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!
This Sunday, May 19th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Beach 91st Street Community Garden is hosting its annual plant sale fundraiser. Enjoy the spring air and vibrant blooms while spending time with friends and neighbors —bring a blanket and picnic to make the most of the day. This year, there are some exciting new additions you won’t want to miss!
A delightful selection of plants to elevate your greenery game will be for sale. Offerings include tomatoes, aromatic basil, peppers, chives, and other herbs perfect for culinary adventures. An array of perennial favorites such as the graceful walkers low, autumn joy, the ever-charming daylily, persicaria ‘red dragon’, and various beach grasses to add texture and coastal charm will be available to you. For indoor oasis seekers, look for these houseplants: the regal purple queen, spider plants, soothing aloe vera, stick plants, and more.
New this year, the B91 Garden will have a cute selection of garden tools and accessories for purchase. A raffle for two free Queens Botanical Garden tickets, and some freebies too! There will be a limited amount of B91 totes designed by artist Phil Rodriguez. The tote bag was screen printed at Kingsland Printing (WBE) owned by the lovely Sara Gates.
B91 garden member Mike Benigno, soap maker and owner of Holland Avenue Soap (@hollandavenuesoapco) will have a sampling of his spring and summer scents. A portion of the proceeds will be generously donated to the garden’s fundraiser. Many soaps in the Holland Avenue collection are crafted using soleseife methods, featuring purified seawater as the primary ingredient. Select bars incorporate B91 Community Garden homegrown herbs, infused into oils during the production process. Pretty sweet, right?!
Photo courtesy of Holland Avenue Soap.
Attention lemonade lovers: Ms. Elise and Ms. Natalie along with their crew will be serving up high-end lemonade drinks with a splash of sunshine. Consider supporting the young entrepreneurs of Rockaway’s future!
Proceeds from the fundraiser will contribute to enhancing garden infrastructure and supporting community events and activities. The B91 Garden extends gratitude to its supporters and the Rockaway community. Follow the garden on IG: @beach91communitygarden to learn more about the group’s community outreach, gardening tips, art projects, and more.
by Paula D.
on July 10, 2024 8:53 am in Food
While browsing the dollar store for hair nets, for my new career in the pizza industry, the pincushions hanging on the wall nearby caught my attention, because a pincushion is a tomato.
Did you ever think, “Why the hell is a pincushion a tomato?” I never did until this profound moment, where all the sound and busyness surrounding me in the store disappeared and it seemed as though there was a glorifying light around all the pincushions
Photo credit, Pook & Pook, Inc.
The history of the tomato pincushion is fascinating and I want to share this important information with you:
During the Victorian Era, it was believed that placing a tomato on the mantle of a new home would bring good luck and prosperity and ward off evil spirits. I’m guessing somehow the poised Victorian Women had a connection to a coven of spicy Sicilian witches and this is how they learned about all the mystical properties of the sacred fruit. The vibrant red hue wards off demons and the plump figure of the tomato signifies wealth, prosperity, and beauty.
When tomatoes were out of season, families improvised with round balls of red fabric filled with sawdust, horse hair, or sand, which they also realized served as a convenient place to store sewing pins. It was common in this era to see pincushions in various vegetable shapes. Despite this, the tomato pincushion prevailed and remains the most popular choice (obviously).
I initially thought the mini tomato tassel hanging off the big tomato was a different variety, most likely a plum. I found it curious though and decided to dig a little. Shockingly, I discovered that it was actually a strawberry?!
Tomato Pincushion.
