Category Archives: Education
Beef 101: A Guide to What 25% of Americans Eat Everyday (Infographic)
This infographic contains information about the health benefits of beef, and offers a simple breakdown of the different types of cuts you can buy at the grocery store, and some easy guides to shopping for beef.
Source: FrugalDad
Delaware County Enviro Fair 2012
Join Co-op Board Member and Swarthmore Co-op Education Committee Member, Helen Nadel at the Delaware County Enviro Fair 2012.
“Cooking in the Sustainable Kitchen”
Helen Nadel will explore sustainable food choices and their impact on the environment, human health (both consumer and farmworker), and animal welfare, but won’t stop there. Because it’s not just what we buy but how we use it that helps sustain the planet. So we will connect to the joy of cooking and eating well, and figure out how – in the rush of our weekly lives – we can make kitchen activities a sustainable part our our lives. Everyone will take away recipes and tips for menu planning.
This year’s EnviroFair will be bigger than ever! The themes will be A Taste of the Earth (from farm to table, eating in or dining out) and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Expo (from alternative vehicles to alternative transportation systems. Sponsored by the Earth Care Council, it will feature dozens of vendors, agencies, and non-profit groups (including TTM & TBM!) who will be exhibiting their information and products. Don’t miss it!
The Delaware CountyEnviro Fair 2012Saturday, April 14, 20129:30 AM to 3:00 PMStrath Haven High School, 205 S. Providence Road, Wallingford, PA |
Themes This Year:A Taste of the EarthFarm to table, eating in or dining out.Electric and Hybrid Vehicle ExpoFrom alternative vehicles to alternative transportation systems. |
Flower Care Tips from our Produce Manager
Flower Care
check your flowers daily
Keep the vase, container or liner filled with fresh water. Even if the container has floral foam, you should keep the water level high to promote long lasting flowers. The container’s water has a fresh flower food added to it. If you completely change the water, you should also thoroughly clean the container. Add fresh water mixed with a commercial fresh flower food. These flower foods may be supplied by the florist who delivered your order and they contain the correct ingredients to properly nourish the flowers, keep bacteria at bay (which can block the stems and prevent them from absorbing water), encourage buds to open, and lengthen the life of the bouquet. It’s one of the best—and easiest—ways to extend the life of your flowers, but be sure to follow the directions on the package correctly. Improperly mixed flower food can actually do more harm than good.
re-cut their stems
Every few days, remove the flowers from the design and re-cut the stems. Remove 3/4″ to one inch from the bottom of the stem and be sure to cut the stem at an angle to allow the flower the best chance to take up water. Use a sharp knife or sharp floral cutter or scissor. Avoid smashing or piercing the stems, as this can destroy the water vessels in the stem and prevent water absorption. Remove any spent or damaged blooms or foliage that falls below the waterline in the vase.
To avoid disturbing the stem placements in a vase arrangement, tie the stems with twine just above the vase’s edge before taking them out of their vase. Hold the tied arrangement at the twine-bound point to re-cut the stems. Then place them back into the clean vase with the fresh water and a flower food.
change their water, and add additional fresh flower food
Be sure to clean the vase before refilling it with room-temperature water mixed with the proper amount of fresh flower food. Be sure no debris is floating in the water (such as leaves and stem parts) as this could promote the growth of bacteria which can shorten a flower’s life.
display them in a cool spot
Most flowers prefer temperatures between 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 22 degrees Celsius) and are best displayed away from direct sunlight, heating or cooling vents, directly under ceiling fans, or on top of televisions or radiators, which give off heat and can cause flowers to dehydrate. Avoid placing fresh flowers near ripening fruit, which releases tiny amounts of ethylene gas that can age them prematurely.
Ed Farace
Philadelphia CowShare and the Swarthmore Co-op
The Swarthmore Co-op has recently partnered with Philadelphia CowShare
Philadelphia CowShare provides GRASS-FED, ABH-FREE, LOCAL beef to the Swarthmore Co-op. Our upcoming “Burgers and Fries: The Sustainable Way” event on January 20th, where we will be grilling burgers and cooking french fries for a cost of $8 for Members and $10 for Future/Non-Members, will be fulfilled by the use of beef exclusively from Philadelphia CowShare. (Stop by the Co-op now until the 20th to purchase your ticket for this event.)
