Chester County Dwell

Almond Biscotti

Leslie Kedash — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:31:07 +0000

By Leslie Kedash Biscotti originated in ancient Rome and was used as a non-perishable foodstuff carried by the Roman Legions on their various conquering, plundering and pillaging expeditions. Translated, biscotti means “twice-baked”, as the process of making them includes two trips through the oven. The second baking removes all of the moisture from the biscotti, giving it [...]

Landreth Seed Co. + Seed Saving Techniques + Local Seed Sources

Margaret Gilmour — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:09:46 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour We’re rounding out our seed week with a seed feast for your senses, found at D. Landreth Seed Company. This local seed company celebrated its 225th birthday last year, making Landreth the oldest seed house America. It all began in 1784 when David Landreth started his first garden center on High Street–now 1210 Market [...]

Seed Keeper: Happy Cat Organics

Margaret Gilmour — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:15:12 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour Tim Mountz of Happy Cat Organics in Kennett Square doesn’t just dream of the perfect tomato, he creates it. In fact, he was so smitten over the heirloom tomatoes Zapotec and Black Krim, that he bred the two and came up with his own variety: The Black Ruffle. Tim has been collecting seeds and [...]

Seed planting time: Local seed savers have heirlooms for you

Margaret Gilmour — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:41:29 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour The ancient tradition of seed saving sprouted in Chester County centuries ago when Native Americans discovered a rich mix of fertile soil, yielding topography and plenty of rainfall. In fact, Southeaster Pa. is a mecca for farmers and botanists, as just about any seed you sow here—planted in the right conditions of course–will [...]

Discovering ChesLen Preserve

Margaret Gilmour — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:00:21 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour Around the first of February–just before the series of snowstorms hit our region–I set out with my family on a cold, Sunday morning to explore ChesLen Preserve in Unionville. We parked in the small side lot just off Route 162, then climbed over the post and rail fence where this new-to-me tract of open space mushroomed [...]

White Bean Soup with Pasta & Potatoes

Leslie Kedash — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:25:04 +0000

By Leslie Kedash Only eight more days until we can leave this forgettable winter behind. With cold, wet and rainy weather still with us for now, I decided to try this hearty bean soup as a send off to the season. It’s fast and easy and you likely have most of the ingredients in your pantry. I upped the [...]

Spring Fever: Growing Lush, Green Grass Indoors

Margaret Gilmour — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:40:00 +0000

By Guest Contributor, Hilda Brucker During the winter months, one of my main gardening chores is to keep the grass green and growing. No, I’m not talking about the lawn outside – I’m referring to the little pots of oat grass on my windowsill and kitchen counter. While not nearly as showy as the flowering plants of [...]

Wordless Wednesday | Orchid

Leslie Kedash — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:56:54 +0000

Special thanks to photographer Jim Graham who generously shared his image for today’s Wordless Wednesday. Like what you see? You can purchase this print and others by clicking: here. [Orchid | Longwood]

Barrel Tasting at Patone Cellars

Margaret Gilmour — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:28 +0000

By Roger Morris Over the past few weeks, I have been participating in barrel tastings – the universal winemaking ritual – in 14th-century castles in Bordeaux and stately farmhouses in Emilia-Romagna, but it still has the same magic in Chester County. One of my recent local stops was Mario Patone’s garage winery, where I looked into barrels [...]

Pasta Piñon Verde

Leslie Kedash — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:19:46 +0000

By Leslie Kedash El Farol sits at the end of Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is that town’s oldest restaurant/bar. A small, funky but endearing combination of western and adobe, white walls, vigas and creaky wooden floors. When out there we often make this our last stop on a night out. Local “color” is [...]