The composting workshop I was so excited about was canceled because of the rain, but I still stopped by Little River Market Garden for the potluck and to tour this urban farm I had heard great things about. I was also interested in the possibility of getting a CSA from them.

Little River Market Garden, right off Biscayne and 82nd Street, is operated by Muriel Olivares, a young farmer who after doing a series of farming internships in Homestead and in New York, took on the challenge of starting her own organic CSA on this small plot next to Little River. So far she has 11 people signed up for the CSA, and hopes to open a few more places next year.

She showed us what she’s been growing so far -mostly beans she plans to chop and leave there to add oxygen and nitrogen to the soil.

She won’t start growing most veggies until the fall, when the growing season begins, but we did see some eggplants, banana trees, peppers and yucca.

I also counted about five different mushroom species, which Muriel says are proof of a complete ecosystem.

The tour and potluck was coordinated by the Urban Oasis Project, a group of edible garden enthusiasts who gather once a month to share seeds, seedlings and recipes, and who have been creating raised beds of edibles for low income families in Little Haiti and Mid-Town.

For more information on Little River Market Farm visit www.LittleRiverCSA.com

First things first: I’m sorry for taking a short hiatus, a few unpredictable things took control of my life for a couple of weeks but nothing to worry about.

Now back to business. Well, you see, although I wasn’t blogging these two weeks, I still kept an eye open to eco-friendlly products and happenings, and will be blogging about them within the next couple of days.

Today I want to focus on composting for two main reasons:

1-Gus and I recently got a composter.

2-Melissa Contreras from the Urban Oasis Project is giving a composting workshop this Saturday.

I had been asking you for recommendations for a short space/ balcony composter for some time (those worms I got last year at the Edible Garden Fest didn’t get too far) and we finally decided for one composter, which is happily recycling food scraps in our terrace.

We opted for the Garden Views E-Composter because it had good reviews and was in the low price range ($49.99). We actually first saw it in Target.com, but they don’t offer free shipping, so we ended up ordering it from Home Depot.

It ended up being a little bigger than we expected, but it was easy to assemble, and we don’t have to worry about it filling up too quickly.

For the last few weeks, we’ve been throwing in there all our food leftovers, as well as weeds and other unwanted plant matter, and there are all kinds of insects in there now. However, it’s been raining a lot lately, and the contents are starting to become sticky, almost like a paste. I’m not sure if this is how it’s supposed to be, so this brings us to the second reason why I’m writing about composting today.

If you’re interested in learning more about composting like I am, don’t miss this amazing workshop this Saturday at the Little River Market Garden. Learn all the basics for $15, plus get an exclusive tour of the Market Garden, an urban farm now offering organic CSAs. You can also stay for the Urban Oasis Project monthly vegetarian potluck following the workshop.

If you go:
What: Composting Workshop
Where: Little River Market Garden (rsvp for direcctions)
When: 5 p.m., Saturday, July 17.
How much: $15
More info: Visit the group’s facebook page or website for more information on how to sign up.

The first organic Italian restaurant outside Italy, Escopazzo in South Beach has been the place to go for upscale and delicate Italian food since it opened in 1993. But its new weekly organic wine tastings “We do it Thursdays” are making the experience more accessible for those of us in a low budget.

Every Thursday from 7-9 p.m., you can try four wines -and these are full glasses, not small samples – and get a plate of fine cheeses, olives and other appetizers for $20, plus a knowledgeable sommelier will explain a little history of each wine, its geography, grapes, origins and more. (I couldn’t take pictures of my cheese plate because it emptied before I could even take out the camera).

While not everything at the restaurant is certified organic, everything comes from local as well as Italian family-owned farms and wineries that have been using environmentally-friendly practices for generations. Remember that getting certified can sometimes take years and be costly, so many small farmers choose to instead continue doing what they believe is the right thing without stressing about certifications.

The restaurant has a full menu of Italian plates -pastas, risottos, antipasti and more- as well as raw and vegetarian selections that include a vegetable lasagnetta with pinenut ricotta and pesto; and a flaxseed wrap filled with marinated vegetables, lemon cashew sauce and grape chutney.

If you go:
What: “We do it Thursdays” organic wine tasting
When: Every Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Escopazzo, 1311 Washington Ave
More info: www.escopazzo.com

I’ve known about BunnieCakes for a while, but I finally made it to Juice & Java on the Beach last weekend and got to try these delicious vegan and organic cupcakes (see a video of my interview on the side video).