At the Co-op, we believe in using locally sourced products that are made using humane and natural methods. Philadelphia CowShare has provided us with a unique opportunity to provide beef in our store that is produced and prepared in a way in which we truly believe and can stand confidently behind.
What are CowShares?
A Philadelphia CowShare is a way for individual customers to buy high quality, local, grass-fed beef in bulk by splitting the purchase of a cow with other people.
By buying a CowShare, you can:
- Receive High Quality Grass-fed Beef
- Simplify Meal Planning
- Support Local Farmers and Butchers
About Philadelphia CowShare’s Cows
They select cows from local farms near Philadelphia in Lancaster, Chester, Delaware, and Mercer counties. They personally visit each farm and talk with the farmer to guarantee the cows are grass-fed and free of growth hormones and antibiotics. They also require the farm to follow sustainable, organic farming practices, but do not require the USDA organic certification.
Cows are an essential part of a sustainable farming ecosystem. Cows keep the hills mowed and fertilize the land. Philly CowShare prefers to purchase cows that are part of a healthy farming ecosystem. They believe in rewarding and supporting the farmers who create a sustainable farming ecosystem. Philadelphia CowShare offers them an income source from their cows and gives you an opportunity to purchase high quality, local beef.
Once they all agree on the goal of doing business together, they have a checklist they run through that includes:
Cattle practices:
- Cattle have been raised on pasture with minimal confinement as needed to care for the land (i.e. snowy months) and animals (i.e. weight checks, vaccinations, sorting, transport, etc.).
- Cattle’s diet consists of natural grasses, legumes, alfalfa and/or range farm/forage. No supplemental grains or grain-based manufactured ration, reprocessed animal tissue, animal by-products, fecal material, food waste or by-products are allowed at any time. Minimal supplements are allowed.
- Cattle are fed hay made from the same plants found naturally on pasture, preferably from the same pasture the animals graze during the growing season.
- Cattle have access to fresh water at all times.
- Cattle have access to shelter during inclement weather.
- Calves should be kept with their mothers after birth and weaned when they are capable of growing on a grass-fed diet without their mother’s milk.
- No synthetic hormones, growth promotants, or steroids are given to the animals at any time in their life.
- No preventative antibiotics or other medications are allowed with the exception of those required by the USDA (e.g. 5-way virus vaccine).
- The farm must be managed to promote healthy animals including rotational grazing, vaccination, and low stress handling.
- Cattle should be medicated to treat illness or injury in order to minimize suffering or death. If an animal is visibly ill, it should be separated from the herd to minimize the spread of the ailment and should be treated immediately. If antibiotics or other medications are used as part of the treatment of a Philadelphia CowShare animal, the farmer must notify Philadelphia CowShare immediately. Philadelphia CowShare will not purchase animals that have had antibiotics or other medication administered into or passed through the blood stream that may result in medication residue in the meat.
Land practices:
- The land should be managed to promote continual forage growth without the assistance of chemical herbicides or pesticides.
- Fertilization techniques should reuse organic by-products from the farm such as cow and poultry manure.
- Increasing the nitrogen levels in the land is the most difficult aspect of cattle farming. Nitrogen fertilizers are allowed as needed provided they are closely monitored and administered to increase the organic matter in the soil and do not impose health risks to the animals.
- Farmers should test the nutrients of the soil and supplement with minerals where needed to promote healthy top soil and forage.
What is dry-aged beef?
Dry-aged beef is beef that has been hung in a cool, clean, climate-controlled environment for a period of time. Dry-aging beef intensifies the flavor and tenderizes the beef. Enzymes break down the muscle and connective tissue in the beef and make it more tender and flavorful. All our beef is dry-aged for at least 14 days.
Why is dry-aged beef more expensive?
Dry-aged beef is more expensive than wet-aged or non-aged beef for three reasons. First, a meat processor must have an environment suitable for dry aging. Second, the process simply takes longer. Finally, the meat loses moisture or weight during the process. Our beef can lose 10% of the weight over 2 weeks.
Beef that is wet-aged is vacuum-sealed in plastic and typically aged during transit. Because it is aged in its own juices, more moisture is absorbed by the beef resulting in less weight loss. When you buy beef by the pound, you are paying for the moisture that was retained in the beef during the wet-aging process. With dry-aged beef, you are paying for a more intense flavor of beef and less liquid. Most beef sold in supermarkets is wet-aged or not aged at all.
For more information visit: www.phillycowshare.com
For an interview of the CowShare peeps: Click Here
