Check it out southeastern Pennsylvanians: events this week related to local food
BUY FRESH AND BUY LOCAL! yes, it is still possible this time of year. Check out this web site for more information about what’s available in your neighborhood.
TV tonight – Pollan on Moyers
November 28, 2008 Leave a Comment
Please take your plate of Thanksgiving leftovers over to that couch and watch this television show tonight: Bill Moyers sits down with Michael Pollan, Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley, to discuss what direction the U.S. should pursue in the often-overlooked question of food policy.
Lights out
November 16, 2008 Leave a Comment
Winds of change rollicked through the area yesterday, and the omniscient god of house activity – electricity – took a vacation in another galaxy for several hours. The out-of-doors didn’t necessarily beckon us invitingly with all the gusting, but exciting projects were waiting.
Digging out the black locust logs from a bramble pile about a month ago, we also uncovered some spalted maple. Yesterday we sawed it down into work-able sizes and starting digging into the pieces with the intent to create bowls. Several hours of chiseling later, some pieces proved to hold good wood through and through, others did not.
We’ll see how this progresses, because as the afternoon light waned and a large moon waxed, Timothy and friends beckoned us to the cinemas of Wilmington for a Quantum of Solace showing.
Car, foot, boat, plane and fire chases completed, I sure hope Mr. Bond also managed to leave behind his bitterness, and will launch into his next adventures ready to love again.
Out n’ about this week
November 10, 2008 Leave a Comment
Goings on this week in the southeastern PA area related to sustainability, plants, cheese making.
Behind the Scenes Greenhouse Tour: Wed., November 12, Mt. Cuba Center, 1 – 3 p.m, $10. Tour the nine greenhouses at Mt. Cuba Center. Learn about thier history, uses, and the many systems involved in greenhouse production. Examine the production “life cycle” from seed or vegetation propagation to a finished product, ready to plant inthe garden. Discover how light, temperature, humididty, and air are managed to produce healthy plants.
Let’s Make Soft Cheese: Wed., November 12, 6:30 – 9 p.m., Farm at Coventry, Pottstown, PA. Go through the simple processes of making a fresh cheese like Chevre’ or Fromage Blanc. Fresh cheeses are ready to eat within a day. After the basics are discussed and demonstrated, the class will roll freshly made cheese into fresh chopped herbs and toasted almonds. At the end of the class, partake of a variety of herbed cheeses and local breads. Informational handouts and resource list included. Packets of culture and prepared cheeses will be available for purchase from the instructor. The cost for this class is $50 and will include a copy of Ricki Carroll’s Book “Home Cheese Making” and one packet of culture of your choice.
Greening your Business: Sustainble Ideas for Every Company: Thur, November 13, The Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 7:30 – 11 a.m., free. SBN is partnering with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce on this event. Find out what companies are doing to maintin a competitive edge in a greener economic environment. Join Philadelphia’s new director of sustainability Mark Alan Hughes and other experts to learn more about regional business trends, comparisons to other major regions, energy policies and partnerships, and positioning your business favorably in the new green economy. Pre-registration is required.
Wine and Gourmet Food Tasting: Sat, November 15, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., The Country Butcher, Kennett Square, PA. Same artisan cheeses, local wines and gelati di Capri. Free. Great ideas for casual and gourmet gatherings, wine and cheese pairings, fun with family and friends.
Spook sparks the night
October 27, 2008 Leave a Comment
Turtle Dove Folk Club put their hands and voices together last night in hopeful celebration. No, it was not a Phillies party (although I’d suspect the folks at the monthly concert of yore are happy enough the team won again last night during their quest for the World Series title).
Rather, a certain Spook Handy sparked the night with musical political stimulations. Commenting that his song-writing had turned political about eight years ago, Spook dug right into topics that are in fact as old as history. My favorite was his original, “Death Comes Anyway.” Engaging the audience with quick narrative intros to the songs, Spook told us that as he looked for the cause of the current war in Iraq, he realized he had to go back to the 1990s wars, and then back to the Cold War, then to WWII, WWI, etc. etc., continuing all the way until he and a friend picked up the Bible and read of Cain and Abel.
Point being, death comes anyway to those who resort to violence. Death surely comes to us all, but we do have a chance to change the tides of suffering, to work through difficult situations, be them in your own heart or embroiled in a transcontinental conflict. So thank you Spook for revisiting the messages of Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul and Mary. Though the era of these folks prominence in the political music presence may seem to have passed, their melodic messages will forever remain pertinent to the human condition.
Terra Madre – mother earth’s taste for life
October 24, 2008 Leave a Comment
The bi-annual Terra Madre 2008 conference is going on now through October 27. It: “brings together food producers and workers from around the world, giving them the opportunity to discuss the major themes of food production. Together they share and compare the diverse and complex issues that underlie what “high-quality food” means to them: issues of environmental resources and planetary equilibrium, and aspects of taste, worker dignity, and consumer safety.”
