Modern Sustainability

Milli on KCET Short Video: Deep Watering for Edible Gardens

2011-10-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

Video: Recycling Old Dresser Drawers into li'l raised beds by your's truly

2011-10-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

B4 I re-use...

2011-08-22T11:16:00.001-07:00

my plastic pots, I wash them out with Dr. Bronner's soap. I want to be sure there are no yuckies lingering around to cause future problems to my baby seedlings :) Its already tough enough to keep the white moths from laying their eggs!!

-- Post From the Field

Hey Ma, you've raised us well! We know where our food comes from! Our backyard!!

2011-07-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

We are lucky enough to be able to harvest these beauties weekly!! I'll be making fruit roll-up, jam, kale chips, dried fruit chunks, chutney, and much more!! Yay!!

Got abundance of fruit?

2011-07-08T08:15:00.001-07:00

Make fruit leathers a/k/a fruit roll ups!!! YUM!
Recipe to follow...

Peaches, Agave, li'l lemon to retain color!

-- Post From the Field

Red Baron peaches!!!

2011-06-30T09:23:00.001-07:00

Our vegetable garden gets 4-5hrs of sun in the summer, boooo right? Successful organic summer gardens should get at least 6-8hrs of sun :( Our tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are taking soooooo long to grow :( Ahhh, the challenges! Our garden is at its low at the moment :( A few years ago we were yearning for our very own organic fruit trees! So we decided to plant an orchard where we get the most sun (mind u we tore up a gorgeous zen landscape for it, I mean it had a waterfall, tiny Irish moss growing, and bamboo!) u get the idea...

Well I'm super happy we decided to do it, because here is a list of awesome sweet juicy fruit we are eating these days! YaY!
Peaches
Nectarines
Plums
Apples

I still cant believe the orchard is only three years old :) Last yr was our first batch of fruit, this yr we estimate 50-70 pieces of fruit from each tree :)

I guess we don't mind trading gorgeous healthy tomato plants for some juicy sweet organic fruit!!!

-- Post From the Field

Zucchini this Zucchini that

2011-06-17T09:37:00.001-07:00

-- Post From the Field

Work Hard Play Hard

2011-06-03T13:29:00.001-07:00

Just got back from speaking at the State Master Gardener conference in Santa Rosa, worked diligently for several hours to put my presentation together and didn't have the best travel experience on the way back :(

Today the birds are singing a different tune, I accomplished to play hard in our oasis, barefoot enjoying the warmth under my feet and on my back :) And had the satisfaction of picking mulberries one at a time, as the sun was peaking thru the leaves warming my face :) Ahhhh, life in the edible zen garden is blissful!

Now to play in the kitchen and start my first batch of Mulberry Jam! Yay!!!

-- Post From the Field

Homegrown Loquat Jam

2011-05-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

Our first batch, YaY!

Patch.com Video: Planning your summer garden

2011-05-27T00:22:00.000-07:00

English:

Spanish:

Summer Plan 2011

2011-04-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Planning on graph paper always helps this gal out! Especially when I have multiple garden plots to plan out! Reference books also help!

Happy Growing!

-- Post From the Field

Photos speak louder than written words!

2011-04-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

Sexy :)

2011-04-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

I find it very Sexy :) when Hubby picks our dessert :)

Happy Spring Days!

Life is good when there is no need to purchase...

2011-03-06T16:42:00.001-08:00

Swiss Chard
Spinach
Collard Greens
Lettuce
Beets
Cilantro
Parsley
Cabbage
Kale
Peas
Broccoli
Oregano
Peppers
Mint

What a fantastic fall/winter season we've had! We've had a continous harvest all season long, may I add it's been several pounds of fresh organic veggies!!!

What has been the key?
Real Dirt - We were having lots of problems with the bags of soil purchased at ur local home improvement stores :(. Boooooo!
Worm Tea - Black Liquid Gold!

-- Post From the Field

Seedlings love classical & meditative music!

2011-03-03T12:00:00.001-08:00

-- Post From the Sunny Side Bdrm

What's growin on at Modern-Sustainability Urban Homestead??

2011-03-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

Indeed, we've been busy bees in our daily modern-sustainability ventures and have not posted in months about what's growin on in our li'l Urban Homestead! Let us begin 2011 with what I've sowed in the past few weeks for Spring/Summer:

Too cold or wet to play outside? Improvise is our key :) Lay out an old sheet and begin to play in doors, preferably near a sunny window!

Friday, Feb. 18th Sowed the following seeds:

Heirloom Pole Rattlesnake/Purple Bean
Edamame Bean
Montezzuma's Red Bush Bean
Black Azteca Corn
Oaxacan Corn
Container Bush Slicer Cucumber
Spacemaster Cucumber
Container Li'l Prince Eggplant
Green Fleshed Honeydew Melon
Yellow Old German Tomato
Brandywine Tomato
Container Super Bush Tomato
Italian Zucchini Romanesco
Mini Jack Pumpkin
Dark Green Raven

Wednesday, Mar. 2 Seedlings are looking healthy and strong! Except a few seeds did not germinate :( So I decided to resow them :)

What are these li'l guys being fed? A light worm tea concoction w/ kelp and pond H2O. Also, they are receiving light through a unused lamp I found in the office. Remember Improvise! I move the lamp around the seedlings so that everyone gets a bit of light. Plus, when the sun is out, I place the trays directly in the sunshine!

More to come! Stay tuned...

peas,
milli macen-moore

Canceled due to rain: Organic Sundays with Yvonne Savio!! 3pm Nov. 21 at Milagro Allegro Community Garden

2010-11-18T01:11:00.000-08:00

We are sorry to inform you that we are canceling today’s “Organic Sunday’s” with our dear friend Yvonne Savio, due to the unpredictable rain. We hope to be able to schedule her for a later date.

Thanks again for supporting our educational workshops and Happy Holidays!

Milli Macen-Moore

Dreaming about buying that new "perfect” tool? Forget it. Recycling
and inventing new uses for household items can be more productive and
certainly less expensive.

Milagro Allegro is honored and privileged to welcome Yvonne Savio,
Manager of the University of California Cooperative Extension Master
Gardener Program and Horticulturist of the year! Yvonne will show us
how to recycle and develop new uses for household items and will also
discuss the UCCE Master Gardener application process.

What: “Organic Sundays”: Recycle "Useless" Items into "New" Garden
Tools with Yvonne Savio
When: Sunday, November 21, 2010
Where: Milagro Allegro Community Garden

115 S. Avenue 56, LA 90042
1 block SE of Figueroa, behind the Highland Theater www.hpgarden.org
Time: 3pm (Spanish Translation provided)

Please bring a plastic gallon jug and an egg carton.

Suggested donation $10, no one turned away for lack of funds

Fall's UC Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative at Milagro Allegro Community Garden

2010-10-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

There is still some spots available for the upcoming UC Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative, if you should be interested in this amazing series, please contact me. Thanks!

Milli Macen-Moore
:)

September Events at Milagro Allegro Community Garden

2010-09-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

Milagro Allegro Community Garden
115 S. Avenue 56
Highland Park (Los Angeles)
CA, 90042
(Behind the Highland Park Theater)

Calendar of Events for September 2010

* September 19 – Organic Sundays, 4-5pm “What to Sow & Transplant this Fall”
* September 25 – Fresh from the Garden, 4-5pm This month’s topic: “Squash”
* September 26 – Garden Swap, 5-6:30pm

September 19 – Organic Sundays, 4-5pm “What to Sow & Transplant this Fall”

Eating locally and organically is important, and in Los Angeles we are fortunate to be able to grow delicious, nutritious and organic fresh food year-round. Join us for “Organic Sundays” – an incredible and stimulating series of organic edible garden workshops every third Sunday of the month held at Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park.
With Fall fast approaching, this month’s class will focus on how and what to sow and transplant this Fall. Master Gardener Milli Macen-Moore, will also be giving FREE organic edible, non-GMO Fall/Winter seeds!! Plan to get your hands in the dirt, and bring your baggies, and markers for your seed treasures.

Master Gardener Milli will also be available one hour before class to answer your gardening questions.

Join us for this month’s Organic Sundays class “What to Sow & Transplant this Fall”

Sunday, September 19, 2010, 4:00-5:00pm (English), 5:30 – 6:30pm (Espanol)

Suggested donation $10, no one turned away for funds

Check out our informational flyers in English or Spanish for more info.

_____________________________________________

September 25 – Fresh from the Garden, 4-5pm This month’s topic: “Squash”

We invite you and your family to take part in “Fresh from the Garden” – free nutrition workshops and cooking demonstrations being held every fourth Saturday of the month at Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park.

This month we will discuss the health benefits of eating fresh squash, how to properly harvest, store and how to healthfully prepare them. Take home a delicious healthy recipe to share with your family and friends!

Join us for September’s “Fresh from the Garden” focus on Squash.

September 25, 2010, 4:00-5:00pm

_____________________________________________

September 26 – Garden Swap, 5-6:30pm

Do you have a surplus of fresh veggies, seedlings, or garden tools? Have you ever thought of swapping your goods for something you need? Now’s our chance! Let’s gather our goods and exchange for FREE! Seeds, worms, compost, plants, fresh vegetables, innovative gardening ideas, food recipes, worm tea, tools, magazines, and books, are welcome. Master Gardener, Milli Macen-Moore will also be onsite and happy to answer all of your gardening questions.

Monthly Garden Swap

Sunday, September 26, 5pm-6:30pm

Swapping begins at 5:30pm! Don’t be late!

