It is common to measure a farm’s success by way of numbers. One speaks to the pounds of collards and sun-ripened tomatoes that rise from the soil. One calculates how many people gain access to fresh, local food. Yet the truest measure of impact may be found in the vision cultivated in the next generation. To speak to the children of farmers Micaiah and Dr. Cynthia Hall is to see this principle in action. Wise for a field crew that ranges […]

Categories: food & drink

In Sicily, come summertime, the most memorable meals are taken al fresco amid fields and groves that offer up their bounty. By day, an aggressive sun presses down and nourishes the crops, white hot until dusk’s reprieve. The slender leaves that adorn olive branches frame a tumble of mountains in the distance. Viewed from afar, the landscape is all green earth and blue sky and the rugged geometry that defines this Italian island. Look closer, however, and the season’s jewel […]

Categories: food & drink

In a compact garden space in the Fairhill section of North Philadelphia, conversation echoed early on a spring Saturday. Inside, young plants were being united with soil, fresh green juxtaposing dark compost. Tending them were gardeners whose own youthful laughter was punctuated by exchanges in Spanish. How far apart should the tomatoes be planted? Do you water the plant or the dirt? It was the beginning of the season for the Youth Advocate Program, part of an international organization that […]

Categories: food & drink

Sometimes honoring a legacy means blazing a trail. For pitmaster Alyson (Aly) Lupinetti of Mount Laurel-based Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ, said trail scorches straight through the Rock, Ribs & Ridges festival in Augusta. Held annually at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, it pairs mountain views and country jams with a ‘cue competition that draws entrants from as far off as Ohio and Florida. In 2017, she and her crew landed the coveted honor in the juried competition after two successive runner’s-up […]

Categories: food & drink