Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

Are you a fan for the ZESTY Jalopeno  ? Are you in love with a CALIENTE ensalada?Are you addicted to PEMIENTO?I am!

Why not start a MEXICAN GARDEN in the ZESTY and MUCHO CALIENTE TIERA land of Florida?

Here are some tips on HOW TO GROW a Mexican garden :

We share a common denomenator  here in Florida, with Mexico: Growing vegetables and herbs that love  TROPICAL CLIMATE !

Here are some tips to start with:

Vegetables:Grow Quelites or Ca-La-Loo,verdolagas or purslane,radishes,cactus corn,pumpkins,tomatillos,lima beans ,hot peppers:Cayenne,serrano,jalapeno,chili de arbol,habanero.

Herbs:

Grow chapote,la ruda,basil,minta,yerb buena,cilantro,culantro.

Always start small .That is the smart way to learn as you grow.

The secret key : Experiment and be creative!

Here are some recipes to taste:

Greens the Mexican style:

10 cups of Quelites greens( Known in Florida as :CA-LA-LOO)

1 Table spoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Serrano pepper , minced

1 Jalapeno minced

1 Glove of garlic , minced

3 Medium tomatoes , peeled and chopped

Garnish : 2 tablespoons crumbled,aged Mexican cheese

wash the QUELITES GREENS and remove tough stems.Chop tender stems.Put the greens in pot,cover,and steam for five minutes.Do not add water.Remove the greens ,cool and set aside.

Saute in extra virgin olive oil the following:Onion,serrano,jalapeno,and garlic.Chop the green QUELITES or Ca-La-Loo add the minced tomatoesto the pot.Mix EVERYTHING above mentioned and cook for five minutes.Remove from pot and garnish with the crumbled Mexican cheese.

Serve warm for  four.Enjoy !

By: Tony

localharvest.org/farms/M20618

You do not have to SPEAK FRENCH to qualify for FRENCH FARMING.

Simply ,you can start gardening in a SMALL space and still harvest MORE,the intensive way! VOILA!!!

The French started this intensive way of gardening after the first and second world wars to grow herbs,vegetables and flowers in the small spaces adjacent to their houses.A tribute to the lost loved ones in the wars!The intensive methods of farming -which they used out of necessity- were considered unattainable by the scientific mechanized way of mass production that utilizes vast acres of land in the AGRI-BUSINESS.

Simply they used intensive spacing for vegetables and companion herbs and utilized the FOURTH DIMENSION in their DIVERSIFIED plasnting.

Fourth dimension refers to TIME.There are crops that require more time to mature and others lesser time.By planting both one acheives more harvesting using this succession way.For example,large plants like peppers ,eggplants,tomatoes will occupy larger space comparatively and require a LONG time to mature.Planting next to them Fast maturing crops like radishes,lettuce,spinach will do the trick!

Also, they used high yielding crops like mustard ,chard,french sorrel and imployed a prolific method by cutting those greens back to 2 inches or less several times during the growing season.

Here in the South Florida hot zone ,the vegetables that are compatible to grow now, include:

Beans,cabbage,beets,celery,COLLARDS,CORN,EGGPLANTS,CHERRY TOMATOES,PEPPERS,RADISHES,SPINACH/Ca-la-loo),ONIONs,cucumbers.

The Insect repelling herbs are also popular here in the South .They are used as companions to the vegetables to help the fight against the bad bugs!Here are some samples:Marigold,chives,garlic,mint,sage,basil,thyme,oregano(Greek and Cuban),rose mary,aloe vera,parsley and LAVENDER.

If it happens that you visit France, and you are a fan of the herbs ,like I am, take the train to AIX EN PROVENCE the CAPITAL of HERBS  of FRANCE! I did the "TOUR DES HERBS "while I was in AIX EN PROVENCE...ENCROYABLE !MANIFIQUE !

You will be flooded with so many kinds of LAVENDER ...THE FRENCH use it in their EVERYTHING:cosmetics,food ,bedrooms,cupboards , ebven in their intimate clothing(CYLOTE~:)etc....

To finish up,here are some tips to start with: Use vertical farming by utilizing a double dig method if your area if  not prone for flooding .If it is , then use the riased beds method.BON CHANCE et BON APPETITE!!SALUTE!

PS:If the French could do it and start a vegetable garden with HIGH yields in a small space,sure you can too!Forget about what they teach you in the  books.Best lessons are learned in REAL TIME FROM REAL PEOPLE- NOT PAPER PEOPLE!IT does not take a rocket scientist to grow a garden...even though some gardens were tested positive for rocket fuel in their lettuce!!!!