Grumblethorpe Mysteries: Historic Home and Garden in Germantown

 

Historic Grumblethorpe on Germantown Ave. built in 1744 (photo source: www.nj.com)

Herb Garden (in April) off of the kitchen with sundial 

I began my internship with Grumblethorpe in April with the task of bringing some order to the herb garden, designing a pollinator garden for the students who come to learn about caterpillars and butterflies, 

and to add signs and design a brochure for visitors.  

It has evolved into a mystery solving expedition for me: 

What plants were grown here by the Wister family historically? 

and how to exemplify the fantastic exploration and scientific  

curiosity with weather, rare plants, minerals, bees, forests, and astronomy 

that was a part of the Wister homestead?

 A vegetable and formal bed beyond, with the ancient Ginko tree on the left

 Formal bed with boxwood-border bed and pergola gates

 The observatory Charles Wister built

After reading Suzanne Wister Eastwick's compilation of the family garden records, 

the mystery only deepened with descriptions of family ties to Academy of 

Natural Sciences collections, the first person recollections of the wild garden filled 

with collected orchid and fern species from the Wissahickon, 

the "Beemaster" with 25 hives who brought a swarm 9 miles to the house in a wheelbarrow, 

the amateur astronomer who built an observatory to watch eclipses and the transit of Mercury, 

as well as the interest in meteorology, designing of iron rain gauges and clock-making.

Chickens looking for a bite to eat

 Side path around original stone wall

Food Inc. Movie Premier and Eats & Beats

I went to the Food Inc. movie premier tonight (free tickets were given out to see it at the Ritz Borse) and it was much of the things I know from work, corporate food vs. local growers, but some new stuff: the companies that control the chicken, beef and pork, corn and soybean seeds.

There were the usual experts: Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan author of Omnivore's Dillema, but the best character in the movie is Joel Salatin
owner/farmer of Polyface Farms in Virginia, who feeds his livestock grass, and has the most matter of fact way of describing how scewed the food system has gotten when he describes how his cows eat grass.

I've been trying to wean myself off of plastics and this movie made me think more about cutting out traditional food products, esp. industrial meat. I've been shopping almost exclusively at Whole Foods, but I really don't know where the turkey I bought came from, or if the salmon is fed corn. And it makes me strongly consider buying the meat products at Farm Fresh Express or farmers markets. I knew about the industrial mechanization of the meat corporations, but I didn't think about the chemicals and poo and ecoli and where it comes from (even on spinach).

This is all connected with my work for the Urban Nutrition Initiative and I'm excited to go the the Eats & Beats dinner on Saturday night, 5:30-8:30 at 48th and Baltimore Ave. The high school farmers and chefs are doing the most of the cooking, but they also have donations from many local restaurants and farms. I took photographs of the garden they tend at University City Hish School, my garden at Spring Gardens Community Garden and at Reading Terminal Market at Iovine Brothers and Fair Food Farmstand and they will be on the silent auction tables, matted and in sets of cards.

Next weekend (Nov. 8th) I'll be at the The Philadelphia Independent Craft Market with these new items:

Thinks to Do and See In Italian Market 'hood (besides the Italian Market)

I was walking down to Mew Gallery today and stopped to take pictures at a couple of my favorite places. First, I stopped at Spool and Loop, the new fabric and yarn shops on South St. Check out www.spoolsewing.com
I bought some beautiful fabric, even though I don't need any, but they were too hard to pass up.









Then I stopped by the block long flower garden at Kater St. (1 block south of South) between 16th and 17th. The pictures don't do the space justice, but it's a neighbor maintained greenspace on the back of a huge hospital and parking complex. There are water gardens and a huge array of plants of different colors and textures, for sun and shade, so if you like to garden, you'll get lots of ideas for your own urban plot.






I passed the Jamaican Jerk Hut at Broad and South (see the movie "In Her Shoes") where I had a great dinner a couple of months ago. Then I passed Isiah Zagar's outrageous mosaic museum/house at 11th and South, which was open! but I had no time to stop.








I cut down 10th and passed Morning Glory, the breakfast restaurant with the fantastic frittatas at 10th and Fitzwater, and up Christian past Sabrina's to the Mew.

You could make a day of walking up or down South St. in the quieter sections (below 10th), since now there are great shops/markets like Pumpkin's new local/organic market and restaurant and cafe, Spool and Loop's twin stores and the Kater St. garden. Last weekend I kept walking down to St. Alban's St., the one that has a garden running down the middle instead of a road and it was so peaceful and quiet for a city street and the houses are beautiful. It's below South St. between 23rd and 24th. The I backtracked up 23rd to Pine and turned down Pine to the public park/recreation center/tennis courts/community garden at around 27th and Pine. The park was huge for a city park, had so much to do, and their community garden was so organized and beautiful! The sign said as long as the gate was unlocked, visitors were welcome, so I was able to walk around inside and admire their cold frame system and composting structures and potting bench. It was a really relaxing walk past some beautiful sights in Philly and plenty of places to eat, get a drink or coffee, and sit down and relax.