get rebates on ENERGY STAR appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators.

Backed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania State Treasury.

Get a home energy audit for just $150 and learn which rebates, incentives and financing are available to you.

Rewards customers who follow the auditor's recommendations to save energy.

Rebates based on energy saved, not money spent.

PECO customers whose primary heat source is electric can get a $300 energy audit for just $100.

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In the kitchen, money should be spent on quality ingredients — not high-energy bills. A clunky old refrigerator can be one of a home's biggest energy drains, in large part because it never stops running. The kitchen can also harbor “phantom load” appliances, which are seldom used but draw energy as long as they are plugged in.

1 Trade in your old fridge for a new quali-

2 Unplug coffee makers and microwaves

4 Older model stoves can waste electric-

fying ENERGY STAR-rated appliance and you’ll save $150 a year in costs, plus you’ll get a $50 rebate from PECO and $35 when they pick up the outdated model. Refrigerators and freezers run best when full, so fill empty space with gallon jugs of water.

when they aren’t being used. Using a power strip (supplied free from PECO for qualifying customers), you can “unplug” a variety of appliances with the press of a single button.

ity or gas, especially ones with a constantly burning pilot light. Save money by replacing with an ENERGY STAR-rated model.

6 Replace a 2.2 gallon-per-minute (GPM) faucet aerator with 1.1 GPM and receive a $10 PGW rebate while helping cut water usage in half.

5 ENERGY STAR dishwashers use as

7 Special loans from the Keystone HELP

little as 5 gallons of water, compared to as much as 27 gallons of water washing by hand. That’s a savings of more than 4,700 gallons of water a year. ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher can save up to 10% in energy.

program can cover investments in a geothermal home well — as much as $35,000.

PECO offers rebates of $200 per ton for ENERGY STAR heat pumps — that's $800 for an average house.

3 Many houses have a drafty backdoor in the kitchen. PGW and PECO rebates and KeystoneHELP loans are available for weather-stripping windows, doors and more.

24

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Happily, rebates and financing aimed at whole-home improvements even extend to the powder room.

WaterSense

1 A new ENERGY STAR exhaust fan is

3 CFL and LED lights use less energy and

4 PGW offers rebates (estimate for two

quieter, works better, uses less energy, and can keep away moisture and mold that would otherwise present health and safety concerns. Covered by Keystone HELP loans if recommended in energy audit.

last much longer than incandescent bulbs.

A CFL uses 75% less energy and lasts eight times as long as an incandescent. LEDs last five times as long as CFLs, and use even less energy. PECO offers rebates on ENERGY STAR CFLs ($1-$3) and LEDs ($5$15). (See infographic for more details.)

showers and three sinks: $132) for lowflow faucet and showerhead aerators, which are free from PECO for qualifying customers who get a full home energy audit. Reduce your flow from two gallons per minute to just a half gallon. Typical energy savings $23 per year. Replacing a 2.2 GPM showerhead with 1.5 GPM on average yields a $35 PGW rebate, and replacing a 2.2 GPM faucet aerator with 1.1 GPM yields a $10 PGW rebate.

2 A leaky toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day. Fixing or replacing it can save a family of four $2,000 over a lifetime. Save even more with a WaterSense-certified low- or dual-flush model.

26

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Innovation. Sustainability. Collaboration. Design.

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New furnaces and boilers are close to 99 percent efficient, compared to many still in use that are 72 percent efficient, or even lower. But efficiently produced heat is still wasteful if it leaks through gaps in the foundation idge— a common ld fr R o r u auditor TA helps you find problem in older homes. Once an yo e out ERGY S morthe Keystone HELP itchprogram’s N TO a w E leaks, lowVloan h S t w d i E UP rates will ne el a ar w werhea A e S r y o d o o cover the cost off patching up the holes, and PGW will per nt shhelp dm ie rate effic pay you for energy saved. ar!

