Ride Fresh Ride Local

Just a quick post today to give my fellow Philly-area pedalers the heads-up on a couple of upcoming farm, food, and cycling related events. Beer figures into both, too, so despair not my thirsty brethren.

Next Sunday, September 19, 2010, the folks from Fair Food Philadelphia and Weaver's Way Co-Op will be leading their annual Urban Farm Bike Tour. (Thanks to PhillyFoodie for reminding me of this one.) The ride starts in the Kensington section of town and stops at, you guessed it, urban farms throughout Philadelphia before eventually winding its way to the finish at Weaver's Way Farm in East Mount Airy (Philadelphia), where there will be a grillin' and chillin' party for the hungry and thirsty participants. This year's event sees the addition of a longer 28-mile option, on top of the usual 14-mile loop. For more information and to register for one of the rides, head on over to the Weaver's Way pages.

The following Sunday, September 26, 2010, the Southeastern branch of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) will be hosting the 3rd annual edition of Bike Fresh Bike Local. The event's name plays on PASA's ongoing Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign. Less a stop-and-go farm tour than it is a more traditional fund raising-style ride, Bike Fresh Bike Local nonetheless heads through the heart of SE PA farm country. All routes — there are 25, 50 and 75 mile options — will run through the 300-acre Springton Manor Farm, where farm tours will be available. All routes start and finish at the headquarters of event sponsor Victory Brewing Company, in Downingtown, PA. Register early and you'll score a Buy Fresh Buy Local t-shirt; all entrants will be fed a local lunch and a free post-ride brewski at Victory.

Intro only...

Fair Food Farmstand

Albert recently left a comment that I thought deserved top-level discussion. I was remiss, when bemoaning the winding down of the Philadelphia area's farmers market season, in omitting mention of one of Philadelphia’s special resources, open year round at one of Philadelphia’s greatest institutions. The Fair Food Farmstand leverages the central and constant location of the Reading Terminal Market to present a year-round venue for produce, meat and dairy products from farms throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania. Think of it as your own quaint little farmers market that just happens to be situated in one of the country’s largest public markets.

Fair Food Farmstand
12th and Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-627-2029

Tuesday-Saturday: 8am - 6pm
Sunday: 9am – 4pm

Intro only...

I'll Miss My Market

The harvest holiday is upon us. While Thanksgiving makes for a great opportunity to enjoy good food and good wine(s) with friends and family, it also marks the end, at least in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, of growing season. Sadly, that means that today was the last day for my local farmers market. On this Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the Oakmont Farmers Market celebrated the finale of a successful first year. I made sure to take advantage of one last opportunity to pick up some fresh fruit and veggies, as well as to stock the freezer with a few cuts of naturally raised buffalo meat from Backyard Bison.

As I sit here, writing and munching on a Bosc pear from Fruitwood Orchards Honey Farm, I can’t help but think of how sorely I’ll miss all the fresh, locally grown produce, as well as the connection with the farmers and friends, over the cold, dreary months to come. I missed the market only twice all season: once while entrenched in re-pointing the masonry on the south facing side of my house, the other while recovering from an emergency appendectomy. It became a weekly habit that will be hard to break.


I'll miss Jay and Lisa at North Star Orchard almost as much as I'll miss their great tree fruits, root vegetables, and heirloom tomatoes.

For those of you in the Philadelphia area who have developed a similar craving throughout the warmer months, all is not yet lost. The Headhouse Farmers Market, the largest and arguably most diverse of our local markets, will continue through December 23. Obviously, fresh produce will dwindle in diversity and availability as the weeks pass. But some of our region’s best meats, cheeses and other locally produced specialty products will continue to be available straight from the arms of their producers. I only managed to make it there once during the summer. Something tells me, though, that I’ll be heading back a couple of times between now and Xmas.

Intro only...

PASA Farmers Market Survey

This one’s for my fellow citizens of the Keystone State. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) has put together a brief survey intended to help them collect ideas as to how to build closer ties between food consumers and their local farming communities. If you currently shop at a local farmers market or if you don’t but would like to, please take a few moments to complete their survey. It should be time well spent and will hopefully serve to help strengthen the roles that farmers markets play in our communities.

Take the PASA farmers market and local food survey.

Intro only...

Buy Fresh Buy Local: Oakmont Farmers Market Update

As Buy Fresh Buy Local week kicks off in the greater Philadelphia area, I though it would be apropos to give a little progress report on the first season at the Oakmont Farmers Market. Coming into the mid-stretch of summer, all accounts are that the market is alive and thriving. The farmers I’ve had the opportunity to chat with have unanimously expressed their satisfaction and even surprise with the crowd and sales levels at the market. It’s been a pleasant surprise to me as well, as it’s great to see the community coming out to embrace change and to find so many people enthusiastic about locally grown food.

