SuStainable PhiladelPhia

t a k e o n e !

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events

july 2011 / issue 28 gridphilly.com

Ultimate Gear GUide

more trails! more lanes!

Women & bikes

GroWler maGic

GroW YoUr oWn HopsWHY oUr

Water rUles

inside

perfect veGGie bUrGers!

a miGHtY Wind!tUrtle poWer!

PANTONE 355

CCPAlogoFINAL.spot.ai / 13 sept 2004

© THINKING EYE, L.L.C.

PANTONE 355

CCPAlogoFINAL.spot.ai / 13 sept 2004

© THINKING EYE, L.L.C.

Saturday, July 23, 6:30 to 10:00 p.m.(taps close at 9:30 p.m.)

Summer Ale Festival

Celebrate the summer season with this exciting event featuring delicious, sustainable food and regional craft beers.

Tickets available online beginning June 1:$90 VIP (limited number available)$60 General Admission$30 Designated Driver

For more information, visit philadelphiazoo.org

Help us crown Philly’s Favorite Summer Beer.Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorites with the top three being announced in the July/August issue of Philly Beer Scene Magazine and other media outlets.

Get it fresh and LocaL!Get it fresh and LocaL!

free Brewery tours: saturday noon–3pm

Beer store hours: tuesday–friday 10am–6pm

saturday 11am–5pmwww.philadelphiabrewing.com

2501 E. Cumberland Street • Philadelphia, PA 19125

Tuesday–Saturday • 10am–5pmSunday • 10am–4pm

Farmstand: Thursday • 10am–3pm and Saturday • 10am–3pm

www.greensgrow.org

visit us in kensinGton for food, fLowers and Beer!visit us in kensinGton for food, fLowers and Beer!

publisherAlex Mulcahy

215.625.9850 ext. 102 alex@gridphilly.com

editor-in-chiefBrian Howard

brian.howard@gridphilly.com

interim managing editorFelicia D’Ambrosio

associate editorAriela Rose

art directorJamie Leary

jamie@gridphilly.com

designerMelissa McFeeters

distributionClaire Connelly

215.625.9850 ext. 107 claire@gridphilly.com

copy editorAndrew Bonazelli

production artistLucas Hardison

writersAllison Bart

Bernard BrownTenaya DarlingtonMaryline DossouJanina A. Larenas

Julie LorchMarisa McClellanBrendan Skwire

Char VandermeerSamantha Wittchen

internsAllison Bart

Kelly ClaytonLiz Pacheco

photographers Amanda Jaffe

Michael Persico David Schrott

illustrators Kirsten Harper

Melissa McFeetersad sales

Alex Mulcahy 215.625.9850 ext. 102

alex@gridphilly.com

published byRed Flag Media

1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107

215.625.9850

g r i d p h i l ly . c o m

Handlebars and Hops

We thought long and hard about a beer issue. And a separate bikes issue. And then it dawned on us, like the crest of a hill you’ve been pedal-ing up for miles: We should combine the two. If you’re into Venn diagrams, there’s likely a whole lotta overlap between the area’s avid pedalers and its consumers of fresh, adventurous, incredibly tasty local beer.

Both scenes have done some serious burgeon-ing in the fertile crescent formed by the Dela-ware and Schuylkill rivers. And both have been highly lauded prongs of the greater Philadelphia region’s rush to more sustainable lifestyles and economies:

Why drink mass-produced, corn-based swill trucked in from St. Louis or Milwaukee or Colora-do when you can drink locally brewed beer burst-ing with flavor from destinations as familiar as Milton, Del., Cherry Hill, N.J., or Kensington?

Why spend thousands on insurance, parking and the inevitable body work that comes with city driving when you can spin your spokes to work, to the farmers market, and to SEPTA’s ever-more-bike-accommodating buses and trains?

Bikes and Beer. They just sound good together.For the record: We do not advocate drinking beer

while (or just before) biking. But we’ll proclaim from the hilltops the sublime joy of rewarding an intrepid pedal with a crisp, cold Victory Whirlwind Witbier. (That’s my personal recommendation, but we’d love to hear yours; see below.) And thus, the first of what we hope are many GRID Bikes & Beer issues was born. Inside, blogging firebrand Brendan Skwire tells you why the region’s mineral-rich water is key to its beer-brewing revival. GRID welcomes cycling doyenne Julie Lorch back to our pages to tell you why getting more women on bikes is key to taking Philly’s urban cycling to the next level. You’ll learn how to grow your own hops, make your own beer-based mustard, choose the right gear for your commute and even how to brew your own plummy Belgian sour.

Speaking of brewing your own, if you’ve ever made your own bread soda, or have even enter-tained the notion, we highly recommend you pick up the new, indispensable The Complete Homebrew Beer Book ($24.95, Robert Rose), from Philly home-brewing legend George Hummel. The 456-page tome is packed with 200 recipes, and will guide you gently from newbie stuff like ambers and bit-ters all the way to funky stuff like wild-fermented beer, mead and cider. Hummel, who runs San-som Street’s Home Sweet Homebrew, taught me to brew (though he might not want you to know that); his book is both long overdue—seriously, what took ya so long?—and a revelation, an in-stant classic in the homebrew canon. Stop by his shop (2008 Sansom St.) for a signed copy.

When grid grand poobah Alex Mulcahy and I sat down to plot out this magazine’s editorial calendar back in the icy deep freeze that is Philadelphia February, we suspected that when the mercury

climbed into the 90s, we’d be ready for a double dose of two of our favorite things: beer and bicycles.

What’s your favorite Philly summer quaff? Weigh in and read our staff’s picks in an online exclusive at gridphilly.com.

4 gridPhilly.com july 2011

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One California-based manufacturer, Helix Wind, the planned provider for those Lincoln Financial Field units, builds turbines specifically designed to operate at the lower wind speeds found within the urban environment. Helix Wind’s turbines are compact vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT), which is to say they don’t re-quire the vast amount of space that the mono-lithic, horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT) you’ll see on distant ridges from the Pennsylva-nia Turnpike do.

Although this new technology is promising, switching to wind energy is a complicated ques-tion. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) con-siders regions with average annual wind speeds of 6.5 meters per second (m/s), or 14.5 miles per hour (mph), to be suitable for wind develop-

ment. According to data from the Na-tional Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Philadelphia’s average wind speed is only 5m/s (about 11 mph), and that’s at a height of 262 feet above the ground (higher than the roofs of most rowhomes) where urban wind turbines would likely be mounted.

But don’t give up yet! Helix Wind makes a turbine designed for an average wind speed of 5 m/s, perfect for Phila-delphia. And remember: The NREL data is only an average. Wind speeds vary by location and topography, so before completely discounting wind power, you may want to gather more data. You can do this yourself by pur-chasing a recording anemometer and mounting it at the height you’d mount a wind turbine, or by hiring a profes-sional. The DOE suggests measuring wind speeds at your specific location for a year to get an accurate picture of the wind resource available. Once you have that data, you can decide if it’s worth pursuing.

Conventional wisdom has long held that cities are ill-suited for wind power because the wind speeds required to operate turbines efficiently simply do not exist within an urban area. How-ever, with the growth of the small-wind industry, it has become more practical for homeowners to harness the power of the wind for individual

use. Small-wind turbines are classified as those that have capacities of 100 kilowatts (kW) or less. According to the American Wind Energy Asso-ciation (AWEA), the U.S. leads the world in the production of small wind turbines; in 2009, 95 percent of all small wind systems sold domesti-cally were made by U.S. manufacturers.

EnErgy

6 gridphilly.com july 2011

is wind energy right for philadelphia? by samantha wittchen

Following the announcement late last year by the Philadelphia Eagles that Lincoln Financial Field would become the greenest stadium in the world—in part due to the 80 helical wind turbines to be installed

on the rim of the stadium—the concept of harnessing wind power in an urban environment feels like less of a pipe dream.

If the Eagles already have you sold on wind power, here are four things to do before setting up that windmill.

right-size your system.1. There’s no point in oversizing a renew-able energy system for an inefficient home. Make sure you do the efficiency work first to save money on the size of the system. The AWEA estimates that small wind turbine installation costs $3,000 to $5,000 for every kilowatt of generating capacity, so it’s worthwhile to install as small a system as possible. According to the DOE, a wind turbine rated 5 to 15kW would be required to make a significant contribution to a typical home that uses 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

check the local zoning codes.2. Are you allowed to place a wind turbine on your property or will you need a variance? Consider engaging your neighbors to address their concerns before you start construction so they don’t throw any obstacles in your path.

Know your grid options.3. Contact your electricity provider or distributor to find out if and how you can connect your wind energy system to the grid. The American Wind Energy Association (awea.org) is a good resource for utility interconnection requirements.

Take advantage of incentives.4. The federal government offers a tax credit of 30 percent of the cost of the system.

While wind may not be the right answer for all Philadelphians right now, there’s no telling what the rapidly developing small wind industry will build in the near future. We may be tilting at windmills today, but tomorrow we could be powering our city with them.

Tilting at Windmills

helical VAWT (vertical-axis wind turbines) function in wind from any direction, as well as turbulent or gusty winds.

Traditional hAWT (horizontal-axis wind turbines) must have smooth laminar (smooth and steady) wind flow from a single direction.

The Advantages of VAWT

illusTrATiOn by MElissA MCfEETErs

1BOG is a collective solar purchasing program that leverages the buying power of a group of people, as opposed to an individual, to negotiate preferential pricing for residential solar projects. Think of it as a sort of Groupon for solar installa-tions, but with guarantees about the equipment and services it sells, and a free discount. (No coupon purchase necessary—just sign up!) In fact, the same venture capital firm that invested in Groupon, New Enterprise Associates, backs 1BOG.