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1 An investment in your heater gives you the biggest bang for your buck. Upgrade and get rebates from PGW up to $2,000, as well as Keystone HELP loans. A new high-efficiency heater can save $350 a year over a standard heater. Over the unit's lifetime, that can mean $7,000 or more. Even if you don’t need a new unit, tune-ups or repairs that improve efficiency and save money are covered by PGW Home Rebates. PECO also offers rebates covering in various HVAC components, from l ab e s vail $50-$1,000. e

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urban naturalist

by bernard brown • photos by jen britton

Grave Gardens When algae and fungus “like like” each other, the result is unlike anything else

M

aybe you believe toward the end of October the wall between the dead and the living weakens a bit — a fine reason to hang out in a cemetery. Maybe you love autumn. The landscape of orderly stone, soft grass and falling leaves is the perfect place to enjoy the season. And maybe, like me, you figure this is a fine time to search for your own dead and see what might be living above them.

Thus, I dragged my dad out of Center City to Har Nebo Cemetery in Oxford Circle to help me find his grandparents. I was fascinated by the journey into my family history, of course, but I was also looking for lichen on their headstones.

The cemetery manager had given me what sounded like clear directions as to their whereabouts, but I couldn’t find their final resting spots. My dad and I separated and went stone to stone.

We might think of corpses as dead, but if left alone, they’ll quickly be pulled back into the living world by scavengers and decomposers. It is the tombstones that are truly dead. That is until the lichen show up, gripping the rock and growing outwards a millimeter or two per year.

Even as they turn dead spaces into gardens, lichen themselves break down the lines between organisms as we commonly think of them. That humble patch of green on the stone is a “composite organism,” a union between a fungus and algae. The fungus builds a structure in which the algae can safely convert the sunlight to energy, all the while embracing the cells of algae in microscopic filaments— hyphae — that draw off nutrients for food.

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Figure 1

Figure 2

RESOURCE Lichens of North America

by Irwin Brodo (Yale University Press, 828 PP., $135, October 2001) This beautifully photographed reference book is a great addition for your home library, and a great book to borrow from the Philadelphia Free Library.

This partnership can make some unusual procreation. Sometimes the fungi break off with their algae partners to set up shop on a new stone together. Other times, as Dr. David Hewitt, Research Associate with the Academy of Natural Sciences, explains, the fungi build what are essentially little cannons (visible as little circles with dark centers) to fire their spores into the world where they’ll hope to land on a proper blank surface and meet up with the right algae.

“The sex is easy,” Hewitt says. “It’s building the house that’s the hard part.”

On another cemetery expedition, to the majestic Laurel Hill, overlooking the Schuylkill River, photographer Jen Britton and I weren’t looking for any graves in particular. Patches of lichen on weathered, barely legible headstones were everywhere: leafy Physcia [Figure 1-3], chartreuse Candelaria [Figure 4] and powdery gray Lecanura growing into the stone and rising a mighty distance (for a lichen that’s a couple millimeters) above to send their spores out into the great beyond.

Back at Har Nebo, I found lichen on other grave markers, but my great-grandparents’, when my dad finally spotted them, were clean, shiny and sterile. I’m not sure how long it will take the marble to weather enough to give some tiny spore a home, but I’ll look forward to them coming back to life some other October. bernard brown is an amateur field herper, bureaucrat and founder of the PB&J Campaign (pbjcampaign.org ), a movement focused on the benefits of eating lower on the food chain.

Tiny gray circles of Lecanura and foliose Physcia

Figure 3

Figure 4

Laurel Hill Cemetery has a busy calendar of events, especially in October. Visit thelaurelhillcemetery.org to see what’s going on.

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OCT

09

Basics of Plant Disease: Signs & Symptoms

Plant pathologist Bob Mulrooney will review the incredible impact plant diseases have on our lives and our landscapes. →→ Wed., Oct. 9, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. $20. Mt. Cuba Center

3120 Barley Mill Road, Hockessin, DE 19707. Visit mtcubacenter.org/calendar for more information.

OCT

MOTU at Nerd Nite

Join members of the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities (MOTU) at Nerd Nite. Raise a glass to bikes, trains and airplanes.

09

OCT 11

Day-Off Camp: Outdoor Challenge Games It’s the kids vs. the adults in a series of outdoor races, games and challenges where good teamwork is the key to success.

Ages 5-12.

→→ Fri., Oct. 11, 8 a.m - 3 p.m. $45 per person for members, $55 per person for non-

members. Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd. Pre-registration required at schuylkillcenter.org or call 215-482-7300 x 110.

