Blog
Organic Vegetable Tsunami Report
Until this week, I was unaware that northern New Hampshire was blessed with a Tsunami Season. I'd heard of Mud Season. Hell, I survived one already. Black Fly Season...old hat ... Read More
Hand-Crafted ROOT/SNAP Displays En Route to PA State Stores!
PA State Stores are about to get a serious upgrade thanks to our good friend Brian Barto– creator of these one-of-kind AITA Spirits displays. These impressive works of art are making ... Read More
Recipe From The Farm: SNAP Raspberry Rhubarb Pie
INGREDIENTS CRUST 3 cups unbleached flour2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter3 tblsp. frigid cold water1 tsp. sea salt1 tblsp. sugar FILLING2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb2 cups raspberries1 tblsp. diced ginger1/4 cup SNAP1/4 cup ... Read More
Even More Bars and Restaurants Serving ROOT!
ROOT is now available at a slew of local watering holes! That's great news, to be sure, but nobody should be deprived of the first authentic American liqueur since the ... Read More
SNAP USER GUIDE: Installment 5 - So This SNAP Walks Into A Party…
Unexpected company? Delight your guests and get the conversation started with a SNAP cocktail and a crispy ginger snap cookie! Not enough time to make a batch from scratch? Take ... Read More
SNAP USER GUIDE: Installment 4 - Oh, The Culinary Possibilities…
Now that you've wet your whistle, let's move on to filling your belly... Via home experimentation, I've found that in cooking, SNAP pairs well with fruits and other piquant flavors. It ... Read More
SNAP USER GUIDE: Installment 3 - Cocktails of Courage & Adventure
You've SNAP-ped; you've mixed; you've imbibed, and subsequently enjoyed. Where is the next frontier of SNAP home-mixing? "Just over that horizon" is actually no further than the pantry. A few ... Read More
SNAP USER GUIDE: Installment 2 - Simple SNAP Classics
So you've popped your first bottle of SNAP, slowly swirled the ginger liquid around your mouth, and perhaps tried adding a few drops of citrus, ginger ale, vinegar, or bourbon ... Read More
SNAP USER GUIDE: Installment 1 - SNAP-ing For The First Time
This weekend, I SNAP-ped for the very first time. It's now Monday, and I have no more SNAP. This is a good sign in my book, and I will share ... Read More
Adventures in Agronomy: First Vegetable Harvest!
Pictured: Cucumber Hugs This morning was spent reveling in utter disbelief and inexplicable relief that the shrubbery in the garden is now VEGETABLE-LADEN! After suffering from a week of ... Read More
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Walter Benjamin!
The progenitor of our namesake essay, Walter Benjamin, turns 118 years old today! Read all about Benjamin's philosophical contributions and our interpretation of his theories HERE So PARTY DOWN in His Honor ... Read More
The First Fruits at The Farm: “Stay Gold, Berry-Joy, Stay Gold”
New Hampshire's first fruit is redHer tastiest hue, it's said. Her early leaves are berries; One needs a bucket to carry Then pink subsides to ruby. And fingers rose to duty, So we ... Read More
Cheering for the Under-Chicken: Pecking Order Theory
"Pecking order" is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as: 1. A hierarchy among a group, as of people, classes, or nations: "The astronauts had developed a pecking ... Read More
GARDEN UPDATE: Of Silver Bells, Cockle Shells, Pretty Maids, etc.