There I met Mariana, the baker behind BunnieCakes, who explained that she began looking into vegan baking after not being able to find sugar and gluten-free food for her children. After some experimentation in the kitchen and some tweaking of her grandma’s cupcake recipe, she developed her own recipe, which substitutes butter, wheat flour, sugar and eggs for things like apple sauce, agave and sugar cane.

Her vegan cupcakes come in mini and regular sizes ($1.50-$2.75) and in 15 flavors including red velvet, vanilla ginger, passion fruit, key lime and espresso. They are currently available at the natural food and juice emporium Juice & Java in South Beach and in Aventura, at Garden of Eat’in, and very soon at the Saturday Doral Farmers Market. You can also place orders online and delight your friends at your next get-together, or send your mom a yummy animal-cruelty-free treat for Mother’s Day.

For more information visit www.BunnieCakes.com continue

(Thanks to Betsy Martinez for contributing with this story and to Chris Cutro for the picture)

When Grisel Couto asked for a bundle of fresh cilantro, she got just what she asked for. The booth attendant hand picked them right in front of her and bagged the herbs – dirt clumps still clinging to the roots. That’s what makes this crop fields-meets-city veggie mart so unique: some of the produce is grown right before your eyes.

Roots in the City’s Urban Market, the first-of-its-kind farmer’s market, ran every Wednesday through April in Overtown, offering the freshest veggies and herbs in Miami.

And besides the freshness of the produce, or the fact that it’s grown on premises, or that it’s the first of its kind in South Florida, the market was special to the city because it offered those on food stamps twice continue

Next Thursday, delight in organic and eco-friendly cocktails while meeting some of the up and coming green business owners in South Florida.

Green Drinks Miami has partnered with The Palms Hotel & Spa and the Everglades Foundation to celebrate Earth Day the sexy and sophisticated way only Miamians master: in an eco-stylish cocktail party and dinner by the beach.

Put on an eco-chic outfit and stop by The Palms for complimentary drinks, neck and shoulder massages, live beats by Agape, and free samples and presentations by eco-friendly companies and more.

This is the best way to learn about Green Drinks, the happy hour for green business owners and related professionals who wish to meet and network with other locals in the green industry.

The Palms is located at 3025 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. A $5 donation for the Everglades Foundation is encouraged. Hybrid and efficient cars park for free at the valet, otherwise it’s $9. For more networking time, stay for the two-course wholesome menu developed by Executive Chef Frank Jeannetti’s, which will be served for $29.

RSVP to gabriela@theagencypr.com by April 20.

Photo courtesy of pinksherbet

I always keep an eye open for local green trends or eco-chic products, so I decided to start sharing what I find in the form of a regular post. Feel free to e-mail me your spottings to editor@theecozine.com.

Here are some of my weekend green spottings:

>Organic bamboo underwear at Touche Muah on Meridian Avenue:
The store was closed when I spotted this so I couldn’t get in for a better shot, but -as I later found out- Touche Muah is a line of organic bamboo fabric underwear created by Miami Beach resident Ivelin Giro. Check out their store on 1671 Meridian Ave, just off Lincoln Road.




>Organic sake at Sushi Siam: One of Miami’s favorite spots for sushi and Thai food, the restaurant is now selling Sho Chiku Bai Organic Nama (sorry for the terrible picture quality, long story).

>Recycling bins on Lincoln Road: They have been there for a few months now, but I’m so happy that we finally have them there that I wanted to share this pic with those who haven’t been to the beach in a while. While the City of Miami Beach could to a little more to encourage recycling, like putting the those bins all over the beach (including on the beach/ sand) and not only on Lincoln Road, this is a small step towards an eco-friendly SoBe.



Have you had any green spotting lately? E-mail you pics along with a description to editor@theecozine.com.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to watch some of the best and latest food-related documentaries, which will be screened locally as part of the Earth Month film series Let’s Re-take our Plates, organized by Whole Foods.

I’m particularly excited about No Impact Man, the documentary based on the Brooklyn family that decided to reduce their waste to the minimum for a whole year (I couldn’t drop the book). Other films include Fast Food Nation, Food. Inc, What’s on Your Plate? and The Garden, all very politically-charged films making strong arguments against the state of the food industry.