→→ Wed., Oct. 9, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Frankford Hall, 1210 Frankford Ave. Visit philadelphia.nerdnite.com for

more information.

OCT

09

Pinot & Produce: Mill Creek Farm Networking Fundraiser

If you are going to network, network for a cause. Mix and mingle with professionals from around the city while supporting food justice in West Philly. →→ Wed., Oct. 9, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. $25 at the door. Vox

Populi Gallery, 319 North 11th St., 3rd Floor. Visit pinot-produce.eventbrite.com to buy tickets.

Oct

09

Habitat for Humanity ReStore Second Birthday Sale Week

Join Habitat Philly’s ReStore for their Second Annual Birthday Sale, where secondhand building materials, furnishings and furniture are sold to the public for a fraction of a cost, all to support Habitat’s programs. →→ Wed., Oct. 9 - Sat., Oct. 12, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 2930 Jasper St. For more info, visit habitatphiladelphia. org , Habitat Philadelphia on Facebook, or call

(215) 739-9300.

OCT 12

Artist Reception for Sarah Kaizar: In Danger and Stacy Levy: Rain Yard

Opening and reception for two new environmentally themed artworks, one focusing on and mitigating stormwater runoff, one rendering the forms, patterns, textures and personalities of animals on the U.S. endangered species list.

Adults only. →→ Sat., Oct. 12, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Free. Schuylkill Center

for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd. Learn more about the art at schuylkillcenter.org .

Design Philadelphia

T

here are over 120 events in this nine-day open-participation festival, demonstrating the energy and enthusiasm of Philadelphia’s creative sector.

This year is all about experiencing design. Events run the gamut from a street scavenger hunt to a make-ityourself Corian workshop, party at bahdeebahdu — a design studio in Kensington — to a plus-size fashion show at the Penn Museum.

k i c ko f f e v e n t

k i c k o f f a f t e r pa r t y

Pop Up Place: DesignPhiladelphia Festival kickoff event

Pop Up Place After-Party

Get ready to experience design in unexpected ways with an olfactory performance, unexpected food and drink, a light projection installation, live music and a silent auction fundraiser. →→ Wed., Oct. 9, 6 - 9 p.m. $75 in

→→ View full calendar of events at designphiladelphia.org

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Extend the fun at a collaborative showroom environment that will be opening its doors for the first time during the Festival. →→ Wed., Oct. 9, 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. $20

in advance, $30 at the door, or included in price of Pop Up Place.

American Street Studio, 2200 N American St.

advance, $85 at the door. Price includes entry to afterparty.

Bahdeebahdu, 1522 N. American St.

photos Courtesy o f The Schuy lkill Ce n te r fo r En v iro n m e n tal Educati on

OCT

Food Day

31

Join Slow Food Philadelphia and the Philadelphia chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier during your lunch hour for our local awareness celebration of why food matters. We will feature groups and organizations in our region that promote youth farming, local farmers and farm support organizations, including GMO Free and nutrition experts. →→ Thurs., Oct. 31, 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Filbert Sts. Visit foodday.org for

more information.

OCT 13

Mushroom Growing with Tyler Case: Shtetl Skills Workshop #3

Tyler Case, mushroom-growing enthusiast, will demonstrate how to cultivate and grow mushrooms.

Food Day Events Volunteer at SHARE There will lots of work to do on a bagging Saturday including making boxes, bagging products, packaging orders and various other warehouse duties.

→→ Sun., Oct. 13, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. This workshop is free,

however for an extra $10 fee you can take home your own Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit. 5007 Cedar Ave. Register or learn more at jewishfarmschool. org/shtetl .

→→ Sat., Oct. 19, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 2901

W. Hunting Park Ave. Learn more at sharefoodprogram.org/newsevents .

Fall Gardening Workshop at SHARE

OCT

4th annual Justice For All 5K

All proceeds from the event will support Community Legal Services’ mission of providing equal access to justice to low-income Philadelphians.

13

→→ Sun., Oct. 13, 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. $20 to

Walk, $25 to Run, $25 for Law School Challenge Participants. $240 for Legal Team or Open Team Competition teams. Fees increase by $5 on the day of the event. For more information, visit clsphila. org/justiceforall5k .

