Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

I want to give you some samples of the Farmer Markets and Green Markets  that I visit. 

There is a Farmer Market that has shirts worn by their employees reading FARMERS MARKET that is by day a FLEA MARKET and by  night a DRIVE IN MOVIE.

There is a FARMER MARKET plaza  .No farmers on sight, just a supermarket.

There are Green markets stretched out on the ocean fronts caterring to the  tourists and the rich who live at ocean front condos and mansions .No local farmers to be found at the booths.Just grocery store booths selling produce from Mexico and California.

Most say they have  locally grown organic fresh produce fresh and just harvested , as one of the the signs say,but there are no farmers and no such papers and certifications to back it up.

Actually there are no farms left around here after the developers tore down the fertile soil and built gated communities that bear the names of the previous standing  groves instead.

Most people go to the Green/Farmer markets and buy produce that is sold buy grocery stores that  buy the produce whole sale and most of it comes from out of state/country.

S510 has been signed  into  LAW by the president last tuesday , this will impact the situation even worse as far as Urban small farmers are concerned.

They survive on produce they grow and sell.Where?

Making it difficult for them by introducing more permits/licences/inspection etc will not help bring in more locally grown organic produce to the markets especially:Green/farmer markets.

I beleive that we need to support small local farmers and not discourage them.Where are the laws that do so?Where are the real farmers?Read dfown below as the Wall Street Journal tackle the subject:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703404004575198270918567074.html

Next time you visit a farmer market or green market ask for supporting documents as for who is the farmer and where is the farm that the produce came from?

The NBC* investigation  below as reported by the Huffington post should reach to the eyes and ears of the public that is most of the time is fed misinformations as  Food safety and sources are concerned.It stands tall and applauded  to tell a truth/fact that has been suppressed by the press in general.Check it out:

www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/30/farmers-market-scam-are-y_n_744954.html ·

The main stream media speaks for conventional Agri-Business who use pesticides and chemicals .Who speaks for small urban farmers?

Big-Agri Business  collect money when the harvest gets damaged by cold fronts or storms etc.. under the emergency laws.Do they collect  from insurance companies as well ?

Produce prices have rocketed recently  after the last freeze.Do anyone subsidize for the consumer prices?

Business as usual caters for profits.Is the time ripe to cater for truths and real Farmer markets and Green Markets ?.

Food safety is important to all , why not also pass a bill for Farmers rights and Farmers Markets that really mean who they are:FARMERS not MERCHANTS!

Happy New Year.Now start digging and gardening .

The new year started with  a  new vegetable and flower  gardens that sprouted in my front yard and at my neighbors' as well.Gardening is contageous..once one garden sprouts , then another one potentially gets into the mind of a neighbor..It is used as a THERAPY in Japan and Sweden.Why not here?Let us start TALKING  first.

Communication is one of my favorite topics .Most people look at it as " only MY ONE WAY  or THE HIGH WAY" ...Meaning : They like to TELL  you and TALK to you without LISTENING to you!

I noticed that people in the city ( I live in one small town/city)communicate less with their hands and more with their handsets gadgets .Hand shakes and home visits are rare may be during the HOLLIDAYS!.

So there are lot of anger and holding back of potential correspondence .Few bears and fist fights start flying around, a different kind of a hand shake which I do not mean or like!

Ignorance paves the way to stereotyping and many other bad habits..you name them!.

Ignore your neighbor and treat them with IGNORANCE(OPPOSIT TO GNOSIS in GREEK) , then expect trouble !Do the right thing and KNOW(GNOSIS) their names and  be friendly with "THEM" and happily you will live thereafter!

My neighbor "A" wanted to borrow our ladder ,so she paid us a visit and introduced herself.Before that:She wanted to borrow our trash bin and no one was home.So she took it.Once we met at our new  garden , we shook hands and confessed the "borrowing"!She  promised to bring it back.

Meanwhile she left  behind a half dozen of potted flowers for  our new garden project .She knew that we are gardeners by trade and unemployed !

She related to the struggle and wanted to give a helping hand .By trade she was a medic .She had a lot of compassion and appreciation to share .Before that she loathed the fact that the other neighbor who do not speak English had a different attitude when she borrowed his  trash bin.(He emptied her trash into her backyard out of  his borrowed  bin!)