Here is the schedule:

Fast Food Nation
4:45 p.m, April 17
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

King Corn/ Big River
2:30 p.m. April 17
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

Food Inc.
2 p.m., April 18
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

The Garden
12 p.m., April 18
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

Food Inc.
5 p.m., April 19
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

No Impact Man
7 p.m., April 19
Coral Gables Congregational Church
3010 De Soto Blvd., Coral Gables
$5

What’s on Your Plate?
5 p.m. April 20
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

Fast Food Nation
5 p.m., April 21
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

The Garden
8 p.m., April 21
Miami Beach Cinematheque
512 Espanola Way, Miami Beach
$10

End of the Line
5 p.m. April 22,
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

Food Inc.
7:30 p.m., April 23
Temple Bet Shira
7500 SW 120th Street, Miami
$5

Visit the Let’s Re-take our Plates site for more information

Still not sure what to plant in your spring garden?

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden is getting ready for its 31st Annual Spring Plant Fair April 24-25, only that this time it’s going to include the best from last year’s Edible Garden Festival, making it even more interesting.

This is the best opportunity to get your supplies of edibles before the summer is here.

The event will include culinary demos, a farmer’s market, lectures on composting, gardening, recycling and organic pest control, plus it’s your chance to check out dozens of local vendors.

More details will be coming soon.

Still not sure what to plant in your spring garden?

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden is getting ready for its 31st Annual Spring Plant Fair April 24-25, only that this time it’s going to include the best from last year’s Edible Garden Festival, making it even more interesting.

This is the best opportunity to get your supplies of edibles before the summer is here.

The event will include culinary demos, a farmer’s market, lectures on composting, gardening, recycling and organic pest control, plus it’s your chance to check out dozens of local vendors.

More details will be coming soon.

If experienced farmers across Florida had a hard time protecting their crops , you’d probably guessed there was little us rookie home gardeners could do to protect our plants. Gone are my peppers, tomatoes, herbs, jalapenos, radishes, carrots, lettuce… Within days they were all frozen.

After mourning for a few weeks, last weekend we finally spent time fixing what was left and planting new crops.

I stopped by Home Depot and discovered that they are doing a great job with Bonnie Plants to promote edible gardens. I had seen this a few months ago, but the edibles selection is getting bigger and bigger, which means more people are opting for edibles instead of ornamental plants.

They also have neat home garden handouts in English and Spanish with information on creating your own raised bed and on how to grow your own container edible garden when you don’t have a lot of space.

They also have a pile of organic soil bags next to the veggies, making people opt for the healthier soil.

I also noticed new plants this trip, including strawberries and yellow peppers, which makes me excited about what they’ll continue adding to the selection.

Home depot can be a little expensive if you are easily tempted like me, but here are a few tips:

-Broken soil bags sell at a discount, sometimes up to more than 50% off, so just ask where they keep them (and be sure to bring tarp or something to protect your car).

-When selecting plants, carefully inspect them. Pick the ones that have two or more plants in the same pot… you are actually getting one or two free plants.

-Cashiers are allowed to give a 10% discount for ceramic and plastic pots that are damaged, even if it’s minimal. Just ask for it, and if the damage is more severe, don’t be afraid to ask for a higher discount.

-Don’t buy seeds or seedlings for things that are easy to grow from home leftovers. It’s really easy to grow tomatoes, peas and peppers from the seeds of the veggies you already have in the fridge.

-Compost. You save on soil, fertilizers, and recycle our resources.

There’s the pasta machine… and then there is a cleaner, easier and even more delicious way to have fresh pasta at home. No, I don’t mean the processed, packaged type of pasta, but the Italian fresh market type of pasta that comes in dozen flavors, colors and aromas

I’m talking about Pappardelle’s handcrafted tomato basil penne, spinach garlic fettuccine, lemon basil fettuccine and a dozen other flavors, which I recently discovered at the the Grove’s Wednesday farmers market for $9 the pound.

The market has been going on for a few months now, but only recently I had a chance to check it out and discovered this fresh pasta stand that makes the drive there worth it.

Another interesting booth is Elhadj’s, who sells African shea butter, a natural moisturizer made from the African shea tree, and African black soap, which is used to clear the skin from acne and blemishes.

You can also shop for honey, fruits, juices and jewelry at the market.

If you go:

Mayfair Green Market
2311 Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove
Every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.