Cinda says she had a “deep seeded desire to create a message that’s positive and achievable,” in this tough economic environment. So she wrote that first blog post on March 11, 2009, giving birth to The 3/50 Project.

Things moved fast after that, Cinda explains,

The next week, I threw together a free flyer businesses could crank out of their desktop printers to hand customers. A week later, a one-page website explaining the flyer. A couple of weeks after that, having received more than 300 emails asking “What else have you got?” I built the website you see today, launching it mid-afternoon on Monday, March 30th.”

And in the first seven days, more than 7,600 people found it (8,600+ if you count repeat visits).

The 3/50 Project is pretty simple. It asks all of us to 1) pick 3 independently owned businesses that we would miss if they disappeared. Then 2) spend $50 a month with each of those businesses. You don’t have to follow that to the letter, but you get the general idea. It’s been a hard year for retail, and we’ve all seen the empty storefronts where there once was a business.

Now the 3/50 Project is starting a new effort, one especially close to our hearts (and stomachs) at Bucks County Taste. The “Eat down the street” promotion applies the same principles to eating out. Cinda suggests that we all commit to dining out one night each week at a local, independently owned restaurant, cafe, pizza joint – you name it. I can handle that. No problemo.

Go to the 3/50 Project Web site to learn more, or become a fan of their Facebook page. If you are one of these business owners, go to the Web site to print out a sign/flyer to post in your window and explain to your patrons what it’s all about. Bon Appetit!

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In the meantime, I’m off to do some errands, including a long overdue visit to the Town Crier Bakery in Lahaska which has just brought sticky buns out of the oven (sigh). They say if you whisper “HUMP DAY” to Sandy, you’ll receive a free sticky bun. Any excuse.

I’ll also be updating the Food Events in Bucks County calendar later today. Be sure to check in to plan your weekend.

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FRESH offers a positive look at how farmers, thinkers and business people across America are re-inventing our food system to forge healthier, sustainable alternatives to agri-business. To help attendees learn more about where to obtain local food in our area, sponsors will be on hand before the movie with information about buying and using local food.

Sponsors include Weaver’s Way, a local food co-op; two local community-supported agriculture farms, Hazon at Kol Ami and Pennypack Farm; Lancaster Farm Fresh, a buying club that brings fresh food directly from the farmers to our area; Fair Food, an organization dedicated to bringing locally grown food into the Philadelphia marketplace; PASA, the Pennsylvania Sustainable Agricultural Association that works to promote sustainability throughout PA; and Marc Brown-Gold, an award-winning local chef who will offer ideas on great ways to cook with local foods; and many other local organizations.

The movie will be followed by a panel of experts who will delve into the topics raised in the movie, answer questions, and offer insight on things that you can do to immediately make a difference. Panelists include chef Marc Brown-Gold; Ann Karlan, executive director of Fair Food; Amy Crystal from Lancaster Farm Fresh; Marilyn Anthony, PASA SE regional director; and Pennypack Farm farmers.

Tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased at www.amblertheater.org/pennypack or at the box office. High school students can purchase tickets half-price ($5.00) at the theater box office with student ID. The Ambler Theater is located at 108 E. Butler Ave, Ambler, PA 19002.

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The Inn has been closed for over a year, much to our dismay (how nice to have a place within walking distance!). But as we drove by a couple of weeks ago, both of our heads snapped to the left. There was a bright orange neon “Public Notice of Application / Alcoholic beverages” sticker on the window. Yippee.

I stopped in yesterday to snoop around and met the new owner, local Kevin Dougherty, who extended a plaster and paint-splattered hand in welcome. Kevin has been very busy renovating the place. Gone is the tired old carpet, replaced by earth-tone ceramic tiles. The walls are light, a new bar extends from the previous bar and the overall feeling is of a space that has been freed from its recent dark past.

I didn’t want to take up too much of Kevin’s time, but asked him to call me as they get closer to opening – which he hopes will be in six weeks. He did tell me the menu will be “casual.” And I did request that they stock some decent bourbon.

But, oh my. This was not just any local honey. Bright, complex and, of course, sweet, but not overly so. All winter I have found myself sneaking into the kitchen, dropping a spoon into the honey jar and eating it straight. Turns out, Mark has been doing the same thing.

Let’s take it up a notch. What if you could eat honey this good, but as prepared with food by a talented and innovative chef, right here in Bucks County? You’re in luck. Honey Restaurant in Doylestown and Slow Food Bucks County have joined forces to create a wonderful menu and evening for Monday, March 22nd.

Sliwka will be on hand to talk about the honeys used. He is the proprietor and beekeeper of Stagecoach Apiary in Lehighton, PA. Stagecoach was chosen for this dinner due to the variety of hives they keep throughout Pennsylvania which will allow for a diverse tasting of honeys. Honey’s Chef, Joe McAtee, has created an exciting and varied selection of small dishes, pairing the different honeys with meats, cheeses, seafood, and vegetables.

“I was glad when Slow Food approached us,” said McAtee. “This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.” Although honey takes center stage at the popular Doylestown restaurant every day, McAtee and his wife, Amy, believe in using local ingredients whenever possible.

McAtee has another mission, too. “It’s important to show that honey is not just a sweetener,” he says, explaining how honey compliments so many foods, and even influences texture. The menu demonstrates this with honey used in a vinaigrette, sorbet and custard. McAtee is also excited about the honey and cheese pairing course. “There is so much complexity in both honey and cheese.”