In addition to all of the benefits – economic, social, health, environmental – it helps to build enthusiasm about buying local when the products are just plain good. Quality sometimes does speak for itself. I’ve found it on a weekly basis in the beautiful produce from North Star Orchards and Blueberry Hill Farm, in the delicious raw honey from Fruitwood Orchards Honey Farm, the richly flavored eggs from Lindenhof Farm, the greens from Willing Hands and the ground buffalo from Backyard Bison. It’s also impossible not to enjoy the purity and intensity of some of the more fleeting flavors of the season. You’ll never find black raspberries like those from Blueberry Hill at the supermarket. And to keep things exciting, new produce seems to come into rotation just about every week. White peaches made their first appearance two weeks ago while yellow peaches and sweet corn made their debuts this past Wednesday. The first crop of garlic that Julie Barrett of Willing Hands brought this week, plucked from the ground that morning, was mind blowingly good.

From a demographic perspective, I’m also happy to report that the audience at the market seems to be diversifying from week to week. In an earlier post inspired by a lengthy conversation with a representative of PASA, I had reported rather bleakly on the level of participation by males at the market. I’ve noticed over the last couple of weeks that the male to female ratio seems, indeed, to have rounded out to a slightly more balanced aspect, say 2.5:10 as opposed to the 1:10 ratio I had originally cited. Additionally, more and more parents have been bringing their kids, providing a great opportunity for the younger members of our community to learn about food, to meet real farmers and to have fun in an open environment.

If you’ve been enjoying the Oakmont Market or one like it in your own neighborhood, or if you’d just like to learn more about the benefits of buying fresh, local, sustainable produce, here are some links you may find useful:

• Buy Fresh Buy Local Pennsylvania
  
• Fair Food Project
  
• Farm to City
  
• Food Routes
  
• Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)

Intro only...

Do Men Care?

I spent the better part of two hours on the phone yesterday with a consultant who’s been retained by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) to research methods for increasing the organization’s consumer reach and membership. A PASA committee member asked me to call the consultant, not because of my interests in wine and food or because of my involvement with local farmers markets but rather for one overridingly simple reason: I am male. Apparently, research indicates that men don’t tend to care or think much about the food they put down their gullets. In the consultant’s own words:

"The list of PASA consumer members that I have is very female dominant, and all of the names that I have been provided by others have been female. In addition, men are simply harder-to-reach in research than are women. While I recognize that women are the biggest drivers in this area (75% of food buying decisions and more apt to be like-minded with PASA, from the research), I still want to try to balance things a bit with the male perspective."

As much as I want to refute these statistics, I have to admit that they tend to ring true. A look around at yesterday’s session of the Oakmont Farmers Market registered a male to female ratio of around 1:10. It may be tempting to chalk this up to the old stereotypes of work/life schedules, stay-at-home moms and caretaking roles but I’d like to think we’ve moved beyond those narrow confines.

So guys, what’s the deal? Do you care about where your food comes from? Please, comment below. Make me a believer.

Intro only...

Oakmont Farmers Market Update

It’s only a few days before the grand opening of the Oakmont Farmers Market. I’m psyched for day one and thought a little background information might help build anticipation for others as well.

This real, urban market is part of Farm to City, an organization supporting community and sustainable agriculture through a series of farmers markets in the Philadelphia area. The Oakmont Farmers Market will be only the second outpost of Farm to City – along with that in Swarthmore – to be based outside of the Philadelphia city limits.

Confirmed producers for the inaugural year at the market include:

• North Star Orchard: Multiple varieties of apples, pears, plums, peaches, cherries, fruit butters and ciders
  
• Fruitwood Orchards Honey Farm: Local honeys and a variety of fruits and vegetables
  
• Willing Hands Organic Farm: Organic produce
  
• Blueberry Hill Farm: Produce
  
• Pumpkin Ridge Creations: Cut flowers
  
• Hillacres Pride: Cows’ milk cheeses, beef, pork, lamb and poultry
  
• Great Harvest Bread Company
  
• Backyard Bison: Burgers, steaks, ribs, roasts and cured meats from locally pastured American Plains Buffalo

The mission of the market is simple: to provide an outlet for local farmers to present their naturally grown goods directly to members of their own greater communities. The market is producer-only; to be represented, all products must be grown and produced within 100 miles of Havertown. The idea is not only to provide healthy, natural products but also to promote a greater reliance on locally farmed food. Why buy an “organic” apple from Washington State, a blackberry from Mexico, ground beef from Texas or broccoli from China when you can get them and other great seasonal goods from a farm in your own community? When the food on your table doesn’t travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to get there, its environmental impact is gentler and its greater freshness is made that much more meaningful.

Opening ceremonies begin at 3:00 PM sharp this Wednesday, May 23, 2007. Bring your families, bring your shopping lists and help to strengthen your community by eating great, locally grown food.

Oakmont Farmers Market
Wednesdays from 3:00 to 7:00 PM
May 23 – November 21, 2007
In the Oakmont Parking Lot
One block NW of the intersection of Darby & Eagle Roads
2419 West Darby Road
Havertown, PA 19083

Intro only...