Q: Robin McDowell, Armed With A Trowel, How Does Your Garden Grow? A. With coyote pee... (a natural predator deterrent) and greenery... (Johnny's Seeds Wild Arugula, to be exact) ...and fluffy cats trampling ... Read More
Tom Brown III Demonstrates Survival Skills at AITA
This past week, Art in the Age had the great pleasure of hosting an exciting lecture by Tom Brown III. Brown is the founder of the Primitive Arts Collective, ... Read More
GARDEN UPDATE: “Ode On A Greenish Thumb”
THOU still unravish'd seed of quietness, Thou foster-child of Soil and slow Time, Sylvan landscape, who canst thus express A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme: What ... Read More
Egg Bombs: The Hens Are Serious Business
The hens are getting serious about egg-laying. We are moving at a rate of 5-6 big brown eggs each day, and until more human company arrives, friends and neighbors are ... Read More
Hay Season 2010: We Get Organic With A Little Help From Our Friends
We are so stoked to be working with our neighbors at Schoolhouse Farm to restore the hay fields at the farm using best and organic practices, beginning this summer! Norman/Wendy/Schoolhouse ... Read More
Chicken Update: Terror In The Night!
We returned to the farm a recent evening to discover that some New Hampshire megafauna – coyotes, bears, foxes – had pilfered from our chicken coop. Where once ... Read More
A Kind Thank You From an Avid Fan
These are the kind of emails that brighten our day! --- Dear Kind Sirs, I would like to take this opportunity to deeply express my gratitude. Your mastery in the fine art of ... Read More
Raspberry Reveries, Chapter 1: And So It Begins…
2 humans + 8 hours + 2 wheelbarrows + 1000 prickly dead canes + 1 deer tick incident = THE BEGINNING OF RASPBERRY SEASON 2010!!! In 3 months time, our freshly ... Read More
A New Hampshire Hearthside Dinner
A hearthside dinner at the Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm in Tamworth, NH leaves one full of delicious local foods cooked "the old fashioned way", in addition to the ... Read More
Last Wednesday saw the arrival of seven organic hens to the Farm. A gift from a farmer in nearby Hancock, NH, they are mature White Plymouth Rocks, Black Australorps, and ... Read More
Cheese Making - Our Recent Adventures at the Remick Farm
From milk to pot and heat Then, curdle, gather, repeat You formed into a ball Which amazes us all Oh cheese, you, I can't wait to eat Courtesy of the Remick ... Read More
so much depends / upon / the white chickens
INSPIRATION: A-Frame Pasture Shelter featured in Backyard Poultry Magazine... OUR COOP COMIX: A Coop On Wheels! Imminent Omelets! THE PROCESS... Procure Lumber & Materials... 45 degree angle cuts... Assembling the A-frame... Height check... Pretty A's all in ... Read More
SPRING FARM UPDATE: These delights thy mind may move…
Come live with me and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove That valleys, groves, hills, and fields, Woods, or steepy mountain yields.And we will sit upon compost heaps, Seeing ... Read More
Security and Adventure pt. 3: Travails, Fruition
Since our last, exuberant, update, our seedlings and their keepers have led increasingly precarious lives. A seedling's first weeks are fraught with peril. Too much water, too little water, to ... Read More
Security and Adventure: Spreading Our Seed
We have spread our seed. We have installed into the good earth the first kernels of future feasting. Our closet laboratory (link to previous installment) is finally ... Read More
The Blushing of Spring: “The world is mud-luscious”
New-England-born poet, e.e. cummings described the view out my back door the best with his poem "In Just–"... In Just- spring when the world is mud- luscious ... Read More
“Security and Adventure”: Adventures in Agronomy Part 1
"Security and adventure might be considered opposites in some situations, but the gardener who raises plants from seeds can experience both..." (The New Seed Starter's Handbook). At the AITA Farm we've ... Read More
Mittens, Kittens & Toolbelts: My Favorite Things (Tamworth Remix)
My Favorite Things Rodgers & Hammerstein | Performed by Julie Andrews(Robin McDowell Remix + Slideshow - 12.13.09) ------------------ Snowdrifts on rooftops and whiskers on kittens, Bright iron woodstoves and warm SmartWool mittens, Sparse little ... Read More
FARM UPDATE: Winter is icummen in; Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us
Thank you, Ezra Pound, for giving rhythm to my thoughts today. WINTER! That strange and wonderful fourth season is truly upon us...forsaken by many who flee to more southern terrain, ... Read More
A Museum of Early American Tools…AITA-Farm-Style!