The 1BOG program addresses three of the big-gest barriers to residential solar installation—the high cost, the confusion around the myriad solar options, and the difficulty in determining which solar installers to trust. Customers save money by having solar installed through 1BOG, and in-deed, 1BOG has negotiated a 15 percent discount with its Philadelphia partners, Canadian Solar USA and Mercury Solar Systems.

Additionally, 1BOG vets its partners to make sure customers are getting the best value and then evaluates past installs to ensure that qual-ity and service are up to snuff. “We did a lot of research before entering into this program, and nationally, everyone believes that 1BOG is the best partner you could have,” says Alan King, vice president of Canadian Solar USA.

1BOG’s main goal is to drive market pen-etration of solar, but it doestn’t just go wher-ever. The company carefully researches a potential market to confirm that electricity, pricing trends are favorable for rolling out its program. Philadelphia represents that kind of favorable market; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Phila-delphia shows prices of utilities rose nearly 3 percent in just the first two months of 2011.

Homeowners can sign up to participate in the current 1BOG campaign at 1bog.org; the website itself is pretty slick. Enter your ad-dress and the website shows you an aerial view of your house on Google Maps. Select your roof, outline where you want to put solar panels, and the estimator tool gives you a de-tailed breakdown of your options, including a financial analysis of going solar. Once you sign

up, 1BOG’s installer partner will get in touch with you to perform a more detailed evaluation of your home to give you a firm cost estimate.

Even better, the Philadelphia campaign isn’t limited to Philadelphia city residents. The cov-erage area includes the Lancaster and Reading regions, the Lehigh Valley, and north to the New York State border. Ready to stand up and be counted among the bogmen (as 1BOG calls their members)? The current Philadelphia campaign closes on June 21, so be sure to sign up soon if you want to be part of the solar revolution.

samantha wittchen is partner and co-founder of iSpring (ispringassociates.com), a sustainability firm serving companies and organizations in the Delaware and Lehigh valleys.

NEW YORK

NEW JERSEY

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia Solar Group Discount Zone

Allentown

Reading

PhiladelphiaLancaster

Harrisburg

Wilkes-Barre

Scranton

MARYLAND

One block off the grid may not be literally one block, or even technically off the grid—both are metaphors—but the program known acrostically as 1BOG is replacing an equivalent amount of power from

traditional, dirty energy sources with renewable solar energy in the growing list of cities where it has rolled out its program. And Philadelphia recently got added to that list.

Get Your Block OffSolar group-purchasing program targets Eastern pennsylvania. by samantha wittchen

If your house is within the bounds of the green area, you are eligible for a group discount.

NoT SurE? Sign up to see if your address qualifies on 1bog.com

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july 2011 gridphilly.com 7

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At the intersection of 11th and York streets sits a new farm run by North Philadelphia high school students and Temple University undergrads. The group has dubbed itself the Philadelphia Urban

Creators (PUC), and is utilizing urban agriculture as a gateway to youth em-powerment and community revitalization.

The idea for PUC took root in January 2010, when 30 Temple students traveled to Our School at Blair Grocery (OSBG), a sustainability education center in New Orleans that empowers teens to address food scarcity and so-cial justice issues. Farming and community organizing were highlights of the trip, and the group returned in April with high school students from North Philadelphia. That summer, the students joined forces with two other youth-led organizations—New York 2 New Orleans Coalition and Youth Coalition 4 Community Action—to shuttle more than 500 teens to OSBG.

“We brought high school students along to get them fired up and passion-ate about urban farming, to show them how urban farming connects to their lives and how it could transform their lives,” says Emily Kinsel, PUC’s farm manager and a student at Temple University.

In the fall, PUC approached the Village of Arts and Humanities, a revital-ization agency in the city’s Fairhill section, and were awarded land for their own farming venture. Work began with building compost bins and clearing the jungle-like land. Once the ground warmed in the spring, trenches were dug to plant an array of vegetables, including the kale, arugula and beets that

fArm profilE by ariela rose

Philadelphia Urban Creators

Jaie Bosse, ND(215) 995-1247Philadelphia, PA

IlluminatingHealth.comJaie@IlluminatingHealth.com

illuminatinghealthNaturopathic Health Care

"Let your food be medicine, and your medicine be food."

- Hippocrates

Dirty laundry.Clean conscience.Join Philadelphia’s fi rst sustainable, ultra-convenient, bike-driven laundry service

Sign up at WashCycleLaundry.com

We pick up dirty laundry on bikes.Then we wash it using green, local Sun and Earth detergents and high-effi ciency machines that sip water and save energy. You’ll get your clothes back, folded, in 24 hours.

Schedule your fi rst pick-up at WashCycleLaundry.com and fi nd out why more and more of your neighbors trust Wash Cycle Laundry to do their laundry every week.

ultra-convenient, bike-driven laundry serviceultra-convenient, bike-driven laundry service

Sign up atWashCycleLaundry.com

We pick up dirty laundry on bikes.Then we wash it using green, local Sun and Earth detergents and high-effi ciency machines that sip water and save energy. You’ll get your clothes back, folded, in 24 hours.

Schedule your fi rst pick-up at Schedule your fi rst pick-up at WashCycleLaundry.comWashCycleLaundry.com and fi nd out why more and more of your neighbors trust Wash Cycle Laundry to do their laundry every week.

have just begun to sprout. “We basically want to create an urban farm

that has an educational component, so there would be farming and food produced for the neighborhood, but there would also be classes on community organizing and food justice for the youth in the neighborhood,” says Kinsel. “We want something that will still grow after the Temple and high school students graduate and move on with their lives.”

Presently, the students are considering plans for a farmstand in the parking lot adjacent to their farm, as well as collaborations with local farmers markets and restaurants.

To learn more or to join one of PUC’s work days, visit phillyurbancreators.org

AgriculturE

8 gridphilly.com july 2011

lEfT rachel bain, Denzel Thompson and bj Tindal make their mark. AboVE Emily hockenberry: gloves on, shoes off.

july 2011 gridphilly.com 9

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BENNETT COMPOST www.bennettcompost.com • 215.520.2406

Saturday, July 238:30 a.m to 4 p.m.

Starts & Ends at Weavers Way Co-op’sMort Brooks Farm in Germantown

Great rides through vibrant neighborhoods to explore hidden gems, inspiring talks with pioneering urban farm-ers, all followed by an incredible feast of grilled foods and beer at Weavers Way Co-op’s Mort Brooks Farm. $30 day of the ride—discount for pre-registration!

For registration and detailed information, visit www.weaversway.coop. To volunteer, contact chris@chrishillmedia.com.All proceeds to benefit Weavers Way Community Programs’ Farm Education Programs.

When you walk the walk like John francis, you don’t neces-sarily need to talk the talk. Planetwalker: 17 Years of Silence, 22 Years of Walking is the true story of a native Philadelphian who, after witnessing a devastating 1971 California oil spill, chose to abstain from all motorized transportation. instead, francis walked. When his walking led to arguments with those who did not understand his beliefs, he gave up using his voice, as well.

francis’ account is compiled from a journal he kept as he traversed America for more than 22 years, 17 of which he says he was completely silent. his unwavering dedication to envi-

ronmental justice is astounding, and he remains committed even when his family questions his sanity, his feet burn and ache, and misunderstanding strangers hold him at gunpoint.

Although it seems impossible to persuade others to respect the natural world without the use of one’s voice, those who encounter francis are moved by his radical actions and forced to think about their own interactions with the planet.

Planetwalker may or may not inspire you to close your mouth and hit the pavement, but it will remind you that everyday actions serve as an example for others. —Ariela Rose

More at planetwalker.org

How can you get back to the land when you don’t have any land to get back to? In his new book, The City Homesteader:

Self-Sufficiency on Any Square Footage, Scott Meyer shows acre-less urban- and suburbanites how to grow and preserve their own food, raise small livestock and become ever more self-sufficient—from composting to making soap, pest control to home remedies. Meyer’s experience as editor in chief of Organic Gardening magazine is evident; however, he’s written with nov-ice gardeners in mind. Handy illustrations diagram building everything from a tomato cage to a bee house, while a foraging section exhibits the key identifiers of edible weeds, berries and flowers.

As a 101 course in the basics of homesteading, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more complete guide, and even veteran gardeners may pick up a trick or two. Meyer peppers the text with pop-out examples of living lightly—did you know Google and Yahoo both lease herds of goats to clear brush from their office campuses? A Growing Guide

appendix lays out how to sprout everything from arugula to zucchini, and Meyer concludes with a long list of resources for continued study. A resi-dent of the Philadelphia suburbs, Meyer fondly recalls a childhood spent picking cherries from his grandparents’ urban backyard trees, and being com-pensated with pies. His book starts with the seed and takes you right through to the sweet reward. —Felicia D’Ambrosio

The City Homesteaderby Scott Meyer • $20Running Press fAct More than 4 million pairs

of eyeglasses are thrown away each year in North America.

problEmAccording to the World Health Organization, 1 bil-lion people who need glass-

es lack access to them. In developing coun-tries, and here in the U.S., inaccessibility means that these people are losing educa-tional opportunities because they can’t see clearly to read, and they are excluded from productive working lives, thus suffering eco-nomic and social consequences. The cost of glasses in developing nations is high, fre-quently exceeding three months’ salary. Most bespectacled Americans have at least one old pair of glasses sitting in a drawer in their house. Instead of becoming a dust magnet—or worse, going to a landfill—those specs could have a second life improving someone else’s.

solutionOneSight partners with a number of optometry re-tailers, including Pearle Vi-

sion, LensCrafters, Sears Optical and Target Optical, to collect and distribute glasses to needy individuals through their global clinics (onesight.org). If you can’t make it to a One-Sight partner, Lions Clubs International (li-onsclub.org) has been collecting used eye-glasses for more than 80 years and providing them for less than 8 cents per pair to people in the U.S. and abroad. You can send eye-glasses via UPS to the New Jersey Lions Eye-glass Recycling Center (c/o The Katzenbach School for the Deaf, 320 Sullivan Way, Ewing, N.J. 08628).

