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.

La Vie En Rose: Living the #FlourLife

If you’ve ever broken the crispy, fragile crust of a French Macaron between your teeth you understand it’s a pretty unreal treat. They look almost plastic, ornamental, so the moment when someone first tells you they are edible it’s an emotional roller coaster. Then when you find out they are made from little more than almond flour, sugar, butter and egg whites you start to question the integrity of the person selling them to you. However it turns out they are in fact a delicious confection comprised of simple ingredients, made transcendent by baking prowess.

Georgie Roberts takes that experience to all of her baking at Flour Life. With a desire to do a good job and an exceptional baking pedigree she left the world of big business to pursue her passion.

“I started baking at a very young age with my French Grandma who owned a Patisserie in the center of Paris,” Georgie says. “My mom also has been a great teacher as she was trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. Food is a passion that runs in my family and comes with my French heritage. After completing my MBA at Rollins and working in Corporate America, which did not fulfil me, I decided to combine my two passions: baking and business.”

Roberts’ mastery of macarons was no cake walk, as it were. She offers a few words of wisdom for those looking to walk down that path.

“The first time I tried making French Macarons I think I was 14 or so and it was a total disaster as is to be expected on your first attempt,” Georgie recalls. “There is a learning curve with Macarons and I still don’t always get it right even after having baked thousands of them. They’re such a finicky pastry requiring a lot of patience and determination. To anyone that would like to make them, I would say don’t give up, know your oven (get a thermometer), don’t over mix your batter. And don’t undermix it either. You have to get it just right. It’s definitely a challenge but well worth the effort.”

At Flour Life customers can purchase the culinary crowns and a wide variety of artisanally baked goods, including cupcakes, madeleines, whoopie pies, petits fours, as well as cakes and pies in numerous incarnations.

Georgie also specializes in custom-made cakes for all occasions. Don’t hesitate to inquire at info@flourlife.com in order to find a beautiful & delicious, made from scratch cake perfect for your special little one’s Disney-themed party or even a Super Bowl party.

This year buy from your thoughtful, practiced neighbors at Flour Life and taste the difference of hand-crafted, artisanal desserts!

'Bon Park Burns for Bumble's 'Buch

The stomach is sometimes called the second brain. What happens there directly affects our state of mind and keeping this line of communication a pleasant one can be a challenge. While we used to rely on quick fixes like zantac and pepcid ac and a whole slew of reactionary measures, we’re now discovering there are natural preventative measures we can take to keep our minds and tummy happy. Cue Kombucha (Kom-BOO-cha), the healthy, restorative brew that’s been around for millennia, now experiencing a renaissance in America. By combining good bacterial cultures with special strains of yeast, a brewed tea transforms into kombucha in a refreshing, effervescent elixir with negligible amounts of alcohol, so even children can enjoy.

While it introduces an army of beneficial bacteria, giving you intestinal fortitude, it’s not the easiest front to unify. Brandon Stewart has dabbled in the artform of kombucha brewing since 2011. Last year he started Humble Bumble to bring this clean, cultured tonic to Orlando.

We spoke with Mr. Stewart about his passion for brewing, the benefits it brings and why it’s trending in The City Beautiful. Read on!

What inspired you to brew kombucha and open up shop in Orlando?

Mostly a desire to feel better and help others do the same. Years ago, my experience with kombucha mostly involved big box brands (GT, Reeds) shipped in from California. I felt Orlando was missing a good local brew – something fresh that emphasized the variety of ingredients Florida has to offer. That thought got the experimental process started, culminating in the flavors we produce today.

What do you like about the kombucha brewing process?

Kombucha takes well to any number of flavors. It’s an extremely flexible brew. Unlike beer, it leaves the brewer a lot of room to work with herb and floral combinations. Lavender, hibiscus and basil are some of our favorites, but the options are limitless.

In what ways is it a difficult process? In what ways does it pay off?

Patience and solid note-taking are the keys to any successful brewing project. Discovering, for example, the perfect temperature in which the cultures will thrive can be tricky. Once you’ve found those perfect conditions you have to duplicate them with a fair amount of precision.

With new ingredients you’ll be doing a ton of guess work.

The payoff hits when you get more experimental with a flavor combination (our tangerine and starfruit comes to mind) and it exceeds expectation. Trust me, it’s a great feeling!

What does kombucha taste like? How do you respond when someone dismisses it as hippy medicine?

Most people describe the flavor profile of kombucha as something similar to an apple cider. It’s a touch sweet with a hint of bite from the fermentation process, a combination I find almost addictive.

The idea that kombucha is some sort of unsubstantiated herbal remedy has been largely beaten back. Laboratories have been isolating the beneficial bacterias present in kombucha for years. For anyone interested, you’ll find a number of these listed on our website. 

www.humblebumblekombucha.com

Sourcing all of his vegan ingredients and branding materials from other local vendors, Humble Bumble sells Kombucha in fashionable glass growlers in sizes of 16 oz for $4 and 32 oz for $13. You’ll even receive a discount when reusing the Humble Bumble bottle or bringing a container from home.

Kombucha will stay fresh in your fridge for At least 14 days and up to a month arguably improving over that time. It’s a fantastic complement to muffins, parfaits or an invigorating beverage to start your day or keep you going in the afternoon when you need a pick me up.

Stewart & Company have received such a positive response they are opening a storefront in the Milk District joining other Audubon Market vendors, Dixie Dharma and Valhalla to create a vegan triumvirate that will not soon be rivaled in the greater Orlando area. In the meantime, head on down to Stardust on Monday evening where you can purchase the age-old, dazzling brew or just chat with Brandon about the many nuances of the ‘buch. If you miss the market, Stardust serves cool, refreshing Humble Bumble Kombucha on tap throughout the week.