Articles Written by Grace Rieck

I love creating soups over the weekends to devour throughout the week. One of my many favorites (especially during the Fall season) is White Bean and Kale soup. I love this soup for 3 reasons: it’s healthy, easy & cheap (perfect for any budget).

Happy Friday! Hopefully you took advantage of the wildflower walks, kayaking, and green drinks this short work week. If not we have several great events going on this weekend. If you're looking to visit farmers’ markets, child-friendly activities, garden tours or green festivals we have the guide for you!

The Litterati sounds like a super secret society out to change the world. (Dan Brown fanatics, anyone?) And it kind of is. It is a secret, though it tries hard not to be and yearns to change the world (but, just not in a evil sort of way). Founded by Jeff Kirschner , Litterati is a website that encourages people to photograph and pick up litter.

Are you one of those people who always thinks that summer is too short? Like it or not, summer must end. Don’t fret: outdoor fun is possible all year round. Fall is the time of leaf piles, camping, hiking, football and kickball. Even as the temperature drops, it’s easy to overextend your sun exposure. But we’ll walk you through how to protect yourself – from the sun and dangerous chemicals, too.

Happy Friday!!! This week has been pretty busy with coffee clubs, solar parties, and beer tastings… But if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, look no further. Weather it’s farmers’ markets, bike tours, environmental talks, or children’s programs we got the events for you! Here’s what’s on our calendar August 22:

Recently, I sat down with the amazing Amanda Feifer, blogger and creator of Phickle. Phickle is an instructional blog about fermented dishes. Many of the recipes, tips, and information focuses not only on fermented vegetables; but other ferments including coffee, cheese, beer, bread, Sauerkraut, traditional pickles, kimchi, milk/water kefir, kombucha, and much more!

I was recently looking for an easy side recipe to bring to a potluck and remembered this lovely summer recipe my mom frequently creates. Orzo salad is simple and refreshing. And the best part is that all the ingredients are effortlessly found at any CSA or farmers’ market. The dish is easy to prepare and open to interpretation and experimentation. If you’re having a hard time with an abundance of veggies, orzo salad can use all your leftover CSA vegetables. Find the recipe, after the jump!

Yay! You made it to Friday! How was your week? Did you take a walking tour of Philly parks, join the Bicycle Coalition’s coffee club, or even have a green drink? If you still need to make plans for this weekend, look no further. We have a plethora of green events happening around the city. Whether you're looking to forage for mushrooms, visit farmers’ markets, tour farms, or ride your bike under the full moon, we have rounded up the best events for you!

Inspired by our newest debut column (#ThisWeekI), we love to acknowledge the wonderful organizations that work hard to create environmental awareness, building a better world for us to live in. This week, I’m shining the community spotlight on Philly’s Urban Tree Connection (UTC).