Stomach Soothing Tea
One of the (many) perks of interning for Green City Growers is taking leftover starts from Red Fire Farm and planting at home. This past weekend I planted three different herbs in my small urban backyard. For people with limited space and knowledge (like myself), growing herbs in small, manageable containers is a great way to get started. They are easy to transport, care for, harvest, and cook with. Here is a useful recipe using two of those herbs: Peppermint and Lemon-balm.
Ingredients:
peppermint leaves lemon balm leaves fennel seeds
Instructions:
Mix the herbs together in equal proportions. Boil water. Add 1 tsp of herb mix for every 1 cup of water. Steep for 10 minutes. Drain herbs. This tea is delicious and great for settling an upset stomach. Enjoy!
A Green Father’s Day Gift
Is your dad going green?
As Father’s Day approaches, a lot of us start to think about what we have learned from our Father figures, and also what means the most to them. One thing that instantly comes to my mind is how important “real” food is to my Dad. Decades ago it was not rare or expensive to know where your food is coming from, or to be able to pronounce all of its ingredients. One of the greatest gifts that you can give anyone is the resources/ knowledge to grow your own, and that is exactly where Green City Growers can help you give your dad the best gift he could ask for: a raised bed vegetable garden. This could be your opportunity to show your Dad that you were listening all […]
Grow Your Own Salad
An Intern’s Day in the Field
There is nothing better than sharing a fresh salad with good friends! Yesterday the other interns and I worked with Alison who is one of our horticultural experts on re-potting some of our starter plants and harvesting produce. The more time I spend around her, the wider my eyes are opened to how much there is to learn about growing your own and how much fun it can be.
Last night I brought a mix of kale, lettuce, arugula, pea shoots, and radishes home, and was amazed how large the salad was that I had picked so quickly from the Green City Growers raised beds, and it was so DELICIOUS! Last week I went out in the field with Alison to some residential gardens where I saw just how […]
The Right Bed For You
When deciding on which Green City Grower’s garden bed is right for your home or business, I think that it would be smart for anyone to seriously think about our adaptive raised-beds. These beds are a perfect fit for anyone who doesn’t want the hassle and back pain that comes from leaning over when you are planting or harvesting your garden. Raised-beds are a great way to grow produce in a contained, clean aesthetic on your property.
Raised-beds can be placed on top of any surface, including concrete, rooftops, and gravel. The adaptive raised beds can be set to different heights, and are handicap accessible. So for anyone who has any back pain in the past, I would absolutely reccomend our adaptive raised-beds so your gardening career can go on for years and […]
Fast and Easy Homemade Dill Sauce
Fresh vegetables and herbs are almost ready for harvest at Ula Cafe in Jamaica Plain. Check out their menu of sandwiches, salads, baked goods, and tons of great coffees and teas. Freshly picked (by a friendly GCG farmer) Cilantro, Arugula, and Tomatoes will all be making their way into the restaurant in the weeks to come. Another versatile, delicious herb being grown at Ula is dill. Here is a very quick recipe for homemade dill sauce that goes great with grilled fish (especially salmon). It’s a simple, delicious sauce that only takes a minute to make.
Ingredients
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
Method
Whisk together sour cream, mustard, lemon juice and dill until well […]
Great Use of Freshly Grown Arugula
Green City Growers is harvesting a lot of Arugula lately! Here is a simple recipe for those looking to creatively transform their Arugula into a something delicious: Arugula Pesto! This goes great with pasta and fresh veggies, roasted potatoes, seasonal fish, or any other way you might use basil pesto.
Arugula Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups of packed arugula leaves, stems removed 1/2 cup of shelled walnuts 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup olive oil of your choice 1 garlic clove peeled and minced 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor.
Combine the arugula, salt, walnuts, olive oil, Parmesan and garlic into a food processor.
Be sure […]
A Whole Farm in a Truck!
Truck Farm Chicago has created mobile farms! Their biodiesel truck goes around the city teaching people – mostly kids – about the food growing process and how it relates to their bodies and everyday lives.
They just reached their kickstarter goal, but if you like their idea why not contribute some more towards their cause? Alternatively, if you want Green City Growers to create a Boston truck farm, let us know! We’re always looking for positive ways to influence our community and think this is a great idea!
Future Rooftop Farming
Imagine if you could feed yourself and 15 other people fish and vegetables you sourced from your apartment rooftop!
Zurich designers, Conceptual Devices, have created a sweet looking dome that just might be able to make that a reality. Their dome creates a tiny sustainable environment that allows the fish to live off the waste of the plants and the plants to flourish from the effects of the fish. If they get enough funding and interest, they could develop a product that can be easily installed on any city rooftop and used by millions of people around the world!
We heard about this from the wonderful Good.is and we’re curious to see how Conceptual Devices’ partnership with Urban Farmers (a European version of Green City Growers) […]
Summer Reading List 2011 (à la Green City Growers)
The dog days of summer are currently in full swing. While that means that we at Green City Growers have had our hands full (and I mean that literally; I’ve picked plenty of zucchini over the last few weeks that are the length of my forearm), it’s that time of the year when folks travel to new places, hit the beach, or maybe have a little stay-cation at home. If you’ve already read your share of Michael Pollan and want some other good food-related books, you can read…
Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit (Barry Estabrook)
Okay, so maybe the title and the topic aren’t exactly cheerful, and maybe you don’t want to read about something so morose when you’re trying to enjoy some extended downtime. But this book was featured on NPR a few weeks ago and has […]
Local and Educational Resources
Hi! If you heard Jessie Banhazl speak at the American Heart Association’s Go Red luncheon, or you are just interested in learning more about where to get local, healthy food, the history of the US food system, of how to grow your own, see below for resources recommended by Green City Growers:
Reading (Current Food Issues)
“In Defense of Food” and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” By Barbara Kingsolver “Eating better than Organic” by John Cloud, Time Magazine
Watch
“Food, Inc“ “Fresh“ “King Corn“
Reading (Growing your Own)
“All new Square Foot Gardening Method” by Mel Bartholomew “The New Organic Grower: A Master’s Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener” by Eliot Coleman “The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year-round […]
