thursday fav

This find is something I found a few weeks ago. My new favorite cerveza. I originally bought it just for the stinkin' cute label. But the beer is amazingly tasty, too. I've graduated from my Mich Golden Light with a lime! I must be almost 30.

The beer is named for Stillwater and will soon be brewed there, too. It's local, it's spicy, it's for wanna-be farm girls (their Web site says so). It's perfect.

my garden guru

I have a garden guru. His name is Uncle Duane. He lives in Dawson, Minnesota (it's waaaaay out west, a suburb of Montevideo) and, with my Aunt Betty, owns a chain of nurseries -- Heather Nursery and Floral. He's guru of growing.

He recently moved to the favorite uncle slot when I found out that he hitch-hiked his way down to Mexico City and back in the 70s. I never woulda thought we have so much in common and so much to talk about -- farming, food, Mexico, Monsanto.

That's one of my favorite parts of getting older -- sitting at the "big table" and getting to know in a whole new way the people that have always been in my life.

Meet Uncle Duane.

This is the only photo of him I could find -- he's on the right. Sarah, you look so happy to be hanging out with your uncles and dad at a bar.

Uncle Duane knows more about farming, flowers, soil, nutrients in our soil or not in our soil due to mass usage of chemicals and sustainable agriculture that anyone I know. Almost as much as Barbara Kingsolver and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." He's a huge advocate for restoring our soil and the essential nutrients that belong in it through sustainable practices.

He's conducted experiments testing nutrient levels in the soil and thus in vegetables when using a variety of agricultural techniques and products such as oxygenated water, buffalo mature and the latest -- Earth's Elements.

Earth Elements.

Earth's Elements is a biological soil amendment. It's comprised of all sorts of natural elements that put back into the soil the healthy bacteria and such that needs to be there. And what's been depleted with all of the chemicals and pesticides that we've become to view as necessary.

I can't even describe how bad it smells. Or how moldy it gets. But I've been assured it's supposed to do that. It's the healthy bacteria.

It has North Atlantic Kelp, Redmond Natural Mineral Conditioner, Diatomaceous and a lot of other things I can't pronounce or ever heard of. You side dress your plants with it twice a year. Below is dressing number one.

Gypsy peppers
Cucumbers

I can't wait to see how much more beautiful my vegetables look than everyone else's because of Earth's Elements. Because that's it's purpose -- to help me do it better than everyone else.

Plug: If anyone wants their very own (smelly but effective) bag of Earth's Elements lemme know. I recommend it. And I've got the hook up.

I found actual veggies in the garden!

I am proud to announce that my green find of the week comes from my garden. I got back from a weekend and some Up North to find wonderful green surprises at the farm. Turns out really do know how to garden and grow things other than weeds!

Peas

My gitanas (gypsy peppers)

Baby heirloom tomatoes
(they still have a ways to grow)

My dinner
(just kidding, although add an avacado and this does closely resemble my diet)

Gardening is great. This is the gardening I signed up for.

Green find o' the week.

I bought this J Crew dress in "dusty sage" (a soft, greenish blue) for my cousin's wedding in a few weeks. I had a hard time not getting the very green one below, but I was thinking versatility and practicality. "Can I wear it three out of the four season?" is the new question to myself when buying clothes. It's either going to be one thrifty saver idea or a big fashion mistake. We'll see!

I love the dress' simplicity, airiness, and length. Wait, airiness. That makes it unwearable in the winter, right?! Should have gone green.

Favorite finds

In celebration of my favorite day of the week, Thursday, I am going to start posting a favorite local and/or indie green find. As you'll notice, my first fav is not green. But it's Mexican so it fits with the blog theme. And Mexico beat France today en la Copa Mundial (¡Que viva Mexico!), so celebration is in order!

Check out this beautiful vintage Mexican dress cerca 1960s or 1970s. I love the color, the embroidery, the flowers, the puff sleeves. A new garden outfit, perhaps.

I found this through my new favorite hobby -- cruising Etsy's "Treasury" section. It comes from Honeywood Vintage. I'm in love.

The girls next door

I met my first garden neighbor. And I think I've found my long lost gardening twin! Someone else who doesn't like to work too hard. Who I overheard gave up at the garden today because the soil was too hard. Who bossed me around last night because I wasn't pulling the weeds correctly. Or at least I think that's what she was saying -- I don't speak an East African dialect.

Meet Fadumo, my garden neighbor (who looks like she's watering her friend)

After we become better friends I'll take an actual photo of her (one where she knows I'm taking it). It'll be a unique friendship we have. One where she talks, I listen, I have no idea what she's saying, I smile, I make up what I think it was she said and then I respond. And she repeats. I learned today that Fadumo doesn't want to learn English. I'm still trying to conquer Spanish so I won't be adding any African language to the mix just yet.

It's a collective group of women that garden the neighboring plot with Fadumo.


It looks like they each take a row or two.



Their neat, organized, well-planned garden.


Mine. No wonder Fadumo was bossing me around about the weeds.



I want to be a part of their gardening club. One because their garden is so orderly. But more so because they cheer, laugh, chat a mile a minute their way through gardening. It's like girls night out at the garden. Today there were cheers all around for the first cucumber plant to sprout.

Fadumo, can I quit my garden and join yours instead? Woo hoo is universal, right?! I'll bring the matching gardening tools.

More plants, less weeds

Mis suenos (dreams) did not come true. I do not have a weed-free garden. See photo below. Embarrassing. And, no, those aren't plants in the upper left-hand corner. My mom informed me they are extra large weeds. I was thinking they were spinach plants.

Weeds with a few plants mixed in.

Luckily, my sister just gave me some garden tools to help with the weed removal. The tools were given to her by someone special. Any guesses who? (If you can't read that logo is says Grand Casino Hinkley.)


The tools are compliments of grandma, and the many nickels she's donated to Grand Casino Hinkley. Conveniently, they fit with the green theme of the garden. (Otherwise I would not be using them).

Despite the weeds, plants are starting to sprout. It's exciting to see them growing.

Pepinos.

Guisantes.

Cebollas.

The next photos will be more plants and less weeds.