Sereniteas Teaches Earthy Health

 
By and large, we are all thankful for the benefits of modern medicine. That said, most of us understand that the health industry surrounding it is by no means unassailable. Many of us learned this struggling to pay an out of pocket insurance bill, or even worse, seeing a loved one struggle with the effects of broadside and sometimes very drastic pharmaceuticals. Toni saw her father pass away because of complications with prescription medication, and it was at that point she decided she would devote herself to providing people with the herbal remedies and natural solutions that have nurtured life since time immemorial.

Based in Plant City, Sereniteas & Soothers is Toni’s one-woman operation canvassing Central Florida farmers’ market and bringing natural succour to consumers in search of better health, or maintaining a strong immune system. One of the biggest challenges for the sole proprietor is keeping up with demand; luckily, Toni has spunk in spades.

“Now that folks are waking up to what is being done to their food,
the need for my products has tripled. But hey, I don’t mind,” says the fourth-generation healer.

Selling tea blends, salves, and fresh juices made from local organic produce, Toni operates throughout the Tampa area; lucky for us she has made the trip to Audubon Park Community Market for four years running. “I love the vibe and the feel of this market,” Toni says. “I do several a week, but I look forward to Audubon the most. The people are amazing.”

In these pollen-heavy seasons, we can’t help but appreciate this effort by such an expert natural tea and tisane curator (she made her first blend when she was nine years old!).

The growing popularity of natural remedies in a time of conscientious consumption does a lot for the argument that every problem caused by nature has a natural solution.

To avoid getting stung by the side-effects of all the beautiful pollination that happens in Spring, try the Sereniteas Cold & Allergease or as a sturdy preventative measure steep some of the Super B blend – a third-generation recipe. If you’ve ever put been put out of commission by a benadryl, consider keeping your focus and turning to an herbal fix that transcends age and trend.

“I want to teach that natural remedies are here for a reason,” Toni says. “All the plants I use were put here for us to use.

You can put Toni’s living, ancestral knowledge to the test every Monday from 6-10pm at the Audubon Market.

My Yard Farm Parlays Novel Concept into Local Food Success

 
“Good Vibes.” That’s how Henry Melendy explains the farmer’s market atmosphere. It’s an assessment that’s hard to dispute. Strolling from booth to booth, visitors can expect to see friendly faces selling delicious goods that are equal parts innovative and quirky, discovering the ways in which the two are so often closely woven together.

Melendy must have turned some heads upon starting his business, My Yard Farm, in 2007, at a time when his model could only be described as quirky. MYF started out as a garden-building service that could create “edible landscapes.” Eschewing the pristine, uniform (often sprayed) lawns, now largely recognized as hallmark of the housing bubble, Melendy and co-founder Gus Ramage honed in on a different kind of aesthetic – one that was just as practical as it was beautiful.

Specializing in high-protein microgreens, My Yard Farm was in many ways a precursor to wildly successful enterprises sprouting up across Orlando such as weekly AudPark vendor, Fleet Farming. As the business evolved, innovation blossomed from the outlying quirks that likely garnered little more than scoffs seven years ago.

Now interested homeowners, particularly those from the horticulturally diverse Audubon Park go to Melendy & Ramage for consulting on edible landscapes, design and help with the buildout process. Springing from their urban ag success My Yard Farm recently expanded into more traditional agriculture, breaking ground in Apopka to supply farm-to-table restaurants and CSA boxes with a wider range of local produce.

With a larger food selection, they are now launching MyFoodBoxes.com where consumers can purchase complete diet CSA’s including 5 lbs of seasonal produce which would currently include Microgreens, Butter Bibb Lettuce, Strawberry Onion, Strawberries, Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Bell Peppers, Florida Citrus, and Herbs. Additionally the boxes can include eggs, grass-fed beef, and dairy.

Just when it seems like the MYF crew couldn’t do any more they put together a robust market table every Monday and remain a cornerstone of the Audubon Park Market. Melendy says it’s a “labor of love,” and it often takes a week to prepare for a successful market outing.

Ultimately, My Yard Farm shows up for the good vibes every week because it’s where fledgling, innovative projects get their footing and small business quirks can evolve into new, widely adopted ways of thinking.