Eyeglassesby samantha wittchen

Planetwalkerby John Francis • $26 • National Geographic/Random House

Books

As a 101 course in the basics of homesteading, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more complete guide, and even veteran gardeners may pick up a trick or two.

10 gridphilly.com july 2011

mEdiA

Eyeglasses

july 2011 gridphilly.com 11

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“ Trips to the market are our family tradition.”

— valerie holloman and nina stevens, germantown, market shopper since 1956

These days you can find any number of novelty beer mustards at boutique grocers, but nothing will be as delicious as the one you make yourself with a favorite

local brew. Choose a bright, flavorful beer like Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale or Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA and your mustard will taste like biting into a crisp summer cucumber. —Janina A. Larenas

Beer is often called liquid bread, a nod to both grainy origins and covert calorie content. At Betty’s Speakeasy, owner Liz Begosh and pastry

chef Adriane Appleby reverse the process, transforming locally brewed liquids into covetable cakes and fudge. “We don’t like to make overly sweet sweets,” says Begosh, a for-mer pro cyclist-turned-pastry queen. “The bitterness in beer balances honey, cane sugar and molasses.”

Displayed in vintage wire baskets in the homey café’s glass case, a rotating selection of staple and seasonal cup-cakes hold court. Philadelphia Brewing Co.’s Walt Wit and fresh pears will spike the Witty Pear cake come autumn, when Begosh and Appleby will be busy cellaring squash to roast in Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale, the cru-cial ingredient in Squash Blossom cupcakes. Currently featured is a Yards Saison cake, a magically light mixture of ginger, orange, cornmeal and the beer French farmers used to brew and set aside for hot-weather drinking—even the name saison means “season.”

One taste available daily is the first cake Betty’s created with beer—the popular Growler, a malty, roasty chocolate cake enriched with Victory Storm King Stout and topped with browned-butter frosting; appropriately, Growler de-buted at the annual Brewer’s Plate event a few years ago.

For hopheads looking for a savory snack, beer even ap-pears in the home-baked bread surrounding sandwiches that change with the rhythms of the farmers market. “We respect each ingredient,” says Begosh. “And we do tend to know what’s on draft at the local watering holes.” —Felicia D’Ambrosio

Betty’s Speakeasy, open Tue.-Sat., 9 a.m.–7 p.m., 2241 Grays Ferry Ave., 215-735-9060, bettysfudge.com

bASKET cASEyards saison and growler cupcakes

rEcipEMakes one 8 oz. jar

cup mustard seeds cup of beer

tsp. of salt

In an 8 oz. jar, soak the mustard seeds �and salt overnight in beer.

Blend the seeds and soaking liquid in a food �processor, adding more beer as needed until most of the seeds are broken up and you have a smooth, spreadable paste.

Store in the refrigerator for up to two months. �

find any number of novelty beer mustards at boutique grocers, but nothing will be as delicious as the one you make yourself with a favorite

Makes one 8 oz. jar

cup of beer tsp. of salt

In an 8 oz. jar, soak the mustard seeds �and salt overnight in beer.

Blend the seeds and soaking liquid in a food �

Whole grain beer mustard

Baked with Buzz

12 gridphilly.com july 2011 CuPCAkEs PhOTO by MiChAEl PErsiCO

food

july 2011 gridphilly.com 13

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DINNER Sun-Thurs: 5-10pm; Fri & Sat: 5pm-midnightBRUNCH Sat & Sun: starting at 10am

chEESE of ThE moNTh

if you’re looking for a bold cheese to pair with beer, reach for red Cat from birchrun hills farm. This classic

washed-rind stinker from sue Miller isn’t as bossy as a ripe Epoisses—a pungent french delicacy—but it has the same creamy texture and beefy character. Think of stewed meat and bitter greens. The slightly astringent finish makes this cheese an ideal pairing for the rustic hoppiness and grapefruity twang of a yards Pale Ale. for something gentler and smoother, try red Cat alongside a pint of slyfox saison VOs. loaded with apricot and honey notes, this saison soft-ens red Cat’s growl into a luxurious purr.

Don’t be surprised if you taste grit, a common textural feature of cheeses that have been brined. At birchrun hills farm, Miller uses a light salt wash to achieve the orange tint on red Cat’s ex-terior. recently, she’s experimented with washing the rind in local beer, a flemish black from up-and-coming Tired hands brewery. The idea for this collaboration came together at a farmers market just before Christmas 2010, when Miller met brewer jean broillet. “his beer pairs really well with our cheese,” Miller says. “And jean is really connected to the land. When he brews, he’s thinking about a sense of place. We like that.”

red Cat is available at headhouse square farmers Market (sun., 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., second street between Pine and lombard streets); Di bruno bros. (1730 Chestnut st. & 930 s. ninth st.); and the fair food farmstand in reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch streets). —Tenaya Darlington, madamefromage.blogspot.com

Birchrun Hills Farm, 2573 Horseshoe Trail, Chester Springs, birchrunhillsfarm.com

Get out your granny cart and head to the farmers market for 10 pounds of plums (ask for discounted “seconds”), because this is the summer you’ll make sour fruit beer.

A lambic is a wild fermented beer from Bel-gium, marked by a bright, funky and intensely sour flavor, with a wonderfully clean finish. Think of it as a grown-up lemonade, or the sourdough version of beer. Brewers of this wild style allow ambient yeasts and micro-organisms to settle into their open fermenters before aging in oak barrels. Later, whole fruit may be added. The process for making a true lambic is long and complicated, sometimes taking three years for a batch to progress from fermentation to bottling. These full-flavored, traditional beers serve as the inspiration for our much-simpler homebrew perked with local plums.

Driving the funky flavor profile of sours is the yeast Brettanomyces, which occurs naturally on the skin of fruits. Virtually uncontrollable once it gets going, Brett will contaminate anything po-rous, especially non-glass brewing equipment like wood or plastic, and is nearly impossible to eliminate—qualities that made it the scourge of brewers and winemakers in the days before en-zymatic cleaning methods.

In lieu of opening windows and welcoming whatever microbes may be hanging about into your brew, use Roeselare Ale yeast, a beauti-fully balanced blend of Brettanomyces and Lac-tobacillus strains. The most important aspects of brewing a sour beer are patience, isolation and sterilization, and none of these are hard to achieve. Designate tubing and a plastic fermenter specifically for sour beers, let it age for six months away from other brews, and you may soon count yourself among Philadelphia’s many fierce lam-bic fiends.

Visit Home Sweet Homebrew, 2008 Sansom St., 215-569-9469, homesweethomebrew.com for equipment and good advice.

Lambic Plum Beer5 lbs. gambrinus Munich Malt5 lbs. gambrinus Pilsner Malt2 lbs. Weyermann Carahell Malt2 oz. Aged german hops (2005) Wyeast 3763-PC roeselare Ale blend9 lbs. of plums, frozen and thawed

(for second rack)

Mash the grain between 150F and 155F for ��about 2 hours.

Sparge to collect 6-7 gallons of malted water so ��that after the boil you have 5 gallons of liquid.

Add the aged hops and bring to a boil for ��1 hour.

Let cool using your preferred method (bath-��tub of cool water, wort chiller, etc.)

Transfer to a carboy, pitch the yeast and allow ��to ferment for 3 weeks.

Rack onto the plums in a plastic fermenter ��(bucket) for 3 months.

Check periodically for plums that might float ��to the top and mold; remove them as needed.

Bottle age for at least 6 weeks; the beer will ��continue to age for as many as 3 years.

For more from Janina, visit littleisobel.com/bramblings

Red Cat

Plum Rush brew your own belgian sour, no tonsure required by janina a. larenas

14 gridphilly.com july 2011

food

july 2011 gridphilly.com 15

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Black Bean Burgersmakes four burgers

1 15-oz. can black beans (or cook a scant 2 cups of dried)

cup chopped onion2 tsps. olive oil, divided

cup cracker crumbs1 egg1-2 pickled jalapeno peppers or pepperoncini5 garlic cloves, peeled

cup loosely packed fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley

tsp. salt tsp. freshly ground pepper cup frozen corn

Place an ungreased skillet over medium heat. ��Rinse black beans well and pour them into the

pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until beans are dry. Pour them into the bowl of a food processor.

Rinse skillet and return it to the stove. Heat 1 ��tsp. of olive oil over high heat; when it shimmers, add chopped onion to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion until brown and fra-grant. Add the cooked onion to the beans in the food processor.

Add cracker crumbs, egg, peppers, garlic, ��herbs, salt and ground pepper to the processor. Pulse to mix. Once the mixture is fairly smooth, add corn to the food processor and pulse 5-6 times, to incorporate without pulverizing.

Rinse skillet and place over medium heat. ��Add remaining teaspoon of oil and heat to a shimmer. Form bean burger batter into four

food

Though i’m not a vegetarian, summertime piques my partial-ity for grill-ready burgers created from beans (or lentils), grains and vegetables. The trick to a homemade veggie burger that won’t fall to

pieces on the barbecue is a simple three-step process: cook, chill and grill. This means that the night (or morning) before, you make the burger mix, brown the patties in a skillet and then chill to set. These can also be made in larger batches and frozen—handy for spontaneous types. Since bean burgers appreciate a bit of sauce for extra flavor and moisture, whip up two of my favorite toppers to really gild this legume lily.

patties, placing them into the skillet after each is formed.

