Community Garden coming to Fremont?

Clarissa — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:06:41 +0000

Want to garden? Live in a little townhouse with no sun on the patio (uh, like me)? Longing for a community garden like progressive communities have?

A group called LEAF is trying to make it happen! Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont has set up a Ning that you can join to help them get this exciting effort underway. Traditionally, community gardens are shared spaces where residents get personal garden plots to grow their own fruits and vegetables, while sharing overall maintenance. You get exercise, you get to be outside, you get to grow things that may not be at the farmers’ markets, and you get to control how they’re grown. (Honestly, it’s so bizarre that in the US we “exercise” and spend energy to accomplish nothing, when ideally we should spend that energy gardening, volunteering, enjoying nature, or something–it’s unnatural for humans to work so unproductively and miserably. Community gardens are one way to correct this weird imbalance…OK, tangent over, I promise!)

Anyway, I’m really excited about this! There’s been coverage from the Argus and the Tri-City Voice, if you’d like to read more. Of course, there’s also information at www.leafcenter.org. You might see some familiar names and faces, such as that of Bill Merill, who’s the former manager of the late, lamented Navlet’s garden center.

What would you like to grow if it happens? I know my husband is all about the heirloom tomatoes. Me, I don’t know–maybe some kind of berries, and perhaps some of the few Japanese things that I can’t always get at the farmers’ market already. Could I grow shiso/perilla in that kind of setting? I’m not sure!

Breakfast at La Pinata

Clarissa — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:08:14 +0000

I had breakfast at La Piñata. I try not to eat breakfast out too often, but I wanted to start off the day with a little extra energy. I went to the one in Fremont and had the waffle breakfast with bacon and eggs. For some reason, most waffle places in Fremont make an oversized “Belgian” waffle that comes out cakey and dry, which I really don’t like. I can hardly get through a mouthful. La Piñata’s is more tender and enjoyable. The best part, though, is spooning their excellent salsa all over my eggs. Salt? Who needs it!

It’s also a good place to go if you or your dining companions are internationally jet-lagged or coming off a night shift or have an iron stomach and want a full Mexican lunch at 9:15 AM, because they’ll serve it to you. Something for everyone!

Most people haven’t discovered their breakfast service, so you usually have the place mostly to yourself if you drop in. You can order a variety of basic American and Mexican (well, Tex-Mex) breakfast items, although the latter are available all day. Most weekdays, they open at 9, but it’s 8 on Friday, Saturday, and (I think) Sunday, when they also offer their more well known brunch buffet.

At some point I might find a ratings plug-in here and start actual reviews, or connect this to my Yelp account, but today I just wanted to let you know about a breakfast option near BART in central Fremont that most people don’t know about. For some reason, maybe for BART commuters and hospital workers, there’s a little cluster of breakfast food here along Paseo Padre between Mowry and Walnut–PJ’s (my go-to bagel place, far better than any other Fremont option), Panera, Peet’s (well, sort of), and Burger King (if you just have to have it, I guess). And opening a little later in the day, Frodo Joe’s Petit Cafe also has a breakfast crepe. On Sundays, you can add Sweet Tomatoes’ brunch to the list.

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Community Garden coming to Fremont?

Breakfast at La Pinata