My garden is alive with spring.  I have a family of finches nestled on my porch, butterflies and hummingbirds meander back and forth and over 25 herbs begging me to make a cup of tea from their leaves, flowers and berries. I hope to inspire you to do the same.

Below are tips on how to brew a lovely cup of tea and a  list of herbs found in my garden, I’ve included some of their common benefits.  So please, take some time to enjoy a cup of tea alone or with someone you care about. May you find peace, rejuvenation and a lil love for what ails you.

~ Tanya

Here’s the list: TEASE SPRING GARDEN HERBS

HOW TO MAKE A LOVELY CUP OF HERBAL TEA

Keep it simple. A muslin bag, French Press or saucepan and strainer is an easy way to brew your herbs.

Using leaves and flowers: 1 – 2 teaspoons of loose leaf per 1 cup of boiling water is needed. Let it steep for 10 – 30 minutes for medicinal effects. For flavor, 3-5 minutes is sufficient. Strain, sweeten as desired. Inhale deeply, meditate and enjoy each sip.

Using nutrient rich herbs: 1/3 cup herb to 4 cups boiling water is needed. Let it steep 4 – 8 hours. Strain, sweeten as desired. Inhale deeply, meditate and enjoy each sip.

Using bark, roots, seeds, twigs and berries: put 1-3 tablespoons of cut herb, seed, root, bark, etc into a pot of 16-32 oz of water and allow to sit in non-boiled water for at least 5-10 minutes. Set on stove and bring to a slow boil then turn down to a simmer for 10-30 minutes. Strain, sweeten as desired. Inhale deeply, meditate and enjoy each sip.

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company.  ~Author Unknown

Roots of Healing Southern California Herb Fest
Wildcrafting Community

The Roots of Healing Southern California Herb Fest is a series of gatherings designed to promote and unite Western Herbalism practitioners in the Greater Los Angeles area. We’re growing a local community of herbal healers, students, and teachers in an environment of education, skill-sharing, and meaningful connections. Creating an accessible forum of learning, Roots of Healing seeks to establish a sustainable herbal community celebrating the diversity, craft, and unique traditions of southland Western Herbalism.

Join us at our first Fest on Saturday, May 25, 2013!

Visit our Website for Details!

Sunday, December 16, 2012, 11:00am until 4:00pm @ T’sSpace

Contact Tanya for address:  Tanya.Quinn@CommuneLoveProsper.com or 562.824.0453

Need some awesome last minute gifts? Interested in supporting handmade & local micro businesses? Me too!  Join your favorite LB artisans and crafters for one last effort to buy handmade this holiday season.

Treats will be served!

FEATURING:

TEASE

Aldana Mica

Merry Blues Art

Awakening Yogii

Mad About Mud

Rachel Fernandes Jewelry

& more!

If you or someone you know is interested in having a table, contact Ana at ana@merrybluesart.com.

FACEBOOK EVENT

Community Dinner Showcases the Taste of Eating Locally and Organically

By Greggory Moore  | Wednesday, 17 October 2012 09:29

Food grown at home by T’sSpace founder Tanya Quinn. Below: A shot from last year’s Local Harvest Dinner.

It’s a simple concept: Bring a dish made with local, organic, and sustainable ingredients from your own gardens and enjoy fare from organic local farms, community gardens, and sustainable chefs.

That’s what will take place Sunday at the third annual Local Harvest Dinner, when the community comes together to learn about and celebrate the pertinent possibilities right here in Long Beach. And, of course, to eat.

“Many people have an image in their head that locally-grown, organic food is an elitist thing,” says Aliye Aydin, founder of beachgreens, the first locally-owned delivery service in the greater Long Beach area to focus on providing residents with fresh organic and sustainably-grown produce from farms within a 300-mile radius. “A community event like this invites everyone to the table, with as little or as much as they have to contribute.”

This year’s Local Harvest Dinner will be the first held at Farm Lot 59, a nonprofit, one-acre bio-intensive farm in North Long Beach that started food production this summer.

“Eating locally-grown food eliminates the miles your food has to travel before you are actually able to consume it,” says Farm Lot 59 founder Sasha Kanno. “When you support a local farm your food was harvested within a few days before you are going to consume it. It means it’s fresher—and, therefore, healthier. There is no need for refrigeration and the trucking of those perishable goods. [Plus,] buying anything on a local level also keeps your money locally. You are using your dollars to support your local economy and your local farm.”

Tanya Quinn, whose T’sSpace is co-sponsoring the dinner (along with beachgreens and Farm Lot 59), points out that the benefits of sustainable/organic/local food production can extend beyond the dinner table.