Cook without moving over medium heat ��until burgers are browned and have formed a crust, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook on remaining side.

When burgers are done, remove from pan ��and place on plate. Let cool and refrigerate un-til you’re ready to grill. (They can also be eaten directly from the pan if you have no grilling plans. I like to crumble them over a bowl of baby greens.)

To freeze, stack with a slip of parchment ��paper between each burger. Wrap in plastic and place in a zip-top bag. For even heartier burgers, stir ½ cup cooked grain (like quinoa, wheatberries or barley) into bean mix prior to patty-forming.

Herb and Garlic Yogurt Sauce1 cup plain greek yogurt

cup minced fresh dill cup minced flat leaf parsley

3 garlic cloves, minced tsp. sea salt

14 tsp. freshly ground black pepper zest of 1 lemon

Stir all ingredients together at least 30 min-��utes before serving. If you can’t get Greek yogurt, strain regular plain yogurt through a very fine mesh sieve or coffee filter for an hour before mix-ing in the other ingredients.

Smoked Paprika Aioli2 egg yolks1 tsp. Dijon mustard1 cup sunflower oil

cup extra-virgin olive oil3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped2 tsps. smoked paprika1 tsp. sea salt

tsp. freshly ground black pepper juice of lemon or more, to taste

Add egg yolks and mustard to the bowl of ��a blender or food processor. While running the motor, slowly drizzle in sunflower oil, then olive oil. Add lemon juice, garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and pulse to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasonings.

marisa mcclellan is a food writer, canning teacher and dedicated farmers market shopper who lives in Center City. Find more of her food (all cooked in her 80-square-foot kitchen) at her blog, foodinjars.com.

Minus the Moofire up the Weber, it’s burger season by marisa mcclellan

july 2011 gridphilly.com 17

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It wasn’t until the craft brewing renaissance of the 1980s that a little thing called “flavor” started creeping back into the equation. Today Philadelphia and its surrounding area is home to a resurgent brewing industry, from brewpubs like Nodding Head, Iron Hill, Triumph and Dock Street to production breweries like Yards, Phila-delphia Brewing Co. (PBC), Victory and many, many more.

A major factor in that rebirth is our water, which has a mineral content that makes it equally good for ales and lagers. But that water supply is imperiled by the natural gas industry, and the extraction process called fracking (see Jacob Lambert’s March 2011 cover story “Stepping on the Gas”), which threatens to introduce toxins into state watersheds. This new and burgeoning industry, which the Tom Corbett administration refuses to tax, is largely unregulated.

What is known is that the Delaware River is at greater risk than the Schuylkill for fracking contamination. This is thanks to loopholes and exemptions dating back to the George W. Bush administration’s EPA, although fracking has been exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act since its passage back in 1974. Then there’s the so-called Halliburton Exemption, which had allowed drill-ing companies to avoid disclosing exactly what’s in the fluid they use to force natural gas from deep in the earth (under pressure from environmental

groups and a move by the EPA to subpoena frack-ing chemical information, Halliburton finally dis-closed its recipe in November 2010). So, I dropped by a couple of breweries to learn what, if anything, is being done to protect one of our most important resources.

“I started getting really interested in water when Yards moved to Fishtown,” says Bill Barton, an early partner in Yards who now owns Phila-delphia Brewing Co. (Yards’ partnership ended in 2007). “When [Yards] got started in a ware-house in Manayunk, we were using water from the Schuylkill, which is twice as hard as water from the Delaware. It’s got twice as much sodium, calcium and magnesium—good mineral content that really brings out the flavor in a beer. Unfor-tunately, it’s also got plenty of iodine-131.” The Philadelphia Water Department is still working to trace the source of this radioactive chemical, which, as was recently reported, exists in higher levels in Philadelphia’s water than anywhere else in the country.

Mineral content—specifically calcium, magne-sium and sodium levels—is crucial in determining what any given beer will taste like. For example, sodium adds body and mouth-feel, though too much will make your beer taste briney, like sea-water. Calcium helps remove proteins from beer and acts as a yeast nutrient, speeding fermenta-tion. Magnesium also nourishes yeast, while too

much can make for a sour, astringent beer. When his brewing operation moved to Fishtown, “I didn’t really have to adjust the water,” Barton says. “However, I did have to adjust the pH and remove a lot of chlorine,” a chemical used in the city’s wa-ter purification plants. Like many breweries, PBC slightly acidifies their water so their flagship ales will have the same flavor consistently.

Pennsylvania’s booming craft beer industry is built on the state’s fresh, mineral-rich water. that resource is in jeoPardy.

by brendan skwire

ntil Prohibition, Philadelphia was known far and wide as one of the biggest beer-producing cities in America. After repeal… well, you probably know the rest. Smaller, inde-pendent breweries folded by the dozen, while mega-breweries like Anheuser-Busch and Miller flourished, delivering quantity over quality.

iLLUstration bY meLissa mcfeeters

JULY 2011 gridphilly.com 19

When asked about the impact of fracking, Barton’s not exactly sanguine, but he’s not pan-icking, either. “I feel much more confident as a brewer here in Philadelphia, where our water de-partment is responsible for more than a million people’s tap water. I don’t know how the brewers in rural areas are going to deal with it.”

Barton’s view is echoed in a February 2011 position paper on fracking published by the Philadelphia Water Department. “At this point in time, we believe that the current regulatory framework, if enforced, is adequate to protect our water supply from immediate threats,” the department states, while admitting, “the impacts of wastewater discharge on drinking water qual-ity—even under the improved regulations under the state’s wastewater treatment requirements—are not known.”

At Victory Brewing, located an hour or so outside of Philadelphia, Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet chose their Downingtown brewery’s location specifically for its proximity (less than 14 miles) to the headwaters of the Upper East Branch of the Brandywine Creek.

“You can buy top-quality ingredients, but you can’t pick and choose where you get your water unless you choose the location yourself,” says Victory communications manager Karen Noonan. “Downingtown was a luxury due to its proximity to a clean, local source of water.”

Victory is taking steps to protect its water sup-ply through the release of its Headwaters Pale Ale, which also marks the company’s 15th an-niversary.

“It’s our first pale ale,” says Noonan. “We named it to pay tribute to the water we brew with. In naming the beer and talking about the water and how important it is, we wanted to tie that into charitable contribution.”

Thus was born the Headwaters Grant, which seeks to protect that invaluable source. “We evaluated several applications,” says Noonan, “and finally settled on the Guardians of the Bran-dywine,” a nonprofit that works for “the protec-tion and enhancement of the waters and other natural resources of the Upper East Branch of the Brandywine Creek’s Watershed, including all of its tributaries.”

The Guardians have a unique approach. “They’re creating a specific education program for people who live in the area and depend on the creek,” says Noonan. “The basic message [in water advocacy] is ‘clean water is good,’ which everyone can agree on. But very few individu-als want to take responsibility for keeping it clean. We want to re-frame the message as not

so much ‘our creek’ but ‘your creek and my creek,’ to encourage individual responsibility for the watershed. That’s what inspired us to award them the grant, because the Guardians of the Brandywine bring it down to the indi-vidual level.”

Victory hopes that, as the sales and popularity of Headwaters Pale Ale increase, so, too, will the size and reach of the grants awarded each year.

Pennsylvania’s really lucky to have such a strong rebirth of brewing: It brings jobs, revenue and prestige. A recent report by the National Beer Wholesalers Association found that the state’s brewing industry brings Pennsylvania nearly $7 billion in revenue each year, and provides jobs to nearly 60,000. All of this is only possible because we have so many reliable and abundant sources of fresh, potable water. But without some kind of regulation to keep fracking chemicals out of our streams, creeks and rivers, the state’s brewing industry is at risk. The Corbett administration claims to be committed to creating jobs in the state and healing our broken economy: It really makes you wonder why there’s so much resistance to protecting the ingre-dient that matters most to the state’s booming brewing industry.

You can buy top-quality ingredients,

but you can’t choose where you get your water unless you choose the location yourself.

—V i c to ry ’s K a r e n n o o n a n

20 gridphilly.com JULY 2011

article in Scientific American argues, then the population will flourish. Though it sounds kinda clinical, it’s really just a way of saying women are perhaps the most important demographic for transforming a city with a cycling subcul-ture into one with a cycling-centric city trans-port ecosystem. Why is that? Essentially, since women are generally more risk-averse than men, women will ride more often only as the percep-tion of safety increases.

Perception of safety obviously includes many complex factors, but discomfort riding alongside traffic and fear of bicycling accidents are high on the list. So, most cycling advocates believe the key to increasing numbers of female riders is better bicycle infrastructure.

This logic bears out in Philadelphia: Accord-ing to the May 2011 report Mode Shift: Philadel-phia’s Two-Wheeled Revolution in Progress by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, on streets without bicycle lanes, only 22.7 percent of riders are female; on streets with buffered bi-cycle lanes, that number jumps to 37.4 percent. (The report is based on counts conducted in the falls of 2009 and 2010 at designated intersections and the Schuylkill River bridges.)

In terms of bicycle commuting—the Holy Grail of a bike-friendly city—Philadelphia ranks num-ber one of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. at 2.16 percent (beating out cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles). More significantly, 36.7 percent of

commuters in Philadelphia are women, cream-ing the national average of 26.74 percent (accord-ing to the 2009 American Community Survey). That’s the eighth highest percentage of female commuters among the 70 largest cities.

So, while we need to lay down a lot more bi-cycle infrastructure before Philadelphia starts competing with, say, Copenhagen (aka cycling Valhalla), we’re doing relatively well attracting female riders in comparison to other U.S. cities. But “relatively” is the operative word here—as the data suggests, the ratio of bicycling males to females in Philly is still roughly 2:1.

