Philly CowShare: Share the Beef!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

There are a million reasons to avoid buying from the grocery store when it comes to meat—the way the animals are treated, commercial production practices in terms of the environment, concerns about hormone use, etc. And some of us at Farm to Philly prefer to buy meat from local growers for those reasons, too. We also like that the food miles associated with local meat are seriously diminished. Luckily, it’s easy to buy locally grown meat in Philadelphia—whether you buy from the Fair Food Farmstand, direct from the farmer, at farmer’s markets, etc., we have access to everything from chicken to veal. However, there’s also another option we don’t see too much: the animal share. In case you didn’t know, we’ve got one in Philly CowShare. Last year, their first year in business, they sold fifty-five cows.

Philly CowShare offers locally grown, grass-fed beef shares at a variety of price points, the lowest of which is an eighth of a cow, or 40 lbs of beef. Oh, and if you go in on a whole cow with seven of your friends, you get a discount (Jessica Moore, one of the people who runs Philly CowShare, tells me that the meat isn’t discounted; rather, you get a discount due to a reduction in shipping charges). In addition to a variety of cuts (which are shared equally) and ground beef, you can also request bones, fat, and offal. Moore mentioned that the act of purchasing a whole cow tends to create a sense of community, and people often get together for cook-outs and meals that include cuts they get from th share, which is a nice side effect of the program.

Philly CowShare is attempting to redesign the normal supply chain of how we get meat. Their pillars of sustainability include:

• Financial (so the farmer makes a fair profit, but the cost of meat is still affordable)
• Environmental (which supports sustainable farming and better treatment of animals)
• Consumptive (CowShare issues a call out to consumer, asking them to eat sustainble meat, eat less meat, and eat whole animal)

In allowing Philly CowShare to be the middle man, it also frees up a farmer’s time. Moore calculated that if a farmer needs to sell a hundred cows (typical of a mid-size operation), assuming the need is eight people per cow and the farmer takes an hour with each customer, it would take five months to talk to everyone. Oy.

Unlike a regular CSA program, you can order a share at any time. Note, though, that it takes four to five weeks after a cow is butchered to deliver the meat—all the beef is dry-aged, so it takes a while. Right now they’re purchasing cows from three farms: Erdenheim Farm, Tussock Sedge Farm, and Herrdale Acres. They’re planning to add two to three additional farms in 2012.

Oh, and more exciting news: they’ll be adding pig shares in late spring/early summer 2012, along with grilling boxes consisting of hamburgers and hot dogs. Keep an eye on the Philly CowShare website or their Twitter account for that announcement.

If you’re a stickler for certified organic, Philly CowShare may not be for you—the people who run the program monitor the farmers, to ensure they’re using sustainable, hormone-free, and environmentally friendly growing practices, but they do not require a USDA organic certification (which can be cost prohibitive to small farmers) to participate in the program.

Sycamore’s Chef Tasting

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Philadelphia and the surrounding areas are now seeing more restaurants than ever that focus on locally grown produce and meats. As someone who cares about that sort of thing, it’s a thrill to have Sycamore. around the corner from my house. The other day I received an email about their Tuesday night chef tasting, announcing there would be no set menu—Sam Jacobson, the chef, was heading into Reading Terminal Market that morning to buy up what looked good and would serve accordingly.

Well, I can never turn down a mystery dinner.

The theme ingredient (I’m giggling because I sound like the Iron Chef announcer in my head right now) was wild Maine lobster, which isn’t exactly local, but many of the ingredients in the dinner were. So what were the courses eventually served up?

• Lobster salad—persimmon, jicama, baby fennel, marinated Napa cabbage
• Tempura-fried lobster tail—crispy pork belly, kimchi aioli
• Fragrant lobster risotto—lemongrass, kaffir lime, scallions, crushed marcona almonds
• Buttered lobster with hen of the woods mushrooms—heirloom carrots, parsnips, turnip creamed potatoes, sambuca lobster sauce
• Local butternut squash crisp—cranberries, amaretto ginger crust, maple mascarpone

Yes, it was delicious. Then again, I’ve never had a bad meal at Sycamore.