Check in at their web site (linked in the above paragraph) for more coverage on this event, as well as world-wide info on people making a difference in their local agricultural traditions. This is one of my favorite web-sites!
Sustainable lawn care
October 20, 2008 Leave a Comment
Sustainability. In a word, the convergence of many formerly prominent environmental battle cries. In this, our attempt at living on the planet in a more sustainable manner, arguably the most important personal and communal ethic of the vast web of cultural, economic and political exchanges, I have one simple suggestion for the evening:
Inspired in part by a recent NPR story, the suggestion also arises from my desire to share the wonderful change in our age of reason. All of a sudden (thanks to financial crises and the like) it makes sense to drive less, buy less, consume less . . . I can only hope this leads Americans, amongst others, to engage in enriching lives that oftentimes seem only to arise in the face of uncertainty, lack of funds, or quality of life hardships.
After you turn down that path less traveled comes the hard work of defining sustainability. One thing I am sure of is that an in-depth consideration of the life cycle reigns foremost.
Thus, as I read the Longwood Gardens list of classes this week, including Sustainable Lawn Care, I remain skeptical amidst my light approval of such a concept. This Wednesday, October 22, Mark Highland of the Organic Mechanics Soil Company will discuss ways to care for lawns using reduced amounts of chemicals and pesticides (5:30 – 7:30 p.m.).
But I say, let them eat eggs! and let them own chickens! Our hens perform incredible lawn duty on what access to Kentucky blue we allow them. As the years and turf roll on to the property boundaries, I’ll certainly reconsider the lawn concept reigning supreme here in horse land. At least it is not sprayed with any chemical concoction.
crackling feet
October 12, 2008 Leave a Comment
The past week has brought wonderful changes to the tree leaves here in southeastern Pennsylvania. My recommendation for today’s day of rest is hop on that bike and pedal through the rainbow.
Here are other pleasant encounters I’ve experienced whilst traversing the West Marlboro Township lands – ee gads! – by bike (instead of horse):
Go native at Mt. Cuba
October 9, 2008 Leave a Comment
As I’ve recently learned from a Deciduous Trees class at Longwood Gardens, a plant’s fall color figures second in importance with regard to most folks’ purchasing and design decisions. Seems obvious, but then again I’m new to the land of deciduous trees; they were not as much of an option in my landscaping work in Idaho.
I’ve been most fascinated to learn of trees native to this area. For a thorough look at such species, visit Mt. Cuba in Delaware: “Mt. Cuba Center is dedicated to the study, conservation, and appreciation of plants native to the Appalachian Piedmont region through garden display, education, and research. The Appalachian Piedmont region includes the gently rolling hills that lie between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States.” – as per their Web site.
A couple of events at the center are worth noting here: A Fall Harvest of Color Tour runs through November 9. Tours are held Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 10 am, and Saturdays and Sundays at 1 pm. The cost is $5. (scheduling required)
Also, next Wednesday, October 15, attend a lecture on Gardening for Life: Learn how native plants sustain wildlife. Dr. Doug Tallamy, of the University of Delaware speaks on our gardens as part of the terrestrial ecosystems that sustain humans and the life around us. Dr. Tallamy will discuss the important ecological roles of the plants in our landscapes, emphasizing the benefits of designing gardens with these roles in mind and exploring the consequences of failing to do so. Gardening in this crowded world carries both moral and ecological responsibilities that we can no longer ignore. Students will bring home a native plant The lecture takes place from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm; the cost is $25 (refreshments included).
For both of these events, please call 302-329-4244,
Give a little love to your Turtledove
September 28, 2008 Leave a Comment
An audience journeyed to the far realms of Africa and back last night, listening for the first time perhaps to the sounds of the banjo combine with that of the kora. Rhythms hopped, and at times slowly melted between African and Appalachia; the banjo actually comes from West Africa.
A griot, Mansa Sissoko narrated several ancient stories from his home country, Mali. His vocals and kora gave musical voice to stories that relate the importance of many rituals throughout human cultures: hunting, birth, death. The smell of West Grove, PA mushroom production wafted through the West Grove Friends Meeting House, and Jayme gave thanks to the farmers who also contribute to the necessities of everyday life everywhere.
Turtledove Folk Club hosts a musical performance each month. Check out their website for more information on the next performer, Spook Handy, who will play Saturday, October 25. Concerts run monthly through May. Last night Jayme Stone played banjo, Mansa Sissoko the kora and vocals, Grant Gordy played guitar, and Harris Eisenstadt blended in percussion.
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