“It’s grass roots, it’s small business growing up, it’s the core of the food community – and then some,” Melendy says. “We’ve had many opportunities, some of the bigger ones, happen by way of simple connections and conversations at the market table – the best place to chat food, hands down.”

Compost Orlando Turns Waste into Soil

 
Interesting Fact: Audubon Park – Orlando’s emerald gem for diverse horticulture, quiet streets, hip shops and more bikes everyday – is on path to become an EcoDistrict. What does that mean? It means our humble little neighborhood this year will take the steps to become an even more sustainable and resourceful community – one that is conscious of energy, waste, water, and the welfare of its inhabitants. Already we’ve seen some inspiring groups of locals taking action. Fleet Farming continues to cultivate local produce through a network of urban farmlettes. The Corrine Calming Coalition everyday champions a greener, more bikeable thoroughfare. Now Compost Orlando is in the mix. Managed by Katie Shannon & Alex Stringfellow, the organizers spearheading Audubon’s EcoDistrict campaign, Compost Orlando, a bike-powered operation, looks to surmount one of the biggest obstacles to sustainable living – waste.

Metro-sized landfills full of food waste not only create greenhouse gases, but they can contaminate our water. Compost Orlando notes that a redirection of resources at a local level could turn a global problem into a local solution.

“Transporting waste to the landfill is costly, to our environment and our pockets,” Stringfellow explains. “So if you are already paying to have it hauled off it might as well go to good use.”

For downtown and the five surrounding main streets programs, Compost Orlando offers a subscription service for offices and restaurants that can exchange food waste for a nutrient-rich, bio-diverse compost. If you are a resident  joining their pick-up service, they cover Audubon Park and Colonialtown. This includes the areas near Leu Gardens and the southernmost neighborhoods in Winter Park. If you want to drop-off your compost, which is  another service option, it’s a matter of you traveling to one of their compost drop-off sites located in the afore-mentioned neighborhoods

Leftover organic matter, such as non-meat food scraps, wood chips, leaf litter, and coffee grounds, transforms into compost that will ultimately promote more local, organic matter – just one way to close the loop and reduce dependence on shipped-in food. 

Shannon and Stringfellow designed the program while earning their Master’s at Rollins in hopes of reducing carbon emissions inherent in massive landfilling. The Compost Orlando Crew will divert your waste from the landfill for $20/month, periodically returning a batch of freshly stewed compost to help green your thumb.

“It’s never the same bag twice, but it’s always a valuable addition to your landscape or garden,” Stringfellow says. “More diverse soil means more resilient soil biology and plants.”

If you simply want to drop-off compostables at your leisure and collect the resulting compost to promote strong, nitrogen-rich soil at home, that will cost you a mere $9/month. Both plans require a $15 start-up fee and both come with a compost bucket and bio-degradable liners.

Additionally they offer a consultation and construction service so customers can make their own compost at home.

Area restaurants & offices can also participate; Compost Orlando currently works with P is for Pie, First Green Bank, The Rusty Spoon, and engineering firm, TLC.

To participate in Compost Orlando, visit their site. To learn more about their work in transforming Audubon Park into an Eco-District visit  http://audubonparkgardens.com/about-2/projects/apgd-ecodistrict/ . You can advance this campaign by attending the meetings at Bikes, Beans, and Bordeaux at 7pm, the second Tuesday of every month.

A Clean Slate with Heart Song Naturals

 
Maybe there wasn’t a better thing for Audubon Park than The Great Recession. At the market we’ve seen so many vendors who quit their office job to pursue their passion during that time of equal parts crisis and opportunity. Heart Song Naturals is no different. Frustrated by the lack of real soap at the supermarket, Paula Davis had always made her own as a hobby and for personal use. In fact, many of the store-bought brands are barred, as it were, from labeling themselves at soap – instead they must be labeled bath bars, beauty blocks, etc.

In betweens jobs, Paula’s daughter suggested that she go to a Saturday farmer’s market to sell her authentic product, rather than give it away to friends, and so began her entrepreneurship.

As an independent business, Davis enjoys the creative freedom, but still faces the classic time vs. money struggle. True handmade soap is not exactly an EasyMac situation either. From the initial oil measuring stages through a lengthy stint on the curing rack, it will take about four weeks to make a finished product.

