The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 14 No. 39 - July 23, 2014

FEATURE

Start an organic community garden

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

submitted

Pumpkin and squash blossoms are delicious
stuffed with cheese, floured and fried.

 

 

When Walmart starts moving to organic, it's probably time to start listening up.

The trend is unmistakable! Are you ready to get started? Do you want to make a quantum leap into the sustainable local food movement? What? You don't have a green thumb, and you wouldn't know where to start. Take a walk down the native pathways along Pine Avenue in the city of Anna Maria and check out the raised bed, organic community gardens.

After completing our last building in the Pine Avenue Restoration project we looked for ways to further enhance the green aspect of what we now like to call the “Greenest Little Main Street in America”. The landscaping is really important to the look and feel of the street. We are saving money and negating the environmental cost that would be incurred fertilizing, watering, and spraying the insecticides necessary to propagate the exotic landscape.

Many of our readers may know or have heard of Mike Miller. Mike has done more to promote native landscaping than anybody since Johnny Appleseed.

The organic community gardens were Mike’s idea. Why not have multiple gardens that our community could benefit from and serve as a model for what you and I can do in our own backyards? Remember the days of going out back and picking your greens for dinner? Today Mike's first eight gardens, that began with the shop owners on Pine Avenue and integrated into their landscaping, have grown to 30 gardens throughout our community.

The 31st garden could be yours. Seven of the plants are perennials that grow throughout the year. Seasonal, conventional vegetables surround them. We have really enjoyed our Okinawa spinach, arugula, and Seminole pumpkins which by the way produce the most incredible, edible blossoms.

We roast the pumpkin in a 350 degree oven or enjoy them raw with a little EVO, sea salt and a dash of Myers Lemon. We stuff the pumpkin blossoms with ricotta and goat cheese and dust them in almond flour and sauté them in EVO. The Katuk and Moringa are some of the most nutritious plants on the planet. They are great in our morning super smoothies.

So, if you are ready to join the most important food and health movement of our lifetime and you want to eat some of the freshest, healthiest and most tasty food you have ever put in your mouth, then call Mike Miller at 779-6097. He would like to show you the vegetables in the Pine Avenue edible community gardens and how to harvest and prepare samplings from them for a tasting, as well as the cost for a garden of your own if you want one. You can also visit his Web page at www.perfectisland.us/Edibles for extensive information on the gardens and the vegetables complete with recipes. We look forward to hearing your stories and sharing your recipes.

Local musicians spread multi-cultural vibe

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

submitted

From left, Trevor Bystrom, Morgan Greig and Kristie Armas perform
at Tribal Trio’s July 13 CD release party

 

 

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Led by 19-year-old Island resident and singer/songwriter/guitarist Trevor Bystrom, The Tribal Trio followed their CD release party with a return trip to Orlando last weekend to perform again at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.

On stage, Bystrom is accompanied by his 18-year-old girlfriend and multi-instrumentalist Kristie Armas and 17-year-old percussionist and longtime friend Morgan Greig.

The group’s new “Live and Direct” CD is a follow-up to Bystrom’s 2013 debut effort, “Fly Away.” On Sunday, July 13, the band hosted a CD release party at the Blue Marlin restaurant in Bradenton Beach.

“We had a great turnout. We had a lot of musicians come and play and we sold a lot of merchandise and CDs,” Bystrom said.

The trio will perform at Margaritaville again this weekend and resume their Blue Marlin gigs in August.

The CD title is a tribute to how it was recorded, using two vocal mics and an ambient room mic at Everett Southwick’s Big Room Records in Bradenton.

“We played each song until we thought it was almost perfect and we didn’t add any extra instruments. What you hear was all played live by three people,” Bystrom explained.

As the primary songwriter, Bystrom lists Jack Johnson, Xavier Rudd, Amos Lee and the John Butler Trio as influences.

His song “Guests on this Earth” reflects a young man’s ecological sensibilities.

“It’s a song about us as people. We don’t own the earth. We’re actually just visiting, and we should treat it like we’re guests in someone else’s house,” he said.

“Long Dark Road” addresses a similar theme from a darker perspective.

“It’s more pessimistic. It’s the story of a guy who goes through a spiritual journey. He was one of those people who really took a toll on the earth and was going down a long dark road before he changed his ways.”

Three of the 15 songs on “Live and Direct” previously appeared on “Fly Away” and were re-recorded to reflect the band’s musical maturation.

“We play multi-cultural music, creating a blend of genres,” Bystrom said of a style that combines elements of rock, folk, reggae, blues and alternative music.

“We love to incorporate different instruments from a wide range of cultures to get unique and organic sounds,” he added.

Bystrom and Greig are Holmes Beach natives who played together for two years before Armas came aboard.

“Trevor threw me on bass guitar and ukulele, and I’d never played those instruments before. It was a challenge, but I’m pretty proud of the results,” she explained.

“I’m the person that fills in the gaps,” she said of a role that also sees her playing acoustic guitar, flute and assisting with vocals.

Armas thinks “Live and Direct” captures the musical vision Bystrom spent years cultivating.

“Using all these unique instruments, he’s finally getting his true sound. He wants to stress that he is a live performer, and the new CD is a good example of what he’s capable of,” she said.

Bystrom credits his parents, Bill and Jeannie Bystrom, for their continued encouragement.

“They’ve been very supportive,” he said, noting that his mom sang backing vocals in a band when she was his age and provided him with songwriting and sound mixing tips.

Dr. Bill Bystrom, a local veterinarian, said, “We try to help Trevor in any way we can. For Jeannie and I, it’s a sound we like to listen to. It’s soothing music, and he comes up with some unique lyrics.”

In regard to his son’s professional future, Dr. Bystrom said, “We want him to keep studying in case he wants to follow me into medicine, but he seems committed to his music at this time.”

Later this summer, Bystrom will begin studies at State College of Florida in Bradenton.

Armas, an Ocala resident, is moving to St. Pete to study at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, and Greig will embark on his senior year at Manatee High School.

“Live and Direct” and upcoming show information is available at www.trevorbystrom.com.

The Tribal Trio CD is also sold at the Island Animal Clinic in Holmes Beach and the Palma Sola Animal Clinic in Bradenton.


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