Broccoli Rising, Pride Month, and Biodiversity
Somehow when I wasn’t looking, weeds took over my raised bed garden, gleefully choking out the dandelions, basil, and tomatoes that had been holding on despite Miami summer heat. So I spent the weekend restoring the balance, yanking up weeds, enriching the soil with compost, and planting beans as a cover crop (here’s where I remind you once again that beans not only nourish us, they nourish the soil, acting as natural plantbased fertilizer). It was hard, sweaty work, not glamorous, but necessary for a healthy ecosystem.
The weeds will come back, of course they will. That’s nature for you. As the Roman poet Horace said, “You may drive out nature with a pitchfork but she’ll come running back.” I may get angry at weeds, but I don’t spray them with weed killer. Kill weeds it might but it also poisons the soil, poisons what I’m growing, and can poison the bees, birds, butterflies, squirrels, occasional possum and other welcome guests. That does not make for a healthy ecosystem.
Today’s Broccoli Rising was intended to be a fun Pride Month message. But somehow while I wasn’t looking, Florida became the leader in anti-LGBTQ and other hate groups. Hate does not make for a healthy ecosystem either.
Biodiversity means all of Earth’s life forms can coexist. It’s what makes Earth a kinda nice place. I’m not saying all species love each other. Put a Florida gator and a chihuahua in the same confined space and I don’t see things ending well for the chihuahua. But I don’t get why anyone would be so threatened by gender, identity, and love, that they have to declare war on them. When one species holds sway over others, bad things happen — extinction, deforestation, our health, our food and water supply in jeopardy. Biodiversity means not only is there room for all of us, we all contribute to life on Earth just by our existence.
Produce comes in every color, shape, and flavor. So do we. Gay, bi, trans, and straight, liberal and conservative, every ethnicity and ism. Diverse is what we are. We have to live with each other with a tad of tolerance or we’ll bring the whole planet down with us.
Break out the rainbow flags. It is with Pride and pleasure I share:
vegan rainbow recipes from VegNews and The Vegan Atlas
a list of LGTBQ books curated by award-winning novelist and sister Floridian Kristen Arnett
Tasting Tables’ list of queer vegan chef-owned eateries
this free Vote for our Futures sticker from MoveOn. Show your support of candidates protecting LGBTQ rights.
Vegan Pride Cobb salad – no eggs, no bacon, no cheese and no recipe needed for this rainbow bright bowl, just chopped ripe tomatoes, shredded carrot, fresh corn right off the cob, creamy avocado, and black beans on a bed of fresh spinach leaves dressed with a zippy chile lime vinaigrette.
Paid subscribers can enjoy this recipe for a Dutch baby tricked out in rainbow colors for Pride Month. Think of a Dutch baby as the love child of a frittata and a pancake. There’s no baby involved, and in this vegan version, no eggs, either. Extra firm tofu makes a great substitute — great enough even to convert my tofuphobe husband, and, I hope, you, too.
You can get access to full recipes on a regular basis with a paid subscription. Not a paid subscriber yet? No problem! Join now to enjoy exclusive content like the recipe below and much more.