Paul Stamets on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world - Mycilium

2010-08-28T01:34:00.000-07:00

Great events this MONTH - August 2010!!

2010-08-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

Lots of great events happening this month all over Los Angeles! Many are educational, artistic, and very helpful if you're planning on developing a your own edible garden, school garden or community garden this fall!

Hope you guys find the below events helpful and resourceful!

Free Seedlings in exchange of your opinions regarding LAUSD School Lunch! Wednesday, August 18 at 6:30 PM
Location: Manual Arts High School

Locally? Locally, tomorrow, Wednesday, August 18 at 6:30 PM all interested parties are invited to make their opinions known about "school food" at Manual Arts High School. Mud Barron will co-facilitate with Laura Benevides of Food Services. This is the official listening session of the School Food Parent/Student/ Teacher/Communit y Taskforce before the first LAUSD Board meeting of 2010-11 school year. We have been instructed by the Superintendent' s office to gather input for board consideration. Speakers will have the opportunity to hear & discuss options. You bring the "options"... right?

5,000 organic tomato, chard & veggie plugs will be distributed afterwards.

"Organic Sundays"
“Planning Your Fall Organic Edible Garden”

"Planificacion de su Jardin Comestible Organico"
Sunday, August 22, 4-5pm (English Workshop),
5:30-6:30pm (Spanish Workshop)

Location: Milagro Allegro Community Garden
115 S. Avenue 56

Highland Park (Los Angeles)
CA, 90042
(Behind The Highland Park Theater)

Eating locally and organically is important, and in Los Angeles we are fortunate to be able to grow delicious, nutritious and organic fresh food year-round.

Join us for “Organic Sundays” – an incredible and stimulating series of organic edible garden workshops every third Sunday of the month held at Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park.
With Fall fast approaching, this month’s class will focus on planning for your Fall edible garden! Master Gardener Milli Macen-Moore will teach you how to rejuvenate your soil organically and plan your fall raised beds – all while getting DIRTY! (Please remember to bring your gloves!) Milli will also be available one hour before class to answer your gardening questions.

Join us for this month’s Organic Sundays class “Planning Your Fall Organic Edible Garden”

Sunday, August 22, 2010, 4:00-5:00pm (English), 5:30 – 6:30pm (Espanol)

Suggested donation $10, no one turned away for funds

Planting the Seeds of Success for Your Community or School Garden
Wednesday, August 25, 8:30am-4pm
Location: The Huntington Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108

The Network for a Healthy California--Los Angeles Region and the University of California Cooperative Extension invite you to join them for an exciting sharing forum, designed to help you make your school or community garden a center for nutrition education. OR, get ideas for starting a school or community garden that will help improve health in your community!

Highlights of the day will include speakers on:
-Victory Gardens, Then and Now
-Garden Research Findings: How Gardens Promote Good Nutrition and Improve Food Security
-Best practices and resource sharing

Breakout sessions will be offered for:
-School Gardens
-Community Gardens
-Gardening 101
-Physical Activity in the Garden
-Nutrition in the Garden
-Evaluating Your Garden

Registration costs $15 ($30 if you would like to include lunch from Home Girl Cafe) and is available online at http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=5094.

Advance registration required. We look forward to seeing you there!

Vertical Veggies: Urban Gardening and Cooking at Homegirl Cafe
Thursday, August 26, 6 to 9 pm
Location: Homegirl Cafe
130 Bruno Street, Chinatown
Metro Gold Line is right across the street, plan your trip at Metro.net
$15 includes dinner plus gardening or cooking workshop

Summer is here! Join de LaB and LA Commons for an evening of urban farming, cooking and—most importantly—eating at Homegirl Cafe. Choose from several gardening and cooking workshops led by experts at Urban Farming and Homegirl Cafe that specialize in the art of growing (and preparing) edibles in small and surprising city spaces:

Cooking workshop with Homegirl Cafe that shows how to use homegrown produce
Container gardening workshop focusing on what you can start growing now for fall
Vertical garden workshop showing you how to make the most of your walls and fences
A brief tour and overview of Chinatown's "crack gardens" where produce is literally growing out of cracks in the pavement

In addition to the workshop, your $15 ticket also gets you an all-inclusive dinner from Homegirl Cafe made with produce from their on-site vertical garden (and including their homemade sangria!). Plus, live music by Fandango Sin Fronteras all night long! Proceeds benefit Homegirl Cafe and LA Common's Trekking LA program. See you in the garden!

6:00pm Dinner and drinks (dinner service will continue throughout the night)
7:30pm Workshops begin
8:15pm Drinks and live music

Fresh from the Garden: This month’s topic: “Tomatoes”
Saturday, August 28, 4-5pm
Location: Milagro Allegro Community Garden
115 S. Avenue 56
Highland Park (Los Angeles)
CA, 90042
(Behind The Highland Park Theater)

We invite you and your family to take part in “Fresh from the Garden” – free nutrition workshops and cooking demonstrations being held every fourth Saturday of the month at Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park.

This month we will discuss the health benefits of eating fresh tomatoes, how to properly harvest them, store them and how to healthfully prepare them. Take home a delicious healthy recipe to share with your family and friends!

Join us for August’s “Fresh from the Garden” focus on Tomatoes"Garden Swap"

Sunday, August 29, 5-6:30pm

Location: Milagro Allegro Community Garden

115 S. Avenue 56
Highland Park (Los Angeles)
CA, 90042
(Behind The Highland Park Theater)

Do you have a surplus of fresh veggies, seedlings, or garden tools? Have you ever thought of swapping your goods for something you need? Now’s our chance! Let’s gather our goods and exchange for FREE! Seeds, worms, compost, plants, fresh vegetables, innovative gardening ideas, food recipes, worm tea, tools, magazines, and books, are welcome. Master Gardener, Milli Macen-Moore will also be onsite and happy to answer all of your gardening questions.

Monthly Garden Swap

Sunday, August 29th, 5pm-6:30pm

Swapping begins at 5:30pm! Don’t be late!

RSVP: milli@modern-sustainability.com

"Garden Swap" Time!

2010-07-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

Our first pilot "Garden Swap" was a true success! Folks swapped SEEDS, veggie plants, gardening tools, avacadoes, lemons, apples, squash, all sorts of herbs, oranges, swiss chard, baked goods, flowers, compost, worm tea, reusable grocery bags, magazines, fresh worm castings, and much more!

Join us at our next "Garden Swap" where the entire community of Los Angeles will have the ability to swap their gardening goods for other free goods. Please see below or attached for more details:

FREE “Garden Swap”

Everyone Welcome

Saturday, July 31st 6pm-8pm

Milagro Allegro Community Garden

115 S. Avenue 56, Los Angeles, CA 90042

1 block SE of Figueroa, behind the Highland Theater www.hpgarden.org

What: Garden Swap

When: Saturday, July 31, 2010

Where: Milagro Allegro Community Garden

115 S. Avenue 56, LA 90042

Time: 6pm-8pm

Food Not Lawns Fundraising Teaser

2010-06-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

See anyone familiar in this upcoming documentary? Enjoy watching!

FREE Composting Workshop - Saturday, 6/26 at 9 a.m.

2010-06-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

FREE Composting Workshop at
Milagro Allegro Community Garden
115 S. Avenue 56, L.A. 90042
June 26, 2010 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

You are invited to attend a free County of Los Angeles Smart Gardening composting workshop! Learn to reduce yard waste and improve your lawn and garden. Get step-by-step instructions on how to compost, and learn the benefits of and the science behind the process.

Workshop is about 1.5 hours. No reservations needed.

What: FREE Composting Workshop
Where: Milagro Allegro Community Garden
115 S. Avenue 56, L.A. 90042
When: Saturday, June 26
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Cost: FREE

Composting Bins For Sale: $40 each
Worm Compost Bins For Sale: $65 each

Details on composting bins available here

The workshops is brought to you by the County of Los Angeles Smart Gardening Program

Hope to see you all there!
Milli Macen-Moore

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms by Karney Hatch

2010-05-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

Intensive & Biodiverse gardening: Small Space growing in our backyard!

2010-05-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

As promised here are some photos of our edible garden... Enjoy!

Got abundance of organic veggies?

2010-05-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

Next free exchange of veggies is Saturday May 29th! If you're interested in exchanging those zucchinis for a huge bag of freshly picked produce, now's your chance to enroll! Check out the link below for more information. Eric and I have been part of this great idea for a year, and it is always fun receiving a full bag of fresh organic veggies from our neighbors!

Hillside Produce Cooperative

Don't live in the North East Los Angeles area? Not to worry, the site above teaches you how to develop your own circle!

Keep growing...

Clementine Candles - Yes recycle those rinds into candles!

2010-05-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks Victory Gardener MN for sharing the information with the rest of us.

Click here for more info...

Grafting Tomatoes

2010-05-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you Victory Gardener PB for asking if we could graft tomatoes, and the answer is YES! Please view video below :)

Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative mentioned on UC Food Blog

2010-05-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Click here to read...

Lummis Day Event Sunday June 6th

2010-05-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Come join the fun and stop by the Master Gardener table to say hello.
Sunday June 6th.

Click on the above image for more information.

Milli Macen-Moore

Journal

2010-05-05T07:15:00.001-07:00

Make it a habit to journal everything; when you planted seeds, what varieties you sowed, how often you fertilize, any deseases, etc.

Happy growing...
Milli

-- Post From the Field

Vandana Shiva: The Future of Food

2010-05-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Your questions answered...

2010-05-02T02:22:00.000-07:00

Hola Victory Gardeners!!

