Book Review: The Dirty Life - on farming, food and love

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Dirty Life does not try to glamorize the farming lifestyle. When Kristin Kimball, a freelance writer living in Manhattan, meets a dynamic farmer with an outrageous hat, she finds herself chucking her city lifestyle and moving with him to a decrepit house on some muddy land in upstate New York. The next year is an outrageous experience in learning to farm (for Kristin) and putting to practical use previous skills (her farmer) while constantly learning new ones. The couple not only wants to create a farm out of the boggy land they are loaning, they want to only use draft horses (no tractors) which requires finding horses, learning how to drive them, and learning how to fix the antique equipment needed to farm this way.

There are blizzards,  run-away pig disasters, experiments in organ meat eating and cheese making, and a whole lot of dirt. Somehow, by the end of the book, Kristin and her farmer end up not only married, but running a “whole diet” CSA for 100 people - enough dairy, vegetable, grains, meat and fat to supply the entire diets of these families. A good read, if a bit perplexing at times (how do they NEVER sleep and not kill each other), The Dirty Life is a glimpse into a very ambitious, and now successful, farming experiment.

Young Farmers Gain Ground, and Press

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

The popular press in certainly starting to pay attention to the new generation of young farmers. While this article in the New York Times has it’s annoying “earnest” and “hip” points, it also has some interesting information about the “lost generation” of farmers, building communities, the return to “antique” tools and how young farmers are reteaching older farmers how to downscale and “green” their farming practices. What do you think?

Tonight! GRID March Issue party

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Come celebrate the March issue of our favorite local sustainability magazine,  GRID,  with local food and local drinks.  Queen Village’s new sustainability minded food-and-drink spot Kennett Restaurant will host and is offering $1 off all draft beers and wine, plus $10 pizzas.

Thursday, Feb. 10

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Kennett Restaurant, 848 S. Second St.

Eating well and locally on $4.50 a day? It can be done!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Monica Eng of the Chicago Tribune decided to take the SNAP challenge - to feed herself for just $31 a week, or the average budget of a person receiving food stamps in Illinois. Not only is she doing it, she is shopping primarily at farmers markets and supplementing with bulk grains etc. from Whole Foods. She’s doing a pretty great job! Follow her this week, and use this “study” as a great example when people tell you that eating well and locally is too expensive.

New March GRID - seasonal recipes and more!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Hey friends! The March GRID is hitting the stands. Full of season-friendly recipes (including mine for a winter vegan shepard’s pie), and resources for using salvaged materials in your home. Go pick your up now! If you’re outside of Philadelphia, you can still enjoy GRID by reading it online HERE.

What Does Michael Pollan Eat?

Monday, January 11, 2010

Sustainable food guru Pollan, author of numerous local food manifestos*,  requests that we “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” But what does he eat? See for yourself in this New York Diet. While some might take exception to his “flexibility” (I especially and not pleased with loose sushi standards) he’s just a guy trying to make it work. Which means that it can’t always work perfectly, but that is no reason not to try. Enjoy.

*The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Second Nature, The Botany of Desire

September Issue of Grid - Farm to Philly Pepper Recipes

Thursday, September 03, 2009

The September issue of Grid magazine is hitting the free newsstands today - rush out and find yourself a copy! Newly expanded to 48 pages and with a “Back to School” theme, this issue covers everything from earth friendly clothing, packed lunches, childhood nutrition education, and mattress recycling. A crew from Farm to Philly contributed recipes featuring the seasonal, and prolific,  pepper. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Fresh Basil and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, and Lamb Stuffed Peppers - yum!

Come and celebrate the new issue tonight at the Abbaye (637 N. 3rd St.) from 5-7pm for a special Grid happy hour. 1/2 price appetizers, $2 off of draft beers, and all kinds of good folks!

We’re in Grid Again! August issue

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Farm to Philly represents once again in the August issue of Grid Philly magazine. (Unfortunately, they gave all the credit to me and Nicole and left out Kevin.) Check it out online or look for free copies in independent shops around town.

Cooking Shows and Cooking

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Michael Pollan has a new essay in this week’s New York Times Magazine, about cooking and food television and its effects.  I’ve not had a television since I moved out of my parents’ house (and never watched cooking shows before that, either), so I would be interested to hear everyone else’s takes on it.  I do, however, think that the last point probably sounds right to most of us: “Eat anything you want — just as long as you’re willing to cook it yourself.”  (I admit that I have been failing at that lately, but it remains my goal.)

Grid Magazine: The 100% Local Food Issue

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Just 6 months old, Grid Magazine, a free glossy about creating sustainability in Philadelphia, has put out some great thematic issues on energy, bicycling and gardening. The newest issue, hitting the streets or your internet today, is all about local, sustainable food practices. Alongside recipes from restaurant superstars Pumpkin and Tria and Denise Balcavag of http://www.urbanvegan.net, and interviews with Talulah’s Kitchen luminaries and the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, There’s also a piece about a West Philly High student making a nutritional difference in her community. Add to that a guide to composting, and an expose on the difficulty of finding fresh produce in North Philly, an outline of how to eat local on the cheap and an interview with farm-loving rockers Hoots and Hellmouth, this issue has it all! Pick up a copy at your local business (or ask them to carry it) or read it paper-free online!

Simply in Season

Monday, April 27, 2009

In the “Pinched – Tales from an Economic Downturn” series for Salon, Siobhan Phillips writes an interesting article explore the feasibility of eating SOLE - sustainable, organic, local or ethical – on a budget. She and her husband do their best on the food-stamp minimum in their Connecticut town - $248 for two people. And you know what? They do pretty well. Her secret is effort, some cooking skills, and some great tools. One of these is the cooking