No doubt about it, market season is here, and sign-up deadlines are fast-approaching for community produce shares. CSA, or Community-Supported Agriculture, is a model of food distribution where community members pledge their support to a local farm by purchasing a share. Boxes of produce are picked up weekly or every other week by customers, and usually contain a variety of in-season vegetables, fruit, herbs, and in some cases, dairy and meat products. Participation in CSAs not only boosts the local economy, but also saves the consumer money on produce in the long run, according to research from the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite these benefits, many are still hesitant to sign up for CSAs for fear of wasting precious produce they feel they might not be able to eat within a week’s time. Below are some ideas that will help you use up all your weekly goodies before your next pick-up. Kebab night - This is something I used to do when I was new to farmers market shopping. The night before going to the farmers market was reserved for kebabs, so I could use all the leftover produce on hand. Slice up any extra squash, onion, pepper, really any produce will do, and skewer them up. Cover the assembled kebabs in whatever seasoning suits your fancy (I usually sprinkle on some cayenne pepper for a kick), line them up on the grill, or place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast on 350 for 10-15 minutes, rotating periodically. You can vary this recipe by adding pieces of chicken, shrimp, or other meats. Now, you’re clean out of produce and ready to stock up at the stand the next day. Crock-pot - Truth be told, I was a little afraid of the crock-pot until recently. Being a vegetarian, I assumed this was a kitchen appliance reserved for slow-cooking meat dishes, but a little research proved me quite wrong. Stews and soups can be slow-cooked in the crock pot with any starchy vegetables, like potatoes, and greens that will add density and flavor, such as cabbage, leeks, and onions. Below are two crock pot recipes that are quick and easy. Crock-pot recipes usually yield a lot of servings, so put a few portions in the fridge, pack up the rest in Tupperware, and freeze it until you’re ready to eat. One of my favorite crock-pot recipes is Sweet Potato Lentil Stew. Here’s another for Easy Italian Chicken. Smoothies - Smoothies aren’t usually the first thing to come to mind when you’re pondering what to do with your leftover spinach and kale, but it really is a tasty way to get your daily dose of greens. Adding fruit masks the taste of the greens, and you’re getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals to boot! A favorite recipe: In the blender add:

• 1 banana, cut into 4 or 5 pieces—I find it blends easier this way
• A few handfuls of whatever frozen fruit you desire—try mango, pineapple, or berries
• Several leaves of kale (no stems), or handfuls of spinach, or both
• Sprinkling of coconut
• Blend

Here is a variation on the kale smoothie from Anna! Salad - When I’m looking to finish off any leftover produce, I make what I like to call a dump salad. Seriously, nowhere near as disgusting as it sounds. It’s pretty simple, really, just chop up all leftover produce (fruit included!), and dump it over a bed of greens. You can even incorporate leftovers from dinner, like a cold pasta dish or rice. My latest salad included spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers goat cheese, leftover veggie burger, quinoa, dried cranberries, and was covered in homemade vinaigrette. Below is the recipe I use. These measurements are for one serving. 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons of balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. Dijon mustard ½ tsp. of honey or agave nectar Salt and pepper to taste Chopped cilantro (optional) Whisk together until emulsified either by hand or in a blender or food processor. Drizzle over salad. For another homemade dressing variation, see Becca’s recipe for Balsamic Lemongrette. Soup - This is the simplest soup recipe for leftover squash. Any type of squash will do, acorn, butternut, even a pumpkin! Slice the squash into pieces and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool, and by this time the squash should be soft enough to pull the rinds off. Toss the squash into a food processor or blender with: 1 ½ cups of veggie broth ¼ cup of cream 1 tsp. curry powder a sprinkling of cayenne a pinch of salt. Blend and eat. Simple and delicious. Tips for herbs: For those of you who commit to the full CSA share, you will likely receive a few bunches of herbs in each box. It’s not always easy to use them up before they go bad. When the bunches begin to look like they’re wilting, I always think pasta. Heat some pasta sauce or tomatoes over the stove and cook in the leftover herbs. Serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, pizza, or freeze it for later. For big batches of leftover basil, pesto is always a great option. Freeze in ice cube trays, covered in plastic wrap. When you’re ready to use, pop out a few cubes and melt into your cooked pasta. You can also wash and dry your herbs. Cut open your grocery store paper bags and lay them flat on a table, and spread out your herbs. Once dry, store them in emptied spice jars on your spice rack until you need them. See Becca’s herb garden post from last summer for more inspiration! Please don’t hesitate to sign up for a CSA this year. Mega-Agribusiness destroys the environment by wasting precious resources, and is harmful to human health as a result of their overuse of toxic pesticides. Supporting local farms means you are supporting sustainable business practices, biodiversity and your local economy, as well as protecting the environment and your health. Here are some of Philadelphia Magazine’s picks for the best CSA programs in the area. Find a pick-up location near you!

