Ron Finley gardens cooler than you ��

The Garden Gangster shares his secret to making gardening a beautiful experience: A dope garden playlist.

Most widely known as the “Gangsta Gardener”, Ron Finley inadvertently started a horti-cultural revolution when he transformed the barren parkway in front of his South Central L.A. home into an edible oasis. Ron unexpectedly became one of L.A.’s most widely known activists.

While he’s growing healthy food for an area where there was none, Ron has a list of favorite tracks that serve as the soundtrack to his quest. Wanna make your gardening as soulful and fertile as Ron’s? Play these songs for yourself or your plants or both.

// Risin’ to the Top by Keni Burke 2 // About Me

by T. Markakis

by

Alison

Crockett

3 // Crossroads-DJ Spinna Remix

4 // Anything that Monique

Bingham makes 5 // Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (The Whole Album) 6 // Steal My Joy-Reel People Vocal Mix by Zo! 7 // Little

B’s Poem by Doug Carn 8 // Final Call-Kenny Dope

House Mix by Kenny Dope, Raheem Devaughn 9 // Where

Love Lives by Alison Limerick 10 // Body Move-Main Mix by Sean McCabe & Groove Assassin

Music is a very big aspect of my life. Of my inspirations. When I’m in the garden music adds another element. I spend a lot of time in the Garden by myself. The music, the butterflies, the hummingbirds, the beauty and the plant. Give me solace. You should allow the garden to seduce you. So that you can feel, smell, see and taste the transformation that it brings. So stop what you’re doing right now, and go out and Plant Some! - Ron

Finley

Unearth the Green Goodness of Grounding with Bare Feet!

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s becoming increasingly important to find ways to reconnect with nature and restore balance to our lives. One simple yet powerful practice that accomplishes this is grounding, also known as earthing. Grounding involves the act of placing your bare feet directly on the earth, allowing you to tap into a multitude of benefits that positively impact your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Let’s delve into the wonders of grounding and explore the top five benefits it offers.

Enhanced Mental Clarity: Grounding is known to clear away mental fog and boost cognitive function. When we connect with the earth’s energy, we experience improved mental clarity, enhanced focus, and increased attention span.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety: Grounding acts as a natural stress reliever. By establishing a connection with the earth, we can significantly reduce stress levels and alleviate anxiety. This practice helps to balance cortisol, the stress hormone, while simultaneously increasing the production of endorphins, which promote feelings of relaxation and calmness.

Improved Sleep Quality: Grounding before bedtime can have a remarkable impact on the quality of your sleep. By synchronizing with the earth’s natural electromagnetic energy, grounding helps regulate your body’s internal clock, leading to more restful and rejuvenating sleep.

Alleviated Pain and Inflammation: Walking barefoot on natural surfaces has been found to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation throughout the body. Grounding helps to modulate pain signals, providing relief for conditions such as arthritis, muscle soreness, and migraines.

Boosted Immune System: Grounding strengthens the immune system by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress within the body. This, in turn, enhances your body’s resilience and ability to ward off illnesses and infections.

By incorporating grounding into your daily routine, you can experience its remarkable benefits. Simply take a leisurely barefoot walk on grass, sand, or soil, sit on the ground during breaks, or engage in gardening activities with your bare hands. Reconnecting with the earth’s energy will infuse your life with a sense of rootedness and vitality.

BUT IF YOU MUST....

www.vans.ca/en-ca/vault-by-vans-x-nicole-mclaughlin crudité: (kroo-dee-teh) raw vegetables (sliced or whole), arranged neatly on a platter or board, and typically served with a sauce for dipping.

• crudité: (kroo-dee-teh) raw vegetables (sliced or whole), arranged neatly on a platter or board, and typically served with a sauce for dipping.

• crudité:

(kroo-dee-teh) raw vegetables (sliced or whole), arranged neatly on a platter or board, and typically served with a sauce for dipping.

• crudité: (kroo-dee-teh) raw vegetables (sliced or whole), arranged neatly on a platter or board, and typically served with a sauce for dipping.

double-dip

I know what you’re thinking. Especially coming out of the dark pandemic era that we’ve all just endured. “What about GERMS?!?!!.

But hear me out: You’re at a summer soirée with a few friends and are gathered around a veggie and dip platter. We assume that everyone in attendance has at one point been told not to double dip. It’s a practice that for most of us, was vilified in childhood. A swift hand slap and foul look from a parent and we were onto adulthood; a state of being that did not include double dipping. Now, back to the party. Your buddy Chuck (who’s a good guy), reaches in to dip a carrot, bites and then reaches back to dip again. The second dip happens almost in slow motion. The look of disbelief on everyone’s face is met with a quick response from Chuck: “What... It’s a good dip!” And he’s right. It is a GOOD DIP. And dip is joy. And if the last three years have taught us anything, it’s that depriving ourselves of joy blows hard. So dip those veggies as many times as you need to folks. Germs and all. Thanks Chuck.

Cut The Celery Sticks Thin

There’s something to be said for a rustic presentation. Leaving the stems on one of or two of the celery sticks and foregoing a cut lengthwise won’t make you look lazy. It will make you look authentic. Herein lies the paradox of crudité; Just because the presentation looks rustic, doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means quite the opposite. And besides, the full girth of a celery stick is the perfect vehicle for a load of dip.

season the veggies

No, there’s no such thing as too much flavor. I don’t care what you’ve been told. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with some cut-up vegetables and a bowl of dip. Guests are actually grateful for the brief respite from the endless parade of irresistible baked goods and blowout charcuterie boards.

Okay, we’ve all been there. So busy in the comings and goings of life that the thought of cutting up a platter of vegetables feels like the 10th circle of hell. This might be unique to me... but in the interest of painting a picture... picture this: You’ve just run out of coffee pods earlier that day, your 7-year-old has been home sick for 3 days and your patience is hanging on by the thinnest thread ever known to man. And that’s when you get it. The text from your sister-in-law with a request to bring a credité platter to Saturday’s family gathering.

You’ve got two options: You can buy a pre-cut grocery store platter or cut the damn thing up yourself. Since I was in this exact scenario just last week, I can take you through my line of thinking; My sisterin-laws food isn’t particularly good, but neither is mine, so who am I to judge. The bar’s been set low. But what about my own bar? Do I not expect more of myself than a store-bought veggie platter with slightly softened carrot sticks and oversized cauliflower florets? That’s when I realized that this wasn’t merely a question of how to crudité, this was a question of selfrespect. Do with that what you will.

But why stop there? Sometimes we are our own barriers to growth in this life. Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone is the only way in which we level up. And yes, I’m still talking about crudité. So try spicing it up. See what happens when you add a sprinkle of flaky salt for crunch. Or black sesame seeds for a visual treat. Or perhaps a sprinkle of paprika for a kiss of heat. Just know there’s no going back...

This one’s a no brainer. Or so you would think. Look, I’m fun, free and ready to get down with most dips. I’ll get down with a savoury hummus, I’ll pack away a nice muhammara. I’ll even oblitrate your seven layer dips or nacho dips. But the plethora of dips is far too vibrant and delicious to consider using onion soup mix. I understand the crunch for time as in the aforementioned DON’T. But if you’re considering a Lipton Onion Soup mix, you’d be better off just arriving empty-handed or not at all. Cold, hard facts.