November 9, 2010
Since launching back in June, Philly Homegrown has been hard at work, trying to make it even easier for Philadelphians to learn about and access the many locally grown, raised and produced foods that make this region of the country such a great place to live. Whether you’re looking to know a bit more about your local farmers or just searching for a spot to have dinner, we’ve got you covered.
This month, Philly Homegrown has teamed up with Where Philadelphia to produce a handy guide to the local scene. It includes information on the Philly foods you really should know, local breweries, some of our favorite food events and much, much more.
This piece is available as a pull-out in the November issue of Where and is also on display in many of the establishments mentioned in the guide. Additionally, for those of you who like to keep things paperless, we’ve even got a downloadable version available for your browsing ease. Click here to get your copy.
Happy eating!
November 8, 2010
The Thursday afternoon farmers' market at Greensgrow (photo by M. van Ogtrop for GPTMC)
The following is an excerpt from a blog post by local restaurateur and caterer Steve Poses. This is one in a series of features he’s running on area farmers’ markets. To read the full text on his blog, click here.
(photo by S. Poses)
Greensgrow is more than a traditional farmers’ market; it’s an actual urban farm — right here in Kensington, just a few miles north of Center City. Greensgrow has an explicit agenda: to be a part of the Kensington community and to help it grow. In addition to the urban farm that grows a wide assortment of vegetables and plants, Greensgrow organizes area farmers and operates a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for more than 400 families. And, the square block that is Greensgrow’s home provides the neighborhood a special sense of pride. As a sign on the premises says, Greensgrow Farms are “Growers of Food, Flowers and Neighborhoods.”
Despite wide areas of decay and abandonment, Kensington is clearly in Philly’s path of urban revitalization. Low rents and the relative proximity to Center City have made it an attractive area for young people, artists and new families looking for a community and ample space to live at a price they can afford.
Since colonial times, these same factors have been advantages of areas like Kensington that flank our downtown. From the 1800s to through the 1950s, Kensington was a thriving industrial center. But, in the 1950s, manufacturers began to leave inner cities and Kensington began a long period of de-industrialization and decline, leaving a legacy of abandoned properties and debris.
In 1985, the New Kensington Community Development Corporation was formed to address housing needs in the community and eventually expanded to include neighborhood quality-of-life issues. They created the Frankford Avenue Arts Corridor and developed the successful Coral Street Arts House.
In 1997, Mary Seton Conboy and Tom Sereduk started Greensgrow Farms —a reclaimed brownfield that covers the city block along East Cumberland Avenue. Shortly after starting, Sereduk headed for greener pastures, while Conboy dug in. “Abandoned land is only abandoned if we chose to leave it that way,” she says.
Click here to continue reading this post at Just In at Homegrown
Steve Poses is founder of Frog Commissary. A local restaurateur, caterer and author, it’s his goal to increase home entertaining. Steve’s latest book, At Home by Steve Poses: A Caters Guide to Cooking and Entertaining, was released in 2009. It’s the inspiration for At Home Online, a website and blog designed to make home entertaining as easy as possible with tips, guides and recipes. Click here to subscribe to his e-newsletter. Steve can also be found on Twitter as @SPoses. Click here to follow him.
October 29, 2010
During this culturally sanctioned time to eat chocolate, it’s important to remember that not all sweets come out of pillow-sized bags. In fact, we’ve got a pretty great wealth of amazing candy stores in our region. For a more local sugar rush, check out some of these spots:
At the nostalgically themed ice cream parlor Franklin Fountain, “clear toy” candies are available in all manner of fun shapes, cast in the molds of a Victorian era shop that was located on Girard Avenue. Owners Ryan and Eric Berley, meanwhile, are on the verge of (re)opening the historic Shane Candies, America’s first candy store which will dish up buttercreams, truffles, taffies and fudge.
Swiss-made Teuscher Chocolate opened its only stateside retail shop in Philly a few years back and there’s no sugar rush more refined than the one brought on by its pink peppercorn-dappled chocolate bars, ultra-dark truffles and gianduja pralines.
Opened in 1850, Center City’s Maron Chocolates is a classic spot for, caramels, clusters, Double Dipt Mints and other sweet treats; pumpkin truffles are a must this time of year.
Click here to finish reading this post at Just in at Homegrown
October 27, 2010
There’s nothing tricky about keeping Halloween local. Philadelphia region has a rich history of turning out Halloween candy—A recent Philadelphia Inquirer story revealed that our city is actually the original home of those buttery little nuggets known as candy corn.
In the last century, neighboring Hershey Chocolates have pretty much defined the contents of trick-or-treat bags. And then, of course, there are the classic teeth-gluing cult favorites, the Peanut Chews once known as Goldberg’s.
Here are some other locally made sweets to hand out—or hoard:
Traditionalists might be pleased to note that not only are Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales manufactured by Bethlehem, PA’s Just Born, so are Peeps, which have introduced a whole line of Halloween-themed marshmallow fluffballs—pumpkins, ghosts and chocolate mousse cats.
Another classic: Mallo Cups, the gooey alternative to having peanut butter in your chocolate and vice versa (they actually predate Reese’s) have been made in Altoona since the Great Depression.
Asher’s, based in Souderton, is best known for chocolate-enrobed pretzels and nut barks, but the company also makes pre-packaged bags of orange and brown chocolate nonpareils and crispy, rice-studded choco-pops.
Click here to finish reading this post at Just In at Homegrown