No doubt about it, market season is here, and sign-up deadlines are fast-approaching for community produce shares. CSA, or Community-Supported Agriculture, is a model of food distribution where community members pledge their support to a local farm by purchasing a share. Boxes of produce are picked up weekly or every other week by customers, and usually contain a variety of in-season vegetables, fruit, herbs, and in some cases, dairy and meat products. Participation in CSAs not only boosts the local economy, but also saves the consumer money on produce in the long run, according to research from the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite these benefits, many are still hesitant to sign up for CSAs for fear of wasting precious produce they feel they might not be able to eat within a week’s time. Below are some ideas that will help you use up all your weekly goodies before your next pick-up. Kebab night - This is something I used to do when I was new to farmers market shopping. The night before going to the farmers market was reserved for kebabs, so I could use all the leftover produce on hand. Slice up any extra squash, onion, pepper, really any produce will do, and skewer them up. Cover the assembled kebabs in whatever seasoning suits your fancy (I usually sprinkle on some cayenne pepper for a kick), line them up on the grill, or place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast on 350 for 10-15 minutes, rotating periodically. You can vary this recipe by adding pieces of chicken, shrimp, or other meats. Now, you’re clean out of produce and ready to stock up at the stand the next day. Crock-pot - Truth be told, I was a little afraid of the crock-pot until recently. Being a vegetarian, I assumed this was a kitchen appliance reserved for slow-cooking meat dishes, but a little research proved me quite wrong. Stews and soups can be slow-cooked in the crock pot with any starchy vegetables, like potatoes, and greens that will add density and flavor, such as cabbage, leeks, and onions. Below are two crock pot recipes that are quick and easy. Crock-pot recipes usually yield a lot of servings, so put a few portions in the fridge, pack up the rest in Tupperware, and freeze it until you’re ready to eat. One of my favorite crock-pot recipes is Sweet Potato Lentil Stew. Here’s another for Easy Italian Chicken. Smoothies - Smoothies aren’t usually the first thing to come to mind when you’re pondering what to do with your leftover spinach and kale, but it really is a tasty way to get your daily dose of greens. Adding fruit masks the taste of the greens, and you’re getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals to boot! A favorite recipe: In the blender add:

• 1 banana, cut into 4 or 5 pieces—I find it blends easier this way
• A few handfuls of whatever frozen fruit you desire—try mango, pineapple, or berries
• Several leaves of kale (no stems), or handfuls of spinach, or both
• Sprinkling of coconut
• Blend

