//

Baking bread is an easy and satisfying gift to yourself

Daily Bread by Anna Herman It is hard to improve upon the fresh bread available from so many excellent local bakeries. But you can come close, and few things are as magical as transforming flour, water and salt into fragrant loaves—so it is worth your time to try. Whether turning out unleavened, hand-rolled flatbreads, or

More
2 mins read
/

Homesteading: Candlemaking 101

Sweet smells and subtle light will get you through winter’s dark nights by Anna Herman When I was seven, I had a revelation. I could have brownies on demand if I made them myself. Learning this simple skill gave me agency over my appetites and fueled a lifelong interest in figuring out how to make

More
4 mins read

Counter Intuitive: Make your own toxin-free kitchen cleaner

story byLeah R. TroianoIf you’re using typical household cleaning products to tidy your kitchen, chances are you’re also using some highly toxic chemicals. In an independent, peer-reviewed study by Silent Spring Institute, a public interest organization, more than 200 products were analyzed for hazardous chemical content. Nearly all the products tested, including many marketed

More
1 min read
///

The Food Issue: Jarhead

Becoming a home artisan is easier than you think  by Marisa McClellan
Fire-roasted tomatoes. Vanilla-rhubarb jam. Plums in honey. Preserved Seckel pears. No, this isn’t the inventory list of some new upscale grocery—these are just a few of the foodstuffs I preserved last summer and have been happily eating all winter long.

More
8 mins read
///

How-To: Cook Dried Beans

Preparing dried beans in three easy stepsby Ed CoffinDried beans are low in fat, high in protein and fiber, and incredibly inexpensive. What keeps most of us from enjoying them is the time and preparation required to make them edible. Fortunately, the process can be simplified into three easy steps that will have you eating

More
1 min read

How-To: Have a Healthy Lunch

Foods that will satisfy and energizeby Katie Cavuto-Boyle MS, RDAs the quest for healthy food in the cafeteria continues, consider taking the matter of feeding your children (and yourself) into your own hands. We asked Philly food celebrity Katie Cavuto-Boyle for some guidelines to help us make the brown bag delicious and nutritious.

More
1 min read

How-To: Sew a Button

by Reesha GrossoThere’s no right or wrong way to sew a button. As long as the button stays put, you have done your job. If you have lost your button, check the hem for extras, remove one from somewhere less conspicuous, or buy a button of the same size (look to the other buttons on

More
1 min read
//

How-To: What’s the Buzz

Become a Philly Beekeeperby Phil Forsyth & Micah WoodcockOur recent urban beekeeping survey and tour revealed that the majority of Philly’s two dozen or so beekeepers started within the last five years. Why? We know that bees are essential pollinators for gardens, farms and orchards. Other than wind-pollinated corn, the vast majority of our vegetable,

More
5 mins read
////

How-To: Seeing Clearly

How to recycle your TVby Samantha WittchenMy television is older than I am. When I was younger, my best friend called it “The TV From Outer Space” because it has that mid ’70s space-age look. My sister, who lives with me, hates the thing. So, when the digital television transition became imminent, she was all

More
1 min read