Other than the butternut squash, I can hazard a guess about what else may have been local. Can you?

Coincidentally, I was thrilled to see the kimchi aioli on the menu. If you’ve been reading Farm to Philly long enough, you know I love to make kimchi. I may need to experiment with that aioli, see if I can make a passable fascimile! With cabbage and some radishes in season, now’s the time to pickle.

Sycamore
14 S. Lansdowne Ave,
Lansdowne, PA 19050

The Woodlands Community Apiary

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

This spring I re-newed my love for the Woodlands—not just because I became a member of the Woodlands Community Garden, but also because of the new apiary that is housed there, the Woodlands Community Apiary. I know I’m oversimplifying this theory, but it’s been documented that eating locally produced honey can help stave of seasonal allergies… so by participating in Daniel Duffy’s project, via a Kickstarter campaign, I’m not only helping out the youth benefiting from working on the project, and the honey bees who get protected by the hives, but I personally would get some medicinal benefits of the honey produced a mere 200ft away from my community garden.

Honey from the same place that I grow my veggies.

How cool is that?

Earlier this spring I took a picture of the hives:

and the accompanying sign:

I will admit that during the course of the summer I would go over and peek at the hives… and maybe say a little friendly hello to the honey bees. Yes, I talked to the bees. So, you can imagine just how excited I was when I finally got the email saying my honey share was ready for pickup!

I feel like this honey is too precious to eat and so I’m saving it for very special treats. Right now all I’m doing is taking the lid off and dipping a finger in to enjoy it a few drops at a time. So, what should I use the honey for?

You can read more about the apiary on their Kickstarter page and see a videos about the project there as well as here. You can read more about the Woodlands at Hidden City Philadelphia.

Cusp of Fall Produce

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

As much as I love the berries, stone fruit and corn of summer, I honestly think the best time for produce in this area is early fall. This time of year, you can find both the best of the late-summer fruits and vegetables and the apples, pears and pumpkins of autumn.  In my garden, I have a handful of straggling green tomatoes and peppers turning red right beside the hard squashes swelling on their vines.

This baked dish is the perfect thing to make with the fruits of this season, since it’s just a little bit heartier than I would want in the heat of August, when I’d be wanting to make a salad instead.  This is a more comforting and warming configuration for those same ingredients, much more suited to the somewhat drippy weather we’ve been having this month.  I’m especially pleased with the fact that everything is local except the wine and the feta, and a fair bit of it was even home-grown.  The twisty red frying peppers, green bell pepper, tomatoes and herbs all came from containers on my patio, while the onion and darling little pale-purple fairytale eggplant came from the Saturday Chestnut Hill farmers market.  Later this fall, it can be made instead with big Italian eggplant and good canned tomatoes, but for the next few weeks, I urge you to take full advantage of the fact that the ingredients can still be found fresh in the markets!

Fairytale Eggplant Baked with Peppers, Tomatoes and Feta
(Adapted from Diane Kochilas, The Greek Vegetarian)

¼ cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled, halved and sliced thinly
1 green bell pepper, sliced in thin rounds
2 red frying peppers, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup chopped tomatoes (approximately 4 small)
½ cup red wine
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1 quart fairytale eggplant
4 ounces feta cheese
Salt to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat and add the onions, cooking until wilted.  Add the peppers, red pepper flakes and garlic, cover and cook for another 8 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a simmer, cover again, and cook 10 more minutes.  Stir in the oregano leaves and salt to taste.

Trim the tops off the eggplant and cut into wedges about an inch wide.  Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat and fry the eggplant pieces until golden and beginning to turn tender.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Brush a medium-sized baking dish with 2-inch sides with oil, and layer the bottom with half the eggplant.  Cover with half the sauce mixture, and repeat with the remaining eggplant and vegetables.  Crumble the feta in an even layer on top. 