Once the curing process is finished Paula puts the soaps with various scent profiles into very clever packaging. For the Heart Song logo, a bass clef over an angled treble clef joins its mirror image to form a beautifully ornate heart shape. The back of the boxes sport oval-shaped openings, allowing the customer to catch a whiff of the bars that most pique their olfactory interest.

Paula finds inspiration for her brand in the musically rich background of her family, drawing parallels between the fundamentals of both music and our keen sense of smell.

“It was natural to see the connection between scents and music,” Paula explains. “Scents and chords are both based on balance of notes – top, middle and bass/base.”

Pouring through the Heart Song catalogue many of the soap titles are inspired by golden oldies and other standards of classic rock. The bars themselves are as visually striking as smells emanating from them. Some of our favs to look at and breathe in are Brown-Eyed Girl, Green-Eyed Lady, Lavender Fields Forever, and Magic Carpet Ride.

In addition to soaps, Davis also makes soy wax candles burning longer and cleaner with no petrochemicals. What’s more, they are consistently-scented throughout, unlike some of the weaker mass-produced brands that are top-loaded with a cloying scent that diminishes throughout the life of the candle.

Paula’s brand, on the other hand, has only gotten better during her 5 year tenure at Audubon Market. (Paula recently made the switch to Heart Song from the previous name, Escentual Harmonies). To find out what she has in store for the next 5 years, Paula is happy to chat with you every Monday from 6pm-10pm at her booth on the northern line of the Audubon Market.

Sustainable Agriculture Takes Root in Central Florida

Feature from the Spring Issue of quarterly lifestyle publication, Eidé Magazine. Pick up a copy at your local Whole Foods. Story by Assistant Market Manager, Jimmy Sherfey. Photography by Nate Robinson of By The Robinsons.

From the Wild Ocean to Audubon Park

In Central Florida we enjoy delicious local produce year-round. Still too few of us look outward and enjoy the bounty offered by our coastal waters. Juicy flakes of Tilefish. Buttery Royal Red Shrimp. Savory Mullet. These delicious & nutritious proteins don’t require a lot of frills, nature already put everything you need into them. And Wild Ocean, one of the last independent fish houses on Florida’s Atlantic coast can do all the prep work for you.

The best part:  You don’t have to drive to Titusville to get it; fresh wild-caught seafood comes to Audubon Park every Monday!

Consumers often worry that cooking fish can be difficult, but in many cases, all it takes it a little salt, pepper and olive oil with a few minutes of oven-broiling and you’ve got a gourmet meal on your hands.

Need some advice? Fishmonger Cinthia is a whiz with shucking and/or fillet knives, and can split & clean shrimp in a split second. She’s happy to walk you through your seafood endeavors. Additionally, she has the latest fashion tips when rocking cast nets and bedazzled tees.

In the end the only real fashion blunder is falling victim to the cheaper, unsustainable straits of the seafood industry. Instead of the the farm-raised tilapia shipped in from thousands of miles away, opt for the wild fish plucked from the schools coursing along our beautiful Floridian shores. It tastes better, it’s fresher, it’s more considerate to the truly wild ocean we’re ensconced in on this lovely peninsula.

Currently in season there is Flounder, Royal Reds, Canaveral Whites & Brown Shrimps, Mahi, Vermillion Snapper, Whiting, Oysters and Scrumptious Rock Shrimp. Pre-order your seafood to ensure that you get everything you want. Call before 4pm on Mondays ( 321-269-1116 ) or email fishmonger Cinthia: cinthias@wildoceanmarket.com. Pick-ups are from 6pm-8pm.

If you call between March 2nd – 9th, mention this post and receive $5 off on a $30 purchase at the Audubon Park Community Market in front of Stardust on Winter Park Road.

Find out what the Wild Ocean has in store every week and like them on Facebook

Want to Treat Your Pup? Chews Naturally

If you have ever had the pleasure of living next to a massive chicken processing plant you may have noticed that some days the stream of smoke pouring out into the sky is accompanied by the distinct odor of dog food. That’s because most of the low-grade stuff is in fact made from animal bi-product. The sweepings of a broiler house don’t seem like much of a treat. So while you’re at the market picking up local meats and fresh vegetables for yourself, why not throw a bone to your best buddy and hook her/him up with delicious treats, freshly made from scratch without the preservatives, sugar, and salt.