Hope everyone has continued to be excited about growing your own! Below are your various questions answered.

W.O. asked...

...someone mentioned at today's class about free straw at the San Pasqual stables, but I wanted to be sure I heard that correctly before I venture over there with an empty wheelbarrow and pitch fork :).

Milli:
I'm not positive if they give free straw out, however, I'm sure they will be happy to see you remove as much manure with straw in it as possible. Don't forget to take your own shovels and recycled plastic bags.

Here's a link to their address:
http://www.sanpascualstables.net/contact.html

K.B. asked...
I'm also looking forward to the list of gardening applications...

Milli:
For those of us that have i-phones, they have developed some handy applications for us edible gardeners!! I haven't had the chance to play with any of them, however, these are a few that have been recommended to me from other gardeners.
Botanical Interests
iGarden USA
Garden Tracker
Pocket Garden

B.C.G. asked...
Please email the list of plants that are safe for children.

Milli:
I work with hundreds of infants and toddlers and they seem to really enjoy sowing seeds, watering, and simply watching the ladybugs travel through a forest of carrot tops!

Here's a few:
Pansy
Nasturtium
Society Garlic
Rosemary (Attracts bees, be extra careful to place in an area away from small children)
Lavendar (Attracts bees, be extra careful to place in an area away from small children)
Thyme
Spearmint or Mint (Very invasive, be sure to plant these in pots)
Parsley
Cilantro
Endive
Oregano
Ruby Red Lettuce

M.N. & C.N. asked...
Also, is there a Facebook group that we can start so that people can post up questions, etc and photos from their plots? :)

Milli:
We already have a Common Ground Garden Program Facebook page, do you guys want to develop a separate Victory Gardener's Milagro Allegro Facebook page ?

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Common-Ground-Garden-Program-UC-Cooperative-Extension-Los-Angeles-County/124160624772?ref=ts

Remember you could also post your comments and photos on the Victory Garden blog:

http://ucanr.org/blogs/GrowLA/

M.N. & C.N. asked...
And finally, last question (sorry, so many questions), what's your take on the borage plant? We found a lot of info on it.

Milli:
I love borage! Did you know that they use to make candy out of the flowers. It also attracts lots of bees, so its a great pollinator. Use it as a companion plant, it is said that if planted near tomatoes it will improve their taste and also their growth. They also repel hornworms. We currently have borage gowing near all the tomatoes :)

J.L. asked...
I noticed that all my seeds have begun to sprout, which is very exciting. But I don't have much space at my apartment for gardening outdoors, and the balcony gets very poor sunlight. Should I transplant my seedlings to containers instead? Would they grow indoors until they got bigger? I have spinach, swiss chard, basil, and tomato seedlings. Also, I have not transplanted the transplants anywhere, but they are all doing well- I have lemon balm, rue, and tomato. The seedlings did really well by a window where I have put them, but I know they will get bigger and have to be relocated at some point.

Milli:
That's awesome! (It was also really nice seeing you in town :) Have your seedlings developed their first true leaves? If so, transplant them into larger containers and have them continue to sit on your sunny window. You'll be astonish on how well they will do and how early you'll be able to harvest. Remember, chard, spinach, basil, lemon balm, and rue are happy to give you a few of their leaves when they are still young :) Tomatoes will eventually need a home. Have you thought about applying to a community plot or doing a yardshare?

For those of you that don't have enough sunlight or land to grow on, check out this awesome program that was put together by L.A. Community Garden Council: (I have a yard share with a great loving family and I'm very grateful for the extra land.)

http://growfriend.org/

K.B. wrote:
Just wanted to follow up on a few questions that were nagging at my brain from class:

1)
C.C.A. asked about leaving leaves pulled off plants in the garden as mulch: Good? Bad? and as a follow up I asked--What defines mulch?

Rodale's All New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening says "Organic mulches include formerly living material such as wood chips, shredded bark, chopped leaves, straw, grass clippings, etc.."
and advises that one of the best ways to keep your garden disease and pest free is to keep it tidy (remove damaged dead or diseased leaves and plants)

Also, from my training as a natural builder, I know that straw, bark, and dry grass clippings contain little nutrient value for insects and a higher level of celulose and silica which they don't like while they are drawn to hay (which is more leaf than stem and has a higher nutrient value)

2)
What can we do generally to treat polluted soil?
In the Toolbox for Sustainable City Living they say that the best thing we can do to clean up soil is ADD COMPOST! Yep, they say that the little buggers that generally make compost so awesome love to eat all that nasty stuff that we don't want to eat ourselves and recommend that urban superfund sites become urban compost facilities. Hmmm? Sounds like a good start, but I want more details.

Thoughts?

Milli:

Great questions everyone and thank you K. for the info. and your research! Keep them coming and also send over some photos to share with everyone. I'll be posting several photos of our garden soon.

Also, regarding worm or compost tea. Who is still interested in a batch? I'll be preparing a huge batch this weekend. I'll be happy to meet you guys at the community garden for pick-up!!

Keep growing and loving your veggies,

milli macen-moore

To: The New UCCE Certified Victory Gardeners

2010-04-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

You guys ROCK! Thanks again for attending 12 hours of lecture and hands-on work with yours truly :) I'm really looking forward to our next reunion where we will be able to share more ideas, successes, seeds, plants, recipes, and everything edible :)

Congrats again and keep growing!!!

Milli Macen-Moore
Master Gardener
Neighborhood Coordinator

P.S. For those of you who are interested in taking this series on May 15th & 16th, please contact me.

Please click on link below for more info:
Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative

Remember to also leave your comments at:
http://ucanr.org/blogs/growla

Sowing our first seeds. How are your seedlings doing by the way?

Eric "Bingwa" teaching us how to build a raised box.

How to plan and what to grow.

Preparing soil.

Selecting plants.

Happy Certified Victory Gardeners!!! YAY! Congrats!
Morning class meet Afternoon class...

Gosh guys, miss you already!! Can't wait to get dirty again!
:) milli :)

Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative

2010-03-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES!

Become a Certified UC Victory Gardener through the
GROW LA VICTORY GARDEN INITIATIVE
Part of University of California Cooperative Extension's
Master Gardener Program

Join Your Neighborhood Victory Garden Circle:

Location: Milagro Allegro Community Garden
115 S. Avenue 56, Los Angele 90042

Dates/times: April 10, 11, 17, 18,
10 am - 1 pm (CLOSED)

2nd series added:
Dates/times: April 10, 11, 17, 18,
4 pm - 7 pm (CLOSED)

3rd series added: Spanish Only
Dates/times: May 1 & 2
9 am - 4 pm

4th series added:
Dates / times: May 15 & 16
9am - 4 pm

Cost: $15 per workshop, $50 for 4 class series

Instructor: Master Gardener, Milli Macen-Moore

Registration: 1-800-863-5476 (leave message), or email me
milli@modern-sustainability.com

Website: http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/

I'm thrilled to be able to teach and share my knowledge with you. Growing your own organic food in an urban setting can significantly change your health and way of life.

Some details...
I will be providing full and partial scholarships for those of you who are interested with limited funds. Please note, this series is on basic organic vegetable gardening. You must attend all four classes in the series to become a UC Certified Victory Gardener. After the series is over, we will attempt to meet informally to share our gardening experiences and have a chance to ask and answer questions. Limited to 20 people. Spanish translation will also be available. Seeds, seedlings, soil and plastic pots will be provided. For more information, please contact me.

Looking forward to a successful Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative!

Peas & Radishes,

Milli Macen-Moore
Master Gardener &
Neighborhood Coordinator
Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative

Instructor's Bio:
Milli Macen-Moore, is a certified Master Gardener and Sustainable Landscape Expert through UC Cooperative Extension's Common Ground Program. Milli specializes and holds workshops on organic edible landscapes for self-sustainability throughout Los Angeles County. She enjoys educating and empowering children on how to grow, harvest, and eat more nutritious fruits and vegetables. Her passion is growing 50% of her family's food in her urban backyard. For more information please contact Milli directly: milli@modern-sustainability.com

For the official press release, please click on image below...

Michael Pollen author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma talks at Pop Tech 2009

2010-02-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

PopTech 2009: Michael Pollan from PopTech on Vimeo.

Fruit tree workshop 2/20/10 at Milagro Allegro Community Garden

2010-02-11T21:21:00.001-08:00

Keynote Speaker, Milli Macen-Moore: 7th Congress 50% Food Initiative, March 20th!

2010-02-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

Hola!

Excited and honored to be a Keynote speaker at this very special event! It will be awesome to share how we begun this path, why we chose to stick to it, and how it has benefited us in so many ways. Check out the 411 by clicking here...

Will be estatic to see you there!

Be well and filled with abundance,
Milli

Next free exchange of produce/flowers: Sat 2/13/10

2010-02-07T15:01:00.001-08:00

Hola all! Hillside Produce Cooperative is at it again, redistributing homegrown veggies, herbs, and flowers! Check out the 411 below!

Milli

WELCOME BACK, everyone and happy 2010!

The Hillside Produce Cooperative took its very first month off EVER in January and is now BACK and ready to redistribute and share all your delicious Local FRUITS, VEGETABLES, HERBS, and FLOWERS for F R E E on
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2010!

So what do you do if you'd like to join in?
It's easy! Just
RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL - hillsideproducecooperative@yahoo.com
and let me know what produce you'll have to contribute this Saturday and/or if you'd like to volunteer to bag or deliver all the amazing food!

