Tarts at White Rock Local Market Sept. 12

Come check out the Tarts Saturday, September 12 from 8am to 1pm. at your local White Rock Market.

Our Mission

White Rock Local Market aims to promote regional, sustainable agriculture and ensure a supply of fresh, local produce and artisan foods for residents of east Dallas. White Rock Local Market supports local farmers, food producers and craftsman, providing an opportunity to sell fruit, vegetables and other products directly to our community. Our mission is to offer an alternative to conventional shops with products that are high quality, aesthetic, and useful.

And we hope to enable the growth of our communities by creating a place where people can shop and socialize in a friendly environment.

Our Story

Stocking up on locally grown produce and natural foods is about to get easier for residents of East Dallas. The White Rock Local Market will be held in the parking lot next to the Green Spot on the second Saturday of every month from June 13 to November 14, 2009.

The market features artisan foods, local produce and natural meat and dairy products, as well as vendors offering an assortment of art, furniture, locally made clothes, music and more.

"We know there are several markets opening this year, but none serving this active neighborhood," says Bruce Bagelman, owner of the Green Spot and one of the organizers of the White Rock market. "But we'd really like to provide what people in this community need – and at the same time offer a great venue for local vendors."

Bagelman opened the Green Spot Market and Fuels in 2008, combining the convenience/ gas station concept with the notion that consumers prefer healthy snacks and treats. He quickly saw a demand for fresh local produce and other goods. He started by carrying some produce in his store – and the idea to expand into a local market began to take shape. When some neighbors approached Bagelman about a farmers market, he was ready.

White Rock Local Market – at the intersection of Buckner Boulevard and Northcliff Drive – promises to have a baker, butcher, dairy man, and farmer, in addition to a jeweler, dressmaker, and florist, all artisans you might actually need on a regular Saturday of shopping – plus a little extra.

"Local food, local goods and local friends are what makes our community special," says Bagelman. "Our market will no doubt be a success. After all, ours is the best neighborhood in Dallas!"

Cleaning Without Harm

Homemade, Dollar-Saving, Fragrance-Uplifting, All-Purpose Spray

The Goods:
-1 empty 32 oz. spray bottle
-3/4 c. Distilled White Vinegar
-1 c. Hydrogen Peroxide
-1 1/2 tsp. Castille Soap (Such as Dr. Bronner )
-30 drops Tea Tree Oil
-30 drops Essential Oil of choice (some of my favorite choices include lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, lemon verbena, spearmint, clove, cinnamon, anise, sage, grapefruit, lemon, and lime; experiment with one or a combo and see what scent makes you want to get lean and clean!)

The Deal:
-Place all ingredients into the spray bottle using a funnel or measuring cup with a spout.
-Add water until contents reach top of bottle.
-Shake vigorously and use with abandon!

*For those with no time, or inclination, to make their own natural cleaning products but still needing a good cleaning kit, these companies offer a repertoire of items you can feel good about purchasing:

* Mrs. Myers
* Seventh Generation
* Method
* Ecover
* BioKleen

New Age Gardening

So, I have really been trying gardening this summer and let me tell you, it's going decent at best. I talk (maybe even sing a little), compost, water, and even fertilize with bat gauno but still my bumper crop is out of reach. Well, with this little ditty maybe it would take the guess work out of what to plant. And then maybe I would be up to my ears in veggies (maybe).

If you’re not the super handy dandy green thumb type? A new tool out promises to help you.

You want to start a veggie garden, but you want to make sure you plant the right veggies for your climate and soil conditions. You also want an easy and fast way to do this. Cool. Then you will be delighted to learn of Easy Bloom, an environmental sensor.

image via Like Cool

This is not your mom and dads gardening. This is high tech awesome stuff for sure, but its not complicated at all. Essentially Easy Bloom is a tool for those who want to create a wonderfully eco friendly garden. Because when you pick the best plants according to your climate, less waster is used – less care is used, etc.

The $40 to $60 device analyzes sunlight, temperature, humidity, and soil drainage. Simply stick it in the soil for one day, then plug it into your computer’s USB jack and behold the breadth of the gardening guru’s wisdom. Matching the data from the soil to the EasyBloom’s library of plants, it suggests the best vegetables, herbs, trees, shrubs and flowers suited for your garden.

I am so loving this idea and product, as I’m not the best green thumb out there. What could be better than to literally stick a tool in the ground, then stick it in your PC, and voila! a list of the appropriate veggies for your area and soil are given to you. Very useful indeed.

New Dallas Mobility Ride

Dallas Police Gets Sentinel Police Mobility Vehicles

by Brian Yalung on Monday, July 27th, 2009

The Dallas Police Department will be enforcing the law better with these new vehicles transported from Xtreme Products. This development promises to be a big improvement towards the surveillance and monitoring measures needed by the neighborhood, a new eco-friendly vehicle slated to replace the old bicycle and foot patrols in use before.

The Sentinel can travel at speeds up to 29 miles per hour and offers a range of 80 miles per charge at a cost of about 1 cent per mile. The transition is sure to be a welcome development to the security of the Dallas neighborhood which can now be monitored better and raising the level of interaction between the police and the community.

Super Cool Dumpster Diving

Haul Pass
Ref-use Recycled Home Furnishings

You carry a heavy load.