Shaking the hands brought us closer and the garden broke the ice of communication.She came first to admire our new vegetable garden .That was the triggering good intention.After all we are beautifying her neighborhood with flowers and edible vegetables which she liked so much!

On the other side of the road is a complete different story:

Another neighbor saw us working at our new garden.He approached  and aggresively asked for our help.We were starving for some paid work .So we accepeted the offer with a good hearet expecting same!?

 The experience and  communication was a lot different With Neighbor "B".

Quite the opposit  to say the least:aggressive, offensive, ego driven and oppressive to mention the least.By trade you know whom I mean , if not make a guess!?

What I want to say...When we communicate we do that according to our  emotions.When in STRESS or (SICKNESS)),ANGER and FEAR we communicate with bullets and YELLING.When in JOY  or (GOOD HEALTH),PEACE and LOVE we communictae with hugs ,hand shakes and kisses.

Farmers and gardeners touch the soil and their sould are charged by the enegy of the LIVING and LOVING  EARTH.That is why when you meet a farmer ( I mean small/urban ones!!) you  experience so much love,generosity,help,compassion,down to earth positive attitude .Why ?

It is the CHI ENERGY that flows from the flowers and  green fields of the EARTH...Is the ANSWER my friend flowing with the WING!Does LOVE in THE AIR rings a bell?

Happy gardening and COMMUNICATING!

Here in S.Florida Sandy soil is king.Challenges are plenty to mention the least:Finding a home for a community garden.That's where you need to start .

From my horticultural  education and hands on farming experience, more than twenty years ,of growing organic vegetable and fascilitating classes /workshops at  seven community gardens : I came up with  a personal TRUE story to share  .

Those of you who are contemplating to start their own community gardens .especially in a back yard\,I  have a visual to support the narration of my true story.Check it out down below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I01Qd9b7YT4

My last half an acre  started with a 10x2 plot  at a community garden .The land was initially a neglected area that was infested by crime and drug dealers.It was  provided by a local city 'X".

DADS(Dads  Against Drugs were the ones who came up with the idea ) .The idea became a garden with more than 20 active members at its peak.It sprouted and survived and became a food source for working class families and a neighboring soup kitchen that catered to the unemployed and those who silently struggled   ..

The garden was pronounced dead when the city decided to convert it to a land fill back in 2009.I lost all my nine years of hard work converting the sand into a FERTILE  top soil through composting and hauling truck loads of organic soil . Not to mention the tools,neem trees , equipment garden supplies etc..that were removed/hauled away without me being notified to salvage any!

I grew NEEM and Papaya trees,Organic vegetables. I created a JOB for myself as an URBAN FARMER growing Organic Local food that found so much demand back in 2001 and onwards...in the absence of Organic Farms or CSA back then in the area. 

I displayed my greens at local Green Market single handedly with the help of a volunteer from Head Start who beleived back then, just like me ,that Growing our own food could support the local ecconomy by creating jobs versus finding a job.

To  convert neglected lands or  inefficient lawn grass back/front yards into a productive vegetable garden is by itself a JOB that PRODUCES FOOD.

Community Gardens:It is something that stimulates local economies besides combating crime by diverting the attention into a positive productive paths !I never gave up my passion for organic gardening despite the sbsence of support or any stimulus money to help Urban Farmers.

Now I am gardening at a community garden at a private home owner backyard.It is available for sale.Here we go again .Looking for another home for my garden. I contacted a group of small churches and here I am  gardening at the backyards of a church group that feeds the disadvantaged and has a  Hunger Project.End of story.

Suggestions and Solutions:

1_Start Small.Make sure that you will not ne evicted suddenly or without a notice.Sign a time for use agreement(Ten years minimum)

2_Stay focussed on a PURPOSE related to growing the food for (Spell out the purpose and protocol in PRINT....)

3_Stear clear away from politics and those who want to use the garden as a protege or a stepping stone to their personal aspirations or hidden agendas.

4_Expect challenges and create out Solutions.Involve more of those who are active in their working hands and  muscles on GROWING ,and less of those who enjoy being spectators,commentators etc..Gardening is a HANDS ON experience for those who dare to touch the soil ( Never call it dirt).