If you're new to our process, please check out the HOW IT WORKS section of our website -
http://hillsideproducecooperative.org/2009/03/21/heres-how-it-works/

To include you in this Saturday's exchange, I'll need to hear back your commitment to participate via email by this THURSDAY (February 11th) at NOON.

As always, participants will drop off their yummy harvests at my house in Glassell Park - this Saturday, Feb 13th before NOON, bagging volunteers will be needed to count everything and redistribute it equally at NOON, and the beautiful savvy delivery volunteers will be needed at 2:30.

Also, if you've never exchanged with us before, I'll need your address so someone will be able to deliver a big farmers'-market-style lush bag of FREE produce to your door.

It's been so difficult to watch all our gorgeous citrus dripping off the trees the last couple of weeks! But now we're back in action and ready to share.

So who's in?

I look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks for being a part of this,

Hynden

hillsideproducecooperative.org

The Hillside Produce Cooperative is a free neighborhood monthly exchange of all the FRUITS, VEGETABLES, HERBS and FLOWERS we grow in our yards; a collective in which we all get to enjoy some of what everyone grows in exchange for contributing what we don’t want or won’t use ourselves. Then no food is wasted and we all get a variety of fresh local produce to eat for FREE.

-- Post From the Field

Settler's Venture: Day 38

2010-02-07T09:04:00.001-08:00

We made it through January, and have also gone to TOWN!!! It wasn't easy, here's our update...

Here's our list of groceries we purchased with $250 + $50 for condiments a total of $300: (all organic, of course!)

In Bulk:
Blackeye Peas
Garbanzo Beans
French Lentils
Green Split Peas
Kidney Beans
Rolled Oats
White Buckwheat
Black Beans
Yellow popcorn
Quinoa
Jasmine Rice
Sea Salt

Fruit:
Bananas

Frozen Fruit:
Strawberries
Pineapple
Blueberries
Mango

Dried Fruit:
Mango slices
Dates

Veggies:
Red Potatoes
Portabella Mushrooms
Carrots

All others:
Firm Non-GMO Tofu
Garlic Spread
Lara Bars
Sourdough Bread
Quinoa Linguini
Quinoa Spaghetti
Apple Cider Vinegar
Organic All Purpose Flour
Quinoa Flour
Organic Sesame Tahini Butter
Soy Milk
Liquid Aminos
Nutritional Brewers Yeast
Olive Oil
Tomato Pasta Sauce
Bruschetta Spread
Garlic Powder

Nuts & Seeds:
Brazilian Nuts
Cashew Nuts
Walnuts
Sunflowers
Pepitas

Will we survive another round of Settler's Venture, I'm confident we will. At this point we have an overabundance of food... some of you may be thinking, what in the world can these people be making with this? How about homemade pizza, portabella burgers & fries, daily smoothies, stir fry, soups, salads, cabbage rolls, bread, chana masala & naan, sushi, and the list goes on... Our focus still continues, BACK TO BASICS!

Oh and we haven't mentioned how much better we feel and we both are gradually losing our temptation on eating out, plus losing some weight. YaY!!! This experiment is really working...

Stay tuned for more...

Have a blissful day!
Milli Macen-Moore

Pictures of the day...

2010-02-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

Green cauliflower.

Summer seedlings enjoying a warm bedroom.

Healthy doggie requesting her sugar snap peas of the day :)

We keep harvesting every two days!!!

Unexpected admirer...

We have edibles growing everywhere!

-- Post From the Field

Happy Visitor

2010-02-06T16:07:00.001-08:00

We had a happy visitor this morning... He's ready to go home and prep a salad!

-- Post From the Field

L.A. Sprouts: Movie Recommendation

2010-02-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hola boys and girls of L.A. Sprouts :)

Below is this week's movie recommendation. Enjoy! Can't wait to listen to your opinions regarding this incredible family growing their own food in Pasadena, California.

Keep smiling & growing,
Milli Macen-Moore

Los Angeles Urban Farmers Unite!

2010-02-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Urban farmers fight nationwide to sow green biz

Read here...

Spring/Summer runner ups

2010-01-26T22:51:00.001-08:00

Tomatoes
Artichokes
Peppers
Eggplants

All living in our bedroom :)

-- Post From the Field

"L.A. Sprouts" Launches this Friday!

2010-01-25T22:55:00.000-08:00

I feel very privileged and honored to be leading the gardening portion of this remarkable pilot program. Click on images below to be able to read the details...

All is happy and wet around here...
~milli macen-moore

Growing Grain

2010-01-23T13:36:00.000-08:00

We're gonna grow some grain this year and found this video while researching, enjoy & be inspired.

This one is for you "B" :)

2010-01-23T13:32:00.001-08:00

It was great to see you at Solano Community Garden this morning "B". Here's what we're doing in the garden... We're drawing our spring plan and will also be sowing more seeds indoors for spring/summer tomorrow.

We'll be sure to sow an extra brandywine for you :)

Xoxoox
Milli, Eric & Scoopy :)

-- Post From the Field

Today's harvest and food.

2010-01-22T14:20:00.001-08:00

A li'l rain won't stop me from harvesting :)

Picked today:
Purple kale
Various lettuce
Watercress
French sorrel
Brocolli leaves
Cabbage leaves
Cauliflower leaves
Onion tops
Garlic tops
Cilantro
Parsley

What I'm I preping today?

Going to make raw kale chips in the dehydrator. I'm also going to try to make raw cauliflower & broccoli chips. Hope those come out yummy :) if not I could use them in tonights veggie soup :)

Also, been rashining the flax seeds; will be making raw flax seed crackers with the above herbs.

For lunch & dinner big pot of veggie soup with a yummy side salad. Also in the soup will be a small amount of amaranth and green lentils (been rashining those too).

The pantry is looking very slim, folks! Question is, will we make it thru the 1st without feeling hungry??? Ayeeeeeee, not sure!

Settler's Venture: Day 18

2010-01-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

The photos in the video:

1.) We're harvesting greens every two days.
2.) Making yummy kale chips every week. Still can't believe that children love them!
3.) Thanks to Warren & Lovejoy for graciously bartering with us. We've had some yummy dishes prepped with those limes, thanks guys!
4.) When you got flour make Indian Naan and beans!! Super delicious and simple.
5.) Still lots of greens in the garden.
6.) Got seeds? Grow sprouts to eat.
7.) Raw vegan apple pie.
8.) Homegrown organic apple.
9.) Thank you Milagro Allegro Garden! Community handed me tomatoes, peas and collards the day I was giving seedlings away. Funny coincidence, the community has no idea of our venture, talk about scoring at the right time. I was already convinced we were going to run out of food by the end of this week and would have to opt out of our venture.
10.) Garden keeps pumping 50% of what we eat!

Hope you're catching some rain water!

2010-01-18T16:53:00.001-08:00

So far we've gotten 2 inches of rain in North East Los Angeles :). That's a lot of rain in 24 hours for Los Angeles :)

-- Post From the Field

Caring for your summer seedlings.

2010-01-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

We're keeping our summer seedlings indoors (bedroom) till the nights warm up. After transplanting them into bigger containers, be sure to keep their soil moist and fertilize accordingly.

For those of you that follow the blog, we won't be making the same mistake as last year by growing 100 tomatoes in the bedroom! It was difficult finding homes for those li'l guys :(

Journal note:
Pix summer seedlings 1.17.10
Harding off beginning today.

Pix Feb. 2009
Bedroom greenhouse :) ayeeeeeee... Li'l crowded but still really nice to wake up and be amongst so much life ;)

Break over, back to the garden...

- Post From the Field

Great turnout at Seedling Giveaway!

2010-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hola everyone and Happy Sunday morning :)

Yesterday's turnout was an awesome success! All winter seedlings and 95% of the summer seedlings have found homes (hint, hint, I still have about 40 early girl tomatoes and 50 parsley :) Calling all school gardens... I'm happy to drop these off.

Yes, folks I was giving thousands of seedlings away, all thanks to the Master Gardening Program and Master Gardener Mud Baron (mind you, may I add one of the coolest geekest Master Gardeners I've met yet :) Mud is awesome, he raises thousands of dollars for L.A. Unified Schools to have GARDENS!!!! YAY!!! The local growers love him so much that they will literally give him thousands of seedlings at one time! So that's how those seedlings got to you, even after I had set aside several seedlings for the children programs I'm leading. Google Mud Baron and check out his long history in giving back to the children and mother earth :)

Now a few pix...

Master Gardener Mud Baron

1.16.10 Seedling Giveaway Milagro Allegro Community Garden

It was a true pleasure talking to you in person Shatbox, you left me inspired...
Can't wait to cross paths with you again :)

Nicole Gatto Director of Milagro Allegro
Without her, there wouldn't be a garden.
We appreciate you Nicole!
(Nicole gray shirt on the right)

Going to go play outside all day, YAY!!! Have a great one...

Seedling Giveaway @ Milagro Allegro Community Garden!

2010-01-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

There’s still time to transplant your favorite winter herbs and vegetables.

Please join me as I will be giving away herb, vegetable and flower seedlings this Saturday 1/16/10 from 2-4pm for community members at Milagro Allegro Community Garden. Also receive quick tips on how to transplant and care for your seedlings.

What will I be giving away?

