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2 days ago

Edible Dallas Fort Worth
It’s time for this year's Meat Fight, coming up Sunday, November 12 at Community Beer Company. Tickets on sale tomorrow at 10AM! Get them here: www.prekindle.com/event/56297-meat-fight-2023-dallas Just check out the amazing chef "fighters" and be amazed!!!VIP entry: 6pm / GA entry: 7pm --- 21 AND UP ONLY Here's to meats, beers and finding a cure for MS!!#meatfight #meatfight2023 #funlanthropy #seriousfun #foodcompetition #charityevent #cureforMS #barbecueandbeer#nonprofitfundraising #dfwfoodies #edibledfw FestEvents Group ... See MoreSee Less
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The yummiest Sunday brunch board, wines, and mimosas are just a short drive and so very worth it!! You’ll love the food, ambiance, and hospitality at Deschain Cellars, Winery & Lounge in Gainesville…open Sundays from 11:30am-5pm. Tell them we made you go!!! 🥰😎😋 North Texas Wine Country #eatdrinkshoplocal #edibledfw #drinknorthtexas #brunchboard #forestwinery ... See MoreSee Less
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How did we miss #NationalCoffeeDay? We were certainly drinking plenty of it, lol!!You could continue celebrating like we are and check out this “Cultured Coffee” story from winter 2021 by Eric Swayne! Experience a coffee-crawl through 3 awesome local shops, and download a list of 17 coffee destinations and roasters with a local flair: www.edibledfw.com/winter-2021/cultured-coffee/🤠☕️💖#eatdrinklocal #dfwcoffee #edibledfw #supportlocal #localbuzz Pax & Beneficia Coffee Black Coffee Golden Boy Coffee Co. ... See MoreSee Less
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Get ready for a Meat Fight on November 12th!! This always fun, annual BBQ competition actually started in a backyard in Lake Highlands, and has evolved into a meaty chef-competition with a very worthy cause.This year's event features 20 local chefs who will make you eat as they compete for trophies for best brisket, best sausage, etc. -- and you'll also eat samples in the Sweet Fight competition! Oh and there's a casserole competition, and beer from Community Beer Co. Yes, just saying that you'll be very full of meaty, sweetie, and beery goodness. The festivities include more than simply gorging yourself. You'll enjoy a meat-themed midway with games, and the BEST PART: this fun-lanthropy event benefits people living with Multiple Sclerosis. Tickets go on sale October 3rd at 10am. See link below to snag yours!! 21 AND UP ONLY.Meat Fight is back! November 12th, we will smoke meats and happyscream together as we fight for a cure for MS.If you’ve never been to a Meat Fight, you can expect a ton of killer barbecue, all the beers, a midway with meat-themed games, an auction with barbecue-celebrity-packed items and the most fun you’ve ever had at a charity event.100% of ticket price goes directly to helping someone living with MS. We hope you’ll join us!Bookmark the link now, and don’t be late. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, October 3rd at 10 a.m. (and in the past, they’ve gone fast: www.prekindle.com/event/56297-meat-fight-2023-dallas ... See MoreSee Less
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6 days ago

Edible Dallas Fort Worth
Always appreciate being invited to the annual GO TEXAN Pavilion Preview Night at the State Fair of Texas! Lots of #localgoodness and saw plenty of friends, both old and new. When you’re at the State Fair, be sure you spend time at the GO TEXAN Pavilion and pick up lots of new local products!!!Texas Department of Agriculture #supportlocal #StateFairofTX #edibledfw #gotexan ... See MoreSee Less
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Getting the Light Right


Photo: Leslie Halleck

A sunny windowsill is not enough.

If you want to grow succulents, start seedlings or raise kitchen herbs indoors, you are probably going to need more light.

“There are a lot of trendy articles out there about growing sun-loving herbs on windowsills.” Unfortunately, that won’t work, says Leslie F. Halleck, author of Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers. “It can often take double the amount of light that people think it is going to need,” she says.

The book, released earlier this year by Timber Press, is a comprehensive guide for would-be indoor gardeners. It is admittedly geeky.

It explains the basics of photosynthesis, the properties of different types of light and how plants put them together to flourish. Things you need to know for the best indoor garden.

But you don’t have to read all of it. Skip around and read what you need for plants you want to grow, Halleck says. You do have to know something about the different types of light to ensure you are getting the right type for your plant.

Types of plants, including succulents and vegetables, are listed along with general light requirements for some of the most popular varieties of each.

Indoor gardening can be as simple as providing a stylish light to spotlight a single plant or as complex as growing a whole vegetable garden in your garage.

A spotlight with an LED grow light can be fine for a single plant like an orchid.

Or you can design a specific installation to fit your interests and space.

Halleck has a beautiful four-shelf system in her kitchen growing herbs, ferns and orchids. Two floating wood shelves hide lights for the herbs bursting from the others.

The unit is practical and striking wall art (see above).

Starting seedlings for later planting outside is a common indoor-gardening goal. This is where all the information about light is essential.

Often ambitious gardeners will just hang some fluorescent lights, put the seed beds under them and think they are off to the races. Maybe. But it’s not guaranteed.

Light is not just light. Some have only certain wavelengths, others are known as full spectrum (or white light). Spending a little time figuring out what you want to grow and what type of light it needs can save money and heartache.

Cheaper lights may cost more to run than specialized lights. And cheaper lights may be a failure.

The lights in off-the-shelf package deals from garden-supply stores and garden centers often don’t provide the necessary strength or type of light needed, especially if you are trying to start several types of plants, Halleck says.

Once you figure out the lighting for smaller plant installations, you may be tempted to grow your own food. Lights can be set up in almost any space. Unused closets work, and a few enterprising gardeners have taken over spare bedrooms. Most, like Halleck, commandeer the garage to try out lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and other edibles.


PHOTO: STACEY JEMISON

“It can often take double the amount of light
that people think it is going to need.”
— Author Leslie F. Halleck

“I’m not going to tell people they can grow enough food to feed their families 12 months out of the year,” Halleck says, but it can provide regular fresh produce at your fingertips.

She grows her veggies in tents, each with lighting specific to the plant. Growing in tents allows production all year round, no matter the weather. Think fresh vine-ripened tomatoes from your garage in January. Halleck encourages growers to try out varieties of plants and seeds that aren’t readily available in local nurseries.

Putting grow lights in your garage can get you some funny looks from neighbors, though their first thought can be that you’re growing a fine crop of marijuana.

“There is a stigma attached to indoor-light growing,” Halleck admits. That is fading as more people set up indoor gardens for other plants. Though, she does expect more people to start growing their own cannabis indoors as it becomes legal in more places. Recreational marijuana is legal in nine states, and 30 states allow medicinal marijuana. Cannabis became legal across Canada in October.

The same technology can be used to grow micro greens or marijuana, Aleck says.

Once again, it’s just a matter of getting the right light.

RESOURCES FOR INDOOR LIGHTS AND INSPIRATION

 

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