“Long Beach benefits on a basic level: more plants equal cleaner air,” she says. “Green spaces are beautiful and add to the aesthetics of our city. […] Foods grown seasonally and locally adapt to our particular climate and nutritional needs, literally producing nutrients that best meet our specific needs. Besides the health benefits, supporting local producers and shopping locally increases a sense of community and safety. Our dollars support local economy. As residents, we have more opportunities to get to know our neighbors and directly communicate with producers. As a community we get better acquainted with each other’s needs and how to support them. Seeing food grown around you also evokes a sense of ownership, pride, and fun. We help to educate our community and children on healthy eating and growing habits.”

Aside from all that food and communing, attendees will be treated to live music, and children will be able to participate in arts & crafts and hula-hooping.

Quinn hopes an event such as the Local Harvest Dinner is a step on the road to changing the status quo.

“I’d like to see sustainable and locally-supported foods become the standard versus the exception, that when I go to a restaurant or shop at a local grocer I am assured that the foods available and being served are GMO-free and grown without hormones or chemical pesticides. It would be awesome if we had an ordinance that helped us move towards this vision, supporting local restaurants and grocers to make the shift. It would also be great to see less restrictions supporting backyard edible gardening. I see mini-farmers’ markets or exchanges on every block, with neighbors coordinating their efforts and celebrating their harvests.”

Go to Farm Lot 59 on Sunday, and you’ll get a sense of just how tasty such a vision can be.

“People really pull out all the stops on this dinner,” says Kanno. “It’s a great way to kick off the cooking season.”

“Whether you’re too busy, or too poor, or too whatever, a community event like this encourages and invites all to participate in and learn about our local food system,” says Aydin. “And to eat good food, which is, after all, the universal thing that brings us all together, right?”

The third annual Local Harvest Dinner takes place Sunday, October 21, from 3:30PM to 5:30PM at Farm Lot 59 (2714 California Ave., LB 90807). Attendees are asked to bring a dish made from local, organic and sustainable ingredients to share with six to eight people, a place card describing the dish, and your own place-setting (plate, cup, napkin, and utensils). A $5 to $10 donation is also suggested, a portion of which will benefit Farm Lot 59. RSVP toTanya.Quinn@CommuneLoveProsper.com with attendee name(s), phone, and e-mail address; or call   (562) 824-0453. For more information on Farm Lot 59, go to LongBeachLocal.org. 

Learn how to make your very own soaps to showcase during the Thanksgiving Holiday or to give away as gifts.  This technique is simple, safe and so much fun!  Just experience your creativity magnify.  Plus its healthier for your body and the planet.  Anyone can do it!   Click to Register

Check the calendar for upcoming classes! 

to bring a Local Harvest Dinner to the Long Beach community on Sunday, October 21

 Attendees are invited to bring a dish made with local, organic and sustainable ingredients from their own gardens, and also enjoy fare from organic local farms, community gardens and sustainable chefs in an educational and celebratory meal.

 Long Beach, Calif., (October 3, 2012) — T’sSpace and collaborative partners announce the second annual Local Harvest Dinner on Sunday, October 21, from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. at Farm Lot 59 at 2712 California Ave, Long Beach.  The gathering will bring together community gardeners, farmers, sustainable chefs and organic produce providers to share knowledge of growing food locally and organically.

 This pot-luck experience offers local residents a chance to commune with the areas most informative sources on the subject, exchange products and produce from their harvest at an on-site trading and enjoy live musical performance during the event. There will also be a children’s area sponsored by local artists.

Attendees are asked to bring their own place settings, contribute a vegetarian dish made from locally grown organic ingredients to share with 6-8 people, and to display a sign explaining their recipe. All will share a communal meal and give thanks to those who bring us nourishing food, and meet new friends!

“We promised that last year we would host our 3^rd Local Harvest Dinner at the farm and are proud to say that Farm Lot 59 is up and growing.  We are passionate about the importance of supporting food grown locally and exchanging our passions with one another. Together we celebrate community, wellness, gratitude and inspiration,” says Tanya Quinn.

 Who: Everyone! All ages welcome.

What: 3^rd Annual Local Harvest Dinner

Where: Farm Lot 59, street parking on 27^th and Top Farm Lot

When: Sunday, October 21, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Why: To share knowledge and resources, and commune amongst the local farming, growing and organic produce community

What to bring: A dish to share with 6-8 people made from local, organic and sustainable ingredients, place card describing your dish and your own place seating (plate, cup, napkin and utensils)

Cost: $5-$10 suggested donation at the door (A portion of the proceeds to benefit Farm Lot59)

RSVP: Email Tanya Quinn at: Tanya.Quinn@CommuneLoveProsper.com with attendee name(s), phone and email address or call 562-824-0453

Special Support from the Catalyst Community and Moonlight Collective Ensemble.

About T’sSpace: T’sSpace is the creation of local Long Beach artist, resident and business owner, Tanya Quinn. With her expertise in the fields of holistic nutrition, green living, and natural beauty, Tanya has been providing individual clients with personalized support on their journey to health and wellness. In addition she creates workshops, collaborative events, products and services that inspire conscious, simple and healthy living. From the garden, to your table, from the womb to your arms, from our heart to yours, let us serve you and celebrate the full circle of life. We aspire to provide both pleasure and instruction on various topics of body, mind and spirit.  Please visit T’sSpace at www.CommuneLoveProsper.com to learn more.