A recent article in The Inquirer ("They Dig Garden Tools" - 11/20/09) featured Harold Sweetman, Director of The Jenkins Arboretum, who is also a collector of "horticultural antiques." Stated more ... Read More
A Thanksgiving Day Hike in The White Mountain National Forest
Thanksgiving morning, I woke up especially early in anticipation of finally hiking Mt. Chocorua, the stately peak that overlooks the farm. I filled my pack with rain gear (90% chance ... Read More
Autumn in New Hampshire: Mulled ROOT Cider
The AITA farm has been creating many adventures for Robin - who bravely moved to (wo)man the land. Farming, fixing, building and working all day will surely make one thirsty ... Read More
AITA Adventures Abroad: Discussing The Farm in Europe
Some entertaining tidbits from my recent trip across the pond...I was surprised and delighted to discover that at least the IDEA of the New American Organic "Farmer" seems to be ... Read More
Farm Graveyard Secrets - Unearthed!
I will concede that this is a bit late for Halloween or Día de los Muertos...However, this spooky history tidbit is, nonetheless, intriguing!A locally published tome "If Walls Could Speak," ... Read More
FeelGood Open Call: Meet the Winners!
Several months ago we collaborated with FeelGood, a student-powered business organization working to end world hunger. We had an open call for visual responses to FeelGood related themes (including ending ... Read More
Gilman Forest UPDATE: 65% of Project Goal Reached!
According to The Tamworth Conservation Commission, 65% of the fundraising goal for preserving the Gilman Forest has been reached as of September 15! They have until May 1, 2010 to ... Read More
Olden Days Are Here Again: Woodstove 101
Over the past two weeks, temperatures have dropped well into the 30's at night! Luckily, I have welcomed a new tenant into my home...a refurbished Vermont Castings "Vigilant" Woodstove! She's a ... Read More
KEEP NH FOREST UNDEVELOPED: Art In The Age Helps To Protect The Gilman Forest
New Hampshire is one of the most unique states in the union in that it has one of the highest percentages of undeveloped forest (85%, topped only by Maine at ... Read More
TOMORROW: Maxim’s Taste of Philadelphia
Head out to Derek's in Manayunk tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 7pm for an impressive array of local cuisine. You'll be in good hands with executive chef Derek Davis at the ... Read More
Visitations, Excitations & Good Vibrations At The Farm!
The White Mountains are alive with the sound of.. FRIENDS! A Photographic Portrait of The Past Two Weeks: The Hay Barn has amazing acoustics. Several hikes to the fire tower. (Constructed by the NH ... Read More
ROOT & Maine ROOT: A Mix n’ Match Made in Heaven (aka New England)
Call me a hopeless romantic, but I've always secretly retained this idea that Prince Charming actually existed. And furthermore, that Prince Perfectly-Chiseled-Cheekbones-Who-Is-Also-An-Able-Carpenter, my island in an ocean of worldly chaos, ... Read More
“Livestock” Update: Ah, The Circle of Life!
Chai caught her first mouse last week. This event was the source of great pride, as well as confusion (on both Chai and my own parts). At 10-weeks old, Chai was ... Read More
The Beginning of a Beautiful Organic Garden at The Farm
A Nursery (no pun intended) Rhyme for Tamworth, NH Robin, RobinAccustomed to bloggin'How does your garden grow?With blisters and sweatIn a rivuletAnd hours of roto-tillingAll in a row -------------------------- Reading, Riting, and 'Rithmetic ... Read More
FARMERS MARKET FINDS: Mint Tea and Mini Shoofly Pie!
While we can't all be as fortunate as Robin, all hope is not lost. We can still enjoy farm-fresh veggies, even in the city. It's still open-air market season after ... Read More
The G20 Summit and ROOT Hit Pittsburgh!