OCT 13

Weavers Way 40th Anniversary Celebration

Weavers Way Co-op marks 40 years since its founding with a gala celebration. →→ Sunday, Oct. 13, noon-6 p.m. Free. Cliveden of

the National Trust, 6901 Germantown Ave. Visit weaversway.coop for more

oct 15

Soak It Up! Exhibition Opening Reception

Opening reception for an exhibition showcasing the innovative ideas for Green City Clean Waters Philadelphia’s innovative 25-year green stormwater infrastructure plan. →→ Tues., Oct. 15, 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Free. Philadelphia

City Hall, Council Caucus Room, 4th Floor. Visit soakitup-exhibition.eventbrite.com for more information.

Explore the steps necessary to put your garden to bed for winter, learn ways to preserve your summer bounty and help harvest this year’s crop of sweet potatoes, if weather permits. →→ Sat., Oct. 19, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. SHARE

Food Program, 2901 W. Hunting Park Ave.

Hazon Food Festival: Liberty, Food & Justice for All A day for Philadelphia area foodies, rabbis, restaurateurs, chefs, farmers, educators, vegans and omnivores to come together to explore the interplay of food, sustainability, Jewish traditions and contemporary life. →→ Sun., Oct. 20, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. $36

for adults, $18 for children, kosher lunch included. Rodeph Shalom, 615 N. Broad St. Visit hazon.org for more information.

Life Do Grow Philadelphia Urban Creators (PUC) explores various ways to utilize local resources to build food-secure and resilient communities from the groundup. This day will include an orientation to the program, history of the organization and community, tour the farm and an integrated work day and training session.

Widener University Food Day Fair View posters made by students highlighting the Food Day goals and meet with area organizations who are bringing real food to the Philadelphia region and are fighting food insecurity. →→ Thu., Oct. 24, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Widener

University, University Center, One University Place. To learn more, email alroberts@widener.edu .

Food Access: Strengthening Communities and Improving Health Outcomes A panel of local food and health experts on the relationship between healthy food access and other public health outcomes. →→ Thu., Oct. 24, 5 - 6 p.m. Temple’s campus

at the Temple Contemporary. Visit foodday.org for information on this and other Food Day events.

Harvest Festival UNI Bartrum’s Garden Celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Community Farm and Food Resource Center. →→ Sat., Oct. 26, all day. Admission and food

are free. Bartram’s Garden, 54th and Lindbergh Blvd. Visit urbannutrition.org for more information.

Fair Food Canning Crash Course: Fall Fruit Chutneys with Food in Jars Learn how to choose local produce, how to spice your recipe, and the basics of water bath canning, so you can have your own flavor-packed chutneys all year round. →→ Tues., Oct. 29, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. $45. Rick

Nichols Room, Reading Terminal Market, 51 N. 12th St. Buy tickets at bpfair-food. ticketleap.com .

→→ Thu., Oct. 24, 12 - 3 p.m. Philadelphia

Urban Creators Urban Farm and Innovation Center 2315 N. 11th St. To learn more, visit phillyurbancreators.org .

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FALL FESTIVALS o n g o i n g, 9/ 2 8 - 1 0/ 3 1

Shady Brook Farm’s Pumpkinfest Enjoy wagon rides, pick-your-own pumpkins, corn maze and lots more family fun. →→ Sat., Sept. 28 - Thur., Oct. 31. Shady Brook Farm,

931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, PA. $15 per person.

Visit shadybrookfarm.com for more information. o n g o i n g, 9/ 14 - 1 1 / 3

Pumpkinland Festival Enjoy live music and entertainment, hayrides, train rides, pony rides, face painting, straw bale and cornfield mazes, pick-yourown apples, candy and caramel apples, Jacko-lantern exhibit and Costume Parade. →→ Sat., Sept. 14 - Sun., Nov. 3, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

$6 per person. Linvilla Orchards, 598 Linvill Rd., Media, PA. Visit linvilla.com for more information.

Fall Harvest: Nature’s Curiosities

All Hallow’s Eve Fall Festival

Wyck’s final festival of 2013 celebrates the beauty of fall while exploring the curious things that happen in nature.