5_Get an educated/experienced Organic  Urban Farmer on board to give guidance on Organic Urban Farming  through Awareness classes.

7_Gardening is a PROCESS.So give yourself time to learn,understand and implement.

8_Start  COMPOST piles/bins and learn/implement : recycle-reuse -restore.Know what are the ingredients of the soil you are buying?

9_Exchange /harvest/grow local and NATIVE  seeds.If you can not afford  organic seeds.Look for Heirloums .Say no to synthetic chemicals &GMO!

10_Share your harvest with a local soup kitchen.Display your harvest at a Green Market/Church market etc...Let Diversity be  your choice for community membership or planting practices.Giving back to the community through community gardens is the PRACTICALand PRODUCTIVE  way to SAY: THANK YOU! 

Starting an organic vegetable garden to grow your own food might be the safest way to guarantee your food safety.Also it will save your hard earned dollars...There is a new wave of urban farmers and community gardens sprouting all over the Us and the globe to counter the ecconomic crunch.

this new yesar 2011  , be one of those braves like the state of Vermount :I qoute" Natural News":

 Unqoute."

Happy new year

Come and Learn the Organic Gardening Process from  our four generation Urban Organic farmer ,certified Florida horticulturist and educator with 20 years of Hands On experience in S.Florida .

We are  now accepting new urban farming enthusiasts for the growing season November-May 2011 organic gardening classes(the tropical way) .It is different  but not difficult.Wonder why you have no green thumb? Its the S.Florida' sandy soil dump, not your thumb,at fault.

Our classes schedules feature a range of topics including:

1-Container/raised beds organic gardening .

2-Vermiculture

3-Composting.

4-Organic soil preparation .

5-Organic ammendments.

6-Backyard/patio/community organic gardening.

7-Tropical fruits,veggies and herbs that you can grow easy.

8-Organic pesticides and fertilizers .

9-Edible Tropical organic flowers and "legal" weeds (e.g dandelion.)

10-Garden ergonomics  and more...

Adults full pay.Teens half pay.Children 5-13 free.

Wear garden safety gear:No shorts/flip flops/tanker tops, please.Hand outs available for FREE..RSVP and register two days in advance of classes on Saturday and Sunday 4-6PM.Co-speakers welcome.We offer one time FREE CLASS for non-profit organizations like Schools,churches and wellness centers.We donate to soup kitchens since 2001.We are community  oriented.

Come and tour our container botanical garden/raised beds /mini farm/ pristine pine  forest settings.Take home FREE samples of seeds,seedlings,composted manure,garden starter kit and much more .More info and RSVP details at:

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M20618.

Bring / tell a friend.Celebrate the coming Hollidays andstart the new year with a new Organic Vegetable garden right at your backyard.

Have  Happy Hollidays Gardening.

There is a growing demand to start a backyard organic garden in an ecconomy that is driving us all down financially.People come to me and ask me to help them but they themselves are not ready to cope with the idea of a productive garden that needs resources to happen. The basic requirements to be ready can be summarized in the following.

A) Structural awareness and preparedness:

 0-Make a plan a) and b)for the garden process .Consult a local professional horticulturist prior to mobilizing for the garden project.Choose the most affordable and workqable plan first.

1-LOCATION:Make your mind which location you want the garden be set up at.Always consider sunny space that is not accessible to pets or animals .Check out the topography and avoid slopes.Choose areas that are not in proximity to trees , poor drainage and traffic .

2-Budget: Structure a budget before you start building a structure .Consult with your partners and accountant prior to summoning a professional gardner to help you set up.

3-Design:Determine what shape and size and kind of garden suits you best: a)Single family,extended family etc. b).Rectangular ,circular shape etc.. c)Large,medium or small size.. d)What type of garden :Raised bed,trenches etc..

4)Materials:What type of wood,seeds,seedlings,mulch,soil,plants,irrigation system etc..

B) Functional awareness and preparedness:

1-Determine who is going to be in charge of setting up,growing,maintaing ,harvesting your organic garden.

2-Be prepared to have the necessary garden tools , equipent,shed etc.. on hand prior to starting the garden.

3-allocate time to work,maintain,manage etc.. the garden.

4-Make sure that the human resources allocated to set up ,build,maintain ,harvest ,water etc.. are available and able physically to function as per planned ahead.