Pittsburgh may forever be known as The Steel City, but who says that’s necessarily a bad thing? Steel is strong, persevering, and a foundation for many great structures—just like Pittsburgh ... Read More
A Week of Farm Firsts: Zucchini, Compost Heaps, and Pigs
This is a week of firsts. I think my farming cherry (tomato) has been officially popped. The squash I planted outside my kitchen door, after a long hard, fruitless and rainy ... Read More
ROOT and Gettysburg: PA’s Next Power Couple
Not since Philadelphia's favorite Ben Franklin impersonator, Ralph Archibald, wed Betsy Ross impersonator Linda Wilde has the fair state of Pennsylvania witnessed the marriage of such a historical power couple. That's ... Read More
10 Things I Have Learned: New Hampshire Redux
Milton Glaser isn't the only designer with reflecting to do. As we enter the last stretch of ineluctable "dog days," one can't help but ruminate upon the just-lived months of ... Read More
In the Kitchen with ROOT - Seared Scallops from Chef Sean Ford
ROOT is not only meant for sipping neat or in cocktails. The complex flavor of this unique liquid can be used for culinary experimentation. Chef Sean Ford - the creator ... Read More
Our Little Corner of The Twitterverse
We've made it easy for you to get up-to-the-minute news from Art In The Age on the topics that really matter most to you! We don't mean to inundate your ... Read More
Is there anything better than a refreshing Root Cocktail? Probably not, but ribs are a close second! So why not enjoy both classic American creations at A Full Plate's third ... Read More
What to do with our harvest of raspberries?! Freeze em? Dry em? Put em in a pie? I thought I'd try my hand at making jam without fancy canners or machines. ... Read More
$4 Spiked ROOT Float Special at The American Pub
The American Pub located at 1500 Market St - near the giant clothespin - servers up some great weekly specials. Their Monday thru Friday Happy Hours will keep you ... Read More
The ROOT Next Door: Charlie’s Pub and Art In The Age Special Offer!
For August and September, Art In The Age and our conveniently located next door neighbor, Charlie's Pub, will be hosting a special ROOT promotion (starting Wednesday, August 12 - tomorrow!) If ... Read More
VIDEO: ROOT Cocktail Competition at Silk City!
By now you've met the victor and her winning recipe as well as the thirteen delicious also-rans. You've probably also seen the photos. Now check out the video from our ... Read More
LIVESTOCK UPDATE: 5 Week Old Kittens Arrive At The Farm EARLY!
One week ago, I received a call from the Human Society...Chai and Tiki (now "Ti" for short), were allowed to come home to the farm with me, technically under my ... Read More
Curator Damian Weinkrantz Invites You: “Please Be Welcome”…To Venture to NYC!
Art In The Age Artist/Friend, Damian Weinkrantz has been hard at work for the past few months, curating a new exhibition opening next Saturday August 15th in New York City! THE ... Read More
Upcoming Event: ROOT Tasting Dinner
Come Tuesday August 25th, Art in the Age will be pairing up with ALFA Restaurant & Bar for a ROOT Tasting Dinner. Alfa's Executive Chef Sean Ford will present five ... Read More
Presenting: Christian Gaal of Noble Mixing Up Original ROOT Cocktails
Christian Gaal, over at Noble: American Cookery is well versed in the art of the cocktail. And while he is creative and experienced in experimenting behind the bar, he shows ... Read More
ROOT Entertaining Tip: The Mighty Mason Jar
So we've been touting the creation of innovative, super-cerebral, mixologist-formulated cocktails. And most, if not all of these uber-savvy beverages have appropriate corresponding glassware. Well, what if you want to pare ... Read More
ROOT Cocktail Competition - Check Out What You Missed!!
A grand time was had by all in Silk City's newish Beer Garden on Tuesday evening. 14 bartenders from some of Philly's finest watering holes signed up to shake, mix ... Read More
Kittens Are Coming To The Farm!