Winter Vegetable Seedlings:
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage Ruby Perfection
Cauliflower Violet Queen

Herb Seedlings:
Parsley
Dill

Spring/Summer Vegetable Seedlings:
Artichoke
Eggplant Millionaire
Tomato Cherry Red
Early Girl Tomato
Pepper CA Wonder
Pepper Caribbean Red

Flower Seedlings:
Aquilegia Origami Blue & White
Aquilegia Origami Swan Violet & White
Aquilegia Origami Swan Red & White
Delphinium Blue Butterfly
Poppy Ice Champagne Classic
Shasta Daisy

Garden Location: 115 S. Ave 56, LA 90042
One block SE of Figueroa-Behind the Highland Theater
Info: www.hpgarden.org

Hope to see you there!

January 5th 2010 - Tabbouleh

2010-01-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

Parsley from the garden plus some other items makes a delicious dinner. Check out the video.

from the lab- Bingwa

Free organic veggie seedlings!

2010-01-09T22:27:00.001-08:00

You read this blog? Cool, we have several organic veggie seedlings we'd love to give to you, yep for FREE!!! Why??? hmmm, because everyone deserves to know what freshly home grown veggies taste like in their lives :) These seedlings were obtained through the Master Gardener's Common Ground program.

Here's the catch!

You must be a Los Angeles County Resident :)
&
Make me smile ;) Send some photos of what you guys are growing :). It doesn't matter if it's one potted non-edible plant or a landscaped edible garden. I simply enjoy seeing what others are growing :)

Contact me if you're interested :)

Sending lots of love, positivity & peace,

Milli :)

Already planning spring/summer sowing

2010-01-09T21:47:00.001-08:00

-- Post From the Field

Day 4: So far 50% self sustainable...

2010-01-05T01:22:00.000-08:00

The sugar snap pea and the rest of his juicy family that satisfied our palates on New Years day...

Tip: The more you pick the more flowers & peas the vine produces...

Dinner ~ Stir fried home grown veggies & tofu that had been sitting in the fridge while we were out of town.

Several hand bunches of mixed lettuces with several fresh herbs, such as basil, garlic chives, cilantro, parsley, and papalo accompanied by Bragg's Liquid Aminos and a squirt of lemon went great with lunch & dinner January 2nd.

Tip: Harvest leaves, not the entire head for continuous harvest. If leaves taste bitter, try letting them sit in water for several minutes after harvesting. That usually releases the bitterness from the leaves.

Jan. 3rd. Breakfast we had oranges from Hillside Co-op Produce. Lunch ~ Bowl of lentils with salad. Dinner ~ Quinoa Angel Hair Pasta, meatless-balls, and greens from the garden.

Jan. 4th. Breakfast ~ Tiny delicious apple... yum, nothing like the taste of 2min. old apple!
Lunch ~ Huge green salad, garbanzo beans, leftover yellow split peas.
Snack ~ Cocao shake with spirulina, dates, shredded coconut, kelp powder, flax seed powder, parsley powder, alfafa powder, dried pineapple, and frozen mango.
Supper ~ Huge green salad and crunchy veggie lasagna.
Confident we'll make it through the month without breaking our pledge!!!

:) Milli :)

Our 2010 sustainability goal

2010-01-05T00:12:00.000-08:00

Peace & happy New Year. May your life be full of positive experiences & prosperity. We feel very prosperous with how our garden is. Even though there's constant battles with natures small garden nemesis like aphids and nematode and the large, havoc bearing garden enemies like raccoons & grub digging opossums, we still have much success. Sometimes when we're in the garden, our attention is only focused on what's not doing as well as it could. Sometimes we don't see how great the garden really is doing. When we look at photos of the garden, we're as stunned and impressed as anyone else would be seeing them for the first time.

Here we are in January and we are eating apples (of course little, but man, so good) some cherry tomatoes, still harvesting habaneros, eating the first of the snap peas right on the spot (they don't make out of the garden), so much lettuce & sorrel, and the kale... we really have food in our backyard. So we came up with the idea of emulating our eating as if we lived 100 miles from town. Eating will mean really depending on our garden. Buying mostly whole & bulk foods, nuts and items like olive oil, liquid aminos (stuff to prepare the food) from the store. We're only going to the store 1 day a month for food with $250. Everything else we eat is from the garden or trade. This month, we're only eating what we have left in the house. Even though it's the 4th of January, we started on the 1st. I wanted to break the concept down to you before we started logging in our progress. We will be taking daily accounts of the garden and how much time we're out there, what we harvest, and what/ how we eat.

Here we go, enjoy the tribulations.

From the studio, Bingwa

Holiday free exchange of fruits, veggies, herbs, & flowers!

2009-12-19T10:35:00.001-08:00

Hola! Today's contribution harvest for our monthly exchange thru hillsideproducecooperative.org

French Sorrel
Thyme
Basil

For more 411 check out the co-op's site!

Happy Holidays!

-- Post From the Field

Collect rain water!

2009-12-11T16:46:00.001-08:00

It's a great day to put out buckets or containers to collect some H2O from the sky!

Stay dry and warm :)

-- Post From the Field

Free Admission: Nance Klehm Friday, December 11 @ FARMLAB

2009-12-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

I won't miss the lecture below, will you?

Everything Comes into this World Hungry:
Soilmaking and Building

There are three fundamentals that guide this time of descent into northern-hemisphere darkness. The winter season is one of decline and decomposition, activity below ground and general shadowiness. The fundamentals that guide us are:

Everything comes into this world hungry.

Everything wants to be digested.

Everything flows towards soil.

This salon will discuss various methods of transforming what is perceived as waste and turning it into soil or building/healing existing soil.

Nance Klehm is a radical ecologist, designer, urban forager, grower and teacher. Her solo and collaborative work focuses on creating participatory social ecologies in response to a direct experience of a place. She grows and forages much of her own food in a densely urban area. She actively composts food, landscape and human waste. She only uses a flush toilet when no other option is available. She designed and currently manages a large scale, closed-loop vermicompost project at a downtown homeless shelter where cafeteria food waste becomes 4 tons of worm castings a year which in turn is used as the soil that grows food to return to the cafeteria.

She works with Simparch to create and integrate soil and water systems at their Clean Livin’ at C.L.U.I.’s Wendover, UT site. She uses decomposition, filtration and fermentation to transform post-consumer materials generated onsite (solid and liquid human waste, grey water from sinks and shower, food, cardboard and paper) as well as waste materials gathered offsite (casino food waste and grass clippings, horse manure from stables, spent coffee grounds) into biologically rich soil. The resulting waste-sponge systems sustain or aid: a habitat of native species of plants, digestion of the high salinity of the indigenous soils and the capturing, storing and using of precipitation.

She has shown and taught in Mexico, Australia, England, Scandinavia, Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States. Her regular column WEEDEATER appears in ARTHUR magazine.

Read Nance's interview in the current Time magazine

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1945764,00.html

Nance's Website: www.spontaneousvegetation.net

How To Take CO2 Out of the Sky

2009-12-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy when doctors and/or scientist re-affirm to all of us that practicing ORGANIC methods are truly the way we should all be living. Enjoy the below video!

How To Take CO2 Out of the Sky, Timothy J LaSalle from CA Climate and Agriculture on Vimeo.

A Thousand Suns

2009-11-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

by bingwa
m/m-m

so... milli sent me a link of a documentary entitled A Thousand Suns. She got this movie title through FoodMatters and we wanted to share it with you. Before writing about our take on the topics the movie covers, we wanted you to view it and we we were hoping to get your feedback about these events taking place. It would be great for us to engage in conversation on these topics because it affects us all on both a small scale and a global one.

Thanks and enjoy. Once we get feedback from everyone we'll continue on how we feel about these matters. Wishing everyone the best day of giving thanks and we're thankful to be able to share our experiences with you.

Namaste

Edible & Medicinal Plant workshop w/ Olivia Chumacero

2009-11-20T17:13:00.001-08:00

Join Olivia Chumacero at Farmlab 1745 North Spring LA CA, tomorrow 11/21 @ 9:30am for a free edible & medicinal plant workshop.

She will identify and explain the medicinal & edible properties of several Central American & American native plants. You will also have the opportunity to cut and harvest seeds in the Los Angeles Historic State Park next to china town. Everyone is welcomed!
Dress in layers, wear comfortable shoes, & don't forget your hat. You may also want to bring a note pad & camera.

I took the workshop earlier today and thought it was very informative and empowering, don't miss it!

If you can't make it tomorrow, check out the following workshops held at Farmlab:
Dec. 4 & 5 Harvest Flowers/Clearing
Dec. 18 & 19 Seed Give-away/Till/Mulch

Happy Vibes,
Milli

For more info:
www.Farmlab.org

-- Post From the Field

Growing Chibeagle :)

2009-11-14T11:52:00.001-08:00

Hehehe, discovered our little "Scoopy" happily sitting in the window box next to the basil :)

P.S. Windowbox was safely sitting inside the kitchen :)

-- Post From the Field

Need Mulch?

2009-11-08T23:11:00.000-08:00

Laying "SodFather" mulch around fruit trees Nov. 1

Tim Dundon "SodFather" (626) 794-1351 is who we call when we need mulch. Why mulch? Well... there are a several reasons. Mulch protects the soil from erosion, prevents weed growth, conserves moisture, reducing the need for frequent waterings, maintains a more even soil temperature, and reduces compaction from the impact of heavy rains. Be sure not add more than 2 inches of mulch around your plants in fall/winter to reduce fungi and diseases. In the spring/summer you may add up to 4 inches of mulch. Also be sure that the mulch is not touching the stem or trunk of your trees to prevent rot or diseases.

Since Eco-Man Bingwa and I love to reuse everything, we take our empty soil bags to pick-up mulch from Tim. Those soil bags sure come in handy!