The details. The six course meal is $40 per person (this does not include beverages, tax or gratuity; Honey will be offering a flight of honey wines and beers). Reservations begin at 5 pm and go to 9 pm. Please call the restaurant directly to make a reservation at 215.489.4200.

Here’s the mouth-watering menu:

• Rice Crusted Calamari, Chorizo, Crispy Chickpeas, Cilantro, Spicy Cactus Honey
• Crispy Veal Sweatbreads, Smoked Honey, Truffled Mac N’ Cheese
• Honey Brined Giannone Chicken, Charred Ramp & Fava Bean Ragu
• Meade Sorbet Intermezzo
• Artisan Cheese Plate with Honey Pairings
• Caramel Flan, Blood Orange and Ginger Relish, Lemon-Thyme Syrup, Candied Thyme 

Much thanks to Slow Food Bucks County for initiating this event, particularly chapter leader Kimberly Kaufmann and coordinator Sharon Schwartz, and working with Chef McAtee and Amy McAtee to make it happen. Here’s some additional information about Honey, Stagecoach Apiary and Slow Food Bucks County.

Honey Restaurant
42 Shewell Avenue
Doylestown, PA 18901
215.489.4200

Stagecoach Orchard Apiary
Pete Sliwka
 P.O. Box 381
Lehighton, PA, 18235
610.377.1875
Email: stagecoach@emmausmarket.com
Peter sells honey at the New Hope and Emmaus Farmers’ Markets, as well as in Philadelphia at the Rittenhouse and Head House Farmers’ Markets.

Slow Food (Bucks County chapter)
Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food, fast life and the disappearance of local food traditions. To do that, Slow Food brings together pleasure and responsibility, and makes them inseparable. Slow Food helps people rediscover the joys of eating and understand the importance of caring where their food comes from, who makes it, how it’s made and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

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Diana interviewed owner Mark Drabich of Metropolitan Seafood, and got some good tips on buying and cooking seafood.

What should consumers look for when buying fish?

First, he says, know where you’re buying it. “If you walk in and there’s a fishy or ammonia smell, walk out the door. We invite customers to smell any of our fish – even bluefish.”

Second, establish a relationship with your fishmonger … Not only is it more enjoyable for everyone, he says, but “we get to know your preferences, your likes and dislikes. So if there’s something that you like that we don’t have because it’s not in season, we can recommend something else.

“Trust your instincts,” he says. Fish and seafood should look fresh, not dried or have any brown spots. There should also be a spring to the touch.

Another rule. Shop where they cut the fish they sell. “The less time off the bone, the less oxidation occurs,” he says.” [At present, fish at its Stockton market is cut at the Clinton store and, because of that, they offer a smaller selection.]

For the … fish that packs a wallop of Omega 3 and vitamins, you can’t beat sardines, he says, which he gets fresh from Portugal and Greece. [see the recipe below]

Seafood and fish to avoid? “Stay away from processed scallops,” he says, “which are treated with chemicals and added water to equal 20 percent of their weight.”

Then there’s farm-raised salmon. The only kind he carries is organically raised in Ireland and Scotland. Because of their good farming practices, he says, no antibiotics or hormones have to be administered.

But then this is in keeping with his whole approach to seafood as is offering fish and seafood in season. “There are certain times of the year that a fish isn’t available. That’s okay. Try something else. People around here appreciate the seasonality of foods.”

Diana managed to nab one of Mark’s recipes, this one for fresh sardines.

MARK’S ROASTED SARDINES

INGREDIENTS
½ cup of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 ripe large tomatoes, finely chopped
½ cup of white wine
¼ cup of flat leaf parsley plus 2 tbsp for garnish
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of sea salt
2 pounds of fresh sardines, cleaned, headed and butterflied
4-5 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Sweet paprika

HOW TO

1. Rinse sardines and pat dry with a paper towel. P
2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
3. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil. When the onion and garlic soften, add chopped tomatoes, wine, parsley, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Using a roasting pan large enough to arrange the sardines in one even layer, distribute the sauce evenly over the bottom. Place the sardines folded over in a single layer (“okay if you overlap a little”). Arrange the tomato slices over the top, season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with a little sweet paprika.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 20 min. Remove from oven and garnish with parsley.
6. Bring the roasting pan to the table and serve with crusty bread – “serves 4 for dinner or a very grateful party of 10.”

Diana Cercone is a freelance writer and board member of the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance. You can reach her at: dcercone1@verizon.net.

Here are some other local places for fish and seafood:

Bucks County Seafood
164 North Main Street
Dublin, PA 18917
215.249.1295

Buckingham Valley Seafood
1489 Durham Road (2 mi. south of Rts. 202 & 413 intersection)
Buckingham, PA
215.598.9980

Captain Bob’s Fresh Seafood
West End Shopping Center
609 Southwest End Boulevard (Route 309)
Quakertown, PA
215.538.0773

Carroll’s Seafood and Produce Market
5840 Easton Road
Plumsteadville, PA 18949
215.766.7546

Heller’s Seafood Market
1380 Easton Road
Warrington, PA 18976
215.343.9600

Wegmans
1405 Main Street (Valley Square Shopping Center)
Warrington, PA
215.918.3900

If I’m missing any, PLEASE let me know! Thanks.

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