But aversion to traffic is just one of many rea-sons—from as picayune as being intimidated by bike shop gearheads, to as serious as the threat of violence and crime—that women aren’t cycling in numbers similar to men. (Issues of crime and violence against females on bicycles could be a separate article entirely. Of course some women feel safer riding than walking, but all the rules about urban safety apply: Travel in groups; be alert, use lights and be mindful of traffic, espe-cially at night; do your best to stay on well-lit, well-traveled streets; don’t bike intoxicated.)

“I think a lot of women are intimidated by bike shops,” says Shelly Salamon, owner of Fairmount Bicycles. “It could be because they’ve never been to one before, or because they talked to some con-descending bike dude at some point.”

After surveying a number of ladies who don’t

ride, the top reasons (after traffic) for not doing so have to do with not knowing exactly how to begin. This includes choosing and maintaining a bicycle and finding safe places to get comfortable on one before hitting the road. But they want to bike. And not one person I talked to said, “I don’t want to mess up my hair or get sweaty.”

“I like the idea of biking, because it’s quicker than walking,” says GRID’s Claire Connelly, “but I was always afraid of all the cars and conges-tion, and even all the other bikers.” Connelly used to bike the less-congested streets of West Philadelphia, but stopped when her bike fell into disrepair.

Emily Fisher, an engineering student at Penn, is worried about the learning curve: “I want to practice getting comfortable with it someplace private, but in a city, there’s nowhere to do that. I keep telling myself that I need to take my bike out more often on low-pressure rides.”

Connelly and Fisher exemplify the “Interest-ed but Concerned” group of would-be cyclists, which the Portland Department of Transporta-tion estimates to be approximately 60 percent of the population (behind “Strong and Fearless,” 0.5 percent; “Enthused and Confident,” 5 per-cent; and the remaining “No Way, No How”). They want to ride. They just don’t know where to begin.

Well, first thing’s first: If you are the interest-ed-but-concerned female rider, you need a com-

female cyclists are the key to Philly’s bicycular future. here’s why—and how to

get the sPoke-averse in the saddle.by julie lorch

hiladelPhia needs to get more women on bicycles, and not just because we look so fine in Lycra. ¶ The biology term “indicator species” is often used to describe female cyclists in urban areas. If the environment is suitable, a 2009

photo bY amanda Jaffe

JULY 2011 gridphilly.com 21

snappy lass sarah skelly dons her turn-of-the-century best for philadelphia’s third annual tweed ride, held every fall.

fortable, well-sized and safe bicycle to ride, and a helmet to protect your cranium. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you want, or if you don’t know what size you are. Walk into the shop confidently and open-minded. Remember, there was a time when the people working in the bike shop didn’t know the names of the parts of a bi-cycle either! And local bike shops are no different from most other local business-es—they have owners who are passionate about what they’re selling and they want to tell you about their products (of course, if you don’t get this impression, there’s an-other shop out there that will make you feel more comfortable). If you don’t want to buy outright, borrow someone else’s for an afternoon. And, again, make sure you have a helmet.

Next, you’ll want to grab a friend to go riding with. Preferably this is someone you trust, and who will ride at a speed you’re comfortable with. It’s good to have a buddy

who can show you where to go, and it’s also good to have company should you encounter a mechani-cal issue.

Finally, take it slow. No one says you have to start biking down Walnut Street tomorrow. Start in an empty parking lot—the stadium lots on non-game days tend to be empty and accessible. Then jump to the paths—Schuylkill Banks Park, West River Drive and the gravel-packed Forbidden Drive (in Wissahickon Valley Park, where Kelly Drive meets Ridge Avenue) are great for low-pressure rides like the one Fisher wants. Next, move to buffered bike lanes like the ones on Pine and Spruce. Then try the regular lanes on Spring Garden. Or not. Only ride in a manner in which you feel comfortable (though do stay off the sidewalks, for real).

And if you want this all condensed into one little package, check out Take Your Time Bicycle Rides at Fairmount Bicycles. The program is still in formation, but Salamon hopes to host regular, low-pressure rides (and offer bike rentals, too!) this summer. The group is mixed-gender, but there will be a few female-only rides sprinkled in. If you want to get on the mailing list, or if you want your non-bike riding girlfriend to get on the list, email her at takeyourtimebicycle@fairmount.com.

One day, with some healthy peer pressure and a little more infrastructure, Philadelphia could have equal numbers of female and male riders—which would be excellent for those of us tired of waiting around for our slowpoke friends on foot.

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But, as Chris Fetfatzes and Heather Anne-chiarico, owners of Hawthornes in Bella Vista, warn, if you didn’t buy your growler, like, that day, and you didn’t buy it from them, it’s going to be “flat,” “sick” and “beat.” It’s definitely not going to win you any friends.

“Usually growlers are filled at taps with air and bacteria getting in, so it’s going flat from the moment it’s poured,” explains Annechiarico. She relates a tale of utter despair from a trip she and Chris took to California to purchase specialty beers. They sent the prized goods across the country in growlers. Excited, they opened the jugs to a sad—nay, depressing—shadow of the former flavor profiles.

It was a wake-up call for a duo who strive to bring consumers, as they both say, mantra-like,

“beer that’s exactly as intended by the brewer.”“So,” says Fetfatzes, “we decided to build a

system that would bottle growlers to keep the beer fresh for six months.”

It took them six years to develop the system, primarily through trial and error, from spare parts and hardware store standards. How does it work? Alas, that’s top secret—for now, at least. They don’t let anyone have a look; they’ve even kicked out patrons they’ve caught trying to sneak a peek. And with good reason—the sys-tem, which keeps darker beers fresh seven to nine months; pale, wheat and light beers up to four; and IPAs for one month—is currently on the way to receiving a patent.

Hawthornes’ masterminds are convinced that the growler is the most efficient and least waste-

ful way to consume beer. There’s no cardboard pack-aging, no wasted beer and no extra bags for transport. Cleaning products aren’t even necessary—just swish some hot water around the jug and let it air dry before the next fill.

For the uninitiated, the growler feedback loop begins with the purchase of a special Hawthornes custom double-paned UV-proof growler for $15 (if you bring your own bottle, you still have to buy their special cap for $1.50). With empty jug in hand, you choose from 12 to 16 beers on the growler list—which differs from their tap list—to fill ’er up. Starting with that first glorious fill, once you’ve filled up 20 times (and won acclaim at 20 house parties, and saved 20 cardboard six-packs), you receive one free fill of any beer on their list.

“Sometimes we have to open [the bottles] with a wrench,” says Annechiarico, who used to build potato guns as a kid. “There’s so much pressure in them that you can hear the seal crack.”

I ask them one more time about the technol-ogy involved—are they sure they don’t wish to elaborate?

Annechiarico and Fetfatzes look at each other: “Counter pressure filling,” followed quickly by, “and that’s all we’ll tell you.”

Hawthornes, 738 S. 11th St., 215-627-3012, hawthornecafe.com

could hawthornes’ Patent-Pending growler system be the most sustainable way to quaff your brew?

by julie lorch

You want to be the dude who shows up to a house party with a delicious, fresh growler of beer. Why? A 64-ounce glass jug under your arm not only suggests that you are

dedicated to the success of the evening, but also that you care about the way beer tastes. It says you’re generous, too; look at you bringing enough to share with your pals! It’s a good look all the way around.

photo bY david schrott

hawthornes’ heather annechiarico and chris fetfatzes with their tap system (the top-secret growler system is not shown).

JULY 2011 gridphilly.com 23

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But if you think about where they come from, you probably don’t think of Philadelphia.

Hops are cultivated commercially in many areas of the world, and the majority grown do-mestically come from the Pacific Northwest. They come in more varieties than space here permits. If you have a taste for craft beers, you may recognize Cascade hops, which give Sierra Nevada Pale Ale its distinctive floral aroma, and Simcoe hops, which lend a citrusy tang to Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale.

Even though places like Oregon and Washing-ton account for most domestic hops production, sustainability-minded Philadelphia-area brew-eries and small farms have begun experiment-ing with growing this hardy perennial locally. Philadelphia Brewing Co. has been growing va-rieties such as Cascade and Northern Brewer in its courtyard for the past couple of years, and of-fers the seasonal Harvest From the Hood, which also includes hops grown by their neighbors at Greensgrow Farm.

But you don’t have to be a brewer—or even a beer drinker—to grow your own hops. I’ve been growing them for the past five years, and I rec-ommend them to anyone looking for an easy-to-sustain green canopy in the backyard. Hops can reach heights of up to 40 feet (so you’ll probably want to have at least two stories for this vigor-ous vine), and they come back year after year. When trained properly, they make a dense and aromatic privacy screen for your backyard. And honeybees seem to love ’em—always a plus.

Hops don’t grow from seed or a bulb, but from a thick, woody rhizome (essentially a horizontal, underground stem) you plant in late March or early April. I’m sure there are other suppliers in the city, but I got mine (Cascade and Nugget) from George Hummel and Nancy Rigberg, own-ers of Home Sweet Homebrew (2008 Sansom St., 215-569-9469, homesweethomebrew.com). “Hops are easy to grow if you give them lots of sun and water, something to climb on, and a soil medium that encourages spread and growth,” says Rig-

berg. “It doesn’t hurt to sit below them and enjoy a beer, either. A strategically placed hammock can be [an ideal] vantage point for watching them grow, sometimes a foot a day in season.”

The rhizome is covered with tiny buds: Plant it vertically, with the buds pointing up, about two inches deep. Hops love compost and direct sunlight, so plant in a south-facing yard, mulch heavily with black gold, and water copiously. Soon after planting, you’ll find literally dozens of shoots erupting. Trim back all but the three strongest shoots from each rhizome, or be pre-pared for a mess.

