Updates on Green Exchange…

This Saturday is the second Green Exchange in Orange at The Barking Dog! After the exchange Dr. Tony will be presenting a seminar on  “Sustainability.” We hope to see you all there at 10 a.m.!

On another note, we would like to go ahead and announce that all information/updates on  future Green Exchanges (beginning in April) can be found at www.geauxlocal.com. We are trying to focus the Please Remain Seeded blog more on our own personal sustainability efforts (on our land.) You will still receive updates to your email address about the Exchange as well, but they will come from a “Geaux Local” email address.  We hope that you will still continue to follow our blog for updates on what we are doing.

Peace and Love,

Matthew and Amanda <3

The FIRST SETX Green Exchange at the ORANGE location!!

OK, guys, I know it is short notice…(we have been VERY busy!!) but THIS SATURDAY we will launch the FIRST Green Exchange at The Barking Dog’s Orange location at 109 5th Street! We will do this on the THIRD Saturday of every month so that those who wish to attend both the Beaumont AND the Orange Exchange may do so! The next Exchange for Beaumont will be, as always, the FIRST Saturday of next Month, March 6.  THANKS!

Thanks everyone!

We just want to say a huge heart-felt THANK YOU to everyone who came out Saturday to participate in the Green Exchange. We had a fantastic turnout and met a lot of new people! This time around we had lemons, oranges, kumquats, tangelo’s, jelly, radishes, mixed salad greens, carrots, kombucha and kombucha cultures, fresh eggs, a lot of seeds, etc. Very impressive! We would also like to say “thank you” to the Beaumont Enterprise for coming out to cover it. Super nice people! We can hardly wait until the next Exchange on February 6th! I know that we are in for some freezing weather that may diminish a lot of our gardens but here are some other alternative goodies you might consider bringing:  any late-in-the-season/winter garden harvest, seeds, canned goods, unwanted houseplants, or even offers of help in preparing/managing your garden for winter. What treasures do you have to share with your neighbor?

Also, we will soon be offering a SETX Green Exchange at The Barking Dog’s Orange location as well. This will be held on the 3rd Saturday of the month so that those wishing to attend both may do so. We hope to kick this off in February or  March, so stay tuned for more information on that front. We are also working on a few other exciting things that we will be sharing with everyone as they unfold.

……………..I would also like to add that we have had several people inquiring as to wether or not they could come to the Exchange even if they do not have anything to swap. ABSOLUTELY! Please do attend even if your don’t have anything to bring right now.  It is more of a sharing out of the overflow of what you’ve grown. A “bring what you want and take what you want” more than a “swap.” We are just interested in fostering community between like minded people.

Next SETX Green Exchange – January 2nd, 10 a.m. at The Barking Dog!

Have plans for the day after New Years? How about coming out to The Barking Dog Coffee Lounge for some java and the next SETX Green Exchange! We will be bringing an assortment of leafy greens and salad mix,  radishes, candied pecans,  and more! If your friends and/or relatives are still in town, feel free to bring them along! We hope to see all of you there. What is everyone bringing this time around?

First SETX Green Exchange was a hit!

We had a GREAT turn out this morning!! Thanks to everyone who showed up and brought all of their goodies and helped to make this first SETX Green Exchange nothing short of AWESOME! Today we had: persimmons, limes, rosemary, basil, mint, lavender, sunflower seeds, nectar plants, peppers, eggplant, coffee grounds, butterfly lilies, spider lily bulbs, homemade  jelly…… goodness, I am sure there was more but that is what comes to mind right now! It was great meeting other like minded people in our community who are interested in gardening and/or growing food and eating locally/seasonal. We will post photo’s soon! Much thanks to Channel 12 who was there as well… so be sure to watch the news tonight! We can’t wait until the next exchange: December 5th! Mark your calendars! We are expecting our radishes and lemons to be ready by then. Hmmm…..now what to make for dinner with all of this fresh, local goodness?

First SETX Green Exchange!

OK so it is official! The first SETX Green Exchange is going to be on November 7 at 10 a.m. We are going to be meeting at The Barking Dog Coffee Lounge at 493 Pearl St. We would like to thank the owners, Chris and Tanya, for agreeing to host our monthly Exchange! They will have their used coffee grounds available to anyone who would like to take them for composting purposes on a first come -  first serve basis, so don’t be late! As awareness and attendance grows, we will move toward meeting every other Saturday and hopefully even weekly! If you are looking for a certain item, or want to find out if anyone is interested in a certain item, please feel free to use the comment section below.  If you have any questions please contact us at: matt@miakatempire.com. We are really looking forward to having something like this in our area! See you all there!

Hello world!

Please Remain Seeded (PRS) revolves around sustainable living in an urban environment and is a program under the parent organization, Mia Kat Empire, located in Southeast Texas. (www.miakatempire.com) PRS is founded with the intent of providing education, services and resources to Southeast Texas families. We strongly advocate natural and environmentally sustainable living.

For starters we are getting ready to launch a “SETX Green Exchange!” The mission is to build a community that enjoys not only food exchange but also working together to turn possible underutilized space into food growing opportunities. People can bring anything to the swap from their garden they may have an abundance of such as fruits, vegetables, flowers or herbs and swap with someone else. They can also feel free to bring other garden related items as well to exchange…. plants, seeds, coffee grounds for the compost pile… or some old gardening tools laying around not being used. It is swap only, no money exchanged and the items must be from the garden or home. It’s a great time to divide and transplant perennials, so separate that overcrowded patch and get ready to bring something to swap. I also suspect there will be some good late harvest vegetables and fruits. I hear that figs are ripening…

We are choosing to start the SETX Green Exchange now, as opposed to the prime growing season, Spring, because in the Chinese five element tradition, so I’ve heard, there are actually five seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Fall. Autumn is the season of the harvest and gathering, and Fall is the season of falling (as in leaf fall) and letting go. I have remembered this for years because it really struck a chord with me.

We are going to start meeting on the first Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. There will be two meeting locations. One will be in Beaumont, TX. at The Barking Dog Coffee Lounge (493 Pearl St.), and we will also be announcing a meeting location in Houston as well! Once we have enough responses from people who are interested in being a part of this, we will post our first meeting! To respond with interest simply “comment” on this blog or send an email to matt@miakatempire.com.

Some folks have asked if the swap is a negotiated trade or just a “bring one, take one.” For now we are certainly in the spirit of “bring what feels right, and take what feels right.” I encourage you, however, to use the comments of this blog to ask around, especially if you are digging up a plant that you could otherwise leave in the ground.

For example: I might post in the comments, “Does anybody want some bee balm?” and see if there is a response. If there is none, then there is certainly no guarantee that there will be a taker for that item. That said, we hope to find every plant and veggie and fruit and seed, etc. a home.

So… what are folks thinking about bringing?