But nothing like the guys behind Ref-use home furnishings.

The Austin-based duo hawks over dumpsters to collect plywood waste destined for landfills from obliging cabinet and woodworking shops. Then they haul the scraps to their milling warehouse, where they sand and shape them into modern tables, chairs, and shelves.

The look is super basic (no curvy legs or fanciful accents), as are the finishes: four stains (i.e., smoky gray, dirty brown) and ten paint colors (bright orange and purple to dark blue and earthy green). All paints and clear coats are nontoxic and formaldehyde free.

Get a load of that.

Available at Dh Collection, 3320 West 7th Street, Fort Worth (817-877-1994). To see styles, go to ref-use.com.

Urban Farming Looks so Cool

So, in the Dallas, TX area the new fad is Urban Farming (keeping your own chickens and goats in the city limits). I myself grew up an urban farm and never realized it until recently. We had 12 acres in town (about one whole block) with a blackberry patch, cows, horses, honey bees, 3 orchards and a huge garden. We also had a windmill so we never paid a water bill. It really made me appreciate how things are grown, not to waste, and the value of knowing what goes into one's food.
After a year of composting and gardening I have been thinking of raising my own chickens. Once I found this it's on. Now the set up is a little pricey but organic eggs are totally worth it. My kids and I have decided to save our pennies for chickens.
Check this out:
Chicks Dig It
Eglu Modern Chicken Coop

They say you shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch.

But bet on enjoying your own incredible, edible eggs with help from Omlet, whose new Eglu Cube makes it possible for city dwellers to own chickens.

Depending on your outdoor space, you can opt for a six-foot (for six chicks) or nine-foot (for up to ten) run. You’ll need to clean the roost once a week, but it’s easy with slide-out dropping trays and plastic surfaces you can hose down.

The party fowls will be warm in winter and cool in summer thanks to twin-walled insulation. The steel weldmesh run keeps out pesky rodents, and a skirt lies on the ground to prevent foxes and other predators from digging their way in.

Three hens can lay their goods in the secluded nesting booth, and an egg port makes collecting easy.

So you won’t have to scramble.

Available online at omlet.us.

Hens in your backyard and fresh eggs every morning!
If you have been thinking about keeping a couple of chickens for a while but just didn’t know where to start, or you have a small flock of faithful hens who you would like to reward with a new house then Omlet can help!

Using the experience of thousands of delighted customers we have developed the eglu and our personal service to offer you a truly innovative, practical and fun way of keeping chickens. Collecting fresh eggs from hens in your backyard not only ensures you get fantastic tasting eggs but you also get a good feeling inside from knowing exactly where your food comes from.

Tarts on DFW Around Town

Buy Indie Wednesday: Vinyl Keepsakes Rock With Texas Tarts, punk jewelry doesn't have to be disposable

By LYNDSAY KNECHT MILNE

Updated 7:45 AM CDT, Wed, Jun 3, 2009

Texas Tarts

A peek at the Burning Heart Black Vinyl earrings in Texas Tarts' shop tells you all you need to know about Jacky Sylvie's best pieces: they're slick, geometric, and true-hearted '80s punk.

Where does the insatiable vinyl collector go after their bins are full?

They could find a new supplier -- or an ideological opposite -- in Jacky Sylvie of Texas Tarts, who recycles old albums to make earrings, necklaces, cuffs and belt buckles that feature the addictive sheen of recorded history.

Concerned music fans uncomfortable with the warping of perfectly good wax should know up front that some works are spared by default. If Sylvie comes across records by the Beatles or Elvis on her Ebay and Craigslist hunts for specific colors, for instance, those finds will be purposed for listening only.

Our favs from Tarts' Etsy shop:

The deal: Come on Eileen Vinyl Necklace, $10. The most literal of TT's necklaces features a tiny plastic record charm against a clear vinyl pendant. A lightning bolt tops off the layer of goodies, sold on a tough black chord.

The splurge: Beat It Charm Bracelet, $30. Traditional wrist trinkets not your jingle? TT gives James Avery the finger with this piece, a bangle-style bracelet with hand-cut shapes in uniform black vinyl dangling from the round.

P.S. TT accessories were featured in the Futuretopia-themed photo shoot for the Dallas Observer's Best of 2008 issue.

And now, a few words with designer Jacky Sylvie:

AT: Name three records you recently used to make accessories out of.

JS: Ha, people always ask me that. My last three creations came from Good Old Country Gospel, The "B.S." Song [by] Cotton-Eyed Joe and Strawberry Shortcake's Country Jamboree. (Hmm, I'm sensing a country theme here.)

AT: What album could you never retire for use in a product? I.e., what good finds have you saved for the recycling pile?

JS: There are actually lots I wouldn't use. I would never use any Elvis (may he rest in peace), Beatles, Joan Jett or Shawn Cassidy (I covet my Hardy Boys record player.) I recently received two mint Prince LPs, Purple Rain and When Doves Cry, that will never be used.

AT: If you could get any rock star to wear your jewelry as a sponsor, who would it be and why?

JS: There are actually two that I would love to wear my goods. First, Joan Jett, because she is just pure, hardcore rock and roll and I love that she always wears black. And Gwen Stefani because she has such unique style, makes bold choices and yet is still feminine. .

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