In an unassuming area on the outskirts of Lafayette, there's a "secret" garden, one that grows tons of organic produce almost year-round. This space is known as the EarthShare community garden, and it's been growing for more than 10 years - first in a space off Louisiana Avenue, and now off Renaud Road (with I-10 in the background).
EarthShare Gardens is a true community effort. Those interested in reaping the benefits of the garden's produce sign up to become members/shareholders before each season begins, but there's also the opportunity to offset your membership fee with a little sweat equity. EarthShare members can volunteer their time to tend to gardening needs and prepare each week's harvest for pickup.
This weekend, members of Scenic Lafayette are hosting a very special spring Saturday event - Azalea Trail Day! The historic Azalea Trail began in the 1930s as a beautification project of the
Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Lafayette Garden
Club and by the 1940s, driving the trail became a cherished annual
pilgrimage.
The trail runs through Lafayette’s urban core including Jefferson Street
and Lafayette Street, and includes loops through Sterling Grove Historic
District, St. Mary Boulevard, Myrtle Place, Mouton Gardens, Bendel
Gardens, and Greenbriar subdivision.
Dedicated locals have been working to revive Lafayette’s historic Azalea Trail, from planting more azaleas along the trail, to promoting use and enjoyment of the trail.
To celebrate these efforts, Scenic Lafayette, which is the local affiliate of Scenic America, is holding Azalea Trail Day tomorrow, Saturday, March 18, at Parc de Lafayette and Wurst Biergarten in downtown Lafayette.
There are tons of events going on as part of Azalea Trail Day, so you've got plenty of ways to participate and enjoy the day!
Scenic Lafayette is partnering with Bike Lafayette to pay tribute to Lafayette's past with a bike ride and other events along 16 miles of Lafayette’s greenest, most beautiful and architecturally significant urban core. All celebration proceeds will be reinvested in the beauty of the trail.
All participants driving/riding the trail are encouraged to dress in vintage clothing. Property owners along the trail are encouraged to host neighborhood porch parties, dress vintage and greet the caravans, cruisers and bike riders.
EVENTS
Information Booth at Parc de Lafayette, 8 am–5 pm
Classic Car Caravan/Vintage Motorcycle Cruise: 8 am–12 pm
Classic Car and Vintage Motorcycle Exhibition along downtown Jefferson Street: 1–5pm
Bike Ride registration at Parc de Lafayette: 10 am–12 pm and ride: 12–4 pm
One Acadiana ribbon cutting at The Wurst Biergarten: 9:30 am
Vintage Market at The Wurst Art Market: 10 am–4 pm
Vintage Bazaar at The Wurst Art Market: 5–10 pm
Photo Opportunity: Azalea-themed “LAFAYETTE SIGN” at Parc San Souci)
There's a little orange building on Johnston Street near downtown that's served its fresh Mexican style food since 2009. Over the years the building, the outdoor seating options, the menu options, and the hours have expanded, but the unique flavors and charm have remained.
When I worked downtown, I was a huge fan of taking a short walk to Taco Sisters and debating whether I would go for the smoked fish taco, veggie taco, or chicken salad. It's a much tougher decision than you might think.
During a recent visit on a very sunny afternoon, I was able to enjoy some outside dining with a couple coworkers, and check out the gorgeous springtime flowers planted around the picnic tables.
And even though I hadn't been in awhile, I couldn't help but go for my typical choice, the smoked chicken salad with soy ginger vinaigrette.
The biggest problem with a restaurant that's based on drive-thru and walk-up orders is a dependence on disposable materials, and many times, that means styrofoam everything. It's not a scenario unique to Taco Sisters, but it was one the business' partners decided to address.
I was very excited when I learned the restaurant had put a focus on sustainability and made the switch from styrofoam to bagasse containers, and I reached out to Lynn, one of the partners, to get more information. Bagasse is a sugarcane byproduct that can be formed into sturdy containers and composted.
The partners had always wanted to make the switch from styrofoam to bagasse, but found that many companies in the area didn't
carry the items they need, and the few that did were priced too high.
After years of research, Lynn's life partner Jon, who has an
extensive background in the food distribution business, found a company
that had what they needed and at a more reasonable price. They work with Eco-Products to purchase containers for their salads, cups for the soup, and hot and cold bagasse cups (for that local Reve coffee in the morning or a cool limeade in the afternoon) and for special-stock items.
"The switch is definitely worth it!" Lynn says. She explained how the Taco Sisters is still using plastic utensils, as the price of plant-based
cutlery is still higher than they would like it to be.
Additionally, they've eliminated selling bottled water and now sell Boxed Water, a product that uses more sustainable packaging. Not limited by their own restaurant and food truck, the partners are actively working to get it
into other restaurants and grocery stores around Lafayette. So far, Reve
Coffee Downtown, Champagne's in the Oil Center and Albertson's all have
Boxed Water as a result of the efforts.
Taco Sisters is known for their fresh seafood and smoked meats, and they source as much as they can from local vendors. Lynn says that most of the daily specials come from what she finds at the farmers market (mostly Helping Hands Farms) and all of the bulk produce
comes from a local company.
And when you're done eating, there are separated trash and recycling bins, so you can properly dispose of your containers.
Lynn also said how she and her partner have been involved with the Freetown Community Garden since its
foundation. Taco Sisters donates all leftover vegetable scraps,
damaged containers, coffee grounds, egg shells, juicer pulp and garden
trimmings to the garden's compost pile at the garden. "We love
Freetown, and want to make it as self-sustaining as possible. We also
have a few plots which we maintain and grow our own herbs and vegetable
for the restaurant," Lynn explains.
Talk about a full-circle restaurant!
On to the fun question, what is Lynn's favorite dish? "Hmmmmmmm. I'm going to have to say our Smoked Shrimp Salad,
crisp granny-smith apples, mescaline lettuce mix, Haas avocado, fresh
cabbage and carrots and our Blue Cheese dressing. So good!"
I love to cook, and the majority of the time, my dinners are a success. There a few Pinterest fails and a few that are just from blah recipes, but I suppose they can't all be winners. Even when I take the lazy way out, I like to spice up a recipe and make it more my own.
One of my favorite things to add to a dish are good herbs. The right herb can be that one thing a dish is lacking.
Unfortunately, picking up a container of herbs from the grocery store every time you need something can be costly and wasteful, if you don't use the entire package. And dried herbs just don't have that same je nais sais quoi.
A few months back, I unpotted a gerbera daisy plant in order to make room for a new plant. The flower had died already and didn't seem to be coming back, but the leaves still seemed healthy, so I planted them in our front flowerbed without expecting too much.
Imagine my surprise when this beauty popped up within the past week! Gardening by luck seems to be how I roll (except that most of the time, my luck goes the other day! Ahem, cilantro and dill.)
