AVANT GARDENER Plastic, with its virtually nonexistent biodegradability is one of the most concerning waste products polluting our planet today. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Philippines is the third largest source of plastic waste in the ocean...
AVANT GARDENER Did you know that the Philippines is home to different types of mushrooms, many of which are edible but not all of them included in local cuisine? This is what Marco Lobregat found out when he co-authored “The Mushroom Explorer’s Guide to the Cordilleras” with Sagada native...
AVANT GARDENER Most of us know that the reason food staples are expensive is because it passes through many hands before it can get from the farmer to the consumer. If we could shorten that chain, it would make basic household ingredients cheaper. That’s what Raffy Tesoro, Philippine textile...
AVANT GARDENER Even though agriculture is seen as a waning industry, more and more people are waking up to the fact that it is an essential one that is integral to national security. Because of this, businessmen are slowly capitalizing on the industry’s potential, not just as a moneymaker, but as...
AVANT GARDENER Eating a plant-based diet has become a popular lifestyle choice for many people. For this vegan food brand that specializes in creating food normally associated with meat, ensuring that their products are delicious, healthy, preservative-free, and supportive of local farmers is just...
AVANT GARDENER Amid the pandemic, a friend sent me a care package of artisan chocolate from a then-new chocolatier Plentitude Chocolate. I like their single origin craft bars, the “single origin” referring to the farm the cacao used in each bar comes from, but what I fell in love with is their...
BITCHES IN STITCHES Manila's Aug. 14 lineup, outside Sari Sari, Makati (from left): Fran Ayala-Rock, Cristina Sebastian, Sarah Pascual, Margie De Leon, Veronica Litton, and Jeannie Laccay (Photo by Gini Go) Manila’s standup comedy scene is growing and getting more diverse. This is a good thing...
AVANT GARDENER Small fishing communities remain one of the poorest sectors of Philippine society, so I’m always happy to feature enterprises that aim to support their livelihood directly. Sinaya Seafood may be the industry’s newest player, but the company is backed by more than a decade of...
AVANT GARDENER Folks were up in arms last week over the National Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) statement that Filipinos who spend ₱64 per day on three meals are not “food poor.” The amount was based on the 2023 food threshold computed for a family of five. This was an...
AVANT GARDENER Farmers are known to be set in their ways. Sometimes, the best way to get them to adopt something new is to show them that it can make them good money. Purest Heart Honey is the brand of honey sold by Guadaleva Coteng, 30, of Purest Hearts Apiary Enterprise in Itogon, Benguet....
AVANT GARDENER Last weekend I attended an event called Tipsy with Sustainability, which aimed to gather like-minded people for an afternoon of seed-saving, drink mixing, and bonding over topics that have to do with sustainability. The event was hosted by Raf Dionisio, co-founder of Make...
AVANT GARDENER This week, a group exhibit by Pablo Capati III, Geraldine Javier, Paulo Lozano, Mikee Naval, and Jose Solon Perfecto called Terroir and Tapestries opens at Aphro Living, The Alley at Karrivin Plaza in Makati. Terroir is a French term that refers to the distinct environment in which a...