Hayrides, cider press, corn shucking, pumpkin painting and crafts for kids to make and take home. Enjoy candy corn, cider and spiced wafers.

→→ Sat., Oct. 12, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wyck Historic House, 6026 Germantown Ave. Visit wyck.org

for more information. ongoing, 10/ 11 - 10/ 13

South Jersey Pumpkin Show From a giant pumpkin pyramid to a creepy appearance by the Headless Horseman, this family-friendly fall fest has it all.

Whispers Along the Wissahickon This family-friendly fall celebration offers hayrides, face painting, balloon twisting, live music and more. Costumes encouraged. →→ Fri., Oct. 18, 5:30 - 9 p.m. $30 for Adults, $15 for

→→ Fri., Oct. 11 - Sun., Oct. 13. Salem County

Fairgrounds, 735 Harding Highway, Woodstown, NJ. Visit sjpumpkinshow.com for more information.

Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival Filbert Street will be transformed into an urban farm with hay bales and corn stalks.

Kids and adults will climb on an authentic farm tractor for a hay ride around the Market, take a walk through a pumpkin patch and enjoy freshly made donuts, locally grown seasonal fruits and vegetables, candy apples and more. →→ Sat., Oct. 12, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Filbert St., between 11th and 12th Sts. Visit readingterminalmarket. org for more information.

Frecon Farms Pickfest Pick your own fruit, carriage rides, hayrides, hard cider and wine garden, kids’ games, bluegrass performances and more. →→ Sat., Oct. 12, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. $9 in advance,

$12 day of. Frecon Farms, 501 S Reading Ave. Boyertown, PA. Learn more and purchase tickets at freconfarms.com .

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Children and $85 for Family tickets (2 Adults and 2 Children). Wissahickon Environmental Center, 300 Northwestern Ave. Visit fow.org/ calendar to buy tickets.

Pumpkin Days Celebration This fun-filled family day has activities, yummy food, and of course, pumpkins. →→ Sat., Oct. 19, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Member admission

is $4 for adults, $2 for children ages 3 to 15; non-member admission is $10 for adults, $7 for children ages 3 to 15; kids under 3 are free.

Tyler Arboretum, 515 Painter Rd., Media, PA. Visit tylerarboretum.org/events for more information.

CB Cares Pumpkin Festival Watch 20 artists carve masterpieces into pumpkins of all sizes, listen to live music, indulge in fare from food trucks, catch a movie screening in the meadow and watch the freshly-carved pumpkins illuminate at dusk. →→ Sat., Oct. 19, 4 - 9:30 p.m. Admission is $20 per

car. Moravian Tile Works, Doylestown. For more information, visit cb-cares.org/calendar .

→→ Sat., Oct. 19, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Suggested donation

$2 per person. Pennypacker Mills, 5 Haldeman Road, Schwenksville. ongoing, 10/25 - 10/26

Halloween Hikes and Hayrides Take a magical walk through woods aglow with jack-o-lanterns, as friendly talking animals share their nocturnal ways. Enjoy a hayride along a woodland road, a campfire, s’mores and pumpkin painting. →→ Fri., Oct. 25, and Sat., Oct. 26, 6 - 10 p.m.

$10/person for non-members; $7/person for members (Hayride included); $40 max per family. Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road. Visit schuylkillcenter.org for more information.

Philadelphia Orchard Day This citywide event features harvest festivals, plantings, work days, fruit tastings and other events at orchard sites across the city. →→ Sat., Oct. 26, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Free. Various locations. See phillyorchards.org for details.

Nature Uncorked! Strange and Scary Animals: A Halloween Special Enjoy a glass of wine and weirdly wonderful stories of scary animals and plants in this adults-only celebration of macabre Mother Nature. →→ Tues., Oct. 29, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. $18 for non-

members; $15 for members. Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd. Visit schuylkillcenter.org for more information.

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oct

Penn State Extension Food for Profit takes you step-by-step 18 Workshop through the starting and run a small food-product business, especially directed to individuals who will be making and packing their products for resale. →→ Fri., Oct. 18, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. $45 registration,

Overbrook Environmental Education Center, 6134 Lancaster Ave. For more information and to register visit extension.psu.edu/food-for-profitworkshops or call 717-921-8803.