Sarah Chadges first discovered her love for making gourmet dog treats making them in college as Christmas gifts for family friends. After graduating she drafted a business plan, moved to Central Florida and started Chews Naturally.

Using whole wheat eggs and rolled oats as a base, Sarah typically uses only 5 ingredients to make the kind of treats dogs flip over. The trick is the care that goes into preparing them.

For instance chicken & beef treats are crafted with a home-made stock, taking up to 12 hours to produce. Liver is pureed and these become the base for carnivorous treats.

Chews Naturally also uses fresh fruits and veggies for plant-based alternatives, not to mention peanuts ground and slow-roasted to perfection. If this all sounds too scrumptious let us remind you we are still talking about dog treats (although they are fit for human consumption!)

Wheat-free treats are made with rice flour and the dried sweet potato sticks are great for any pups on a grain-free diet. ‘Gluten-free and Paleo? They’re just dogs?’ you might say. But for Sarah they’re not just the recipients of her products, they are family members.

“You wouldn’t want to feed your child just
anything without checking the ingredients,” Sarah says. “To me, my dogs (past and present) are my children, so I make sure they eat right and are healthy.”

Sarah’s black lab/pit mix Jorja no doubt eats right, enjoying baby carrots and all the treats that did not bake to Chews Naturally standards.

You’d think such gourmet K-9 fare would cost an arm & a leg. Don’t fret: you can pick up Chews Naturally treats every Monday night for a fair price and – best of all – they are fresh!

If not, there are always the leftovers from the chicken plant, bricked and set on shelves for months on end. Yikes.

Valentine's Day Honey Promo: Farmers' Market cliche or just The Right Idea?

Whenever Valentine’s Day rolls around you’re bound to see a Farmers’ Market making the “Honey for Your Honey” Pitch. Yeah it’s obvious. Yeah it’s not-so-inventive wordplay. To that we say, “So what?!’

If you personally enjoy sweet things, but shy away from local honey just because of boilerplate marketing – maybe you’ve forgotten what honey is. Let’s recap: It’s a delicious floral nectar created by a group of insects with an innate compulsion to work in a concerted effort to mine remote pockets of life springing from the ephemeral beauty of delicate flowers!

Lorrie Clark has been capturing nature’s magical elixir and bringing it to the general public since 2010. Working full time in the sailing industry with Gill North America until the great recession Lorie took a stopgap job selling honey products when she – quite literally – ‘got the bug.’

“I decided I could raise bees and make my own way,” Lorrie recalls. “ It’s been an eye-opening and empowering business for me.”

St. Johns River Honey Company puts hives in different parts of Florida to achieve different ‘blooms.’ For a classic honey taste, try the Orange Blossom blend. The Gallberry will provide a more floral bouquet with a lower sucrose content. Each honey has their own purpose in your daily diet from toasts to teas to yogurts and dressings. Who wouldn’t want to give the gift of a honey wonderwheel to their special someone?

If nothing else you can support one of Central Florida’s quality business owners this Valentine’s.  “I am proud to be a female business owner,” Lorrie says. “I am really glad to be part of the slow food movement and anything to help our beautiful Earth! Go Bees!”

A Most Chivalrous Fruit Purveyor

 
Precious things come in small packages. Anyone that has tasted a lady finger banana knows this to be true. If you personally haven’t: imagine packing all the flavor of one regular-sized banana into a miniature one. This season you don’t have to imagine, and best of all this magic doesn’t have to be summoned forth from a far-away land. Nay! worthy of a flourish of trumpets, these rare fruits were brought to our humble garden hamlet of Audubon Park from a yonder urban farm near downtown Orlando by the none other than the noble Emerald Knight.

Peter Gianelli, an agricultural student from UF and the owner of Emerald Knight, greened his thumb by gardening from a young age, following plants from seed to fruit. Eventually propagating tropicals such as dragon fruit and calamondin – about as far north as they will grow – Peter has shown it’s nothing a little extra care can’t handle.

Currently in University of Florida’s Plant Production program, Peter grows everything naturally, curating edible plants and fruits that are unfamiliar to most consumers, but not for lack of deliciousness.

