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Save the Date for Center City District Restaurant Week |
September 10-23, 2023 Next month, Center City District will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Restaurant Week. Of the many restaurants participating in this event, there are two that have been awarded the Snail of Approval: Fork and Pumpkin Philly. Please support these restaurants in their mission to provide good, clean and fair food. If you dine at any of the other restaurants and believe that they are eligible for the Snail of Approval, encourage them to apply here.
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Lovely Lundale Farm, nestled in the rolling hills near Pottstown, will hold a special “Dinner on the Farm” event on Saturday, September 16. This farm to table experience, cooked up by Chester County caterer Vesta Kitchen, will feature a meal made entirely from local ingredients, including items sourced from some of the partner farmers at Lundale. Among them: Kneehigh Farm, a grower of organic produce; Pasture Song Farm, a producer of pasture raised pork; and Horseshoe Ranch Farm, which produces pastured chicken and eggs. Tickets are $200 each, and only 40 will be available. (A portion of each sale will be donated to support Lundale Farm, a nonprofit land trust that leases land and housing to farmers committed to growing wholesome food using organic methods.) To purchase tickets, go to their site and click on the “Events” tab at the top. On September 23, Lundale will host its “Autumn and Artisan Festival,” which will feature farm tours, local artisans, food trucks, beer and wine, live music, and more. Admission to the event, which runs from 3pm to 7pm, is $10 per vehicle in advance, $20 day of the event. Can’t make it to the festival? Lundale Farm also offers fun and informative tours of some of its 550 acres in an open wagon pulled by a tractor driven by one of its partner farmers. Upcoming dates for the tours, which cost $10 per person, are: September 10, October 8, and October 22. To register, go to the Farm Tour Form site.
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Slow Food Philadelphia Recommends: |
Explore the heritage foods that distinguish the culinary landscape of the United States in this visual encyclopedia for curious eaters and gardeners. Books are available for purchase here. The Ark of Taste book features the stories of how some of these American products almost didn’t reach our table, with recipes from Slow Food chefs and profiles of growers from around the country.
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Spotlight on Cheese!by Eils Lotozo
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Pennsylvania cheese makers had an impressive showing this year in the American Cheese Society’s (ACS) annual competition. The ACS—whose membership has nearly doubled in the last decade to 2,100—supports the appreciation and promotion of artisan, farmstead, and specialty cheeses produced in the Americas. The judging for the competition took place in May and prizes were awarded at the organization’s annual conference, held in Des Moines, Iowa, in July. Taking Best of Show was Coatsville’s The Farm at Doe Run, which won for their St. Malachi, and placed in multiple categories, including for their Runnymede, Willow, and Mayfly cheeses. Other Pennsylvania cheesemakers who placed highly in the competition included New Holland’s Savencia Cheese USA, which was recognized for its brie and its Comeback Cow cheese, among others; and Calkins Creamery of Honesdale, which placed in the soft ripened cheese category for their Noble Road and Noglette cheeses. Additional Pennsylvania producers recognized in the competition were cheesemaking cooperative Goot Essa, Pleasant Lane Farms Creamery, and Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy. To find out more about some of the great cheesemakers in Pennsylvania, go to the Pennsylvania Cheese Guild’s website, where you can search their member database or check out their Pennsylvania Cheese Trail Map, which offers a handy guide to Guild cheesemakers all over the state. Widening the lens on all things cheese is “Cheese 2023, ” the annual conference/expo organized by Slow Food and the City of Bra, Italy. This is the world’s biggest international event dedicated to raw-milk cheeses and other dairy products, held in the town (in Italy’s Piedmont region) that is home to Slow Food’s international headquarters. Taking place September 15-18, the event features cheesemakers from more than 10 countries, a market with artisan-made cheeses and other foods, special dinners, “Taste Workshops” conducted by members of the Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance, as well as two online conferences on cheese (on September 16) that will be translated into English. Get more information here!
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Bountiful Blossomsby Sam Herring |
Eating flowers is something not many of us do, despite their colorful presentations which may beckon us to draw near for a sniff, pick, or momentary gaze. While most garden variety flowers do not present a tasty snack, the large, orange-tinted florets that emanate from the stems of zucchini and squash plants are absolutely worth harvesting, cleaning, and devouring, in a variety of ways!
These flowers appear readily on zucchini and squash plants, the female ones preceding the development of rich fruits and the males presenting themselves boldly at the end of green stems. Easily picked, these succulent flowers can be fried, sautéed, eaten raw, or even added as a topping to your favorite pizza. The consumption of these late summer gifts is representative of the Italian concept “cucina provera”, translating to “poor kitchen,” which embodies the resourcefulness of using the entire plant or animals when making food.
If your zucchini/squash garden is bountifully producing, let this serve as a sign to attend to those beautiful orange flowers and incorporate them into your next meal! Seek out closed male flowers (without a fruit attached) to ensure your plants continue fruiting, as the closed flowers are less likely to have hungry insects trapped inside.
Below is a classic preparation that I love to use when harvesting blossoms from my garden!
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Prep time: 20 mins - Cook time: 10 mins - Total time: 30 mins IngredientsFor the batter: - 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (3 grams)
- 8-9 tablespoons flour (64-72 grams)
- 1/4 cup milk (62 ml)
For the stuffing: - 8-10 zucchini flowers
- 1 small fresh mozzarella ball cut into small cubes
- 3-4 slices prosciutto cut into small strips (substitute ‘Nduja if you like it spicy)
Instructions- In a medium-sized bowl using a whisk beat eggs well, whisk in salt, then flour 1 tablespoon at a time ( first 5 tablespoons) then add milk, whisk until smooth, and then add the last 3-4 tablespoons, and continue whisking until smooth, should be thick enough to coat the flowers.
- To clean the flowers, trim the top of the flower, then cut down the middle and remove the middle stem (stamen) leaving approximately 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) of the stem. Rinse and towel dry.
- Stuff the flower with approximately 3 cubes of mozzarella and 3 strips of prosciutto (if you like anchovies then you can substitute them for the prosciutto). Dip in batter, coat well, fry till golden in hot oil, drain on paper towels then serve. Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of An Italian in My Kitchen
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We remain inspired to rekindle the Slow Food Philadelphia Chapter and are looking for additional volunteers. Specifically, we are in need of a secretary and working group members. Working groups in need of support are: - Grant writers
- Fundraisers
- Snail of Approval applicant reviewer
- Content creators for both the newsletter and website (e.g., book reviewer, food artisans, chefs)
- Event planners
If you have questions about the above positions or you would like to nominate someone you know (or yourself) for one of the positions, please contact Jennifer Dolan at jennifer@slowfoodphilly.org
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Slow Food USA’s September 2023 Leader Summit
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Slow Food USA will be hosting various events for their 2023 Leader Summit next month! Over the course of four Thursdays in September, they’ll be featuring free workshops that will explore how our movement can deepen into our roles in the social change ecosystem. Workshops include: We Are WeaversWe Are BuildersWe Are StorytellersWe Are DisruptorsSeptember 14 is Give What You Can Day to be a Slow Food USA member! Check our FB page for the link on 9/14 or you can currently check out the membership page.
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