Cover loosely with foil and bake until the eggplant is fully tender and the sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes to an hour.  Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes if you’d like the feta to brown a bit.

Hillacres Pride Puddle Duck Creek

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Oh, Hillacres Pride—I could kiss you right now.

Grid Magazine named Hillacres Pride Puddle Duck Creek its Cheese of the Month, and no wonder—it’s really, really good. This pasteurized cheese is made from milk that comes from free range cows, and it has a nice, bloomy rind. The inside is reminiscent of a tangy Brie—when allowed to get to room temperature, it becomes gooey and, dare I say, a little smelly.

Smelly cheese is usually yummy cheese, and the Puddle Duck Creek is no exception. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I devoured an entire round of it in a single day. I purchased the cheese directly from Hillacres at their booth at Headhouse Square, but you can also find it at the Collingswood, NJ farmer’s market. I’ve also seen Hillacres Farm cheese available at the Fair Food Farmstand.

A little about Hillacres Pride:

Hillacres Pride in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, consists of about 100 cows and heifers, managed by Tom and Mandy Arrowsmith. The cows of Hillacres are their first love and pride is taken in providing excellent care.  Cows pasture on a variety of grasses through out the warm months. Tom and Mandy started Hillacres Pride as a way to sustain the family farm and raise their 4 children as farm kids.

A Day Trip to Maple Acres Farm

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Though the weather forecast warned of more rain this morning, I woke up to a beautiful day. I was surely not going to let it pass me and my son by. After walking our dog, we hopped in the car for a ride over to Maple Acres Farm in nearby Plymouth Meeting. I was on a mission for some hearty stew vegetables and my son was on another mission: to pick some flowers.

Maple Acres is a quaint little farm market that is open year round. It offers the feel of a road side stand with the variety one usually finds in bigger markets. I found some amazing carrots, each one as thick as three fingers, beautiful Poblano peppers that were just barely touched with red, some okra, two gorgeous (and HUGE) mushroom caps, and of course, the season’s first apples. I’m eager to hit the kitchen tonight and get my beef stew simmering with all of those local ingredients. But finding all of that fresh produce wasn’t even the highlight of my morning out. That came after our stroll through the little market, while my two year old and I meandered through the rows of Zinnias that Maple Acres opens to the public for fresh clippings.

There’s my little guy, picking out the perfect bloom for his older sister. He loved knowing that he could pick any of the flowers that he wanted, without a stodgy adult (me) telling him that we don’t pick flowers from gardens. Everything was fair game! The look on his face was priceless and we got a really healthy looking bouquet to bring home as well. If you’re looking for a Farmer’s Market that offers something fun for the kids as well, consider a trip to Maple Acres. The fruit and veggies will be worth the drive and the fun you have picking your own flowers will last a lot longer than the blooms themselves.

Headhouse Square Farmers Market Report - 9/11/2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Even though it’s technically still summer, post-Labor Day always feels officially fall-esque to me. The farmer’s markets reflect the change in that they start featuring more in the way of the things I associate with fall and winter—hard squashes, leeks, apples, root crops. I ran down to the market at Headhouse Square this morning, and sure enough, lots of those things. But it’s also the end of tomato season, and at least a few stands featured some really fantastic looking heirloom tomatoes.

I was curious to see what kinds of stuff would be at the market considing all the rain and flooding Pennsylvania and New Jersey have suffered over the last few weeks. Culton Organics was missing this week, which is a shame—I always love to see what they’re offering up. Blooming Glen had a little of everything—greens, bell peppers, potatoes, radishes, and squash. Savoie Organics had a huge selection of potatoes. Margerum’s, of course, offered up dried beans, herbs, and spices.