Tim Dundon blurb in Los Angeles Magazine Homegrown Edition October 09
How About Them Apples?

In Tim Dundon's World, everyone wins - He clears away the unwanted manure and the organic wood shavings that serve as bedding for the horses at Altadena Stables and turns them into compost so powerful, he's dubbed it "craptonite." He practically gives away the fertilizer, which attracts worms and microbes as it cures ("it's a continours party in there," he says). Come to his place with bags in hand and hel'll be happy to accept a small donation. Order a delivery and he charges for drive time, but the compost is free. The way Dundon sees it, he's helping "the army of people creating their own food. Its time we got an economy that revolves around life instead of money."

Many of us respect and adore the "SodFather." Just in case you're not looking to drive to Altadena or don't need a truck load of mulch...
check out the list below:

Free Mulch: Available Locations

San Pedro
1400 N. Gaffey Street
Time of operation : 7:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m., Seven days a week.

Lake View Terrace
11950 Lopez Canyon Rd., At Paxton Street
Time of operation : 7:00 a.m. To 6:00 p.m., Seven days a week.

West Valley
16600 W. Roscoe Blvd.
Time of operation : 7:00 a.m. To 6:00 p.m., Seven days a week.

East LA
2649 E. Washington Blvd.
Time of operation : 9:00 a.m. To 3:00 p.m., Friday, Saturday, & Sunday.

West LA
6000 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Time of Operation: 7:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m Seven days a week.

Silver Lake
3000 Gilroy Street
Time of Operation: 7:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m Seven days a week.

More to come...

Have a positive & productive week...

Critters Attack

2009-11-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program for Los Angeles

2009-11-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

Yvonne Savio & Milli Macen-Moore
3rd Annual Gathering of Community Gardens, Oct. 24-25, 2009

UC Cooperative Extension Los Angeles County, Common Ground Garden Program

Becoming a Master Gardener has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done in life. Empowering others on how to grow and supplement their food, is simply an honor.

~milli

Our Mission...

The Common Ground garden Program helps Los Angeles County residents to garden, grow their food, and healthfully prepare it. Our targeted audience and priority are to serve limited-resource residents and those traditionally underrepresented.

By training community volunteers, we empower neighborhoods to create their own solutions.

The details:

You will attend 13 Saturdays from 9-4pm in Spring (March, April, and May). You'll have the opportunity to meet and surround yourself with like hearted and minded people. Lessons will be taught by scientist, community gardeners, horticulturists, sustainable landscapers, and fellow Master Gardeners. Plus you'll have the opportunity to visit many gardens.

If you're interested in applying for 2010 Master Gardener program, I suggest you join Yvonne Savio's elist (send an email to: ydsavio@ucdavis.edu) asking to be added either "Community Gardening & Food Security - LA County residents", "School Gardening - LA County residents." Everyone on the elist will automatically receive the November email announcement of the Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program.

Major criteria for acceptance include previous community service (not necessarily in gardening), passion to help low-income county residents grow and eat more nutritious vegetables, and initiative to network, establish and conduct projects.

So there you have it, don't forget to check out the UC Cooperative Extension Common Ground website for more details... Hope to be seeing you in the 2010 Master Gardener class!

Up next... what's up with the garden???

Recycle/Reuse Your Household Throwaways in the Garden with Yvonne Savio

2009-11-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

Recycle/Reuse Your Household Throwaways in the Garden! On Saturday, November 7, at 11am, Yvonne Savio will be at the Atwater Village Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, 3379 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90039, to demonstrate lots of ways to turn trash into "new" garden tools. She'll also show Huell Howser's "California's Green" program of his visit to her Pasadena garden.

Eric and I won't miss it!

Harvard Admits Organic into Its Landscaping Plan

2009-10-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

Will Harvard's choice in going organic begin a trend in all schools? I sure hope so...
Full Story

Yummy Healthy Raw Vegan Pesto

2009-10-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

You won't believe its VEGAN nor Healthy nor Raw!

I found this incredible recipe online, hope it makes your palate very happy! Enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fresh basil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup pine nuts (other nuts, such as almonds or walnuts may be substituted)
5 cloves garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until nuts are ground. Pesto should still have texture and not be completely smooth. Add more salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! One variation is to add 1/2 cup rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes.

Live Interview on All Things Health with Heather Lounsbury, L.Ac.

2009-10-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday October 21 @ 10AM, you'll have the opportunity to call in LIVE with your edible gardening questions! Doc Heather Lounsbury from www.breathebalance.com & www.getnaturalgetwell.com will be interviewing yours truly and Sara Paul from CSA California.

Can't wait to answer your questions live on Radio!

Below are the details:

Heather Lounsbury, L.Ac. is a strong advocate for eating organic, local food. It's better for your health, tastes better, and has less of an impact on the environment. Her guest Milli Macen-Moore, is a certified Master Gardener through UC Cooperative Extension's Common Ground Program. She is currently attempting to grow 50% of what her family eats in her urban backyard. She holds workshops that focus on organic gardening for self-sustainability. Milli shares her experiences in gardening and self-sufficiency through modern-sustainability.com. Heather's other inspiring guest is Sara Paul. After becoming and "organic vegan" in 2008, Sara decided to share her knowledge of health, wellness, and the beauty of eating by connecting people with agriculture, nature, and sustainable individualism. Her current project, CSA California, is running in 5 locations throughout Los Angeles and is fundraiser for school garden and nutrition programs. Inspired by Alice Waters, Sara's goal is to help provide the children of our future the skills and knowledge they need to live off the abundance of the land. www.CSAcalifornia.org Call with your questions for Milli & Sara. (347) 884-9533

Replenishing the nutrients in your soil

2009-10-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

Hola Everyone :)

Hoping everyone got a head start on their fall/winter planning, preparation of soil, and sowing. The Mecca here has certainly gotten an injection of rejunevation these past several weeks :) Consequently, we haven't made much time to blog... Picture us outside till 8:30pm :) Yes, in the dark, playing in the soil or planning :)

Summer crops plus the summer heat suck most of the nutrients out of our fertile soil :( Wondering how to replenish the nutrients the inexpensive way? We till the following about 1ft below the soil surface:

Compost (Home made)
Worm Castings (Worm poop)
Steer Manure (Bags run for about a buck each)

Once you've dug the above mix well into your soil, water it well and allow it to settle for about 2 weeks, not forgetting to continue to water the area.

After the two week mark, the soil is ready for you to sow or transplant your fall/winter crops :)

Reasons why you should wait 2 weeks or more:
:) You're doing lots of good to the physical soil structure :)
:) You're allowing the beneficial microbial population to multiply :)
:) You're allowing the worms to aerate the soil :)
:) You're allowing the earth to rest :)

:( Steer Manure is high in nitrogen and may burn your plants :(

++++PLUS++++
Healthy Soil = Healthy Veggies

Happy Fall Days and lots of nutritious veggies :)

Fall/Winter Gardening Workshop!

2009-09-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hola and Happy Fall Days!!

Its PRIME time to sow for fall!

Join me, as I will be holding a Fall/Winter Gardening Workshop at Milagro Allegro Community Garden on Tuesday, 9/29/09 at 6pm. Stop by and check out this Beautiful Community Garden, its united Community Members and also pick-up several fall/winter gardening tips :)

Can't wait to meet you in person!

Namaste

~milli macen-moore :)

Foliar Feeding: personal entry

2009-09-23T09:16:00.001-07:00

Foliar fed all edibles with fresh worm tea on 9/22/09 7am.

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Got Aphids?

2009-09-20T10:26:00.001-07:00

Use a high pressure water spout on aphids! Check on your veggies or fruit trees every few days, and repeat as necessary. After a few battles you'll notice their numbers have been reduced ;) significantly :)
Had my 3rd battle this AM on our kale & cabbage!

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It's Bingwa's Bday!!!

2009-09-19T08:36:00.001-07:00

Happy Re-birthday to most loving, eco-conscious, wise being i LoVe!!!

It's raw vegan cake for u!!!
Xoxoox

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Wormies + Scott = Good Loving Earth

2009-09-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hola :)

Very COOL! Our buddy Glen Creason, member of The Hillside Cooperative, gave us his unused worm bin for free :) Thanks Glen!! I'll be happy to babysit "Chiona" or hook you up with some worm tea for your edibles :)

Black Bin New Home to Worms!

The bin had been vacant for weeks, since I wasn't able to find an inexpensive local resource of worms :) Bingwa finally found a great local deal on Craigslis t, YaY! Contacted the source and met up with him :)

OMGOSH, the second I strolled into Scott's garden I was in Sustainable Urban Garden Heaven!

Scott was a true "DARLING," he gave me a full tour of his garden, and kept offering me several of his saved seeds :) He added Loofas, Asparagus Beans, Chinese Eggplant, plus Penis/Peter Pepper to my collection!! Yes folks, I wrote Penis/Peter Pepper :) Oh, and a stevia plant from his garden :) What an intelligent, positive, loving being he is...

Scott and one of the areas

where he grows his own food!

Scott's Worm Bins! The green ones

are ready to sell with worms and all :)

"DARLING" Scott's Garden:

Now mind you, we're at the end of Summer and his edibles looked like they were in their PRIME!!! Nothing looked spent or diseased, and he has plenty of edibles growing on the north side of his home, between the house and a 7ft wall! Whaaaa??? I couldn't believe it! How many hours of sun can that side of the house really get? The sun is rising & setting more south, how can that be? It's gotta be the worm castings, worm tea and his secret nitrogen recipe!