5-Set a timetable to start and finish the garden process.Allocate phases for construction,beautification,completion,improvement etc..

 6-Establish a log book, organizational and follow up procedures to implement what is planned.

C)Execute and proceed accordingly in building the garden. There are always challengs and obstacles .Meet them with a positive attitude and mind set to resolve and find solutions.

Treat your human resources with dignity and respect.Do not trick,abuse or take advantage especially of the people who come to offer you help.Be generous ,patient,cheerful and supportive.

The spirit of community is not that much practiced in the cities where people live their lives behind closed and gated communities.Indulge in building relations with the people who come to help you by sharing what you have in exchange for their sharing what services,skills and work they offer.

If you are not comfortable with strangers stepping into your sacred space and property :Take time to train your heart ,mind and spirit ahead of time prior to summoning those strangers to help you start your backyard garden .How can you do that?

Your turn to come up with a way that suits your personality and communication skills.Accepting others as they are is not a bad idea to start with.Good luck.

Tony Dagher BA,CFMG,CFMT

Florida Master Gardener

"It is time to smell the roses" this Thanksgiving and pardon the turkey.

Last Sunday I gave a class,at a retreat , to a group of health enthusiasts who came just to do nothing other than RETREAT from their routine daily doings.

I noticed that a lot of people did not know what to do when I presented the soil.They did not for sure want to get their  hands dirty..How can you convince some one to garden if they are scared to touch the dirt in a Hands On class???..

We have the fear from germs incubated in our minds.

Bacteria and viruses now are taking the headlines in meat,eggs,spinach and so forth scary recalls that go back to times ago that I hardly now can recall!!!

My friend:Do not let fear interfere and break the touch with the soil of mother Earth.Even the computers programs have now been incubated with viruses.So what?

Grounds are for GROUNDING   ..That is why we have gardens.A place to stop running and get grounded so balance is restored and harmoney retrieved.

The colors of the yin and yang reflect the color of our days and nights.The curve that divides the two colors just RESTS. in the middle.

Motion /immotions The ancient Greeks built their gardens in the middle of their homes.You still can see those middle gardens at the center of houses in Lefkara, Cyprus.Balance is neutral and central.

My friend who gave me a ride to the hotel withdrew his hands when I offered a shake and said he did not want to get his hands dirty. Mine were covered with the soil.Wonder why we are out of TOUCH.

Back to the roses.Wonder why roses have thorns.?They do not want to be picked, I guess.Just smell and relax.Breathe the balance back and front to your life.Our food comes from the (dirt)ot from the sterolized labs.Thge worms inhabit the soil and cast out HUMUS...the fertile nutrient rich medium that help in keeping our crops coming, for now.Happy THANKSGIVING .

This coming Sunday I will be taking my gardening talk  to a different kind of a walk. .Comes a Hollistivc Fittness retreat at a four star hotel this week end, , I will be reaching out with my ORGANIC AWARENESS to a different level of organic gardening enthusiasts.

Physical Fittness or Exercising our muscles and doing functional movements is not a monopoly to the gym or the olymics neither to the rich or the poor,.I have  THE PROOF..

Great Britain has recognized Gardening as sports for all,  lately , proving to the world that Gardeners are among the olympic athlets without portfolio offcourse, , Unfortunately they  will NOT  be competing this coming Clympic games 2012 at the UK for gold medals.!!They will be growing the new found gold:Greens!

No kidding.our competition is not for  winning medals???.Sure, not.It is about winning our BIRTH RIGHT FOR HEALTH by going back to Basics:GROWING our own food through farming and gardening or shall we say Gathering ????.

Lately ,I helped coaching a home owner ,who happens to be living in a multi million property-setting and starting up   an Organic Vegetable Garden. I noticed that there is a pre-requisit to the gardening proces:We need  to open our mind,body and spirit ..first.

I explained :The gardening software  does not come naturally with the garden and she has to LEARN the process(Mind)  and train her muscles(Body) and get into the Spirit of growing food.Most of us get confused when it comes to the SPIRIT thing.They end up doing the most convenient:Hire a gardener and tell him/her to do the Donkey Work ,offcourse,having set a streaotype of farmers after the migrant farmers image .God forbid , no racial profiling / discremination /slavery practices   are intentionally committed!.Mistakes happen , offcourse!