I have a two-story twin in Southwest Philly, and to train my hops I hammered three large nails per plant into my windowsill, tied strong rope around each, and draped the rope over trel-lises attached to my deck rail. Hops grow incred-ibly fast, and even though Rigberg jokes about it, you really can expect rates of up to a foot a day. Although the flowers can be a little sparse the first year, the plant fills out quickly, with wide

hen you think of hoPs, you think of beer. After all, the viney, aromatic plant is what makes beer taste like beer: Without the distinctive bitter-

ness, your favorite brew would taste like alcoholic pancake syrup.

You, too, can grow Beer’s signature ingredient

by brendan skwire

photos bY LUcas hardison

JULY 2011 gridphilly.com 25

fan leaves that form a wall up your deck and a roof over your head.

By midsummer, the flowering cones begin to appear everywhere. Depending on which vari-ety you’ve planted, they may look like tiny green pineapples or pinecones. Nuggets can look like miniature artichokes; the largest is about half the size of a pingpong ball. On the other end of the spectrum, Cascades grow to an enormous size: 2 to 3 inches long, looking disturbingly like giant green bugs. If you tear the flowers open, bright yellow resin sticks to your fingers—the smell is glorious. Begin harvesting hops in earnest when the tips of the flowers start to turn brown; a food dehydrator set on low is the ideal drying agent.

Once you’ve harvested as many hops as you can, cut the vines back to about 2 inches above the soil and allow the rhizome to rest through the winter. Once spring returns, it’ll be back, and each year will yield more hops than the year before.

brendan skwire is an avid gardener, homebrewer, bass-fiddle player and rabble rouser. Read more of his work at brendancalling.com.

Hops are easy to grow if you give them lots of sun and water, something to climb on, and a soil medium that encourages spread and growth. It doesn’t hurt to sit below them and enjoy a beer, either. — n a n cy r i g b e r g

26 gridphilly.com JULY 2011

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Part of a holistic program to create safer streets for pedestrians, bikes and cars, the permanent east-west bike lanes on Spruce and Pine added in 2009 will soon be joined by north-south pilot lanes on 10th and 13th streets. The Bicycle Co-alition of Greater Philadelphia’s Mode Shift Report (May, 2011) states that Phila-delphia has, per capita, twice as many bicycle commuters as any other big city in the U.S., representing an increase of 151 percent from 2000-’09—findings that were confirmed by the 2010 U.S. Census data.

“The new pilot lanes were chosen be-cause they connect outlying north and south neighborhoods with the Center City job market,” says Cutler. Philadel-phia’s bicycle mode share (the percentage of commuters who bike to work at least three times a week) is 2.16 percent. In a city of about 1.5 million, “that’s a lot of people,” says Cutler. These urban lanes represent the first layer of bike infrastructure on local byways. The next step, connecting the region to the city, has a gamut of or-ganizations (from the mayor’s office to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission) working on expanding the Regional Trail Network.

For Spencer Finch, director of sus-

tainable development programs at the southeastern office of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), the Re-gional Trail Network “is a little bit like the interstate… the big routes that connect communities and destinations that are far apart. Right now, if you live in Morrisville, Pa., in Bucks County, you can bike to New Brunswick [N.J.] or Allentown [on trails] for fun. Once we connect it to Philly, peo-ple will be able to do it on a daily basis—commuting to work or shopping errands, not just weekend warrior recreation.”

A $23 million TIGER 1 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation has jump-started 10 projects in Philadelphia and Camden, including a boardwalk, set on piles, connecting the Schuylkill River Trail at Locust with the South Street Bridge, as well as the 58th Street Greenway, a 1.5-mile urban greenway segment from Bartram’s Garden to Cobbs Creek. Since many of the projects have been in development for years or even decades, many of the 10 are ready for construction.

“Our focus is on building safe facili-ties,” says Finch. “We need sidewalks, safe crossings and intersections to get to the trail. I want to bicycle with my baby boy; these should be safe enough for the whole family.”

exPanding lanes and trails is Part

of a grand design by felicia d’ambrosio

ow can we all coexist on these very skin-ny streets?” asks rina cutler, Philadelphia’s deputy mayor for transportation and utilities. “We don’t have room to add more, so we have

to make better use of the streets. For me, it’s less about biking, [and more about] creating complete streets and giving people choices.”

photo bY feLicia d’ambrosio

JULY 2011 gridphilly.com 29

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If you’ll be looking to burn off a few calories in the midst of Beer Week (and if you’re doing it right, you will), check

out the Two-Wheeled Tour de Brew on Fri., June 10. The tour is a hilly 66-mile loop from Yards Brewing in Philadelphia to Sly Fox in Phoenixville, led by Jeff Appeltans and Lara Marek from GoCycling and pre-sented by Home Sweet Homebrew.

You don’t want to show up hung over to this one. The ride will meet at 10 a.m. (sharp!) at Yards and will embark at a pace of approximately 15 mph. According to Ap-peltans, the route will be challenging, with some good hills on the way out, but mostly flat on the return.

Based on the cue sheet, this ride sounds excellent: The group will leave Philadel-phia through Fairmount Park, then wind through the Narberth Creek watershed. Cy-clists will pass Villanova on the way to the Radnor-Chester bike path, and then drop down into Valley Forge National Park to cross the covered bridge on Yellow Spring Road. Appeltans mentions there will be a “significant” climb before descending into the Pickering Creek Valley.

The tour will last about six hours, with a lunch stop at Sly Fox and a brief stop at Iron Hill Brewery, both in downtown Phoenixville. For a fast ride home, the group will hop on the Schuylkill River Trail and head directly back to Yards for a well-earned beer.

The tour is free, but limited to 25 cyclists, and sign-up is first-come, first-served. If you think you’re up for the Two Wheeled Tour de Brew, RSVP via email at bicy-cleja@yahoo.com. Helmets required. See you there! —Julie Lorch

Bike to

Beer

In a city as bike-crazy as Philadelphia, even occasional riders take for granted that everyone knows how to ride a bike. But just as there are many people who never suited up for swim lessons, there are many adults—myself included—who never wobbled their way off training wheels. If you never felt the urge to learn, thought it was impossible, or feel a bit rusty in the saddle, REI stores in Conshohocken and Mar-lton, N.J. host a stress-free way to get your wheels turning. The out-door outfitter’s How to Ride a Bike Class instructors teach adults and

families how to get comfortable balancing, starting and stopping smoothly, adjusting a bike to your size, and effective falling, all in one four-hour class. Biking

is one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transport, and with just a few hours of skill-building, you can be one step closer to independence from your automobile. Whether you plan on bicycle commuting, mountain biking or just cruising around the neighbor-hood, this class will help get you there. —Allison Bart

How to Ride a Bike classes, ongoing, $45-$65. Visit rei.com/class/121/market/200 to register.

last summer marked the first ever Ride of Dreams, a 240-mile bike ride from West Philadelphia to the state capital in Harrisburg and back to raise funds for Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW), the Philly-based nonprofit that teaches urban youth the benefits and joy of cycling. This year, NBW will ride from Penn-sylvania to Pennsylvania Avenue; the second annual ride will commence on July 22, kicking off at NBW’s headquarters and rolling down to Washington, D.C., where riders will celebrate their successful journey on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building on July 24.

The original idea for the Ride of Dreams came from local bike enthusiast Sergio Armani, who dreamed of rais-ing funds for a worthy cause by embarking on a cycling tour. He approached NBW’s board of direc-tors, who jumped at the chance to support their organization and cre-ate an event that would allow young riders the chance to participate in a life-changing experience. Last year’s four-day ride (right) raised more than $11,000 and took nine mem-bers of NBW’s Youth Race Team, plus 14 adult riders. This year’s tour has even bigger fundraising and awe-inspiring aspirations.

Riders will traverse Southern Pennsylvania’s sprawling Amish

farmland, pass through Susquehannock State Park and pedal through Maryland’s rolling coun-tryside. Once in DC, youth and adult riders will have the option of adding a historic tour of the nation’s capital—and 40 to 50 miles—to their al-most 200-mile trek. Riders will be provided with overnight accommodations, potluck dinners and a truck to haul their luggage. Plus, this year’s ad-venture is to the destination only, meaning riders can hop in the truck for a lift back to Philly once their tour is through. —Ariela Rose

For more information, and to register or donate, visit rideofdreams.org.

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shoots ladders by char vandermeer

Diseases need a few things in order to wreak their havoc: a host (the plant), a pathogen (air‑, seed‑ or soil‑borne) and favorable conditions (like damp environments).

Blights, especially, are tricky buggers, and tomatoes and potatoes especially willing hosts. Revealing itself months after the initial infection, as summer temperatures reach their peak, early blight causes lower leaves to yellow and fall off. Late blight—the villain of the Irish Potato Fam‑ine—typically occurs (paradoxically) early in the

season and can kill a plant overnight. Game over. Mildews, which produce a felt‑like webbing on leaves, are especially fond of warm, humid days and can thrive on just about everything, with cu‑cumbers and melons particularly susceptible.

Taking preventative steps early increases your chance of avoiding sad outcomes. First, choose crops carefully. While heirlooms are lovely, disease‑resistant hybrids may be a better bet for container gardeners, especially newbies. (Or, say, those who are tired of playing beat‑

the‑reaper.) Next, patiently wait until soil temperatures reach 60 to 70 degrees before allowing cucumbers, melons, and tomatoes to hit the dirt: Cool temperatures encourage fungal growth. Make sure there’s enough room between plants for adequate air circulation, and always apply water directly to the well‑mulched soil, avoiding dousing any part of the plant itself. With that in mind, it’s also best to water in the morning or late afternoon to protect plants from late summer’s swelter, as evening watering can encourage fungal growth. Mulching also helps prevent splash‑back onto leaves, which are happiest dry. Don’t play with your plants while the leaves are still wet, to avoid spreading infection.