My own purchases . . . well, I went with the intention of getting duck breast from Griggstown Quail Farm, which I did, but I only wanted to get enough food to make a single meal. As it turns out, I have enough for, well, probably three:

• Cipollini onions from Root Mass
• Lacinato kale from Blooming Glen Farm
• Russian blush potatoes from Savoie Organics
• Puddle Duck Creek cheese from Hillacres Pride
• Butternut and Red Kobocha squash from, I think, Root Mass
• Duck breast from Griggstown
• Challah rolls from Wild Flour Bakery

I’ve been thinking about what to make since the second I left the market.

Round the Old Oak Tree

Monday, September 05, 2011

There are all sorts of nut trees in my neighborhood, but none so plentiful as oak trees . . . which produce acorns. You can’t drive down my street in the fall without getting pelted by these little nuggets. Despite their wide availability, you don’t really see acorn meats for sale at the grocery store—that doesn’t mean they’re not edible, though. They’re good for you, too: 1 oz. of dried acorns has only a small amount of saturated fat, and they’re a good source of copper and vitamin B-12.

Foraging for acorns is the tricky part—the ones on the ground without the caps are likely to be riddled with worms. And some varieties of oak produce acorns high in tannins, which makes them bitter. I won’t bore you with the details of which oak trees produce the best acorns. Other posts have already been written on the topic of what to look for, how to shell them, and the best way to dry them. The real question is this: after you’ve spent the time to gather and prep them, what the hell do you do with them?

Acorn stuffing
Acorn wine
Acorn bread
Acorn pancakes
Spiced picked acords
Acorn stew

All you have to do is beat the squirrels to the oak trees.

Sustainable Saturdays in University City

Monday, July 11, 2011

Foraging! Wine and Cheese! Local Honey! Farmers’ Market! Seed Bombs! Get in this great series of events this coming Saturday! Farm to Table in West Philadelphia.

Cloud 9 Benefit BBQ

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Have you heard about Cloud 9, yet? Located on a warehouse roof in West Philadelphia, Cloud 9 Farm is a burgeoning rooftop farm.  In addition to growing and selling organically grown produce locally, they aim to improve food security in the city by conducting research and providing educational programming on urban rooftop agriculture. They started a kickstarter campaign just a few weeks ago, and have already raised half of their start-up funds, so they are throwing a celebration BBQ fundraiser this weekend!

” We are thrilled to be the first rooftop farm in the city of Philadelphia, but are even more excited to pave the way for others to follow!”

Come eat delicious grilled items and drink yummy local concoctions at4909 Warrington Ave. on Saturday July 9th, starting at 7 pm.  A $7 donation at the door gets you a plate and a good time.

Walnut Hill Farm Stand Opens!

Thursday, June 09, 2011

The farm that Erica and Nick from Philly Rooted (and Farm to Philly!) have been working so hard at has produced its first full crops and the farm stand, in cooperation with the Enterprise Center, is open for business!

The Walnut Hill Community Farm, in collaboration with Farm to City and Common Market, is operating two farm stands this season. The farm stands are operated by our Youth Growers, who learn business skills, tend the urban farm, and sell the fresh produce back to the community. One stand is located on-site at the Community Farm (4610 Market Street), supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It runs on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3:00-6:00 PM. A second farm stand is located on the concourse level of SEPTA’s offices (1234 Market Street). This stand operates every other Wednesday (next market day is June 15th from 11:00 AM-3:00 PM). For more information, please contact Bryan Fenstermaker at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 215-895-4020.

Dickinson Square Farmers Market and annual “Junque” Sale

Thursday, May 26, 2011

There’s a new farmer’s market in town! Dickinson Square Park in Philadelphia’s Pennsport neighborhood will celebrate the beginning of the summer seasowith debut of its farmers’ market, in partnership with Farm to City, the first weekend in June. The neighborhood’s annual art market and “junque” sale will coincide with the opening day of the market.

