Here we are...

And here we are...

It's been quite a few months since my last entry and, naturally things have changed dramatically in the garden and personally as well.




I begin with the building of two additional raised beds to the front of the house. Over the summer thyme, dill & purple basil has adorned that bed. Giving incredibly vivid tasting plants.
I've used them for headaches (thyme), for helping to get my blood pressure up after surgery (basil) and of course cooking.



I also went through back surgery in July and with these heavy rains this summer, it was quite challenging. I was unable to tend to the main garden with all the basil varieties, so it all pretty much went to blackspot hell. I really had no choice but to take them all up and start from scratch once again. After all, this isn't the first time and dealing with nature, it sure won't be the last.

The pepper plants have had a challenging summer as well. Cayenne came in strong, purple bell pepper did as well. And even the poblano was made an impressive first impression.




Since then I keep getting fruit but it varies in size. I've recently re-potted in bigger pots to see if that helps consistency.
Ants have also made an impressive impression but not in such a great light. They've attacked pepper plants eating the young flower right before losing its petals.

We've even managed to grow a bit of mesclun mix & got lucky with one sweet potato (smiley face).












I'm looking forward to returning to the Upper East Side Farmer's Market again.



I went and sold my herbs a few times before the surgery and totally fell in love with it. It's inspired me to spread the word about herbs and their properties.


It's a real sense of community, strike up interesting conversations with costumers and always leave having learned something new. It's a great way to spend a Saturday morning.



The garden is coming together yet once more and it's a wonderful feeling of another new beginning, new challenges.



Thanks again for stopping by.

~YRM

OMG GMO!

It's been a very interesting couple of months for me. There won't be any pictures in this entry just links and it will be brief & to the point. I came across a very interesting article on Whole Foods supporting the deregulation of genetically modified crops of alfalfa. This means contamination for many a crop. I'd like to raise a bit of awareness by posting a few more pages including Whole Foods' own blog page. Talk amongst yourselves and feel free to leave your comments.

http://www.fitnessgoop.com/2011/02/the-gmo-battle-does-whole-foods-support-monsanto’s-genetically-engineered-alfalfa/

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_22449.cfm

http://www.examiner.com/finance-examiner-in-national/whole-foods-and-other-organic-groceries-cave-to-monsanto-and-gmo-products

http://rawsangha.com/2011/01/29/whole-foods-monsanto-and-gmo-food/

After reading these and a few more articles I became angry for a few days. I quickly just came to the realization that this GMO is even bigger than I ever imagined. I felt like they just told me there is no santa claus. Like the only ally there was has just gone into the dark side of the force.

I recently heard from another source that Obama was lobbying for Monsanto over in India. Even more angry.

This is another confirmation that it's ultimately up the individual. It's really up to us. It's going towards the direction of growing your own and really knowing where it is your food is coming from. And by that I mean getting to know your local growers and supporting them.

Thanks for stopping by for this rant.
~Y

The Arugula Take Over

It's looking up again in the garden. Due to the drastic weather changes in the last couple of months, the garden has slowed down considerably. The basil had to be pulled completely because it dried, the dill just thinned out, the papaya lost all its leaves and so on.

It's been about a couple of weeks that they started showing some improvement. I also added a little organic fertilizer to help the process along and a few have been moved to bigger pots. Culantro, Sage, Chillies, Basil & Rosemary have filled up nicely. Even the swiss chard made a comeback.








I've also planted a few new additions to the garden. Thai Basil, Purple Beauty Peppers, Brandywine tomatoes & Cherry tomatoes. So far the Brandywine and the Cherry tomatoes have made an appearance & everyone else is barely breaking through the soil.

I thoroughly enjoy this process of planting seeds and seeing those first few sights of little stems pushing through the soil. Those days previous to that are filled with excitement and anticipation. It's these little simple things in life that bring a smile to my face.


I am especially pleased with greens.


That bed is filled with mesclun mix, endive, purple lettuce and of course my stellar, arugula.
The fabulous Rocket was planted last July. Yes, July. I didn't know anything about greens but later on found out they do better in cooler weather. Despite the heat & humidity of last summer, they did amazing.
We have been eating it at least once a week since their first harvest. It has flowered and seeded. And the floor of that greens garden is covered with a green shaggy color almost as if a bath mat. I might have to move other bunches elsewhere because of space. I wouldn't mind a full garden. I enjoy it in salad, eggs, stir fries, grilled cheeses and on and on.




In conclusion, things are looking up once again in the garden.

Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by.

