perennial purples - viola + muscari foreground, magnolia background.




wild violet syrup
steep violets in near boiling water (petals only, all green parts removed // ~2 cups violets, 1-2 cups water, less water = richer color).
let steep for 24 hours in a glass bowl, covered with tea towel.
strain solids and reserve liquid. compost the petals.
make simple syrup with liquid, by warming gently in a bain marie with a 1: 1 ratio of sugar to liquid.
when sugar is dissolved decant into a bottle or jar. store in fridge.
enjoy with sparkling water or with a boozy counterpart. the gin-based ‘aviation’ is a nice option ;)




Victorian Posy Cake, with candied wild violets.
to make candied flowers: select violets with large, showy petals. either the purple or white will do. pick with stems on.
store in jar with stems in water if traveling far before preparing.
separate an egg, beat the white subtly until frothy.
using a small, clean paintbrush, paint each petal with egg white, front and back.
sprinkle with granulated or caster sugar.
dry on parchment paper, on a plate or baking sheet.
decorate baked goods to heart’s content.
*this cake also has a dusting of violet sugar (macerated violet petals and caster sugar).

Montreal, August 2011.



Detroit, October 2011.



January 2014.



Detroit, February 2014.



Detroit, February 2014.


Durham, NC, November 2014.



Detroit, August 2014.


Near Sao Jorge, Brazil, February 2015.



Red Hook, Brooklyn, December 2015.



Warwick, NY, March 2016.



April 2016.



Brooklyn, June 2016 (finished flower medicine!).

A little runaway, to Camp Gateway...

En route to where we spent the majority of our time, near the village of Sao Jorge in Chapada dos Veadeiros. Locals and mystics believe this area has a special energy with frequent visits from supernatural/other-worldly beings, as it is on the same latitude as Macchu Picchu and there are clear, quartz crystals bursting forth from upturned soils.


Some years back, my friend Maina helped to build this earthen, mud dome!

Maina and Gabi inside the earthen mud dome, which has suffered the unfortunate effects of water damage over the years.


Some scenery that surrounded us.


Food forest behind my bedroom!


Food forest from another angle.


I learned that Brasilians will drive their cars over anything. Like this bridge which had 6-inch wide gaps between each board.


One afternoon I took a solo-hike down to the Sao Miguel river on the property where we were staying. I found these branches especially enchanting.


Sao Miguel river!

River rocks with kettle holes.

More river views, on different days from different places along the banks.


The neighboring home.


Native flora.


View from my bedroom.


We slept here!


Another vista from the bedroom porch.


In contrast to the planned permaculture sites we visited in Chapada, I spent the last few days in another human-designed place, the planned city of Brasilia. Built in 41 months, in the late 1950s, the city’s buildings all have a deliberate, modernist feel. Despite my anxiety about wandering around alone with my minimal, garbled Portuguese I did take to the city to explore some modern art, architecture, and cloud-kissed skylines. In Brasilia they say that their sky is the sea!





National Congress.






National Museum of the Republic.


Footprints of Brasilia (self-guided walking tour, created for the World Cup)


Metropolitan Cathedral (from the outside).


Cathedral from the inside.


Television Tower, highest point in Brasilia.

Indy was a pain the ass when she was in her puppy days. Doing as puppies do she whimpered constantly, peed on all our rugs, and chewed through most of my socks, underwear, books, and sandles, and was often escaping from the yard to chase cars and get lost in the neighborhood. There were at least two occasions where she got picked up by the local dog pound. She made up for it in adorableness and I guess we forgave her for teaching us to be less attached to stuff, and more responsible for animals that don’t know any better.

A wild thing about Indy is that she was intersex. That’s right. My dog had male and female parts. While she never would have been able to successfully reproduce, she had a vagina and balls. It sounds crazy, but it’s true. She actually parted ways with the testicles when we brought her to get neutered. The vet intended to remove ovaries that she ultimately didn’t have, and I guess figured they might as well remove her internal testicles to make the surgery worth it? Anyway, it makes for a good story.

I moved out of the house when I was 18, but was back every now and again for school breaks and holidays, and lived at home over two separate transitional phases in my 20s. Indy was a huge help to me at some of my loneliest times. I can remember how she would hear my crying (on occasion screaming) and come sit with me. She also liked to lick tears, b/c they are salty and taste awesome to dogs. I think that as pack animals, especially certain breeds, dogs look out for those they consider to be their own. I don’t tend to anthropomorphize, but I suppose I perceived Indy’s presence during these times as empathic. And I am grateful to have had her comforting canine companionship, as it was most needed.

There is a lovely, wooded nature preserve on the Connecticut River that is a short drive from my childhood home. We brought Indy there since puppyhood, so she could run freely, chase squirrels, swim in the river, and poop without consequence. Indiana loved those woods. It brought out her wildness, and seemed to be her favorite place. I would take her trail-running there, and until she about about 10 or 11 she could run two laps in the time it would take me to run one. In her older years, runs transitioned into slower walks. She could no longer chase woodland creatures, mostly ‘cause she couldn’t see or hear them. But she still perked up to be out among the trees.

