Friday, November 25, 2011 at 10:00AM 
Folks, This Ain’t Normal
by Joel Salatin
(Center Street, 384 pp., $25.99, October 2011)
book review, farming, food Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 10:00AM 
Two years ago during a staff retreat, Tyler Holmberg and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnership started brainstorming about transforming the southern portion of Bartram’s Garden into an operational farm. Since then, their vision has become a reality; last month, ground was officially broken for the Bartram’s Farm and Community Resource Center.
Monday, November 21, 2011 at 2:00PM 
"Food is a great way to bring people together,” says Jennifer Brodsky, Greener Partners’ chief operating officer. At Longview Agricultural Center, a 90-acre certified organic farm in Collegeville and hub for Greener Partners, food is at the heart of their mission.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 9:44PM 
photo by foodandwaterwatch.orgStand up for farmers’ rights today in Philadelphia! Join Food and Water Watch, and other fair food organizations like Slow Food Philly, Farm To City, and Fresh Buy Local, to fight for Fair Farm Rules to be implemented in Pennsylvania.
The Fair Farm Rules of 2008 (or the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration Rules) address contract fairness in the livestock and poultry industries. The rules were intended to make it easier for farmers to compete with corporate agribusiness, so that fresh, sustainable food could be more accessible to the public. Although adopted in 2008, the industry has become more consolidated and the intervention by giant poultry and livestock operations has successfully stopped these rules from being enforced.
Now, with Farm Bill 2012 on the horizon, the 2008 Fair Farm Rules need to be widely enforced on a government level to provide the greatest benefit to small-scale producers. Other cities, like Allentown, Pa. and Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo in Michigan are holding similar rallies, to encourage the rules’ enforcement.
While the Fair Farm Rules are intended for livestock and poultry farms, they have the potential to impact all agriculture, says Emily Heffling of Food and Water Watch.
“There is consolidation across the boards in agriculture. This [rally] could serve as a domino effect for other areas of agriculture, either positive or negative.”
Heffling hopes that the rally’s success is the first step toward contract fairness for local farms.
Join Food and Water Watch to urge Senator Casey to stand up for Pennsylvania small farm rights. For more information visit foodandwaterwatch.org.
Fair Farm Rally, Thurs., Nov. 3, 1:30 p.m, 2000 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 4:46PM 
For locavores, the morning moments spent at Philadelphia farmers markets can be defined as delicious bliss. When the temperatures hit their harshest levels this summer, chill out by turning the local bounty found at the market into refreshing summer sips that don’t rely on tea or citrus shipped from miles and continents away.
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 2:16PM 
Though i’m not a vegetarian, summertime piques my partiality for grill-ready burgers created from beans (or lentils), grains and vegetables. The trick to a homemade veggie burger that won’t fall to pieces on the barbecue is a simple three-step process: cook, chill and grill. This means that the night (or morning) before, you make the burger mix, brown the patties in a skillet and then chill to set. These can also be made in larger batches and frozen—handy for spontaneous types. Since bean burgers appreciate a bit of sauce for extra flavor and moisture, whip up two of my favorite toppers to really gild this legume lily.
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 2:01PM 
If you’re looking for a bold cheese to pair with beer, reach for Red Cat from Birchrun Hills Farm. This classic washed-rind stinker from Sue Miller isn’t as bossy as a ripe Epoisses—a pungent French delicacy—but it has the same creamy texture and beefy character. Think of stewed meat and bitter greens. The slightly astringent finish makes this cheese an ideal pairing for the rustic hoppiness and grapefruity twang of a Yards Pale Ale. For something gentler and smoother, try Red Cat alongside a pint of Slyfox Saison VOS. Loaded with apricot and honey notes, this saison softens Red Cat’s growl into a luxurious purr.
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 1:45PM 
Get out your granny cart and head to the farmers market for 10 pounds of plums (ask for discounted “seconds”), because this is the summer you’ll make sour fruit beer.
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 1:35PM 
These days you can find any number of novelty beer mustards at boutique grocers, but nothing will be as delicious as the one you make yourself with a favorite local brew. Choose a bright, flavorful beer like Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale or Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA and your mustard will taste like biting into a crisp summer cucumber.
Janina A. Larenas, beer, food, mustard, recipe Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 12:54PM 
Beer is often called liquid bread, a nod to both grainy origins and covert calorie content. At Betty’s Speakeasy, owner Liz Begosh and pastry chef Adriane Appleby reverse the process, transforming locally brewed liquids into covetable cakes and fudge. “We don’t like to make overly sweet sweets,” says Begosh, a former pro cyclist-turned-pastry queen. “The bitterness in beer balances honey, cane sugar and molasses.”