QUESTION: How do you solve a problem like...a mouse...or two...or three who brazenly eat your bread and munch on your muffins? ANSWER: Adopt a kitty...or two! And that is precisely what I ... Read More
A Treatise On Fruits & Creatures of Solitude
There is a lot to be said (not out loud) for learning to live alone. Becoming sincerely comfortable with a generally solitary day-to-day is truly a skill that one must ... Read More
A ROOT Cocktail Champion is Crowned!
After a grueling hours-long battle under the stars at Silk City’s outdoor garden last night, a sole ROOT Cocktail Champion finally emerged: Kate Loeb from the recently reopened Oyster House. Judges ... Read More
ROOT Cocktail of the Week: Tsunami
While this perfect summertime cocktail may not cause destruction in mere seconds, it will definitely have you feeling its effects. There are many variations of the 'tsunami’ cocktail but the ... Read More
If a rich history is an indicator of authenticity and originality, then, much like ROOT, The Church Brew Works has a tale worth many a retelling. Before emerging as one of ... Read More
VIDEOS: Summer ROOT Recipes from Philly’s Silk City Bar & Lounge
We spent a sun-drenched afternoon with Indhira Torres, bartender at the revived, rejuvenated, and more happening-than-ever Silk City Bar & Lounge. While we relaxed in the new outdoor garden lounge, ... Read More
More Philly Bars Jumping on The ROOT Wagon!
Four fine food (tongue-twsiter!) establishments have jumped on the ROOT wagon! Yee-haw. We are proud to announce the following new friends of ROOT: Positano Coast (Old City)Alison Two (Fort Washington)Eulogy (Old ... Read More
New Philly Hotspot: P.Y.T. at The Piazza Features ROOT Beer Float
P.Y.T., the new & delicious brainchild of Paper Street's Tommy Up, is featuring a ROOT-spiked Old Fashioned Root Beer Float on the menu! Located on the ground floor of The ... Read More
Farm Happenings: Electricity, Eggs, & Chard!
The rain in New Hampshire falls mainly on the... Everywhere. All the time. Non-stop... Since I arrived. But no use crying over spilled precipitation. Onward & upward! I've been delighted by the following items ... Read More
Tamworth, Ho! The Commencement of Farm Transmissions
I drove for eight hours with an enormous suitcase in a Chevy Suburban the size of my first dorm room and arrived, unscathed, in Tamworth. I drove through what is called ... Read More
ROOT Presents…The Mixology Men of Southwark Restaurant
Before departing from the great city of Philadelphia, I had the pleasure of spending a Sunday afternoon in the company of two fine gents in an equally fine setting in ... Read More
The second annual MojitoFEST saw G Lounge packed with mojito experts and aficionados last Wednesday night. While most vendors and Mojito-Olympics contestants were serving up tantalizing twists on the classic ... Read More
Art In The Age: Your New Neighborhood Tobacconist!
Art In The Age is proud and excited to offer a line of premium pipe tobaccos! Available for purchase at the store, we will offer the loose product in .25 ... Read More
ROOT Now For Sale Online at HITIMEWINE.com!
Breaking news! Art In The Age ROOT, the first truly authentic American liqueur since the Pre-Prohibition Era, is now available for purchase online from HITIMEWINE.com. CLICK HERE to purchase! $38.99 per 750mL ... Read More
The Times, They Are A-Changin’: A Letter, A Departure, A Farm in New Hampshire
Dear Reader and Friend, On May 20, 2009, I left the city of Philadelphia with an overstuffed backpack and a violin, headed for greener pastures...literally. Because on July 1, 2009, I will ... Read More
GUEST BLOG IIII: The Adventures of Andy Bowness - Reading Terminal Market!
Being British, to me a market is a place stallholders compete to shout the loudest about their extremely reasonably priced, if rather ripe, fruit. Sure, we get farmers markets every ... Read More
To Market, To Market: Wild Flour Bakery’s ROOT Raisin Bread Is A Success!