Pull out the potions as a last resort. For about $10, you can combat fungi, blight, mildew and insect pests with concentrated Neem oil, avail‑able at nurseries. Or, make your own mildew‑ and fungi‑fighting brew: Combine 2 cups water, 2 cups skim milk, ¾ tsp. baking soda and ¾ tsp. non‑detergent dish soap in a large spray bottle. Spray your plants, making sure to hit the undersides of the leaves, once a week and after rainfall.

If all else fails, it’s time to sacrifice the victims to the garden gods. Isolate diseased plants from healthy ones, snipping off and discarding dis‑eased leaves, and nursing whatever yield you can out of the remaining plant. Once you’ve eked out what you can, it’s time to yank the damned and doomed, wash your hands, tools and containers, and try, try, again.

char vandermeer tends a container garden on her South Philly roof deck; she chronicles the tri-umphs and travails at plantsondeck.com

Pestilence!There are big meanies out to destroy your precious little plants. There are ways to fight back.

One of the upsides to container gardening is that crops are less likely to succumb to soil‑borne illnesses. Unlike traditional farmers and gardeners, container gardeners have the option of starting with

fresh, sterile soil each year. If last year’s crops lost the battle against blights, wilts or mildews, then it’s smart to ditch the dirt, sterilize some containers, and start anew. Sadly, that’s rarely enough to keep a garden hale and hearty—every year, it seems as though my garden gets hit with one affliction or another, despite the clean dirt. Prevention is paramount, but when that doesn’t work, witches’ brews and sacrifices to the garden gods are in order.

Tomato fungus, causing lower leaves to yellow.

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I side with the turtle. True, I’m an urbanite who doesn’t see the need for suburbs. I’m also a reptile and amphibian fanatic who loves hack‑ing through briars and yanking my boots out of sucking mud to spend quality time with turtles. I’ve long hoped to find a bog turtle on my own. Unfortunately, they’re so rare and their habitat so secret (I was sworn to be no more specific than “Southeast Pennsylvania” for this trip), I long ago gave up any real hope of it happening. Get‑

ting invited by the Nature Conservancy to see (measure, photograph, document) real, live bog turtles was a little like an Eagles fan finding him‑self alone at a bar with a suddenly chatty Andy Reid: This must be a dream.

In another 50 years, it might be little more than a fond memory. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) and entities (state, local and federal governments, plus nonprofit groups like the Na‑ture Conservancy) fighting for bog turtles face a

by bernard brownurban naturalist

You’re too cute to hate,” I told the hockey puck‑sized black turtle as it clawed at me to get down and craned its neck to bite my hand. Biting is cute when the critter is round, helpless and has big,

black eyes. Unfortunately, cute doesn’t count for much when you’re holding up development. The bog turtle (classified under the Endangered Species Act as “threatened”), like the desert tortoise in Southern California, is one of those species that gets in the way. If you’re a retiring farmer looking to cash out by selling your land to a developer, a little turtle hiding in marshy, overgrown fields seems like a ridiculous obstacle.

Now you see the bog turtle— tomorrow you might notShell Game

hard slog. The ESA is pretty good at reducing trade in endangered species—indeed, though poaching is still a problem, the federal protec‑tion has helped reduce bog turtle collection for the pet trade—but the bog turtle’s bigger problem is habitat destruction and fragmentation. As far as I can tell, it is very difficult to create new bog turtle habitat, making it crucial to protect and enhance current habitat.

For centuries, their wet meadows have been in high demand for agriculture. Bog turtles can get along with cattle (indeed, the Nature Con‑servancy grazes cattle on the property we vis‑ited to keep the marsh open), but not so much with fields ditched and drained for crops. These days, subdivisions and office parks are driving out both the farmers and the turtles. Roads and houses separate wetlands, leaving isolated turtle populations vulnerable to local extinction. Perhaps more importantly, bog turtles rely on a dynamism that is impossible in our carved‑up, static landscapes. A pre‑settlement Delaware Valley stream corridor was a shifting series of woods, beaver ponds that drowned the trees, and old ponds morphing into marshes and wet meadows. One marsh might disappear, but an‑other would develop just downstream. Housing subdivisions don’t develop into anything else.

The Nature Conservancy Land Steward George Gress and I found five bog turtles bask‑ing that day. One was an old survivor, her shell burnished by years of burrowing, missing one foot completely and a couple toes on another.

The records showed her to be at least in her 40s; she was hanging out with a male they hadn’t seen before. He chomped on George’s finger while getting marked. I’m proud to say I found one turtle myself, though not as proud to say I found her by stepping on her (stealthy little buggers). She was okay; these are tough little turtles that can take being pushed into the weeds and mud, but only if they have weeds and mud to live in.

bernard brown is an amateur field herper, part-time bureaucrat and director of the PB&J Campaign (pbjcampaign.org), a movement focused on the benefits of eating lower on the food chain. Read about his forays into the natural world at phillyherping.blogspot.com. Be sure to pick up next month’s issue to read about invasive reeds.

For more on the Nature Conservancy, including a state-by-state list of initiatives, visit nature.org.

She was at least in her 40s and hanging out with a male they hadn’t seen before. He chomped on George’s finger

while getting marked.

PhoTo by bernard brown

JUly 2011 gridphilly.com 35

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jun16

healthy Bites Jarring & preserving classLearn how to preserve all your favorite

summer produce for year-round enjoyment by turning them into jams, pickles and relishes. Vis-iting canning expert Meredith Riddington will teach you how it’s done, and send you home with plenty of goodies.

Thu., June 16, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $65, Healthy →Bites, 2521 Christian St., for more infor-mation and to register, visit healthybites­delivery.com/events.php

jun16

Urban Sustainability Forum: State of the city, greenworks at Age 2

Since 2009, Greenworks Philadelphia has been working one sustainable step at a time to make Philadelphia “the greenest city in America.” Par-ticipate in speed dating for environmental issues and learn about the 15 sustainability target areas on which Greenworks focuses. Hear from local organizations, community members and Phila-delphia’s director of sustainability, Katherine Gajewski, about what’s happening in the city and how you can become involved.

Thu., June 16, 6-8:30 p.m., Academy of →Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, register at stateofthecity2011.eventbrite.com

jun18

progress Under the StarsJoin the Kensington South Neigh-borhood Advisory Council for a film

screening of Gasland. This screening is the first in a series to promote KSNAC’s commitment to artistic and environmental work, and help raise funds for a proposed space for the organization. The film will be shown in a vacant lot KSNAC will renovate prior to the event by cleaning, painting and planting a wheat field on the site.

Sat., June 18, 6-11 p.m., FREE! For more →information and to register, visit facebook.com/event.php?eid=110404912380721

jun1518

Wildlife clinic Volunteer orientationIf you’re interested in volunteering at the Schuylkill Center’s Wildlife Clinic, sign up for an orientation to find out if

hands-on work with local wildlife is right for you. Prior experience is not required, and there’s no need to register for the one-hour session. Sim-ply arrive at the clinic with an open mind and willingness to learn how you can help sustain our area’s furry and feathered populations!

Wed., June 15, 6:30–7:30 p.m., Saturday →June 18, 11 a.m.–noon, Schuylkill Center’s Wildlife Clinic, 304 Port Royal Ave., for more information, call 215-482-8217, schuylkillcenter.org

jun20

Join the cider revolutionMeet Revolution Cider’s Jonathan and Gideon Gradman at this cider-themed

happy hour hosted by MidAtlantic Restaurant and Tap Room. Their Colonial-inspired cider re-lies on historical recipes and local apples to make crisp, dry brews; try it paired with cider-inspired snacks during the happy hour.

Mon., June 20, 5-8 p.m., MidAtlantic →Restaurant and Tap Room, 3711 Market St., phillybeerweek.org/events.cfm

jun242526

pennsylvania Environment rideTravel a scenic route from the Susque-hanna River to the Schuylkill River on a three-day (170 mile) or one-day (50 mile) bike ride to support the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Both rides will

end with a closing ceremony at Fairmount Wa-terworks, on Sunday at 5 p.m. Riders can also receive training and fundraising support from a provided rider coach.

Fri., June 24 to Sun., June 26, for more →information about the ride or the PA Environ-mental Council, visit environmentride.org

jun2526

manayunk Arts FestivalThe Manayunk Arts Festival will celebrate its 22nd year as the largest outdoor arts and crafts show in the Delaware Valley. More than 250 art-

ists from across the country will showcase their work along historic Main Street for the juried art show. Offerings include jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, photography, paintings, glass and mixed media.

Sat., June 25, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun., June 26, →11 a.m.-6 p.m., FREE! For more information and to learn about special events, visit manayunk.com

jun25

gluten­Free BrunchGenevieve Sherrow, cookbook author of Gluten-Free Warrior, will teach you

how to prepare your dream GF brunch with whole food dishes such as millet porridge with peaches; scallion, walnut and nori scramble; and hearty buckwheat waffles. Recipes include eggs and dairy.

Sat., June 25, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., La Cucina at →the Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch streets, $30 includes food samples, recipes and educational materials. To register, con-tact Anna Florio at 215-922-1170, lacucinaat­themarket.com

jun25

Festival de BambulaeTo raise funds for their burgeoning gar-den projects, the Norris Square Neigh-

borhood Project is hosting a Festival de Bambu-lae (bam-boo-la-ey), or celebration of singing, dancing and planting. The fest will also celebrate NSNP’s gardener Iris Brown, who is retiring af-ter 25 years with the organization, and longtime volunteer Tomasita Romero. Enjoy Bomba danc-ing, Puerto Rican food, and plenty of community togetherness!