Here is a variation on the kale smoothie from Anna! Salad - When I’m looking to finish off any leftover produce, I make what I like to call a dump salad. Seriously, nowhere near as disgusting as it sounds. It’s pretty simple, really, just chop up all leftover produce (fruit included!), and dump it over a bed of greens. You can even incorporate leftovers from dinner, like a cold pasta dish or rice. My latest salad included spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers goat cheese, leftover veggie burger, quinoa, dried cranberries, and was covered in homemade vinaigrette. Below is the recipe I use. These measurements are for one serving. 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons of balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. Dijon mustard ½ tsp. of honey or agave nectar Salt and pepper to taste Chopped cilantro (optional) Whisk together until emulsified either by hand or in a blender or food processor. Drizzle over salad. For another homemade dressing variation, see Becca’s recipe for Balsamic Lemongrette. Soup - This is the simplest soup recipe for leftover squash. Any type of squash will do, acorn, butternut, even a pumpkin! Slice the squash into pieces and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool, and by this time the squash should be soft enough to pull the rinds off. Toss the squash into a food processor or blender with: 1 ½ cups of veggie broth ¼ cup of cream 1 tsp. curry powder a sprinkling of cayenne a pinch of salt. Blend and eat. Simple and delicious. Tips for herbs: For those of you who commit to the full CSA share, you will likely receive a few bunches of herbs in each box. It’s not always easy to use them up before they go bad. When the bunches begin to look like they’re wilting, I always think pasta. Heat some pasta sauce or tomatoes over the stove and cook in the leftover herbs. Serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, pizza, or freeze it for later. For big batches of leftover basil, pesto is always a great option. Freeze in ice cube trays, covered in plastic wrap. When you’re ready to use, pop out a few cubes and melt into your cooked pasta. You can also wash and dry your herbs. Cut open your grocery store paper bags and lay them flat on a table, and spread out your herbs. Once dry, store them in emptied spice jars on your spice rack until you need them. See Becca’s herb garden post from last summer for more inspiration! Please don’t hesitate to sign up for a CSA this year. Mega-Agribusiness destroys the environment by wasting precious resources, and is harmful to human health as a result of their overuse of toxic pesticides. Supporting local farms means you are supporting sustainable business practices, biodiversity and your local economy, as well as protecting the environment and your health. Here are some of Philadelphia Magazine’s picks for the best CSA programs in the area. Find a pick-up location near you!

Oyster House is one of my favorite restaurants in Philly, though I can only truly indulge in the experience once or twice a year. I distinctly remember visiting the old restaurant as a kid on a weekend trip with my dad and trying a small taste of his turtle soup. I love the vibe of the new restaurant and anyone who knows me can tell you that eating fresh seafood is one of my greatest pleasures. Being a Marylander, eating crabs in the summer has always been a must and there isn’t a plate of oysters that I’ve ever left unfinished. Through Oyster House’s consistent Facebook posts and email blasts (talk about a local business that’s good at staying on your radar) I learned about chef and cookbook author Aliza Green’s book signing of her new book: The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. The event also included a cooking demonstration and seafood discussion so signing up was a no-brainer.

I have been learning to cook for the past year or so with steady progress in skills, technique, knowledge and confidence, yet I still find the hardest part of preparing any meal to be sourcing the ingredients. This is one of the reasons I am excited about a Co-op in South Philly. Having a say in what comes to your food supplier is a great start. Uncertainty in knowing where your food originates most of the time is also why I have the least amount of confidence in cooking some of my favorite foods to eat: seafood. It all boils down to knowing your ingredients, where they came from, and what to do with them.

Aliza’s demonstration included pickled herring, sauteed calamari, and filleting an entire shad. Her insights were intelligent and her guests included the head of Samuels & Sons Seafood Co. and their expert fillet-man, one of the few who can actually properly fillet a shad and extract its roe. Just learning about a few new ways to prepare a fish I’ve never thought about buying was a real confidence booster and made me excited to visit Ippolito’s more often and ask “what’s fresh?” Here’s a few things I learned: go to a reputable fishmonger, ask what’s freshest and what’s in season, don’t be afraid of the smaller oily fishes, always ask for ice, keep on ice until the second you are ready to prepare your fish, try to prepare within 2 days of purchase, pickled and smoked fish can be a great way to enjoy seafood without worrying so much about its spoilage.

For those of you who are obsessed with seafood and want to start preparing it more in your homes I would highly recommend checking out Ms. Green’s book: The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. It’s a great place to start understanding seafood as opposed to your traditional recipe based cook books that have the same old methods for searing tuna, grilling shrimp, baking salmon, and sautéing tilapia. Fortunately we Philadelphians live in a major port town in the Mid-Atlantic offering us a great selection of both local and international seafood. I may not be jumping into steamed cockles and broiled skate just yet, but I will be asking more questions, taking more risks and definitely buying more seafood this summer.

