by Paula D.
on July 10, 2024 9:28 am in Food
We saw woody thyme scattered throughout the Beach 91st Community Garden at season’s close last September, when the colorful camouflage of rich, red tomatoes, green peppers and the lanky yellow black-eyed Susans disappeared. It became visibly clear there were duplications of so many herbs. This sparked an idea – build a communal herb garden!
My friend Katherine and I presented the concept at our monthly garden meeting last season, and everyone was on board! The objective of this project was to maximize growing space in members’ plots. Given the abundance of duplicated herbs, interested folks would relocate their herbs into the dedicated herb bed, which would then be cultivated for the benefit and enjoyment of all members as a shared herb garden. This would allow for more space in individual plots for growing vegetables.
Member Bobby Carnevale draws out the plans for the herb bed.
Project plan overview.
Builder Bobby Carnevale filling the bed with garden refuse.
A community effort.
The fantastic idea was convinced, and now we needed to execute the project. Bobby Carnevale, Katherine’s husband, had a circular saw and the ambition to build the bed! Leadership member Kurt Dorian collaborated with Bobby on design and materials. I’m proud to say we managed to build the 10 ft bed for under 100 dollars. We sourced the wood for free, used weed barrier fabric we already had and only needed to purchase some blades, screws, and soil!
Thank you, Bobby, Kurt, Katherine, and garden members who donated and planted their herbs for the shared herb bed. I’m excited to cook with fresh herbs all summer long and look forward to fall when we’ll dry and preserve our late crop for year-round, home-grown spice and flavor.
If you’d like to see our new herb garden, good news… our plant sale has been rescheduled for Sunday, June 30th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Browse a selection of house plants, perennials, garden totes, and shop Holland Ave.Soap while spending a lovely day in the garden. Event details and more photos and video of the herb garden build-out can be found on the Gardens’ Instagram – @beach91communitygarden
For more on gardening, f0llow me on IG @theglorifiedtomato.
I didn’t know what Meddle Juice was when I first heard about it through the Rockaway internet grapevine this past winter. All I knew was that I needed to show up at this newish venue called the Rose Den on Beach 116th Street – on a Monday night. And so I did. And so it all became clear. Meddle Juice was the secret ingredient to creative survival I needed to immerse my senses in, to sustain my being through the cold, lingering Rockaway winter.
To keep the beat flourishing, Meddle Juice creator, Justin Bozza, is producing a summer series of Secret Garden Shows in Rockaway. I’m excited to say, I’m collaborating with mastermind Justin, artist m i c c a, Videographer Robert Carnevale, and Community Organizer, Rachel Krieger-Garone on this project.
Each event will showcase different musicians, artists, and performers in three different locations. And each gathering will offer nourishment and beverages.
Tini Vessel.
The concept of the Meddle Juice Secret Garden Shows and all the exhibitions Jusin Bozza and m i c c a create is an idea I feel strongly about. They strive to cultivate a community ethos that recognizes artists, musicians, performers, and creators as individuals who can freely express themselves, entertain, contribute art, and rightfully expect compensation for their creative talents.
The first show is on June 9, 3 p.m.to 7 p.m. in Rockaway Beach. Here’s what to expect:
The music of Tini Vessel (@tinivesselmusic) is ethereal, maybe delicate. With an undercurrent of darkness in melodic echoes. Rockaway inhabitant, Singer, and Composer Christina Bowers, has two new singles available, find them on Spotify and fall in love.
Electronic artist Lace Card (@lace_card) will tromp us through abject and ecstatic zones of listening. Lace Card sculpts sound landscapes out of raw energy, weaving together beats and sound to construct an ocean of vibrations.
Johnny Butler is a Brooklyn-based saxophone player and a Grammy-award-winning musician and arranger for his work on Beyoncé’s “Love on Top (among other accolades). His sound reminds you of “A renaissance court jester, groveling before the queen.” Butler performs on June 9 and will be combined with movement and dance. More: johnnybutler.com
Food energy provided by Kim Kimchee (@kimkimchi.legacy) -tangy, spicy, and umami-packed flavors for your bodily enjoyment and a sensory eating encounter. Enjoy specialty cocktails and other liquid potions by m i c c a and friends.
There will be jello…
Domingo World, a monthly event held at Edgemere Farm showcasing live music, performances, and visual art exhibits, will commence on Sunday, June 2nd, running from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Now in its second year, this series is curated by musician Giovanni Fernandez-Kincade and artist m i c c a. Domingo World brings together the diverse people of Rockaway and mainland visitors who share a passion for the arts and community.
This Sunday the featured musicians are Agua de Gio, Vera Kahn and Jeff Tobias. There will be a performance of “Green Man” by Luxury Bones, and an art installation, “When Triangles Becomes Circles,” by Carolin Wood. Food offerings by The Culinary Abyss and Edgemere Farm.