“I first realized I could sell the fruits that I grow in middle school when they would have fundraisers for charities,” Peter explains. “I would sell the fruits in front of my house, because none of the other kids in my class were doing anything I was interested in.”

Now an official entrepreneur Peter, continues to ride free from the pack, shining a light on the fruits that don’t always get proper exposure in the public eye. At this time of year, his booth is often chock full of starfruit or carambola, an extremely versatile sweet & tart tropical fruit great for smoothies, yogurt, baking into pastries or broiling alongside fish.

He still has some classics though. Coming this spring, he’ll have peaches, followed by avocados and mangos in the summer.

If you’re worried about the use of toxic chemicals, rest assured, Emerald Knight employs Integrated Pest Management to keep plants healthy. Peter keeps the unlikely buds going with a foundation of good worm castings, fortified by natural oil sprays to keep the bugs away.

You can ask him more about natural horticulture and join in on the passion for fringe fruits by purchasing seedlings at his booth every Monday. As Emerald Knight forges ahead, he hopes to turn the business into a mix between a nursery and a growing operation, spreading the joy of under-appreciated edible plants to more consumers in Orlando.

Join the wave of horticultural diversity in Orlando and plant these gems from Emerald Knight today!

The Salsa & The Glory

Isle of Salsa products may be sampled every Monday from 6-10pm.

While the controversy swirls about and a heap of dreams hangs in the balance, the only thing that really matters this Superbowl Sunday is who comes out on top. But be forewarned: it’s not just the gridiron goliaths grappling over a pigskin that stand to lose or gain everything. Party-going spectators could also find themselves wallowing in defeat, wading through a mushy trough of mass-produced Pace Picante.

This year, move the chains in your favor and opt for a fresh & delicious, hand-crafted salsa from local artisan maker Isle of Salsa. Chief Salsa Head, Gerard Martinez, started the business in 2011 and ever since then Isle of Salsa has sold its fresh, crafted, gourmet salsas, condiments, and hummus at Farmers’ Markets across Central Florida, as well as selling to supermarkets, gourmet specialty food shops, and area restaurants .

Previous to starting Isle of Salsa, Gerard had worked for many years in the financial services industry but wanted to get back to the food business, something he had been involved in after graduating from Tulane University in New Orleans.

In addition to making wildly creative and super-legitimate salsas, Isle of Salsa also churns out some fantastic flavors through their chimichurri line. A traditional Argentinian grilling sauce, chimichurri takes already tender, juicy slow cooked cuts of meat to another level.  Fresh and flavorful it feels like South American sunshine on the tongue. Not only good for marinades and dressings, this fresh, authentic sauce will serve as a nice garnish to almost any meal, especially at breakfast over eggs, avocado, chorizo and tortillas for those looking to kick off the day with a bang.

“Argentina Chimichurri is as ubiquitous as ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce all rolled into one,” Gerard says. “You can’t have a BBQ without it, and BBQ is a big deal down there.”

Different regions have different styles of sauce, Martinez adds, and most families have their own recipes that are passed down through the generations. Isle of Salsa’s green chimichurri recipe was passed down to Gerard by his mom and is representative of the Buenos Aires area and the Pampas region, using lots of garlic. The chimichurri rojo (red) is a recipe typical of the Northwest Andean provinces between the wine region and the Bolivian border, and it is spicy and smoky.

With the Superbowl coming this Sunday, Isle of Salsa is holding a “Super Salsa Sunday Contest”. If you sign up for the Isle of Salsa newsletter by Friday 1/30/2015 you will be entered to win a salsa and chips party package valued at $50. Just visit their facebook page at isleofsalsa to sign up or enter this QR barcode into your smart phone and it will take you to the  the newsletter sign up page.

Remember: this Sunday with good sauce on your side, how can you lose?

Scan this QR Code to sign up for the Isle of Salsa newsletter and enter to win a Super Salsa & Chips party package ($50 Value!). Or Follow this link.

In the meantime watch this vid to get pumped about the ultimate Sports League Meet taking place this Sunday. For in-depth information on the traditions & lore surrounding ‘The Big Game’ visit Audubon Park’s resident NFL Historian, Tipso Lothrop every week at the Monday night market in front of Stardust Video & Coffee.