Martin Brown is a musician and arts administrator currently venturing into the ice cream business with Little Baby's Ice Cream (www.littlebabysicecream.com). Being a Maryland transplant his favorite food is crabs, as a South Philly homeowner his favorite food is anything he grills in his backyard.

Oyster House is one of my favorite restaurants in Philly, though I can only truly indulge in the experience once or twice a year. I distinctly remember visiting the old restaurant as a kid on a weekend trip with my dad and trying a small taste of his turtle soup. I love the vibe of the new restaurant and anyone who knows me can tell you that eating fresh seafood is one of my greatest pleasures. Being a Marylander, eating crabs in the summer has always been a must and there isn’t a plate of oysters that I’ve ever left unfinished. Through Oyster House’s consistent Facebook posts and email blasts (talk about a local business that’s good at staying on your radar) I learned about chef and cookbook author Aliza Green’s book signing of her new book: The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. The event also included a cooking demonstration and seafood discussion so signing up was a no-brainer. I have been learning to cook for the past year or so with steady progress in skills, technique, knowledge and confidence, yet I still find the hardest part of preparing any meal to be sourcing the ingredients. This is one of the reasons I am excited about a Co-op in South Philly. Having a say in what comes to your food supplier is a great start. Uncertainty in knowing where your food originates most of the time is also why I have the least amount of confidence in cooking some of my favorite foods to eat: seafood. It all boils down to knowing your ingredients, where they came from, and what to do with them. Aliza’s demonstration included pickled herring, sauteed calamari, and filleting an entire shad. Her insights were intelligent and her guests included the head of Samuels & Sons Seafood Co. and their expert fillet-man, one of the few who can actually properly fillet a shad and extract its roe. Just learning about a few new ways to prepare a fish I’ve never thought about buying was a real confidence booster and made me excited to visit Ippolito’s more often and ask “what’s fresh?” Here’s a few things I learned: go to a reputable fishmonger, ask what’s freshest and what’s in season, don’t be afraid of the smaller oily fishes, always ask for ice, keep on ice until the second you are ready to prepare your fish, try to prepare within 2 days of purchase, pickled and smoked fish can be a great way to enjoy seafood without worrying so much about its spoilage. For those of you who are obsessed with seafood and want to start preparing it more in your homes I would highly recommend checking out Ms. Green’s book: The Fishmonger’s Apprentice. It’s a great place to start understanding seafood as opposed to your traditional recipe based cook books that have the same old methods for searing tuna, grilling shrimp, baking salmon, and sautéing tilapia. Fortunately we Philadelphians live in a major port town in the Mid-Atlantic offering us a great selection of both local and international seafood. I may not be jumping into steamed cockles and broiled skate just yet, but I will be asking more questions, taking more risks and definitely buying more seafood this summer. Martin Brown is a musician and arts administrator currently venturing into the ice cream business with Little Baby's Ice Cream (www.littlebabysicecream.com). Being a Maryland transplant his favorite food is crabs, as a South Philly homeowner his favorite food is anything he grills in his backyard.

