Reaping what she sows

Journalist, author, film-maker, founder and executive director of the Reggae Film Festival, Barbara Blake Hannah, is always nurturing her creative ventures.

Vibes Cuisine was excited, but not surprised to learn that she also has a green thumb. Her lovely backyard vegetable garden is a testament to her prowess and dedication to a healthy lifestyle. We caught up with her to see what her little farm was bearing.

Tomatoes, string beans, sweet peppers, pumpkin, gungo peas and cucumbers were flourishing in Hannah's garden, which she puts to good use in salads or as sides to her other dishes.

"I've always grown food. I really believe in growing food, not lawns, putting something worthwhile in the ground rather than grass. We really need to grow our own food."

Blake Hannah also grows her own medicine. Aloe and moringa are mainstays at her yard.

"If you grow nothing else, grow those two," she advises, sharing that she picks moringa leaves to steep for tea daily.

She is proud to be an example to others. "It's so easy when people pass by and see the food growing, it encourages them to try. The cucumbers amazed me how quickly they grow. They are such a joy, so beautiful to look at."

As her kitchen garden thrives, so do her entrepreneurial ventures, with plans progressing well for the now annual Reggae Film Festival at Island Village, Ocho Rios, during Independence Week. The new venue will have under the stars screenings with seating on its expansive lawn as well as in The Cove Cinema. There will be live musical performances, a 24-hour film-making competition, a film business seminar, along with the selection of shorts, documentaries and features. A number of noted celebs, including Bokeem Woodbine, are slated to attend.

From the hard-working woman whose cinematic efforts (she's produced eight documentaries and written four books) continue to provide us with food for thought, here are a few ideas on how we can get more out of our actual food.

Here are some of Barbara's veggie tips.

Produce, whether storebought or home-grown, is too valuable to waste. To keep lettuce fresh, Barbara soaks it in a bowl of cool water. She removes the greens and shakes off the moisture, then stores in airtight container in the fridge. This ensures it stays crunchy and fresh for as long as the lettuce lasts.

When boiling vegetables in water, don't use salt. Save and drink the cooking liquid so as to not waste the vitamins lost during cooking.

She has had great success with her tomatoes. She grows them by squeezing the seeds of a nice tomato on to a pot of earth. When they sprout, she then transplants them into a bed of mulch. She waters them morning and night, mulches the roots with cut grass, and ties them to strong sticks to bear the weight.

Let's face it: Nothing tastes better than the produce you grow yourself.

Her nice and easy tomato salad is a favourite way to enjoy them.

1. Slice tomatoes and onions.

2. Garnish with chopped parsley.

3. Toss in a vinaigrette dressing.

Vibes' easy vinaigrette:

1. Combine two cloves of minced garlic, olive oil, apple cider or balsamic vinegar, lime juice.

Remember to use ratio of three oil to one acid (vinegar or citrus juices) for your salad dressings

Barbara's favourite potato salad comes together using some goodies from the garden: onions, green peppers, tomatoes, celery and sweet corn, mixed vegetables, garnished with boiled eggs and mayonnaise in just a few steps.

1. Peel and cube potatoes, boil in salted water until cooked, but not too soft. (Add eggs to potato pot also).

2. Drain, cool.

3. Chop onions, tomatoes minus seeds, green pepper, celery, parsley and a few pieces of Scotch bonnet pepper.

4. Add drained canned vegetables and mix.

5. Add to cool potatoes.

6. Add four tablespoons of mayonnaise and fold in.

7. Sprinkle with black pepper, add salt if necessary.

8. Garnish with sliced boiled eggs.

Vibes Cuisine, which has partnered with The Gleaner's Food to present the best offering in popular food and lifestyle, airs on CVM-TV at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays and at 8:35 a.m. on Wednesdays. Encore presentations air Sundays at 8 p.m. on Flow 100. Like our recipes? Then 'like' Vibes Cuisine on Facebook.