Being spiritual is so hard to understand using our minds.One has to open up the HEART FACULTY/or Chakra to be able to comprehend /connect spiritually with other forms of life:Creator/Holly Spirit /Universe ..or whatever you prefer to name it.Even so ,with a human,plant, or na animal .What comes from the heart ?

Expectations ,intentions,passion, abilities,capabilities,integrity ,honesty , commitments ,prayers are justa few to mention.What makes us fail in making the spiritual connection is one word:LYING -with all our HEART.

We put much faith in  lip service and  words  that change as often as the winds blow or with every single breath or  heart beat.We lie to each others and because we get accustomed to negotiating and or lying  as far as it is good to make money and  business. Gone are our commitments for  ethical  or moral values.

There is a separation from our INNER BEING as soon as we separate ourselves from the TRUTH , especially when we want to commit into a relationship: Whether with a human,a plant, an animal or a HIGHER SPIRIT/GOD/UNIVERSE.The bibles mentions:TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.FROM WHAT? I guess from :DISEASE,LACK,STRIFE,SLAVERY ,to mention the least!

Ghandi once said: If you want to learn how to have a successful relationship with humans, you need to start to learn the process by getting in touch with plants first.I found out that our relationship with plants is similar to that with the animals and humans :Crush,control,contain.

Guess what happens when we are moody or in a state of hurry :We injur a muscle  ,break communication flow ,obliterate trust and jeoperdize a relationship and the whole process . By just flip flopping and changing our commitments , we withdraw  natural process of creation and meaningful and fruitful  fulfiliment  into a state of static FAILURE :decomposing/degeneration /degradinding to our Body/Mind/Spirit.

Stay tuned to Organic Gardening Awareness .Be TRUTHFULL in and to all our relations.Just like the Native American saying goes  :Aho -Meta-Quee-Yasin.

It was a different experience not so much encountered in the GREEN EXPOS or FESTIVALS.

I was invited  by the town of Lantana to set a booth at their annual  green festival - 2010 , and it was something I would like to share with you about how REAL is the community spirit as witnessed  in person on the grounds.

There was not much of the status quo mega businesses who mean GREEN BUCKS for the word GREEN.I saw a lot of small /start up green local enterprenuers  who took business as usual into a different dimmension :Community versus Money.

The booths were not offered at a high price like 200 $ per day like one of the latest expos here.It was simply $25 per day and even it was FREE for those who could not pay.

The officials of Lantana town hall spearheaded by Mr.David and his assistant Maggie did a great job in securing a successful event.

There were crowds of families who brought their children along to excavate the GREEN energy venues and opportunities.There were BEES and Honey,SWS Recycling ,Green Air conditioning,Sierra Club,Rain life (Rain harvest) ,African Shea Butter ,and many many more...

I simply brought neem trees and neem harvests ,from the tooth brush stem to the dried leaves and seeds..I also brought with me my artist tools . Children were going home after visiting my booth -with their families -with KIDDIE MINI GARDENS  : Their names and drawings of the fruits and veggies imprinted at the containers.

Tell me more ...There were free food and refreshments for the vendors ..I shared  a booth  ..with another vendor.Could this happen anywhere else?Not really.There was AMBIANCE and friendly atmosphere to say the least..and we all made the connection and had fun.

That reminds me of of the unsuccessful attempts made to have a visibility window at the local GREEN MARKETS who charge high fees and ask for unbelievable insurance rates etc....How can you afford to pay mega money when you are an Urban Farmer growing a radish bunch that sells for one dollar or an herb container that sells for one dollar and a half?

There were really town people and the talk of the town was how great was the event.No headlines at the downstream media and no big deal on TV...So I opted to write this blog to say THANK  YOU TOWN of LANTANA  for keeping the TRUE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SPIRIT alive .

After so many years of crying wolf on the global warming, draught and climate change what is new?

I asked myself this question as I keep reading about the dilemma that now is on the agenda of politicians who seek elections and try to appease voters by frelating to their concerns.What had been done to bring solutions if ever we recognize that there is a problem.

I beleive that farmers and food producers in general are the ones directly affected as their crops become the direct hit when mother nature stops cooperating in producing crops.