OCT 19

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours at Open Air Market

Made in Philly is a hyperlocal visual art initiative that, uses street-level advertising spaces throughout Philadelphia, to display public art by local artists.

oct

25

11th Annual Social Venture Institute (SVI)

Emerging, established and budding entrepreneurs are invited to a two-day conference dedicated to the “Triple Bottom Line” business model, focused on people, planet, and profit. →→ Fri. and Sat. Oct. 25-26. The Hub Cira Center located at 2929 Arch St. Visit sbnphiladelphia. org/initiatives/social_venture_institute for

ticketing information and a schedule of events.

oct

Lion and Leopard Book Launch

Nathaniel Popkin’s first novel, Lion and Leopard, will be published this fall by The Head and The Hand Press. The book will be officially launched at a talk, signing and reception.

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NOv

Introduction to Orienteering

Leaders from the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association will teach you the basics, then you’ll head outside to complete a beginner’s course along our trails. Wear weather-appropriate clothing.

02

→→ Sat., Nov. 2, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Free. Schuylkill

Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road. Visit schuylkillcenter.org for more information.

nov

02

Creating and Maintaining Terrariums Workshop

Learn the particulars of an enclosed environment, soil requirements, using charcoal, watering, planting, choosing and maintaining plants and design, then create and take home your very own starter terrarium.

→→ Wed., Oct. 30, pre-launch tour at 5:30 p.m., launch →→ Sat., Oct. 19 - Sun., Oct. 20. 23rd and Arch Sts. Visit phillyphair.com for a full list of vendors and

other information.

oct

Backyard Chickens with Marie Crawford

5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Free with a reservation, $40 for pre-event tour. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Rotunda, Historic Landmark Building. 118 N. Broad St. Learn more at pafa.org .

nov

Cooperative Cafe

→→ Sat., Nov. 2, 12 - 2 p.m. $35. Greensgrow

Farms, 2501 E Cumberland St. For tickets, visit greensgrow.org/event .

nov

Cuisine from the Collections

Learn everything from choosing the right chicks to keeping them happy and healthy year-round. Marie will bring a few members of her flock so you can get a close-up look.

A highly interactive day of brief presentations and guided exchanges to help co-op leaders create and sustain a development culture in their co-ops.

Enjoy specialty cocktails and unique tastings from notable chefs featuring ingredients like bugs, snakes, snails and more — all inspired by the Academy’s 18 million plant and animal specimens.

→→ Sat., Oct. 19, 1 - 3 p.m. $10. Primex Garden

→→ Sat., Nov. 2, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. $45 per person.

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The Brossman Center – Benbow Hall 7301 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. visit mafca. coop for more information.

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$250. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Ben Franklin Pkwy. For more information visit ansp.org/cuisine .

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Under the Pavement

Urban gardens’ greatest bounty is the people who grow there by owen taylor

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s a child gardening in New England, with tips and inspiration from my mother at the garden’s edge, I helped provide for my family. In the 20 years since then, I’ve been endlessly amazed by the ability of a seed to unfold into food that our ancestors transformed from wild plants to something sweeter, bigger or more delicious.

It is a powerful thing to feed yourself and the people you love, and I am drawn to those who share this calling. Years later, I moved to New York City and immersed myself in a community of gardeners and farmers, neighborhood movers and shakers who had stayed in New York through the decades of economic turmoil that transformed their city and so many others — including Philadelphia — as whites fled to the suburbs and abandoned buildings were demolished or burned to the ground. Seeing the potential beauty of a garden in the rubble, these community leaders got out there with wheelbarrows, shovels, muscles and sweat to feed the people they love. By the mid-‘90s, 750 of New York’s vacant lots had been transformed into community gardens.

When I became the chicken intern at Just Food, my life revolved around the gardens and farms of New York City, and the people who had literally moved the earth to create them became my mentors. They guided me in creating a citywide chicken project, and they built more than a dozen chicken coops by my side. I may be best known as “the chicken guy,” but more important to me is helping to build a culture that accepts the leadership of garden elders and visionaries.

