2014 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival: Garden Stuff!

Despite my previous several posts, this is not primarily a food festival :) There are some pretty neat garden displays as well. Will post more about those later, but here is a preview from yesterday:

Gardener's Palette- all about color planning in your garden

Will add more about this later, we are off to enjoy the festival today- despite the rain.

2014 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival: NEW! Urban Farm Eats

This is the booth that was the vegan booth during the 2013 International Food & Wine Festival. Honestly, I was not a fan of the vegan booth, so I consider this an improvement. 

Right next to this Outdoor Kitchen is an aquaculture demonstration booth, which demonstrates tilapia farming in conjunction with hydroponic vegetables.

NEW! Urban Farm EATS

Passport page for Urban Farm EATS

I'll post the Passport pages for each booth, so you can see the full menu descriptions.

Eggplant "Scallop" with Romesco Sauce, Microgreens, and Spaghetti Squash (gluten free, vegetarian, grain free)

Ghost-Pepper Dusted Tilapia with Winter Melon Slaw (gluten free, grain free)

Pickled Beet & Goat Cheese Salad (gluten free, vegetarian, grain free)

Cucumber Mint Lemon Spa Water (vegan, gluten free)

Tip: we kept this water cup with the mint, cucumber, and lemon, and refilled with water from the fountains. That way, we had refreshing spa water all day, and it was more economical and eco-friendly than buying bottled water at the park.

Another eco-tip: try to keep your plastic utensil, and re-use at each booth. All of those plastic utensils being thrown in the trash after two bites just makes me cringe! I wish Disney would at least have recycle bins for the plasticware. 

2014 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival: Festival Center

And it begins! 

First stop: Festival Center. This is where you can attend lectures, demonstrations, and ask IFAS Master Gardeners all of your gardening questions. This is also where you can pick up an event passport. By the way, there is a stamp for Festival Center, even though there is not a designated box for it. Ask for a stamp at the front booth (this is also where you will come for the "Completed" stamp in your passport).

Entering Festival Center

Inside Festival Center

Passports

And, we're hungry! Here are the offerings at Intermissions Cafe- including two vegan options. 

The prices are higher here, but the portions are much larger. Although we have not yet been out there to explore on THIS trip, from past experience, the offerings at the Outdoor Kitchens are tasting size. The offerings here in Festival Center seem to be full size portions.

Fruit & cheese plate (vegetarian; this should also be gluten free)

Caprese push-pop (vegetarian; this should also be gluten free)

The Caprese push pop is adorable! And only $1- you can't go wrong there. I need to come up with ideas to serve in a push pop. Fruit salad?

Vegan trio (Hummus, tabbouleh, couscous, roasted red pepper coulis, pita bread) NOT gluten free (also not a trio, I count 4 items here, no? ;) 

Southwest chicken wrap with black bean spread. Obviously neither gluten-free nor vegan. Luckily I'm here with Tim, aka the Test Kitchen, so we will get to try all interesting options, even if they are not ingredients that I could eat (which would make for a very limited blog post, lol).

And on the allergy note, while you might make an educated guess as to what may be (or is clearly not) gluten-free, there is really no way to guarantee that there will not be cross-contamination with gluten or other ingredients in a festival/food booth type of setting. So, proceed at your own discretion and use your judgement regarding what works for your particular needs.

There is plenty to enjoy at EPCOT and the Flower & Garden festival without eating at the food booths. The entire Walt Disney World Resort complex is fantastic about accommodating food allergies, so you might choose to enjoy all of the festival gardening events, but choose to eat in a Disney dining location that can safely accommodate your dietary needs.

Ok, off to the Festival, and Outdoor Kitchens (The smaller, Spring version of EPCOT's International Food and Wine Festival booths). 

P.S. I'm not used to this mobile Blogger platform, OR taking photos with an iPad- so bear with me. Hopefully the photos improve as the day goes on :)

2014 EPCOT Flower (FOOD) and Garden Festival

Hello all! Today I am going to try something completely new- live blogging from the 2014 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival. I admit, I have no idea how this works, or how it will show up, but I guess we will find out! T-minus one hour until arrival- just in time for lunch ;)

I can't wait! 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, friends and family. Although I have not written much lately, things have been happening here in the Healing Kitchen- albeit slow and sporadic for the past few months. I have to admit, I have not been cooking nor eating as well as I could be- my diet has pretty much consisted of (gluten free) toast, and handfuls of dried fruit and nuts for much too long. But, with a new year comes new resolve, and I hope to be back in the kitchen whipping up gluten free goodies, and heavy on the raw vegan for the next few months.

I started a container garden right after Christmas, and it is going strong. I am happy and surprised to see how quickly things are growing. For veggies, I have planted kale, lettuce, beets, shallots, and onion. For herbs: Thai basil, cilantro, parsley, and dill.

Christmas gift- Chia herb garden!

Starting seeds

Another gift- a "grow box" I believe this is similar to an Earth Box.

This is upon assembly.

Seeds planted

Herbs growing

Seeds sprouting!

So far, I love the Grow Box. You fill the bottom with water, and it draws up water as needed. So I do not need to water every day. The smaller pots I do need to water every day.

I am now keeping the watering can in my bathroom. When I turn on the shower in the morning, I put the watering can under the bath faucet until the water heats up to shower temperature. That way all that cold water is not just going down the drain, and I have water for my balcony plants. So far, so good!

Garden Update

It's been raining a lot- look how green everything is!