Comes the flooding and drought dilemmas that hit Russia,Africa,Pakistan etc...More countries who are crop producers are now hiking the prices on wheat,barley cotton and more...Thanks to climate changes drought being one of them.

I was counting the number of days and nights of  no rain recently as the growing season started here in S. Florida.So far couple of days and one single night were rainy for the last thirty days.

The water restrictions alerts are resurfacing again and the local ( and national)news media is again focusing on climate change and drought again .

Back to basics.Here is a question to ask: Why do we call the RAIN FOREST so?Ask your ,self like I did .I am guessing the answer at the end of my article to give you time to reflect on an answer or guess ?

During the depression the most hit were the farmers and people who worked in the manufacturing sector.What is new in 2010?Blaming all evil on the face of a faceless persona like the climate can direct our anger somewhere else invisible and controversial,shall we say?

What matters is the Action we take to remedy a problem that is affecting our lives directly.Humans need food to survive among water and air .Take out food and water ,what remains is air...the only essential for life  without a price tag so far.

I watched the Movie "Wall Streat " recently and what drew my attention is what Michael Douglas says:"Speculation is the root of all evil".The Bible says:Love of Money is the Root of all evil.Combine both Speculation and the love of money you will get a clue about what I am talking about.Not yet?

Almost one million homes have been foreclosed by the banks not to mention farms , a study reveals.There is a vicious circle of withholding jobs,homes,crops and you name it so that more money is made.What about the lives that are ruined of the home owners and the farmers among others?When will the speculation stop?When will the drought and climate change stop...both have no face?

In reality the natural law follows cause and effect.When we cause damage then there are consequences.When we cut the trees and reduce the areas of cultivated land what happens..The cause of our Action is reflected in the effect of less RAIN.That is why we call the RAIN FOREST SO.Trees and green attract rain.Destroy more of the earth farms,trees,forests and nature  and as a consequence have no rain.Period.Reverse the process and the climate will correct itself.Common Sense Makes Sense not Science? 

The Mentoring Center is the managing partner of the Lake Worth Resource Center, which provides job placement assistance ,skills training ,English classes and integration mentoring here in Lake Worth, Florida.

Today,I was invited by the English Class teacher at LWRC  to fascilitate an organic gardening class to her English language students.The class is a melting pot and  mix of Caribean and Hispanic cultures .

I did customize the class to meet the immediate needs of the students who either are unemployed / underemployed or looking for a better employment by improving on their English language communication skills..The economic deep-recession  let a lot of us DOWN  .But, not for the brave and faithful who still beleive in a way UP .When there is a will to turn the lemon into a lemonade then there is a way to DO IT!

I said to myself, it is better to give some one a fishing rod and teach how to fish rather than just give  a welfare fish or a food stamp  . In times as uncertain and defeating like ours, there is nothing more valuable than a POSITIVE ATTITUDE and COURAGE to FIGHT and OVERCOME hardships whatsoever..Education is the key.

Politicians reach out to immigrants and minorities during election times only..Those forgotton and struggling families  barely get help except from churches and organizations like the LWRC . I MARVELLED AT THE SUPPORT AND ENTHUSIASM  of those students who wanted to learn how to grow their own Organic Food and did not have the resources  .Kindness and community spirit and warm relationships can change the face of lack and bring in bounty once we join hands and resources TOGETHER.How many organizations and institutions are reaching out for the unemployed or the homeless to teach them how to fish or grow their own food? How much money would we save on food stamps and medical bills by  turning those neglected lands into organic vegetable gardens that feed the needy and the unemployed?You tell me!

Nothing comes easy.We need to start the learning process by  teaching the importance of   PRODUCING  FOOD rather than CONSUMING IT.

TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU FARMERS AND GARDENERS AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IS TO SHOW THAT : CREATING A JOB IS AS IMPORTANT AS FINDING A JOB...ESPESIALLY when this job is to grow your own food!

THANKS to the English language teacher  LISA GREENE AND LWRC DON WILSON, BOTH GOALS  can be  REACHED :Finding and creating a job!Remeber: When there is a will........there is a way...

Welcome to Sizzling Hot Florida.Now start sweating .Got mint?

I had an encounter with the rare Kama-Sutra Mentha or The Famous and hard to find Jamaican Mint Tree like twenty years ago,I did not have a clue what does it represent until recently.

