This week, we start a new feature on Bucks County Taste!
We’ve perused the internet and chosen interesting and informative content about local food, cooking, living in Bucks and nearby, and beyond.
Let us know what you think by adding a comment below or emailing us at info@BucksCountyTaste.com. Enjoy!
The PLCB is sabotaging Philly wine culture
[Jason Malumed, Philadelphia Inquirer]
Y’all know what a big fan I am of the PLCB (not) but I did not know about the latest rules that will make it so much harder for restaurants to bring in unique wines and spirits. Because PA Act 39, passed in 2016, greatly reduced the markup (i.e., profit) that the PLCB can charge on special liquor orders, they are not keen on the program now. What does this mean for the restaurant public?
Many fine restaurants used the special liquor order (SLO) system to bring in exceptional spirits and wine. Now – get this – restaurants and bars will have to “pay for special orders before distributors are even allowed to ship. That means it might take five or six days from the time the restaurant pays for an order for it to even arrive at the store” — and then a day or two to go get it from the state store. They also won’t be allowed to check the order at the state store, which then introduces a seven-step process if they want a refund.
Malumed explains that “for restaurants, many of which are already running on thin margins on wine because of the PLCB’s arcane pricing, this new rule could cause big financial problems.” And all this goes into effect as of October 1. Don’t you just love living in Pennsylvania? Read more here.
We’re Not Sure Why Everyone Laughed When New Jersey Was Ranked One of The Happiest States
[David Landsel, Food & Wine]
This piece highlights what many of us already knew – that New Jersey restaurants are taking full advantage of ingredients being grown and produced in the Garden State. New York Times critic Pete Wells named Razza, a Jersey City pizzeria, the best pizza in New York. (That’s right. Even though it’s in Jersey.) One of the reasons? Because their chef uses New Jersey grown heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella made from the milk of Sussex County water buffaloes. This article gives shout outs to Brick Farm Tavern in Hopewell, and the Hunterdon Land Trust’s Sunday market at Dvoor Farm in Flemington, both favorites here in the Delaware River Valley. To read more, click here.
Online startup Crowd Cow wants to disrupt the meat market. The stakes have never been higher.
[Darby Minow Smith, Grist]
Grist.org is one of my favorite sources for information about local food issues. The reporting and the writing are excellent. In this article, Minow Smith covers the complexities of trying to sell meat from small livestock farmers on a larger scale through the fairly new website, CrowdCow, which lets consumers buy just the cuts and quantity they want, directly from American farms and delivered to their home. Sounds great, no?
Well, turns out CrowdCow has been known to import grass-fed beef from Japan. They’ve also said they are willing to import from the Southern Hemisphere too, which means American grass-fed beef farmers may have a hard time competing price-wise. So, is CrowdCow really about “local” and “sustainable?” Or is this what happens when technology and globalization come to the local food movement? To read more, see the full article here.
How to Grow Garlic
[Mercola.com]
I had to include this article because garlic has got to be the easiest thing to plant and grow (you stick it in the ground) and fall is the time to do it. Here are all the instructions for growing your own garlic. Go for it!