We discussed good people helping one another, asian & mexican edibles, garden recipes, how to maintain the wormies happy, and happy people living as self-sustainable as possible :) I felt as if I had met an old friend over a green patch of edibles :) I left invigorated with life and stimulated to continue our journey in being as self-sustainable as possible, thanks Scott :)

Scott's North Side Edible Garden

Scott stimulated his neighbor to grow too...

His neighbor's north side garden!

My great new urban gardener

friend & delicious Asparagus Bean!

Darling Scott

Once I arrived at home, I immediately cleaned out the fridge, began to cut cardboard boxes, went blue bin diving for newspaper, and collected leaves. Assembled the bin and added greens, browns & the wormies :) Sprinkled water and placed the bin in the shade.

New Home for the Wormies

Feeling GREAT about helping mother earth by recycling, staying local, exchanging edible knowledge, bartering, re-using, + sharing is what this world is coming to.

Namaste!

And keep Growing...

Milli Macen-Moore a/k/a Peaceful Petal

Changing of the guard

2009-09-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

With the summer season coming to a close and the start of the fall season quickly approaching, Peaceful Petal (Milli, my wife, but I guess I have to call her by her blog handle) and myself get a chance to switch responsibilities in the garden. We have what we call two (2) main focuses in our gardening production. The 1st position is the field manager. The field manager tasks include planning what and where to plant; based on garden space availability, amount of sunlight and length of days to harvest. Consecutively planting transplants from the nursery, creating watering routines appropriate with the season and weather, fore-think and pre-order plants months ahead of planting, feed and solve pest & disease situations, and much, much more. That's where I've been, deep in the field with stories from the highest successes to retreats, surrenders and failures. The 2nd position is the nursery manager. The nursery manager handles all seed inventory and ordering, germination and planting of seedlings, fulfilling orders from the field manager (sometimes we gotta run it like a business and momentarily put aside the husband/ wife pleasantries), periodically catalog the inventory of the nursery, post plants for sale, transplant seedlings, water, feed & help from 150 - 500 or more little beings grow big & strong. I'm looking forward to the switch and it helps both of us get a more complete experience with the full process of garden sustainability. You don't just plant a seed and wait then eat, that's for sure.

So now that I'll be in the nursery and not the field, i'll be able to fill in blogs of summer experiences in detail and explain how the nursery is. A month or so ago I built the first phase of our nursery. It's just a large shelf but it has the different areas we need. I'll explain in detail soon. Thanks everyone for checking us out and i'm excited to share our experiences.

-From the nursery, bingwa

Is it easy to sustain yourself on what you grow?

2009-09-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

hmmm...

It is when u live a life of simplicity & wellness.

We're a meat, microwave, and a soda free home, which in turn saves us money and keeps us healthy.

Growing your own food has its challenges and at times could be downright discouraging. Other times you'll find yourself with an over abundance of a particular fruit or vegetable. You're creativeness kicks in and you'll begin to think of ways on how to prepare it, preserve it, use it as bartering, or selling it.

There have been plenty of times that we have supplemented our grocery income with simply selling a few plants :) In turn making us somewhat sustainable :)

Garden break time! What's for lunch?

2009-09-06T12:56:00.001-07:00

Break time :) wanted to share this great protein crunchy salad ;)

1/4 cup Raw cashews
1/4 cup Roasted almonds
Dulce
Celery (chopped same size as nuts)
Diced onion
Arugula (sliced with scissors)
2 key limes
Dabble your favorite green pepper sauce. Enjoy!

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Peaceful Elements now being featured at The Crystal Matrix!!!

2009-08-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

Tx to everyone who has inquired about the rings I custom make :) I'm happy to announce that they are now being featured at The Crystal Matrix store!!! Stop by to try them on!!
Xoxoxoxo
www.thecrystalmatrix.com

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Photos of The Mecca in August

2009-08-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

August 15, 2009

Sow for fall now :)

2009-08-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hola :)

Its been a while since we last wrote... SORRY, our favorite time to play outside is the summer :)

YES, PEEPS please consider we're only 5 weeks away from the first day of fall :) And if you're wondering what can be grown in the fall, here's THE LIST of what we've begun to sow :) :)

beets

broccoli

cabbage

carrots

cauliflower

celery

chard

endive

kale

kohlrabi

mesclun Lettuce

onions

parsley

peas

radishes

spinach

mexican herbs:

pipicha

epazote

quintonil

quelite

alacin

chipilin

papalo

Keep growing your own and be well :)

Personal journal entry:

8.14.09

Carrots ~ Peas ~ Red Onion ~ Bunching Green Onion

8.09.09

Variety of Salads: Arugula ~ Sorrel ~ Water Crest ~ Red Snail Leaf ~ Buttercrunch ~ Leaf Lettuce ~ Romaine ~ Bibb ~ Salad Bowl Leaf ~ Butterhead 4 Seasons ~ Endive ~

Experimenting: Cherry Tomato ~ Tebasco Pepper ~ Quinoa

8.13.09

Mesclun Valentine (Lettuce)

Beets

Red Amaranth (tx farmlab :)

Keeping your ponds Eco-friendly clean...

2009-07-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

Pix taken February 2008
Pond was originally built as a swimming pond July 2007

After all these years of trial & error we've learned that ponds don't really need any chemicals to keep their water clear & clean. Having plenty aquatic plants help maintain a balanced eco-system...

This is what's currently growing in ours :)

Hyacinths
Duckweed
Anacharis
Water Lillies
+ Fish

Pix taken a few days ago...

And for those of you who are looking for aquatic plants, contact us! We have an overwhelming amount right now!

Be well :)
Namaste :)
Milli

What Soil do we use and how do we Amend soil?

2009-07-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

Soil?
Our vegetables are grown in raised beds and when we first put them in 3 years ago we used a mixture of Rich Black Soil from the Tujunga Canyons, Super Soil ~ Potting Soil (Brown Bag), Super Soil ~ Enriched Planting Compost (Purple Bag) as a base, several bags of worm castings, and also added plenty of our very own home compost.

Three years later we've learned how to imitate rich organic soil with the following recipe:

Bucket Size

1/2 Bucket Super Soil ~ Potting Soil (Brown Bag)
1/2 Bucket Home Compost
2 Handfuls of Worm Castings
1 Handful of Bloodmeal (yucky but certainly necessary!)
1 Handful of Bonemeal (once again yucky but really good for the veggies)
MIX VERY WELL :) Use your hands :) its much more fun that way :)

Amending?
We live on top of a sandstone hill and there are plenty of small areas that we grow directly into the soil. We use a mixture of compost, worm castings, and mulch to amend those parts.

There you have it, not too difficult, eh? If you guys have any special questions, don't be shy and simply ask :) Those of you who we have had a pleasure to talk to or meet know that Eric and I love to teach you guys our gardening methods :)

Special thanks to Aaron & Dawn for inquiring about the soil :) (Aaron how's your garden doing?)

Gardener Celebrities at Novella's Speaking Engagement

2009-07-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

What a Great Evening!

Talk about a room full of Urban/Eco-Conscious/Farmers/Master Gardeners/Vegans/Homesteaders and Novice Edible Gardeners. Listening to Novella and her wacky stories about her squat Farm, the animals she grows to eat and her tiny apartment in Ghost Town Oakland California was certainly uplifting and inspirational :) Thanks Novella for being soooo real & humble :) Now I'm really going to have a good reason to have Bingwa take me to Ghost Town while we're visiting Mama & Papa up in Bay Area :) I'd love to visit all her animals and edible garden :)

Side note: Novella was not able to make it to our garden this time around... her flight was delayed :( Hoping next time she's in LA, we'll have the honor to have her :)

Fun Fact: I've worked very closely with high profile celebrities for 15yrs, and rarely have gotten star struck. But tonight was like attending a Gardener Blogger Celebrities Meeting :) It was great being surrounded by all these Gardener Stars :) All of these people are being the change they want to see in the WORLD....
Here's a few that were in attendance...

Yvonne Savio & Novella Carpenter

Yvonne Savio & her Awesome Husband! She is my idol and also the best Mother Master Gardener a Gurl could ever have! She's super famous in the world of Gardening! All you got to do is Google her name and see how much she's contributed to the Los Angeles County Community; don't forget to sign up to get on her e-list. She's filled with great tips and resources :)
UCCE Cooperative Master Gardener Program

Adriana Martinez from Anarchy In The Garden was also in attendance :) A very intelligent lady with a punk edge! Nice eh? Picture a Punk Rock Chic playing in BLACK raised garden beds! (Hey Adriana! Lets compare what our veggies look like after you play hard core punk and I play classical/mediative music. Lets share the results with Yvonne :) :) If you happen to be in the Long Beach area on August 1st, be sure to stop by and say hello to her at the Grand Opening Wringley Village Community Garden where she has tirelessly help to open.

Fern from Life on the Balcony was also there :) I can't wait for us to hang and maybe she could share more container gardening tips with me :) I'm always curious about what other kinds of edibles can be grown in containers :)

Master Gardener and my dear friend Merideth Hackerman from Farmlab was also there! Oooo she's always a good stimulator of the mind & soul! Thank you Merideth for tonight's extra tickets and for always sharing Farmlab's seeds with our communities! You ROCK!!! Hey, I may have to drop by tomorrow's Salon, it sounds interesting :)

My Favorite place in LA besides my garden..
FARMLAB.ORG

And last but certainly not least... Homegrownevolution's Erik & Kelly were also there :) It was such a pleasure to meet them. Both down to earth with beautiful happy smiles :) I certainly enjoyed the Chicken conversation we were having with Kelly. She glows with positivity. Erik is a lucky guy :)

So there you have it, a night of stimulation, affirmations, and meeting of the minds :)

Namaste

Novella Carpenter may visit our Garden today :)

2009-07-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Before her discussion tonight at the Central Library in Downtown, Ms. Novella Carpenter may stop by to take a quick peek of our edible Garden :). I'm jumping up and down like a child filled with excitement :)

Check out her blog: p://ghosttownfarm.wordpress.com/

She is also mentioned in today's Times:

http://www.latimes.com/theguide/summer/la-et-guidefeature23-2009jul23,0,3647169.story

Really looking forward to meeting Novella in person!

