Good Grief!

Those of us in the know realize that BIG MEDIA buries many important and newsworthy stories. To get the scoop, we must turn to independent sources of information, such as alternative newspapers. For example, the Art Museum Area Home News, a Philadelphia publication proudly serving the Art Museum Area, Fairmount, Spring Garden, Logan Square, and Brewerytown. And sometimes Northern Liberties just for shits and giggles.

The most valuable feature of the AMAHN is the Market Report, written by Ken Klein, a co-owner of Klein’s market in Fairmount. His column is like a stock market report for produce, explaining the factors behind the prices and quality at your local grocer (e.g., why the hell Whole Foods is charging six bucks for blueberries). I was skeptical at first—the folksy tone is off-putting to us hip, urban types*—but now I consider this column required reading before the weekly produce trip. And on good weeks Mr. Klein throws in bonus opinions, like the pros and cons of a grapefruit diet, the evils of fuel surcharges, and the best ways to avoid scary bacteria when thawing fruits and vegetables.

I might ask Mr. Klein for permission to reproduce his columns. In the meantime, here’s some excerpts from yesterday’s paper:

Heavy precipitation has slowed the onion harvest in Mexico and shipments fell 25 percent last week…

…Rain earlier this week has curtailed the tomato harvest in Florida. Prices are expected to remain high for the near future…

…Grapes are going up as the Chile crop comes to an end with California and Mexican several weeks away.

*For readers who know me—yes, that’s a joke. As far as everyone else is concerned, I’m a hip, urban type.