~YRM

A Beautiful Miami Evening

It's a chilly, windy and very tasty Saturday night in Wynwood. It is the Food Truck Meet Up and it's loud, cold and so delicious. Tonight I was fortunate enough to enjoy about a full hour with my husband and toddler at the same time, at night and outside the house. Very rare. Usually by 9 pm, Bodhi's out of bed and he's probably letting everyone know just how tired he is by how loud and viking-like he behaves when he's tired. So we went to the food trucks.
We were meeting friends there so it was even more worth it. It's a very cold and windy night but between the music, the company & the food, it made for a nice balance.


I felt honored to meet the builders, owners & runners of the Grill Master Cafe Truck. They specialize in Cuban style gourmet truck cuisine. Featuring the classic Frita to hot dogs to the original Mojito Wrap. They are independent and authentic.




I had a such a delightful and educational conversation with Maria the owner. She described the amount of work, time & money she and her husband invested in this dream of theirs. She also let me know the current extra effort they are now putting in since they've been up & running for some time now. The excitement of crowd rushing their window and making that initial, unique connection. Maria lit up when she spoke about the connections made daily and the smiles she brought to them with a simple comfort food on the go.

Grill Master Cafe is leaning towards organics and sustainable, seasonal ingredients as well. They are also looking to expand their menu with vegetarian and vegan dishes. We had a lengthy talk about learning more about wanting to be part of the "green revolution". That was quite refreshing. (there she is on the left with the apron)






Besides the Grill Master Cafe truck there other trucks like Latin Burger, Jefe's & Cheese Me. I tried Dim Sam a Gogo. Very fresh Asian flavors.


On a side note, our friends the Krafts were there as well. I enjoyed some laughs and a glass of wine with my foodie friend Mytte. We enjoyed some laughs (as usual), very tasty wine and some fresh, hot Asian truck love. Thank you Bon Bon.




All in all it was great. Bodhi had Churros, Frita and hot chocolate. Not bad for his first food truck meet up.


Thanks for stopping by guys.
Much Love.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy 2011.
Over the last several months there has so many different topics going through my noodle. From the oil spill, to the holes in the Tundra, to dolphins, to Monsanto, and on and on and on. I decided to stay consistent. It all keeps coming back to the local and familiar. So this entry is a tribute to the ones that are making those efforts.

I begin with these:

Mytte & Cole Kraft's:


















The Krafts are growing everything from tomatoes, to carrots, to a variety of herbs. These are a couple who is committed to seeing the big picture and not only because they are both amazing chefs, but because they truly understand what it means to grow your own.
Their garden consists of a variety of carrots, herbs and mixed greens. They share their gardening with their three year old son Mace. He is part of the process from planting the seeds to harvesting delicious carrots. Absolutely delightful. Thank you guys for sharing your knowledge and seedlings and endless sense of humor.


Cristina Pulido-Lopez:







Cristina is currently in school majoring in environmental sciences. She's also a mom who truly believes in teaching the next generation to be sustainable and grown their own. She brings a lot to the table as far as educating the masses on what's currently going on with our green movement. Thank you for being a strong, informed and involved entity. Truly valuable.

Ailen Rivera:







Ailen is also a mom of two gorgeous kids. Ailen is the perfect example of the long time effects of eating GMO's. For years Ailen had rashes on various places of her body. It turned out to be that her chemistry is extremely sensitive to GMO's. Since eating clean (organic) these discomforts have disappeared. A testament of what a difference eating clean makes. She grows herbs that she uses for multiple recipes including an assortment of teas. Ailen is also one of those voices who believes on shining the light on the current issues that affect us all whether we know it or not. Thank you for the insight on the establishment.

During this time I've come across a great organization running an urban garden out of a local school. They are called Troy Gardens. Growing everything from Swiss Chard to Papaya, they are undoubtedly realizing the sustainable culture. And more importantly with the next generation.

As for me things have been kind of slow. I've had success with the herbs, alliums, and the mixed greens. I've fallen in love with garlic chives, which I found out go back to Asian cuisine. They are amazing in an omelette, salad or marinade. My aloe plants have thrived and provided much needed liver/bloodstream/colon cleansing.







So I'd like to close with yet another sincere message. Please educate yourselves about what it is you're consuming. The more you know, the more control you have, the more powerful you are and the more difference you can make. It all starts with ourselves. It's not easy, but it's worth it. The cell phones, the cars, the clothes, the gadgets, these aren't the long-lasting. What is long-lasting is the basics.

Plant something. Nurture it. Watch it grow. Enjoy it.

A sincere thank you for stopping by..