Namaste :)

July's Harvest and garden is still pumping out Great Veggies :) YUM!

2009-07-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

July 12, 2009
Not a 1lb yet :( But still super good!

July 11, 2009
Finally our onions were ready! These can take a while to grow!

Bingwa made Super Delicious Veg. Lasagna! Def. unforgettable! The taste was amazing!

July 18, 2009
Proud 1lb!

Juicing the grapes was THE BEST GRAPE JUICE WE'VE EVER HAD!

July 21,2009
50% from the Garden ACCOMPLISHED!

Hornworm Caught!!

2009-07-16T21:57:00.001-07:00

10 pm and we caught a HUGE 5inch Hornworm!! Hmmm now what to do with him??? He was putting up a really good fight. I'll be sure to throw him over the hill tomorrow morning :)

Uploaded from the Mecca

Organic Fertilizer Update

2009-07-16T01:11:00.000-07:00

After much debate of whether or not to use manure, we decided to use it in our compost pile :) I wasn't crazy about using it in the first place, but was convinced by the plants and Bingwa that it was time to feed the veggies with a different meal... I'm still soooo amazed on how quickly the compost has decomposed and how much darker & healthier it looks :)

~Note: Never add Manure directly into your soil! It will burn your plants :(

Our buddy Talia was also cool enough to barter some

Mycorrhizae for some baby veggie plants :) We've been adding it to our veggie transplants and they are super happy. Heard its a bit expensive, so if you're on a budget go with making your own compost and adding manure.

And since we were up to experimenting and mad about feeding the hungry veggies & fruit trees... I decided to purchase some worm tea from my buddy Lora Hall at the Highland Park Farmer's Market.

~Note: Always do one part tea to 10 parts of water and of course give it a good stir! (just in case you were wondering)

~Personal Journal Note: Worm Tea was added to the Orchard on 7/1/09. They are looking soooo healthy and the peach leaf curl is somewhat controlled. Believe Peach Leaf Curl had to do with humid nights. Last few days have finally heated up! Yee-Pee Summer Days are Finally here :)

Vegan Raw Sushi Recipe :) Super Simple!!

2009-07-15T23:55:00.001-07:00

Yep! You guessed right, we also strive to eat 50% Raw Vegan Organic Whole Foods :) Its simply the best tasting and filling meals we've had :) Plus it keeps us super healthy and vibrant :) (Tx JeffyPoo for asking for some recipes! I'll be sure to post several in your honor!)

What you'll need for one roll :)

1/2 Avocado

Lemon Juice (few drops)

Swiss Chard (2 small leafs with stems)

Celery (1 stem, thinly sliced)

Cherry Tomatoes (5 li'l ones)

Basil

Garlic Chives

Onion

Wakame

Liquid Amino Acids (Soy Sauce Substitution)

Slice thin layers of Avacado...

Chop up Basil...

Liquid Aminos can be purchased at most Health Food Stores. It taste very similar to soy sauce because its made out of soy beans as well! We use it on most of our dishes...

Raw Nori isn't as easy to find and can be super expensive... If you're a 110% Raw Vegan and need the Raw stuff you can find it at erewhon or rawvolution.

Call in advanced one store may have it on sale :)

Wakame can be purchased at Whole Foods.

Lay your nori paper on a flat surface, (make sure to place your veggies closer to one edge of the nori paper!!) add the swiss chard, sliced cherry tomatoes, celery, avocado, chopped basil, slice of onion, sprinkle wakame, add a few drops of lemon juice and liquid amino acids.

Once you have all your ingredients aligned beautifully :) Its finally time to roll :) Don't be afraid of the nori & the veggies, pretend that you're about to roll a burrito :) Okay okay it may take you a few tries, but imagine the future sushi creations you'll be making YUM!! :) oh and I almost forgot... to seal the roll, dab your finger with some lemon juice and run it along the edge. Hold the roll in place for a few seconds...

And Wala! You got yourself a very simple Vegan Raw Sushi Roll :)

One of best parts of growing your own food is that we can make these all the time in just a few minutes! It sure beats cooking an entire meal :)

Namaste!

Compost Time!

2009-07-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hola and Happy Sunny Wednesday Everyone :)

I love to maintain our compost pile :) Knowing that we're not dumping food scraps or brown wastes into the land fields is def. helping Mother Earth, not to mention our EDIBLE GARDEN :) Its great for Veggies, Trees, and most Plants! So here's the process:

Step 1.
Save all of your fresh green food scraps in a bowl or simply use a bin with a lid. Eggshells and coffee grounds are okay :)
Do not add: diseased plants, cooked fruits/veggies, meats, fats or grease!

Step 2.
Begin with an empty hole.

Step 3.
Throw in your green scraps :)

Step 4.
Cover your scraps with the same amount of browns. Browns are considered: Dead Leaves, wood chips, dried grass, straw, saw dust, or prunings. Be careful not to add those dead weeds in your bin!

Step 5.
Water your bin thoroughly and keep it moist (not wet.) Your done for the day :)

Step 6.
Turning your compost pile :) In my experience, if I turn the compost once a day, we could get compost in a month :) The pix to the right shows two bins, we would love to have three, however, once again no room :( Our compost bins are located on our steep driveway, making it easy for me (with the help of gravity) to turn the more decomposed compost to the lower end of the box :) This system also allows me to continue to add a weekly pile of fresh greens & browns as the compost moves to the lower end :)

Step 7.
Once you notice your food scraps and browns have decomposed to a stage where you don't really recognize whats in the pile... You may want to move the more decomposed stuff into another box, as we do. Don't forget to keep turning your piles, this will help to decompose everything faster :) Oh and water!

Step 8.
Improvise Improvise Improvise :)
Smarty pants Bingwa came up with this easy solution on sifting out the big undecomposed chunks out of our compost. We use the carry trays that are given to us when we leave the nurseries with way too many plants :)

Step 9.
Wala! You got yourself some beautiful rich organic compost in about a month or less! Its super light and SOO ALIVE!! Now its ready to use :) We use compost to amend our soils, lay a nice thick layer in our raised beds, add it to our pots, and even make compost tea!! (Conne I promise next lesson is how to make your own compost Tea!! Pls say hello to your beautiful daughter :)

Pls keep in mind our bins are both in a very shady area. We understand we're suppose to have the bins in the sun, however, we simply don't have the room in the garden (our garden isn't very big at all). So we Improvise and we still get fantastic compost! :)

Tx for reading :)

Namaste
Milli :)

50% out of the garden!

2009-07-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Striving everyday to eat 50% or more out of the garden! Pix was part of yesterdays lunch ;) yum yum ;)

Hillside Cooperative Produce, Update!

2009-06-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Yay! This is what we got for our exchange...

Grapefruit
Lemons :)
Mint Clover Rose Tea :)
Red Tomatoes
Yellow Tomatoes
Calamondin
Chili Pepper
Fig
Cucumber
Zucchini
Bay Leaves :)
Celery
Rosemary
Mint
Spearmint
Sage
Chives
Garlic Chives
Cilantro
Lemon Verbena
Thyme
Red Onion
Lettuce
Arugula Flowers

non-edible:
Sage
Indian Sage
Lavendar
Rue

Picking up our bag was like picking up a goodie bag! Just like when we were kids :) You really didn't know what you were going to get, but knew you were always in for a fun surprise!!!

Thanks again Hynden :) We can't wait to do this again. We'll be sure to always plant extras for the Hillside Cooperative Produce Community!

Hillside Cooperative Produce!!

2009-06-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Annie & Mark turned us onto the Hillside Produce Cooperative that does a FREE monthly exchange of fruits, vegetables, herbs & flowers we grow in our gardens!! Thx guys!

Hillside Produce Cooperative was founded by Hynden and coincidentally she only lives about 4 blocks away! Nice, eh? If you think about it, this week the Hillside Produce Cooperative will save us money, a car trip to the farmer's market and will also allow us to play longer outside :)

We appreciate your manifested idea Hynden! We can't wait to drop off our goods this morning!!

What surplus do we have to exchange today?
Everything was harvested this morning! Can't get any fresher than that!

Celery
Lettuce
Basil
Mint
Tyme
Spearmint
Sage
Garlic Chives
Chives

Paintings for Sale :)

2009-06-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Many of you who have visited have inquired about our paintings :) Thanks for all of your sincere compliments :) We have soooo much fun painting, especially when our buddy Milan comes ova!! Now that Gurl can PAINT!! (Hey Milan! Let's really get up to Children's Hospital to teach the kids how to paint!!)

As much as our garden changes, we too love to change the vibe of our home! We also strive not to attach ourselves with materials that also bring happiness to others :) Nothing like arriving to a living happy work of art :)

With that being said, we will be putting several of our personal favorite pieces up for sale!

I'll keep you posted...
Happy Milli

When time stands still in your garden :)

2009-06-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

These are the moments when you're simply just being in the garden...