Bailey has been pouting in the rain:

Here's the latest garden pic (taken in the rain, from my balcony):

I finally moved the bean sprouts and the spinach to bigger containers. This is the spinach outgrowing its previous container:

The spinach has these pretty little tendrils, and flowers: 

The beans were definitely outgrowing their container: 

Now they have these little shoots, and flowers: 

You know I don't have a clue what this means : ) 

Joan says, "Flowers are good"

I feel like a 3rd grader with a science experiment. LOL! I can't believe how clueless I am about gardening. No matter how much I've read about it, the best learning experience has been to just do it and see what happens : )

Eco-Friendly Friday

In addition to healing recipes, I'd love to share about healing environments.

I'm considering creating a series called "Eco Friendly Fridays" What do you think?

I have all kinds of exciting ideas to share about creating a non-toxic, healing home environment. Over the past few years, I've tried tons of DIY "green" (non-toxic) recipes for cleaning products, pest control, and even skin care and beauty products. I'd love to pass along what has worked for me, and learn more about what has worked for others.

New for me- at this very moment while I type, I am trying a (commercial) eco-friendly, no-fume oven cleaner in my oven (no heat). I am about to mix up a recipe for organic weed control, using white vinegar. I'm pretty excited about that one. I'll report back with results... maybe for next week's edition of Eco-Friendly Friday?

So, I was experimenting...

Remember my post about the pink eyed peas? Well, I wondered what might happen if I planted some.

They grew!

And grew...

and grew... 

and grew...

and grew...

They grow bigger every day! Time for a bigger pot already. Maybe we'll wind up with beans? Cool!

Garden update

Check out the size of the lemongrass and basil! Wow!

To compare, click here: lemongrass and basil for what they looked like when we planted them.

Joan's tomatoes:

We were so excited to finally find culantro... but guess what? Something ate it :( You can barely see the little nub of what's left:

And (warning: not for the squeamish) we have a garden visitor. He left us a present. How nice of him. (you might have to click on the photo to see it- if you WANT to see it). I'm not afraid of garden snakes but this still kindof gives me the creeps.

I'm told he is a black racer snake. Last year he was part of a pair- if this is the same snake. But so far this year, I've only seen one.

Edible Landscaping class

I just love our local Farmers' Market. This month, they are offering FREE classes every Saturday. This week's topic was Edible Landscaping.

It had quite a turnout, even in the rain (we eventually had to move inside):

Are you familiar with edible landscaping? The concept reminds me of WWII victory gardens.

Victory gardens were not only found in people's yards, but in public spaces. Here is a modern version in San Francisco (click photo for link to article):

How cool is that?

Really, the idea of planting pretty plants that you can also eat makes so much sense, don't you think? It just seems a more efficient use of space and resources.

Below is a description of edible landscaping from our Ag Extension office (IFAS) at the University of Florida:

Edible landscaping, simply put, replaces plants that are strictly ornamental with plants that produce food. Edible landscaping will allow you to create a multi-functional landscape that provides returns (fruits, vegetables, etc.) on your investment of water, fertilizer, and time. An edible landscape can be just as attractive as a traditional one; in fact, the colorful fruits and foliage of many edibles are quite beautiful. 

The IFAS website also lists these benefits:

• Improved Taste and Nutrition of Food: Nutrient content and flavor in most plants is highest immediately after harvest. The edible landscape provides fresh foods which can be eaten minutes, rather than days or weeks, after harvest. In addition, many exceptional and flavorful varieties not found at food markets are available to growers of edible landscapes.
• Increased Food Security: An edible landscape reduces your dependence on foreign food sources which have unknown production systems.
• Reduced Food Costs: Certain edibles are highly productive and are more economical to grow at home than to purchase.
• Convenience: Having fruits and vegetables right outside your home may help you add fresher, healthier foods to your diet and makes meal preparation easier.
• Fun and Exercise: Growing your own crops can be rewarding and fun; the exercise you get in the process can help you stay fit.
• Sustainability: Consuming locally grown produce can be an important part of reducing energy inputs and protecting our environment.
• More edible landscape information from IFAS at this link

If, when conceptualizing growing your own food, you can only picture long rows of crops and raised garden beds, check out Rosalind Creasy's website- she shares beautiful photos of edible landscaping in her own yard.

She also has a how-to book:


More books on edible landscaping:
 

Check your local library for books specific to your growing region. Also try your local Agriculture Extension office, local gardening clubs or hobby grower groups, and your Farmers' markets. Local nurseries will also know what will grow well in your region, and for your specific needs and wants.

Joan and I would both like to do some edible landscaping in the yard here. Of course, it's her yard, so ultimately it's her call- but I'm totally on board with an edible yard! One thing we learned in class is that an edible yard takes planning, just like any other type of landscaping. You have to plan for aesthetics, soil, irrigation, and yield. We will need to sketch out a map, consider where we have sun, shade, and rain and list which types of plants we would like to grow and eat. We learned in class that blueberries will grow in our area if they are in pots, so blueberries are on the list of "wants". We've already gotten started on an herb garden (see this, this and this post to follow the garden). Joan got a free fennel plant from Saturday's class, so now we have fennel for the garden. Personally, I'd like to grow lychee, and miracle fruit. I think we'd both like to grow some lettuces. Joan has a tomato plant. She also already has aloe plants in the yard, which I have used when I burned myself in the kitchen. So, we're on our way to having a very useful and edible yard. It just takes time. The vision: No grass to feed, water, and maintain; and lots of food!

We do have Meyer lemon:

And a baby macadamia tree, from the macadamia farm:

I am emotionally attached to this little tree :)

We are fortunate in that we can grow a LOT of things here. And we can grow a lot of tropical fruits and nuts, which is exciting. Now we just have to plan. And then plant.

Suggestions are welcome... have you done any edible landscaping? What has worked well, and what hasn't? Do you have tips or tricks we should keep in mind?