In the last five to 10 years, urban agriculture — and our cities — have become younger and whiter. But while often unacknowledged, the volunteer gardeners who have been growing food and community for decades are the mothers and fathers of our movement. The Just Food Training of Trainers, which I have been co-teaching for seven years in New York (and hope to bring to Philly), recognizes their expertise, leadership and charisma, and helps cultivate and sharpen their teaching skills. We pay them to lead workshops and offer consultations on how to grow food, community and justice. We take their lead in developing a network of gardener-run farmers markets and a farm school for working adults, with classes taught at community gardens, by community gardeners.

When I moved to Philly after marrying urban farmer Chris BoldenNewsome, leaving such a beloved community behind, I wondered how I could continue to build with garden elders and visionaries — but it’s happening! Three days a week, as a community organizer for the Garden Justice Legal Initiative, I meet gardeners and farmers in their plots and their kitchens, sharing dreams and frustrations. We are building a coalition, called Healthy Foods Green Spaces, to show that communitymanaged green spaces, gardens and farms are organized, and that we have a voice. Right now, we are urging City Council to pass the Land Bank bill to make it easier for communities to use vacant land for gardens — and affordable housing and jobs. The other two days, I help tend the gardens of William Woys Weaver, third-generation seed-saver extraordinaire, who is spilling over with knowledge, wisdom and fascinating stories of the 4,500

varieties of heirloom food plants in his collection, which spans continents, centuries and cultures.

Just this week at Will’s gardens in Devon, I sat with Iris Brown, Tomasita Romero and Marian Dalke, who have each been instrumental in transforming trash-filled lots into gardens in Norris Square. Our callused hands were perfect for separating seed from chaff of carrots and onions.

We marveled at the heritage held in seeds and how agri/cultural legacies continue as we grow our dinner ingredients in our neighborhood gardens.

I wrote a song for Chris, and for the community gardeners of New York City and Philadelphia who have (un)paved the way for our work. Called “The Garden,” it’s a prayer, really, recognizing and massaging the calluses that we collect as people who work the earth, and as people who battle injustice in our communities.

“Under the pavement, the garden and under your calluses, your heart.

I can hear it calling, beating the drum, in the dark, moving towards the light.”

Moving towards the light with these garden elders and visionaries of Philadelphia, I know I am home. owen taylor is helping to build a strong voice for community gardens, farms and open space in Philadelphia through the Healthy Foods Green Spaces coalition. You can, too, at groundedinphilly.org/healthy-foodsgreen-spaces . Check out Owen’s music at mygaybanjo.com .

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

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illustratio n by andy hood

YOU K NOW D AVE’S GUY O THE GR N THE EENES BLOCK T BECAU SE >>>

the l ast t im used a pap e he er to there wel were pictu res o no n the inter net. //

Yeah, Dave’s that kind of green.

And so is his energy company.

Even for Dave Green—Clean Currents’ sustainability guru—it’s not easy being green. Dave has tried it all. But, when it comes to green energy the answer is simple: Clean Currents offers Green-e Energy certified wind power, and signing up is a piece of cake.

Follow Dave Greene for tips from the greenest guy on the block!

Facebook.com/GreenPhillyDave and @GreenPhillyDave PA #A-2012-23304407

Not just a change in power—the power to change.

the right connections can power a whole city.

Amanda Byrne Master of Environmental Studies ‘13, University of Pennsylvania To read more about how Amanda helped to push for more stringent energy use restrictions, visit www.upenn.edu/grid

Amanda Byrne (MES ’13) had years of experience as an energy consultant.

But she wanted to learn how to effect change on a policy level. In her first month at Penn MES, a conference led to a post with Philadelphia Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown as an energy efficiency advisor – which then took her to the halls of Harrisburg as a representative of the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance for a year-long internship. With the Act 129 stakeholders group, she contributed to a statewide plan to reduce energy use across industries. The changes she helped put in place will help Philadelphia shine brightly, and more sustainably, over the decades to come.

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

At the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Environmental Studies Program, we plug students into the network of resources they need to light the way to a greener future. Connect with us at

www.upenn.edu/grid

www.facebook.com/UPennEES

@PENN_EES