With over a year under our belt, there's a risk that our efforts to organize a co-op will lose steam but if last week was any indication, we still have plenty of steam left. The week started with our monthly educational event during which we hosted Shruthi of Cardamom Kitchen fame. (In fact, you may have already read about it.) The Newbold Civic Association welcomed Outreach Committee Co-chair Rachel Linstead Goldsmith on Monday to talk about the Co-op at their monthly meeting. Our outreach to the neighborhoods on the west side of Broad Street continues to pick up. On Wednesday, our good friends at Hawthornes Beer Boutique and Gourmet Eatery (738 S. 11th Street) hosted a fund raising event for us. The happy hour featured several delicious hors d'oeuvres (okay... I'll list them again: Smoked Salmon with cream cheese on crostinis, Pulled pork on slider rolls, Roasted red pepper hummus on Pita, Pico on tortilla chip, Bruschetta on Baguette, Tuna tartar on won ton, BBQ chicken quesadillas, Oven-roasted turkey on multigrain with sauerkraut and poblano aoili). Over 50 people enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres and drink specials (growlers, anyone?) helping the Co-op raise nearly $500. Some lucky folks won gift certificates or tickets donated by Calm, Zipcar, and Eastern State Penitentiary. All proceeds from events such as this go toward expenses we anticipate down the line including the market analysis and feasibility study that we'll need when we approach lenders for financing or the marketing materials that will help with our upcoming member-owner drive. A special thanks goes out again to South Philadelphia Tap Room for another such event back in December (before this blog was really up and running) and the Philly Community Wellness Center for donating a gift certificate that was awarded during the event. The end of the week arrived and we were just getting started. On Friday night, several of our more talented volunteers began dropping off some of the best looking baked goods South Philly has to offer. Somehow, Alison and I were able to resist the temptation to eat every single cookie occupying our dining room table just long enough to hand them over on Saturday morning to other committee members and volunteers who peddled them at the LoMo Spring Flea Market and Community Fair. Braving the breezy, sunshine-filled weather, this group brought in another $140. Meanwhile, a few blocks to the north, Amanda, Kat, Andy and I staked out a spot on East Passyunk Avenue to hand out brochures and solicit survey takers at the Flavors of the Avenue event. So while part of our group spent the day with cookies and cakes, the rest of them got to sit downwind from a big top tent filled with samples of Passyunk Avenue's finest restaurants. At least a hundred or so folks stopped by to learn about the Co-op and many of them have joined our growing list of potential member-owners. Thanks to everyone who filled out a survey. Any information and research that we compile ourselves is that much less that we have to pay professionals to find for our market analysis. And if you missed out on any of these events, we'll have plenty of additional opportunities for you to see us or volunteer to help out. On Saturday, May 7 we'll be tabling at the PEP Plant Sale (Broad and Federal) from 10am to 4pm. Interested in volunteering? Learn more about volunteer opportunities and fill out our Volunteer Interests Survey. I can almost guarantee you that someone will be in touch with in a day or two to take you up on your offer!

With over a year under our belt, there's a risk that our efforts to organize a co-op will lose steam but if last week was any indication, we still have plenty of steam left. The week started with our monthly educational event during which we hosted Shruthi of Cardamom Kitchen fame. (In fact, you may have already read about it.) The Newbold Civic Association welcomed Outreach Committee Co-chair Rachel Linstead Goldsmith on Monday to talk about the Co-op at their monthly meeting. Our outreach to the neighborhoods on the west side of Broad Street continues to pick up. On Wednesday, our good friends at Hawthornes Beer Boutique and Gourmet Eatery (738 S. 11th Street) hosted a fund raising event for us. The happy hour featured several delicious hors d'oeuvres (okay... I'll list them again: Smoked Salmon with cream cheese on crostinis, Pulled pork on slider rolls, Roasted red pepper hummus on Pita, Pico on tortilla chip, Bruschetta on Baguette, Tuna tartar on won ton, BBQ chicken quesadillas, Oven-roasted turkey on multigrain with sauerkraut and poblano aoili). Over 50 people enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres and drink specials (growlers, anyone?) helping the Co-op raise nearly $500. Some lucky folks won gift certificates or tickets donated by Calm, Zipcar, and Eastern State Penitentiary. All proceeds from events such as this go toward expenses we anticipate down the line including the market analysis and feasibility study that we'll need when we approach lenders for financing or the marketing materials that will help with our upcoming member-owner drive. A special thanks goes out again to South Philadelphia Tap Room for another such event back in December (before this blog was really up and running) and the Philly Community Wellness Center for donating a gift certificate that was awarded during the event. The end of the week arrived and we were just getting started. On Friday night, several of our more talented volunteers began dropping off some of the best looking baked goods South Philly has to offer. Somehow, Alison and I were able to resist the temptation to eat every single cookie occupying our dining room table just long enough to hand them over on Saturday morning to other committee members and volunteers who peddled them at the LoMo Spring Flea Market and Community Fair. Braving the breezy, sunshine-filled weather, this group brought in another $140. Meanwhile, a few blocks to the north, Amanda, Kat, Andy and I staked out a spot on East Passyunk Avenue to hand out brochures and solicit survey takers at the Flavors of the Avenue event. So while part of our group spent the day with cookies and cakes, the rest of them got to sit downwind from a big top tent filled with samples of Passyunk Avenue's finest restaurants. At least a hundred or so folks stopped by to learn about the Co-op and many of them have joined our growing list of potential member-owners. Thanks to everyone who filled out a survey. Any information and research that we compile ourselves is that much less that we have to pay professionals to find for our market analysis. And if you missed out on any of these events, we'll have plenty of additional opportunities for you to see us or volunteer to help out. On Saturday, May 7 we'll be tabling at the PEP Plant Sale (Broad and Federal) from 10am to 4pm. Interested in volunteering? Learn more about volunteer opportunities and fill out our Volunteer Interests Survey. I can almost guarantee you that someone will be in touch with in a day or two to take you up on your offer!