The Junque Sale, now in its third year, will feature artisans, live music, hula hooping competition, and quality second-hand good from neighbors’ personal collections.  Neighbors and guests are also encouraged to donate items to the white elephant table, sales from which will go to support the park and farmers’ market.  Additional funds will be raised through the sale of raffle tickets; the winner of the raffle will receive a ready-to-hang printed canvas featuring a vintage photo of Dickinson Square, dated April 12, 1910.  The sale will begin on 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, and continue until 2:00 p.m.

The Sunday farmers’ market (http://www.dspfarmersmarket.com/) will open June 5 on the northwest corner of Moyamensing Avenue and Morris streets and will continue every Sunday through October from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Three farms from the region—Darmo Family Farms, Down Home Acres, and Two Gander Farm—will bring organic, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables, as well as eggs, flowers, honey, and other products to Dickinson Square Park for the first time.  There are plans to add a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance) terminal to the market by midsummer, which will allow low-income households to use their food stamp benefits at the market.

Eat Local: News From Lansdowne’s Sycamore

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

When Lansdowne farmer’s market opens at the end of May, so will a new booth: the Lansdowne Table. Chef Sam Jacobson of Sycamore will be selling some of the things you’ll find at the restaurant—drunken raisins, completed dishes, etc. What makes this exciting is that he’ll also be making some locally produced cheeses and other items available when he can get them. That includes the Oak Shade cheddar cheese (available through Green Meadow Farm) used at last night’s Green Meadow Farm to Table dinner.

The dinner, by the way, was stellar.

If you’re not familiar with Sycamore, consider stopping in next time you’re in Lansdowne. Yes, I know what you might be thinking: Delaware County, particularly that part of Delaware County, is a bit of a no-man’s-land when it comes to good, non-chain restaurants. I like to think that Sycamore opening up five minutes from my house two years ago is a karmic payback for all those times we had to drive into Philadelphia for dinner. Philadelphia Magazine voted it one of thetop 30 restaurants in the Philadelphia area and Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LeBan gave it agood review. My husband and I eat there fairly often, although we miss their Sunday brunch terribly (they stopped doing that last year).

When we first received the email about the Green Meadow Farm dinner, I was excited. And then I got this email the night prior:

Here is a list of what Chef Jacobson bought at Green Meadow Farm today.  He will be improvising tomorrow night’s Farm to Table Dinner.

Baby Back Ribs, Capons, Brisket, Butter, Cream, Oak Shade Raw Aged Cheddar, Heirloom Tomato Juice, Salsify, Fiddleheads, Claytonia, Baby Arugula, Golden & Chiogga Beets, Baby Fennel, Red Cabbage, Rabe, Leeks, Cucumbers, Pea Shoots, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Wild Garlic, Spring Onions, Strawberries, Honeysuckle, Chives, Cilantro, Chervil, Thyme, Mint, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Dill.

Yep, I immediately started drooling. And then Chef Jacobson disclosed that he picked the majority of the produce himself with the help of some of the folks at Green Meadow Farm, several of which were at the dinner. For someone interested in eating locally grown foods, that’s just . . . well, fantastic. And the dinner didn’t disappoint, let me tell you.

We started off with an amuse bouche—a spoonful of honeysuckle sorbet. Ian Brendle, one of the farm’s owners, told us later that this was made with honeysuckle syrup that his girlfriend makes from honeysuckle blossoms collected from the farm. She says she makes a tea concoction of sorts from the blossoms, although Ian’s father noted it takes forever to collect the five gallons of blossoms needed to make the syrup. Oh, and if you have honeysuckle on your property and want to use it, make sure it’s the edible variety—some honeysuckle blossoms would make a nasty-tasting syrup. The sorbet itself was lightly sweet and quite good.