August 1st was Indy’s last day. I wasn’t with her, but my Mom took her for her last walk in the woods and fed her a bowl of ice cream, one of the many human treats she loved so well. She left us quietly and peacefully, and with so many happy memories. I imagine you running freely, catching your first squirrel, and sneaking treats from the dinner table without reprimand, in doggie spirit land! We will miss you, Booja-loo.

Lamium, or henbit, not to be confused with purple dead nettle (though, they are both edible) can be enjoyed raw or cooked.



Stinging nettle (which Gregory Crawford, once taught me how to harvest without getting stung) can be dried for teas; or used fresh and blanched for delightful pestos. It’s a super food!


Not edible, however beautiful. Virginia bluebells.


Empty, with just a small hole on one side, found on a wooded pathway.



Redbud or forest pansy; when those little pink buds flower in a few days, they can be used as a snack, garnish, or stir-fry treat.



Non-native, periwinkle blossom.



Super delicious, non-native Japanese knotweed.



Mugwort! Use as a seasoning, or a tea for recalling your dreams, relaxing your muscles, aiding digestion.



This pollinator lost her way on a stone wall. Honey bees are super important. Edify yourself. And some more.



Lovely, colorful apiary.


Sassafras flowers are delicious. Harvest the roots in the fall for teas and tinctures.



Wild ramps! Harvest with care, difficult to re-establish.



Lesser celandine (left, yellow flower) should be harvested before it flowers. Viola (right, purple flower) is an edible blossom.

I seeded mexican sunflowers (Tithonia diversifolia) back in the late fall. Not the time of year to seed, but I was feeling all adventurously experimental with the surge of October. Everything else I seeded then became food for aphids and eventually went the way of the compost pile. But these sunflowers are sproutin’ up something beautiful. And just in time for spring!

Though, I never welcome this time of year. Historically, the spring transition is rough for me. For a period of years in my life, spring time was the time when everything fell apart. Jobs, relationships, my general sense of well-being. It didn’t happen every year, but I swear there was a jag of like 5 when that was the case.

Perhaps spring is just the counter-balance to my autumn, when I tend feel more elated, inspired, open to new possibles, new people. Maybe it’s because I’m an Aquarian and I just dig how the winter allows space for my dreamy, thoughtful, independent alone times (and bread-baking, and cosmetic-making, and other things I do in my kitchen when it’s cold). And maybe it’s because spring always rages in like a storm, trampling my carefully cultivated sense of ease, to remind that shit needs to start moving again.

Said rage is proving to be challenging so far. I’ve spent the first two weeks of this season working, exercising, and sleeping. I imagine the next few weeks are going to be similar. I welcome the challenges, because I love my work and I am learning new things about myself every day. Like that it’s hard to manage large groups of people; and that managing large groups of people is also hilarious. And it’s calming to be welcoming challenges, and not feeling stagnated or paralyzed by them, as I have in the past.

So spring 2014 can bring it with all her might! As the nerdy, Bucky Fuller lover that I am, the quotation above is my mantra until at least mid-June. And by then it will be ocean-swimming time! Which is a wonderful time. Here’s to putting contrarian forces to good use this lovely spring, as a means to cultivating something better; and potentially something awesome. Happy spring! Love, A.

• For context on the community, with photos and personal stories
• A more recent piece exploring racial and class disparity as compared with more privileged neighborhoods
• On a proposed plan for community revitalization and the “resurrection of Brownsville”

• hiking solo! I solo-hiked Storm King Mountain two weekends ago.  Really made me want to explore more of the local spots along the Hudson.  I find it refreshing to climb around in the wilderness by myself.  Other than swimming, it's the best way to clear my head and make room for new ideas.

• reupholtsering stuff!  my desk chair at home was suffering from crappy faux-leather falling-apart syndrome.  I purchased several yards of funky fabric on clearance from ikea.  Having borrowed a staple gun from work, I am in the midst of having a newly upholstered desk chair!

• kombucha brewing & scoby-sharing workshop!  I brew kombucha on the regular, and my scoby (or mother, as it is also called) has gotten huge!  Me thinks it's time to have a little workshop, teaching the how-to of brewing effervescent, fermented tea AND sharing this mother with other folks.  I haven't decided yet if this will take place at home, at the Farm, or in some kind of freeschool setting, like the Brooklyn Brainery.  I welcome your ideas, esp. if you want to learn how to make kombucha.

• seed starting! I suppose it's entirely the wrong season, but my apartment windows are south-facing, and my kitchen is in need of fresh herbs.  With the help of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden one-page seed starting guide,  I planted borage, several types of basil, cilantro, and some flowers seeds in an egg carton.  They are growing into lovely seedlings and have been transplanted into window boxes already!

• Greg & Maina bought a house in Detroit!  I am so happy for my friends.  The structure, surrounding land and neighborhood are incredible, and it's really exciting to see something years in the making take off.  I was last in the company of G & M in October 2011.  We joked then about sticking around in Detroit before we made our way to Chicago, and then eventually parted ways.  I look forward to rejoining them soon for a visit to the Motor City, and to assist them in diving into this exciting new venture.