About beachgreens: Beachgreens, started by local resident, Aliye Aydin is the first locally owned delivery service in the greater Long Beach area to focus on bringing fresh organic and sustainably grown produce from farms no more than 300 miles away directly to clients (delivery area includes Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Lakewood, Sunset Beach and Surfside). This makes “farm fresh” fruits and vegetables readily available for busy people who can’t always get to the farmer’s market. Please visit beachgreens at www.beachgreens.com to learn more.

About Farm Lot 59:­ Farm Lot 59 is a 1-acre biointensive farm in the middle of Long Beach, California started in 2011 by Long Beach resident, Sasha Kanno. We believe in the direct connection between farmer and consumer. Local farming makes it possible to distribute fresh and pesticide free produce to local consumers. The consumer who buys direct from the farm enjoys fresh, ethically and responsibly farmed products that are considered more nutritious because of their freshness. Consumers have the opportunity to see where their food comes from and know exactly who grew it. We have created an urban/ rural connection within the local community. Please visit Farm Lot 59 at LongBeachLocal.org to learn more.

Catalyst Makes Call Out For Change-Makers to Gather

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Others prefer to build him a pond or give him a pole or even introduce him to the local fishery for a job.  Whether it is through relief work or empowerment or civic engagement, many people have different approaches for changing the world but they all have good intentions in common. Long Beach non-profit Catalyst is calling all agents of social change together for its annual gathering, the Assembly of the Catalyst Network of Communities. On Saturday, October 20, 2012 from 11:00am to 5:00pm, Catalyst is bringing together its broad network of change-makers to the newly opened Catalyst Center for Urban Sustainability, 1730 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90813 (one block south of Pacific Coast Highway at Esther Street).

“A catalyst is a person who sparks social change,” says Eric Leocadio, founder of Catalyst. “These are individuals who know their neighborhoods need to be improved, believe in possibilities, and take the initiative in participating in that change in some way. Anyone can be a catalyst. We are building a community of catalysts. If one person can make a difference, then imagine what a thousand of us can do.”

Imagine what it would be like for them to gather in one place for a day of shared vision, inspiration, ideas, and examples of projects, programs, and ventures geared towards social change. In addition to being a convergence of social change-makers, the Assembly will also feature 20 community groups that have been adopted by the Catalyst organization to function as one of its many programs. These programs encompass a variety of focus areas some of which include the arts, children, teenagers, nutrition, health, fitness, wellness, autism, music, dance, business, sobriety, LGBT, faith, volunteerism, Filipino culture, the environment, urban agriculture, gardening and backyard farming.

 The Assembly event will begin with a free ZUMBA kick-off by Team ZUMBA USA at 11:00am followed by a day of presentations, speakers, musicians, dancers and performers.  There will be special music by the Spanish fusion sounds of Romero y Perez and also the Spanish folk music of Elisa de la Peña.

Concurrent with the Assembly event, it will also be the grand opening of the new Catalyst Center for Urban Sustainability. Having been referred to as the bike HUB for two and a half years where people could learn to repair and maintain their bikes, Catalyst decided to expand the use of the space into a much larger endeavor providing an interactive learning space for residents and visitors to explore tangible applications of sustainability in an urban environment. The new Catalyst Center will feature 4 education stations for water, solar, recycling, and bikes, a mobile container garden called the Urban Oasis, and a butterfly cove. The new DIY Maker Space will provide tools and equipment for artists, up-cyclers, crafters, and builders to work on their do-it-yourself projects. The HUB bike shop will continue to give cyclists and would-be riders a place to work on their bikes. And the Long Beach Free Store will officially be re-opened, operating out of a donated shipping container, to provide a place for people to donate items in good condition and to give everyone a place to shop for free.

Catalyst encourages attendees of the Assembly to bring items for the Free Store, a list of events to add to the community calendar, and lots of business cards.

For more information about the Assembly of the Catalyst Network of Communities, go to www.GoCatalyst.org/assembly2012.

 About Catalyst Network of Communities

Incorporated in 2006, the Catalyst Network of Communities is a 501c3 nonprofit social impact organization that helps people and groups to connect, collaborate, and share resources. Based in Long Beach, California and operating in Southern California, Catalyst includes 21 fiscally-sponsored groups adopted into their organization to function as one of its programs, 9 collaborative projects with other organizations, and almost 100 collaborative partner organizations, groups, and businesses that share its Common Community Values for building relationships, establishing partnerships, encouraging contribution, and inspiring growth. Catalyst is building a network of catalytic social change-makers that are better inspired, equipped, and resourced to develop innovative solutions to global and local problems. For more information, go to www.GoCatalyst.org.

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