It is difficult to fathom that in a country as wealthy and industrialized as the United States, over 17 million households are without proper access to fresh, healthy food. Many US cities with a large impoverished population, with little access to food, rely on a strong network of nonprofit organizations to help increase food security. While these nonprofit efforts are admirable, the best way to bring the community together to increase food access for all citizens, is the implementation of a Food Policy Council (FPC). The advent of food policy councils began in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1977, when Bob Wilson, a professor at the University of Tennessee challenged his landscape architecture class to examine planning issues related to food availability within their city. This assignment spurred a resolution to be passed within Knoxville’s local government in October of 1981 to form a food policy council. The resolution declared that food policy and issues were a governmental responsibility and concern, and that Knoxville’s food system was to be monitored and acted upon as needed. The initiation of Knoxville’s food policy council inspired the implementation of at least five other food policy councils over the past twenty years within the US. As food policy councils became more prevalent in the United States, their function became clearer. A council’s mission is to strengthen the economic vitality of the local food industry, ensure that an adequate and nutritious food supply is available to all citizens, increase local food production, and minimize food-related activities that degrade the natural environment. A council’s members consist of government officials, local restaurateurs, members of local businesses, farms, and food distributors, as well as volunteers from a diverse set of policy development and community bodies. A number of policies must to be enacted in order for an FPC to accomplish these goals. The specific state and local policies that affect the survivability of a local food system address transportation issues that hinder food access and farm viability, nutritional programs available to citizens, institutional and nonprofit involvement, and sound economic strategies that promote a sustainable local economy. The organization of urban farming programs by a city’s food policy council not only improves access to food for impoverished residents, but also improves the environment with the creation of green space, as well as provides a source of income for local citizens. One area where this is being done is Boston, Massachusetts. There, the statewide food policy alliance is supporting an extensive campaign encouraging citizens and institutions to buy and eat local produce. The promotion of urban and backyard gardens in Boston have improved the area’s land and soil quality, boosted the local economy, and provided impoverished citizens with greater access to fresh, healthy food. Meanwhile, back in Knoxville, TN, home of the first ever food policy council, members of local government collaborated with policy developers from the department of transportation, re-routing bus routes, in order to provide impoverished citizens with greater access to supermarkets. In addition to altering mass-transit routes, the Knoxville food policy council also pushed to install bicycle racks on the front of buses so that citizens without cars could access food a little easier. Without governmental sanction and strong ties to the local nonprofit network, many Knoxville residents would still be without sufficient food access, today. Bringing together specialists and key players within a food system helps to improve the system as a whole from the beginning of growth and manufacturing, to distribution, to consumption and ending with waste management. The implementation of Food Policy Councils offers the best opportunity for any urban area to accomplish the goals of strengthening the local food network, aiding in increased food and nutrition policy effectiveness, and also in creating an overall balanced food system for producers, consumers, and the environment. In addition, councils strengthen food security for the residents of an urban area. The implementation of a food policy council is the best way for a city to improve its local food system and move toward the ultimate goal of sustainability. Please welcome Haley VanderMeer who is a new addition to our team of South Philly Food Co-op volunteer bloggers. Haley first published this article at GreenAnswers.com on March 28, 2011. Haley has done work promoting various local food events including photographing food at farmers' markets for social media promotion for the Jefferson Farmers' Market and has written and distributed recipes at its educational booth.

