Check It Out

by 
Karen Plourde, Weavers Way Communications Staff

BAKERY BITES: Artisan Boulanger brings more sweetness to the Hill.

East Passyunk is the hot place to dine these days. But if your travels don’t take you there, you can still get a taste of the food vibe by biting into a croissant from Artisan Boulanger, a South Philly patissier whose product now graces the bakery case in Chestnut Hill daily.

They supply us with two types of croissants, and there’s a real difference in the crumb: The plain are flaky and airy; the fruit-filled more doughy. Make it your mission this month to compare.

Also in the Hill are shortbreads from Two Moon of the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. They’re small-batch, handmade and available in three kinds by the first register.

FINDS FOR THE FURRY & FEATHERED: A message from the birds — “Keep it coming!”

There’s agreement among the birding crowd that birds don’t need to be fed during the summer. But maybe you hate the look of an empty feeder, and your local flock isn’t crazy about that arrangement either. Get back in their favor with Brown’s wild bird food. It’s the most popular brand Across the Way, it’s local (a longtime family milling business now based in Sinking Spring, Berks County) and contains seeds and grains to attract an assortment of backyard avifauna.

If you’re in the market for a new feeder, consider a No/No model from Woodstream Corp. (also local, from Lititz, Lancaster County). It’s a collapsible wire basket that contains no wood or plastic and can accommodate 10 to 15 birds at once. ATW stocks several types and can special-order what they don’t have on hand.

ALL WELLNESS & GOOD: Taking a trip? Get your travel sizes here.

Whether you’re bound for the campground, the Riviera or points in between, you have better things to put in your luggage than jumbo bottles of personal-care items. But before you head for The Big Box Store to stock up, stop in Next Door or Across the Way to find your natural faves in convenient, airline-approved sizes. The selection of brands varies between the stores, but both carry toothpaste, body lotion, body wash and an array of hair-care products. So pick up what you need and leave room for souvenirs.

PICKS IN PRODUCE: Oh, boy! It’s finally tomato time again.

You’ve probably managed to get decent tomatoes for about a month now. But this month, local tomatoes really come into their own — juicy and meaty and needing nothing more than salt and pepper. We’ll have them from Lancaster County and New Jersey thanks to our local suppliers, and also from our own Weavers Way Farms! 

We spend most of the year settling for inferior ‘maters, opening cans or doing without until the season rolls around. But the wait is over. Gather up your faves, rummage around for some recipes and feast on the bounty. They’ll disappear all too soon.