Sat., June 25, 5-8 p.m., $75, Las Parcelas →Garden, 2200 Block of N. Palethorp Street, for tickets, visit bambulae.eventbrite.com

jun25

Weavers Way Electronics recyclingCelebrate the first week of summer by

clearing out the clutter. Bring all the unused elec-tronics crowding your basement and attic space to be recycled safely, ethically and free of charge by Weavers Way’s Environment Committee. A wide variety of items, including computers, printers, TVs, cell phones and DVD players, will be accepted. Donations benefiting the Environ-ment Committee’s fund and the Peace and So-cial Concerns fund of the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting are also appreciated.

Sat., June 25, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Chestnut →Hill Friends Meeting, 100 E. Mermaid Lane, Chestnut Hill, if interested in volunteering, email weaverswayrecycling@yahoo.com, weaversway.coop

jun2930

Energypath 2011Join educators, policy makers and in-dustry professionals at the Sustainable Energy Fund’s annual conference. Con-ference topics include renewable energy

basics, hands-on seminars, policy, new technolo-gies, educational resources, green careers and more. In addition to the two-day conference, at-tendees can also participate in a pre-conference boot camp (June 27-29) with sustainability energy industry professionals. Students, energy profes-sionals, educators, policy makers, vendors and the general public are invited to attend.

Wed., June 29-Thu., June 30, $125, →DeSales University, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, to register visit energypath.org/energypath2011/home.aspx

jul05

international Forest Film FestivalGrab a blanket, snacks and some

friends and enjoy forest documentaries under the stars in celebration of the International Year of Forests and the Plant One Million campaign. The films are part of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and are meant to raise awareness

july 2011 gridphilly.com 37

on sustainable management, conservation and development in all types of forests.

Tue., July 5, 8:30-11 p.m., FREE! Liberty →Lands Park, 926 N. American St., for more information visit pennsylvaniahorticultural­society.org/calendar

jul09

Succulent delights Ray Murphy, a certified horticultur-ist and gardener at Nemours Mansion

and Gardens, will present a talk on the care and culture of succulents. Learn how to start your collection of these strangely beautiful, water-re-taining plants that thrive in containers, troughs and gardens, large or small. Part of the Penn State Extension Philadelphia Master Garden-ers’ Second Saturday Series.

Sat., July 9, 9-10:30 a.m., $10, Fairmount →Park Horticultural Center, N. Horticultural and Montgomery drives, for registration information, call Penn State Extension at 215-471-2200 Ext. 100

jul16

Shockingly good Time With the Academy of Natural SciencesLearn about local stream ecology and

aquatic animals while trying your hand at electro fishing. Join Academy scientists Paul Overbeck and Rich Horwitz in a morning of catch-and-release fishing to collect data on wild fish popu-lations. Participants can pull on waders and fish or stay on the bank and record data. Last year’s study gathered data on 19 different fish species.

Sat., July 16, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., (rain date →Sat., July 23), Academy of Natural Sci-ences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, members $25, non-members $30, call 215-299-1060 to register, for more information, visit ansp.org/adult­programs/workshops.php#electrofishing

jul17

philly Stake dinner Enjoy a local foods picnic-style dinner at Bartram’s Garden in celebration and

support of creative community projects. Listen to 10 proposals, then vote for the organization you think deserves your cash (the cost of your ticket). At the end of the dinner, the winner is announced and awarded the micro-grant. The more attendees, the bigger the grant. Philadel-phia gentlemen glee club Silver Ages will be per-forming. Tickets will be sold online for $20 (only 75 available), or come the night of and pay at the door. Tickets sold out last time, so arrive early.

Sun., July 17, 5-8 p.m., $10-20, Bartram’s →Garden, 54th Street and Lindbergh Boule-vard, for more, visit phillystake.org

jul23

Weavers Way Urban Farm Bike Tour 2011Join Weavers Way for an invigorating

ride through the city’s vibrant neighborhoods to enjoy hidden agricultural gems and inspiring talks with seasoned urban farmers. A satiating feast of grilled foods and beer at the Co-op’s Mort Brooks Farm will cap off the day, and is sure to satisfy the mighty appetite you’ll work up pedal-ing along the pavement.

Sat., July 23, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., begins →and ends at Mort Brooks Farm at Awbury Arboretum, 1011 E. Washington Lane, for registration and more information, visit weaversway.coop, to volunteer, email chris@chrishillmedia.com

jul23

Summer Ale FestivalJoin the mission to bring the “x-tink-shun of extinction” while sipping local

brews at this annual seasonal ale festival fund-raiser. Alongside local beer and food vendors, ex-perience the Philadelphia Zoo’s new X-tink-shun exhibition—a dynamic puppetry presentation that engages humans with extinct and endan-gered animals.

Sat., July 23, 6:30-10 p.m., Philadelphia Zoo, →3400 W. Girard Ave., Tickets on sale June 1 (not available at the door), $90 VIP, $60 general admission, $30 designated driver (event limited to those 21+), to buy tickets, visit philadelphiazoo.org/zoo/Visit­The­Zoo/calendar­of­Events/Summer­Ale­Festival.htm

jul23

green roofs WorkshopLearn which plants are drought-toler-ant and will thrive on your green roof,

as well as which soils to use.

Sat., July 23, noon-2 p.m., Greensgrow →Farm, 2501 E. Cumberland St., preregistra-tion required, email events@greensgrow.org

fresh, local food

seasonal custom menus

sustainable events

215-435-0331 / info@birchtreecatering.com

Saturday and Sunday, June 11th, 12th details: www.maysiesfarmfest.org

Hoots and Hellmouth • Sharon Little • Mason Porter • Kuf Knotz • Chris Bathgate Dangerous Ponies • Brad Hinton •Hezekiah Jones • Sisters3 • Chris Kasper

Cowmuddy • Toy Soldiers • The Spinning Leaves • The Whispering Tree • Transient The Extraordinaires • Adrien Reju • Cheers Elephant • Sweetbriar Rose • Trio crisol

and more. . . and Miss Amy in the Children’s Tent!

T H I N K G LO B A L LY, E AT LO C A L LY, S I N G TO G E T H E R !

38 gridphilly.com july 2011

Money Down the Drain

how i learned to say goodbye to half­hour showers

by maryline dossou

I distinctly recall my sister pulling back the shower curtain and telling me that my dad was seconds from exploding. I was in elementary school and had developed a habit of falling asleep in the shower every morning—staying in there for easily half

an hour. I used to stay up all night knowing I could get some extra sleep in the shower. I’ve never been a morning person, so I switched to taking nighttime showers. That worked until I got to college.

My best friend (and roommate) would blast music while in the shower, and I always found that to be weird. One day, while innocently recording her singing in the shower, I was intrigued by how much fun she seemed to be having and decided to try it out for myself. I cre-ated a shower playlist and went to town. What began as harmless fun soon turned into a wasteful, careless, time-consuming habit.

I’d stay in until my skin got so pruned, it was almost numb. There was nothing like washing off days of classes, work, gym, activities and internships with an R&R party for one.

Right around Earth Day this year I heard that the online magazine Her Campus (to which I contribute, hercampus.com) was partnering with the Body Shop to encourage girls to take daily three-minute showers for two weeks and blog about it. As if the world had caught on to my dirty secret, I was also bombarded with shower facts from green advocates around campus—like that for every minute the shower runs, we waste, on average, one gallon of water. It seemed as good a time as any to change my habits, so I started my own two-week, three-minute shower challenge.

It was awful. I felt like a lifelong smoker who had quit cold turkey. How am I going to shave? How could I possi-bly be clean? Will my life retain any meaning? Questions swam through my mind. I timed my showers using three-minute songs, counting the days until I could return to my beloved routine.

One week in, curled in the fetal position in bed, I tried to find meaning in this torture. Was I doing this to learn a lesson, or simply to say I’d completed a “green” challenge? The latter seemed like a poor reason.

Then I started to see the light. I learned not to waste time just standing around under the spray, and how to shave in the sink. I also realized (and I’m very embarrassed to admit this) that not only did I spend a long time in the shower; I kept it running for a long time before

I even got in. Often, I would be on the phone for an hour at a time with the shower on blast. Then I’d get in for 25 minutes.

Today, I’ve turned it around, but it’s still a daily strug-gle—I’m a recovering shower-holic, after all. But I’ve managed to cut my shower time down to about 10 to 12 minutes, and I’m pretty happy with the progress that I’ve made. It probably all seems pretty dramatic, but, sadly, the issue of water waste was never really addressed in my world until I got to college. My schools didn’t consider it a priority and my parents were unaware of the dam-age I was causing because, as renters, they didn’t have to worry about the water bill. Many people don’t concern themselves and their children with these issues because it doesn’t affect them directly. Luckily, it’s never too late to recognize our faults and gradually work through them. Who knows? Maybe—maybe—one day I can up-grade to taking under-two-minute Navy showers.

maryline a. dossou is a senior in Temple University’s Journalism department. Read her work for Her Campus at hercampus.com/maryline­dossou.

illustration by kirsten harper

july 2011 gridphilly.com 39

A ginormous MOVE FOR OTTO’s MINI.

WE ARE MOVING TO EXTON.Opening September 2011.

More space.Same great service.

GET THE MINI SCOOP AT: www.facebook.com/ottosmini

an ivy league degree is closer than you think

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will arm you with the analytical skills and knowledge you need to

become a leader in environmental policy, resource management,

environmental health, advocacy and education, or the urban

environment.

AccelerAted BA / MeS ProgrAM

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up to four MES courses

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Environmental Studies featured the first Wednesday of each month

3440 MarkEt StrEEt, SuitE 100, PhilaDElPhia

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