A friend of mine asked me if I need some mint  in exchange for a garden work trade? He needed some help to clear out  wild invasive bushes that are occupying his back yard.

I said , yes.I beleive in " a fair trade".By the way, I am so passionate about wild plants that some  people discard and round up as weeds .

So , I volunteered to do a free landscaping weed elimination job using simply my hands as tools in exchange for some mint..That is what I meant to say!But...

Lo and behold!!!!

I was shocked to the secound encounter of the Jamaican Mint Tree instead, spreading like crazy bushes all over his backyard ...

I took into the weeding job with all my might , saving every single mint leaf and stem .Welcome into my garden Kamasutra Mentha.

Long time no see..I said ..and giggled to my self at the new found treasure..Now grow wild into my garden...I thought to myself..for you are a sacred plant and will add blessings into my  garden .I was serious , giggling stopprd!!!

 For some of you who did not hear about this Caribean and Tropical medicinal plant , only known to the indegenous peoples of Costa Rica , Jamaica and the Carribean nations ( some add Southern Europeans too!), here are  excerpts  qouted from  courtesy of www.plantogram.com :

I qoute plantogram.com:"

All of the information above serves  only one purpose:Sharing personal opinion/speach / information.You are incouraged to disbeleive any of the above info and discard immediately as fiction. What you do with the information is your only choice,responsibilty and decision.

Last year the British government added Gardening as sports activity to boost the reputation of the country which is hosting the coming Olymics in 2012.

The English and French are Organic Productive farming/gardening enthusiasts .Comparing ourselves here in USA with the Europeans  could be embarrassing!

Comes the inauguration of the Organic Garden at the White House.Change is in the air.There are growing interest among home owners and city dwellers here in US to start growing their own food and start changing the image which the world looks upon us as home for the American Diet which is the mother of all... you know what I mean...

Obesity is on its highest rates among the population and Americans are eating less of fruit and vegetables(Could it be the unemployment high rates or the lack of exercise or the unhealthy food diet as a reason?) .

The latest studies and surveys revealed.But..there is something positive going on.With the propaganda   war on illegal migrant farmers   and the new Arizona Law fallbacks people are taking the shovels into their own hands and transforming their inefficient lawn gardens into productive organic vegetable gardens to fight back the illegal migrant farmers "stealing our jobs"!

Good news .Lot of people now are looking for classes to learn how to grow their own food.More CSA are sprouting around the country.More farms and more lands are being used to grow food at the backyards of churches and home owners not to mention the community gardens that are changing the face of the crime infested and neglected neighborhoods.Good news that we are changing our attitude towards the land  and offcourse towards our bodies that have been for long fed junk food.No more..tHERE IS CHANGE GOING ON  THE GROUND AND SOON WE WILL HARVESTMORE  HEALTHY ORGANIC FOOD FROM OUR TRANSFORMED BACKYARDS.

The thing which we will reap also is less obesity and less health problems as we work out our bodies and minds in the garden and farm.Sweat the toxins out and get more fittness from the functional garden movements.

Soon we will be beating the Europeans on the garden grounds as well as on the Olympics grounds.Keep on HANDS on the Garden and KEEP HANDS OFF the small Urban Farmers that are now sprouting like crazy.

Stay fit ..  Garden!

There are tons of materials on line ,in book prints and in the air competing for creating aan organic garden near your kitchen.The economy is hurting both pocket and bellys.So people are now flooding classes to learn.There are not so many choices thougth...to IMPLEMENT WHAT YOU LEARN ON THE GROUND!

There are so many ways to make money out of Organics these days.I have seen people who are devotees of fertilizers and chemicals turn GREEN ORGANIC overnight because their thumb is so GREEN WITH COUNTING GREEN BUCKS!So many of us get caught in the jargon and the traps of making a dollar no matter how or what!

A student came to my class one time and recalled the huge amount of money she had to spend and end up learning not much because there was no HANDS ON attachment to the FINE WORDS printed and nicely arranged in the texts she had to buy !

"You know them by their fruits"...is not the same asYou know them buy their fruits.. 

Yesterday also  I met a student  "X" .She is a Doctor of Medicine who enjoys gardening and wants to learn ..