This Sunday, bright-eyed marketgoers sampled a new treat created especially for Art In The Age by local bakery artisans, Wild Flour Bakery! The sun smiled upon the cobblestone streets for ... Read More
THIS SUNDAY: Art In The Age ROOT Treats Debut at Headhouse Farmer’s Market!
Join Art In The Age at Headhouse Farmer's Market this Sunday, May 10 from 10am until 2 pm. Over 30 vendors will air their edible offerings along 2nd Street, between Pine ... Read More
WHAT YOU MISSED: Happy First ROOT Day @ The Store!
Despite some sticky and pesky rain showers, the Art In The Age Store went right on with the First Friday show, unfettered! The botanical illustrations of Reverend Michael Alan were ... Read More
For everyone who has stopped into the store and asked about all those bottles of mysterious brown liquid in the apothecary case... GET THEE TO 116 NORTH THIRD STREET TONIGHT and ... Read More
Was I ever glad to find a familiar friend, 3000 miles away from Philly...! Walter Benjamin stands proudly atop a shelf in the store of the San Francisco Museum of Modern ... Read More
Spring Artist Tees have arrived! Find out more about this season's designs and the artists behind them... Click the links in the descriptions to go to the store iisting! Julianne Ahn - ... Read More
LAST CHANCE: Sign Up for AITA & LFFC Farmshare!
Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction invites Old City neighbors and residents of Philadelphia to participate in Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, a local farmshare program, hosted at our storefront ... Read More
FIRST FRIDAY PHOTOS: Art In The Age Kicks Off Philly Beer Week!
A R T I N T H E A G E K E G G E R ! ! ! Ahem. I mean...The First Warm Friday that ... Read More
The Work of Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction…In 30 Seconds
You can watch this video quicker than you can say "Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction", three times fast. Ridiculous PowerPoint music, good points. Rather interesting that most of ... Read More
The sun was out this morning for the first time in many, so I immediately knew I would be wearing a pair of creamy butter-colored flat boots around town today.My ... Read More
OPEN CALL for February LINCOLN EXHIBITION @ The AITA Store!
ARTWORK SUBMISSIONS WANTED for an ABRAHAM LINCOLN TRIBUTE EXHIBITION In Celebration of His 200th Birthday. We are LOOKING FOR...- YOUR visual interpretation of Abraham Lincoln as an image, portrait, or icon- ... Read More
COMING SOON to THE STORE: Custom Sassafras and Lemongrass Soaps
If you've had a chance to drop by our store in Old City lately, you may have noticed a new scent in the apothecary cabinet...Custom Art In The Age herbal ... Read More
THIS FRIDAY: Space 1026 Art Auction!
(photo from Space 1026.com) This Friday at 7 pm "doors open" to the annual Space 1026 Art Auction! Various artwork and art products will be up for bid (starting at 5 bucks...oh ... Read More
Art In The Age Fall 2008 Video Lookbook!
A special thanks to Blooming Glen Farms and Tussock Sedge Farm. All footage shot on location by Dave Dunn, October 2008. Music by Human People. Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Human ... Read More
Spectors of Walter... Read the full-text of "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (1936). Read More
News From Old City, Philadelphia: Stirrings on 3rd Street
Looks like a new neighbor is coming to town... Read More
AITA In The Wild: Atlanta, GA and The Dark Romantics
I spy with my Art In The Age Eye...Eric Collins, frontman of Floridian nuevo garage-rockers The Dark Romantics, rocking a Fangs Tee on tour! Check out these shots from XTMOnline... Have a listen to some tunes ... Read More
Dear Jay Reatard, or Why You Are So (Paper)Rad?!
Dear Mr. Reatard, How are you? I'm fine. You know, I'm just mildly addicted to your upbeat, garage-punk sound and such. I am psyched on the Fall release of your Matador Singlescompilation. Mostly ... Read More