It is difficult to fathom that in a country as wealthy and industrialized as the United States, over 17 million households are without proper access to fresh, healthy food. Many US cities with a large impoverished population, with little access to food, rely on a strong network of nonprofit organizations to help increase food security. While these nonprofit efforts are admirable, the best way to bring the community together to increase food access for all citizens, is the implementation of a Food Policy Council (FPC). The advent of food policy councils began in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1977, when Bob Wilson, a professor at the University of Tennessee challenged his landscape architecture class to examine planning issues related to food availability within their city. This assignment spurred a resolution to be passed within Knoxville’s local government in October of 1981 to form a food policy council. The resolution declared that food policy and issues were a governmental responsibility and concern, and that Knoxville’s food system was to be monitored and acted upon as needed. The initiation of Knoxville’s food policy council inspired the implementation of at least five other food policy councils over the past twenty years within the US. As food policy councils became more prevalent in the United States, their function became clearer. A council’s mission is to strengthen the economic vitality of the local food industry, ensure that an adequate and nutritious food supply is available to all citizens, increase local food production, and minimize food-related activities that degrade the natural environment. A council’s members consist of government officials, local restaurateurs, members of local businesses, farms, and food distributors, as well as volunteers from a diverse set of policy development and community bodies. A number of policies must to be enacted in order for an FPC to accomplish these goals. The specific state and local policies that affect the survivability of a local food system address transportation issues that hinder food access and farm viability, nutritional programs available to citizens, institutional and nonprofit involvement, and sound economic strategies that promote a sustainable local economy. The organization of urban farming programs by a city’s food policy council not only improves access to food for impoverished residents, but also improves the environment with the creation of green space, as well as provides a source of income for local citizens. One area where this is being done is Boston, Massachusetts. There, the statewide food policy alliance is supporting an extensive campaign encouraging citizens and institutions to buy and eat local produce. The promotion of urban and backyard gardens in Boston have improved the area’s land and soil quality, boosted the local economy, and provided impoverished citizens with greater access to fresh, healthy food. Meanwhile, back in Knoxville, TN, home of the first ever food policy council, members of local government collaborated with policy developers from the department of transportation, re-routing bus routes, in order to provide impoverished citizens with greater access to supermarkets. In addition to altering mass-transit routes, the Knoxville food policy council also pushed to install bicycle racks on the front of buses so that citizens without cars could access food a little easier. Without governmental sanction and strong ties to the local nonprofit network, many Knoxville residents would still be without sufficient food access, today. Bringing together specialists and key players within a food system helps to improve the system as a whole from the beginning of growth and manufacturing, to distribution, to consumption and ending with waste management. The implementation of Food Policy Councils offers the best opportunity for any urban area to accomplish the goals of strengthening the local food network, aiding in increased food and nutrition policy effectiveness, and also in creating an overall balanced food system for producers, consumers, and the environment. In addition, councils strengthen food security for the residents of an urban area. The implementation of a food policy council is the best way for a city to improve its local food system and move toward the ultimate goal of sustainability. Please welcome Haley VanderMeer who is a new addition to our team of South Philly Food Co-op volunteer bloggers. Haley first published this article at GreenAnswers.com on March 28, 2011. Haley has done work promoting various local food events including photographing food at farmers' markets for social media promotion for the Jefferson Farmers' Market and has written and distributed recipes at its educational booth.

Now that we have completely skipped over spring and it seems that summer is firmly in place,  it is time for my summertime beverage of choice. For the last two years it has been 21st Amendment Brewery's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer.  It is the perfect beer to quench your thirst on a hot summer day because of its light refreshing taste. You have to try this for your next BBQ.

Now that we have completely skipped over spring and it seems that summer is firmly in place,  it is time for my summertime beverage of choice. For the last two years it has been 21st Amendment Brewery's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer.  It is the perfect beer to quench your thirst on a hot summer day because of its light refreshing taste. You have to try this for your next BBQ.