She even  took Horticultural college classes and spent time and money ..but she was still failing the actual garden CROPS.."experience is so necessary "SHE TOLD ME ...WHILE JOTTING DOWN MY down to earth tips THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED WHILE DIGGING ,PLANTING,HARVESTING,STUDYING,APPLYING,EXPERIMENTING, MAKING MY HANDS AND CLOTHES DIRTY WORKING IN THE SIZZLING SUN OF FLORIDA!

I felt so good when someone like Mrs"X" comes to my classes -not  to try me .or spy on me..or copy me ..or even cheat me by sliding out the door without an appreciation tip or donation that supports buying seeds to my community garden .

Getting something for nothing  !!! How many of us try to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS WORK BY BEING CHEAP and OPPORTUNISTIC? I really do not know how many?Do you?.

Thats why we have KARMA as a pay back for what we DO TO OTHERS!. 

She "Mrs.X" was there to learn and even wanted to come back with her husband for the next class..Applied Gardening makes a POINT .Doing is the way of Gardening.So my friends...you know them by their thumbs that are tough and dirty..from their costumes that are fashioned with the garden sweat and their skin that is colored by the blazing sun of Florida.

There are so many people rushing to the new GREEN GOLD ..but they are missing one thing:EXPERIENCE.

Happy Organic Gardening 

As the rivers flood ..As the sky pours..we run and take refuge ,  .Mother Earth has its own reasoning for flooding or raining .For those acts of nature man declares DISASTOR and  emergency to receive funds money .

Assuming that  the money will be a real releif for those who are in dire need,(other than to those who prey on emergency funds to enrich their already fat pockets.)

For us  urban farmers and gardeners a real releif for draught , high water bills and conserving on water resources is the RAIN BARREL.

What are rain barrels and where to frind them?

A rain barrel is a water reservoir that collects rain water run-offs .

You can find rain-barrels now in garden centers or internet sources(they are pricy though).You may also buy them locally or make your own(More cheaper than the store RB!).

Rain barrels here in S.Florida avert and bypasses water restrictions which are in effect when using  county or city, municipal water.There are fines for ignoring the restrictions when using the city or county water.When you use Rain Barrels there are no fines or restrictions.On the contrary you will be doing a GREEN act of kindness to the earth(keeping your backyard garden or lawn  thriving  green) and to your pocket as well saving for a RAINY DAY(GREEN  bucks saved on the water bill).

Besides ,the rain  a living water  vapor distilled by the sun , chlorine free and rich in hydrogen peroxide and nitrogen  in addition to other nutrients trapped in the atmospher( Assuming and Taking into account that there are no  nearby factory chimnies ,heavy car emmissions etc.. producing acid rain !!)

The rain barrels aere inexpensive if you get them locally from a farmer or a local producer .If so,they start with $60-70 $.

Living in S.Florida we get a lot of Tropical rain.For example WPB city is one of the rainiest cities in USA averaging 63 inches of rainfall each year.Also here at PBC residents use more ffresh water than any other county in Florida.Rain water advantages include among many:

1-Saving on the water bill and the ENVIRONMENT as well .RB-Rain Barrels- conserves and preserves a  source of  energy source that is now becoming endangered .

2-A naturally sun distilled water that is free from chlorine,contaminents,pesticides,pollutants,fertilizers or irradiations that  recently caught attention at the  Acreage cancer cluster dilemma that were allegedly  traced to the home wells of the brain tumor victims.

3- A free water source  ready at hand .No wells digging  is necessary.Just drain the rain into a barrel rather than into your sewer or yard!

4-A collective neighborhood rain barrel initiative could contribute into a flood prevention ,when used effectively on large scale.

5-Recycling water from the sky into the barrels  will help us grow more food from our neglected backyards that are being a home for the non-productive water wasting lawns!

6- Water conserved in Rain  Barrels could be used also to wash your car,fill your swimming pool,irrigate your organic vegetable and fruit garden,water your lawn,Rinse  your pets or water your container  indoor house plants as well to your the out door ones!

Let us know if you need more help in finding ,buying or making a rain barrel.We will be glad to be part in protecting our environment one rain barrel a day! You want to learn more about RB? Come to our classes, details  @:

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M20618

Happy  Organic Gardening