Next up was chilled heirloom tomato soup made with coconut, Kaffir lime leaf and cilantro. While everything was really good, this soup was my second favorite dish of the night. Yesterday was pretty warm as far as spring in Philadelphia goes, so it was nice to have a cold soup. The coconut milk used (not local) was done with a very light hand—just enough to give the soup a bit of creaminess. The lime was very evident but not heavy in the slightest. The cilantro was the last flavor to come through, bright and delicious. Oh, and let me tell you about the heirloom tomato juice this soup was made with! Ian let us know that it is pressed through a sieve by local Amish women. The flavor was really wonderful, especially after suffering through crappy, tasteless supermarket tomatoes all winter.

We then moved on to seared scallops with butter roasted salsify, minted fiddleheads, and pea shoots. Chef Jacobson always seems to have scallops on the menu, and no matter how he makes them, they’re always excellent. Sadly, they’re not locally grown, but that’s okay—my guesstimate is that at least 90 percent of the ingredients from last night’s dinner were. I’ve cooked salsify before, but I liked last night’s version better. The fiddleheads had such a great, fresh taste. The pea shoots, by the way, were actually Claytonia, a green I’d never heard of before. As a whole, it was a really nice dish.

And then there were the main courses. Yes, courses. Chef Jacobson served up three dishes, all served family style at each table. The first was capon in mustard cream with caramelized leeks, spring onions and baby fennel rice, along with asparagus spears. The capon was just . . . really, really good. The asparagus was a little on the thick side but still tasty. My only complaint about this dish (and the entire dinner) is that I might have enjoyed more sauce—it was very lightly sauced.

The house-smoked barbecue brisket and ribs with sauteed red cabbage rabe with wild garlic, Oak Shade cheddar mashed potatoes, and fresh watermelon relish was something I could eat every day of the week. The brisket and ribs came from aged angus beef, and both were tender and yummy. The red cabbage rabe was a first for me—I’d never heard of it. Ian’s father told us that the shoots sent up by overwintered brassica vegetables—the rabe—are all edible (and delicious, I might add). The wild garlic made this dish. The pungeant fresh garlic added a very specific taste and I couldn’t get enough of. It’s hard to make bad mashed potatoes (okay, I guess that’s not entirely true), but these were fantastic. Just enough cheese, perfect texture.

There was also a baby arugula salad (micro greens, really) with roasted beets, cucumbers, and a creamy dill and chive dressing. Also good, particularly the dressing.

But the last dish was my favorite: strawberry rhubarb compote with a shortcake biscuit and Lancaster cream and custard. I’m much more of a cheese person than a sweet dessert person, so it’s strange for me to rave over a dessert. This was so perfect and so simple, though, and it was insanely good. Maybe it was the light ending to dinner or maybe it was just the flavor of the fruit and the texture of the biscuit. Chef Jacobson noted that they are considering adding a version of it to the regular Sycamore menu, so hope springs eternal that I’ll get to have it again.

So, there you go: last night’s Green Meadow Farm to Table dinner. I feel like a moron for all my superlatives, but the truth is that it’s in the top five meals I’ve eaten at a restaurant. Period.

Easy and Cheap Pallet Garden for small spaces

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I LOVE this DIY tutorial from Fern at Life on the Balcony. With just a simple wooden pallet (available free, on the side-of-the-road, almost anywhere in Philadelphia), a staple gun, some landscape fabric, potting soil and plants you can make and incredibly cute hanging garden for your balcony, front porch, back “yard” or any little urban spot. I’m going to try this soon, and I’d love to see your versions!

Follow the directions HERE.

Erin

Trader Travis delivers rain barrels by bicycle!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Still don’t have your very own rain barrel, or two? Not sure that you want to order one and pay for the shipping and waste of packing material? No worries! Local rain barrel construction-est Trader Travis will make you a rain barrel and even deliver it to you on bicycle - all for $70 - a great deal! Support the local economy, harvest your rain, and help Philadelphia’s run-off problem all at the same time!

Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)