Domingo World is the first Sunday of every month through Labor Day at Edgemere Farm (385 B 45 St, Queens, NY 11691).
Reflecting on last summer, I have to say, every month brought its own groove, keeping me hooked for more. Listening to a variety of live music, seeing visual art that made me wonder and experiencing wildly fluid dance and performances intermixed like a tossed salad within a field of food cultivation was a memorable time!
Co-founder, Giovanni Fernandez-Kincade describes the spirit, “After this band is not another band on stage, it’s a dance performance in the flowers. Let your child eat their empanada in a mound of dirt while two performers in nothing but tighty-whities wrestle and writhe while holding onto each other’s teeth. Is that a dolphin or a leather daddy? Why not both?”
Artist Caroline Wood’s vibrant personality shines through the vivid colors and dynamic patterns of her paintings, creating an electrifying visual experience. Her work will be on view at Edgemere Farm this Sunday.
Prepare to be transported by the captivating melodies of musician Jeff Tobias. Photo courtesy of @yesreality, Instagram.
Experience “Green Man” a performance by Luxury Bones, this Sunday at Domingo World Photo courtesy of @luxury.bones.drag IG
There’s no better way to spend this Sunday afternoon. The forecast says sunshine. Come to Domingo World and experience the wonder.
For the day-to-day around Rockaway, follow meon IG: @theglorifiedtomato
Apart from cultivating delicious foods and discovering the secrets of gardening, an integral appeal of participating in the Beach 91st Street Community Garden is the sense of community it fosters. Over the years, from my initial membership to assuming a leadership role, the garden has provided me with a unique avenue to connect with individuals in Rockaway whom I might never have crossed paths with otherwise. Our group is a sea of cultures and age ranges, yet we find ourselves united by our shared love for the soil.
Fred monitoring his lettuce sprouts.
I met Fredrico Phillips about three years ago. Trotting down Beach 91, all smiles and shirtless. When he learned I was the manager of the community garden, Fred expressed his interest in joining but said he had little experience. “No problem!” Part of the garden’s mission is to educate our neighbors about the benefits of growing organic foods, and how-to and to demonstrate eco-sustainable practices through action.
This year after being on the waiting list, Fred received a plot! Not only has he begun an early season with a variety of lettuces, but he’s also an active member at our meetings and has volunteered to help with a very special project I’d like to share about.
The garden site map serves as a comprehensive guide, showcasing everything the garden has to offer and aiding members in locating various features. With significant infrastructure changes over the past two years, including the addition of two new common space planting beds, a pergola, and a communal herb bed, it was time for an update. I reached out to members for design assistance in recreating the map for the 2024 season and Fred eagerly volunteered to lend his talents!
Frederico, originally from Algarve, Portugal, has lived in NYC far and wide before settling in Rockaway in September 2021. “I came for the ocean but the sense of being in a community of friendly, like-minded people is something that makes me feel closer to home. There’s nature, surf, active people, gardening, airplanes, cats and dogs… I mean it kinda has it all.” The opportunity to learn about gardening and to be more self-sustainable is why Fred was eager to join the B91 Garden. He said, “It’s like learning life skills, hopefully, I will be growing food for a long time and this is the beginning.” Fred enjoys eating Zucchini because the word sounds cool. Also, he feels it’s an easy veggie to cook fried, grilled and it can be tossed into any and every dish.
Frederico Phillips is a 3D rendering artist with over 14 years in this specialized industry. His work is tailored for the advertising and branding sphere. With a focus on event and architecture visualization, Frederico’s skills breathe life into concepts through stunning visual representations. His mastery extends to 3D food & beverage modeling, as well as product rendering, ensuring every detail is meticulously crafted to captivate audiences and elevate brands. So when you see a box of Rice Krispie Treats in Key Food this weekend, know that your neighbor Fred illustrated those scrumptious delights!
Rice Krispie Treats illustration designed by Frederico Phillips.
Through our collaboration on the site map, I learned about Fred’s process, the tools he uses, and how I can apply what I learned from him to my 2D graphic work. Primarily Fred illustrates in 3D Max and uses Adobe Creative Suite. In the past few years, he’s been experimenting with AI platforms. Fred taught me the basics of this wild new technology! I learned about uprise.us and magnific.ai which assist in insanely detailed effects. I’ve been using Midjourney, the AI App that generates images from text prompts from us humans, to create our visual intentions.
The finished 3D design of the B91 Garden site map is just incredible. I never imagined it to be so detailed, accurate, and beautiful. It truly evokes the spirit of the garden and so on behalf of the Beach 91st Community Garden, I’d like to say, thank you Fred for your outstanding work!
Site Map Designed by Fredrico Phillips. I asked Fred if he could illustrate our garden cats, “Yes, of course!
