Food

Heading to Rittenhouse, Headhouse, Collingswood or Bryn Mawr this weekend? There's boatloads of Farmers Markets in Philadelphia right now, so it's a great excuse to get out, meet farmers and buy local produce. Before you head over to your neighborhood market, it’s best to have a game plan to get the cream of the crop. Here, 10 tips to ensure you dominate the produce stalls like a seasoned pro.

Food trucks are everywhere these days, from Night Market Philadelphia to college campuses. We all have our favorite food trucks in the city to run to on a lazy lunch day. But which ones partake in environmentally friendly practices every day?

Ah, spring produce is finally here! I don't know about you guys but I've had about all the apples, pears and winter citrus I can handle for a while. It's time for some variety. When it comes to the best of spring produce here's what to choose, how to pick the best of the best and a few seasonal recipes to boot:

Oh, we've been a-waiting. Cedar Point Bar & Kitchen, the Fishtown follow-up to the No' Libs restaurant formally known as A Full Plate, finally opens this evening. We were able to take a sneak peek & sample some of the delicious treats of Cedar Point. As Chef Shannon Dougherty explained, the menu is 50/50 vegan and carnivore to satisfy all customers. And satisfied, we were. To make Jack Johnson proud, we took mental pretty pictures of the things we ate... (Find out more about the delicious fare, after the jump!)

St. Patrick’s Day is so close we can taste the green beer. After making your Irish holiday more sustainable, it's time to kick back and relax with a delicious treat. This vegan version of the shamrock smoothie will put those corn-syrup, ridiculously fat-packed shakes to shame. Shameless Shamrock Smoothie:

Attention local food & brew lovers: we hope you made it to the one-of-a-kind the Brewer's Plate this year! The Brewer's Plate had a perfect balance of local noms, brewskies, liquors and dessert. Each exhibitor was enthusiastic about their tasty creation, and the pours were generous. As Ann Karlen, Executive Director, Fair Food stated, "The event benefitting Fair Food was a huge success in bringing together brewers, restaurants and consumers as a way to celebrate local foods and artisans – a very big part of our mission. We tried something new this year, as we featured Aimee Olexy in our VIP area where she led a guided tasting of cheese paired with beer. Everyone really found it interesting and enjoyed it". Let's take our tastebuds and revisit the Brewer's Plate 2013:

“Spare some change so I can get some food?” The man on the corner, aged beyond his years covered with wrinkles, begged for my spare change. Instead of digging into my pocket, I rolled my eyes and assumed he’d blow it on booze. Like many people, this is what hunger in my city looked like to me, until it didn’t. I was shocked when a young co-worker confided that she has been on food stamps. A single mother, employed full time, still struggling to make ends meet. Yet her challenge to put food on her family’s table is one that many Americans face daily. This man and co-worker represent the tip of the food iceberg. World Environment Day reflects on why food is too valuable to waste locally and abroad:

Raise your hand if you want to enjoy your food with a helping of genetically modified ingredients. Anyone? Bueller...Bueller? No, didn't think so... We've previously discussed the California GMO veto known as Prop 37 which would have would have required food companies, grocers and retailers to label products with genetically modified ingredients as such. While the proposition didn't pass this year and has yet to be introduced in Pennsylvania (though farmers have spoken up) and other states there are some key things we can do to avoid GMOs. 1. Purchase food that's 100% organic, and check it twice. In the US and Canada food is not permitted to be labeled 100% organic if it's been genetically modified. The trouble is that many food items are splashed with the "organic" label and no percentage explicitly expressed. If it doesn't say 100% it's not necessarily free of GMOs. 2. Become familiar with fruit and vegetable label numbers.

With 2 shares to go, I've endured 20 weeks of overflowing, fresh, local veggies in my fridge. Sharing a Red Earth Farm CSA share with two of my BFF's was one of the best decisions I made! Unsure about the experience or new to CSAs? Here are 8 things I learned from my experience: