June Edition
Midsummer’s magic is almost here!
Inspirational Quote of the Month
“In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.”
June is the month where everything comes alive! The longer days give us more energy than we ever knew we had and the longest day is yet to come: June 20, the Summer Solstice aka Midsummer.
How will you fill your sunny, summer days?
Here’s what SWELL is up to this month:
This month’s edition of SWELL Living has:
SWELL’s restaurant of the month
How to keep pesky bugs out of your home
Active Buyer: Meet Shelby!
Exciting Wilmington Events!
Re-grow plants from scraps
Home-grown delicious cocktails recipes
A Fun Fact: It’s a doozy
Port City Music Festival
Discover why this will be the Camerata ensemble’s 13th year in a row!
From classical to jazz to modern classic rock, this music festival has it all!
Their main music goal is to make all forms of music as easily accessible as possible with their eclectic range of styles.
Coming to Cameron Art Museum this June 10, 2021
Marvel Trivia
Are you up to speed on the wonderfully complicated universe of Marvel?
“Don’t do anything I would do. And definitely don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. There is a gray line there.”
You have 5 rounds to prove your fandom at the Sour Barn. Play solo, or register a party of up to 6 and see if you can do Stan Lee some justice!
Yoga at Fermental
Fermental Beer & Wine is Wilmington’s most diverse bottle shop.
The retail shop sells and serves an eclectic selection of craft beer and fine wine and features a large outdoor beer garden, a tasting bar, wines by the glass, growler fills, and an expansive selection of quality libations and accompanying accouterments; including imported cheeses, cured meats, pickles, olives, and wine ice cream.
Yes, wine ice cream.
Now they’re bringing us yoga!
All yoga experience levels welcome! No skill required to shop and drink ;)
Bring your own mat and join in the fun on June 20, 11 -12 pm. $10
Ever feel like you just don’t have enough time to start the garden of your dreams…?
Well, here’s how to start a mini one from what would otherwise be trash and/or compost!
Here are SWELL’s top 3 favorite scraps to re-grow:
Mushrooms
Use the stalk or stem of your organic store-bought fungi and re-grow, eat, repeat. As long as they’re in a warm, humid environment, with very little direct sunlight your fungi will be happy!
Tip: Covering them with plastic can help maintain temperature and moisture levels.
Garlic
Take a single clove and turn it into a head! Take your clove and plant it in soil, making sure the root faces downward. Put the pot in direct sunlight, or outdoors during the spring, summer, and fall. Trim any shoots - these are edible - and enjoy growing your own garlic!
Tip: This can take up to 9 months, so be patient!
Lemongrass
You can place the trimmed grassroots into a cup or bowl filled with water (enough to cover the root), and place it in the sunlight. You should notice the grass shoots appearing in around a week. Transplant the lemongrass plant into a pot of soil or your garden.
Tip: Not only is lemongrass delicious in herbal teas and recipes, the oils can also repel pesky mosquitoes!
There’s no need to wait to start growing your own food!
Check out this list of ALL the kitchen scraps you can re-grow!
Lemongrass is a tropical plant native to Southeast Asia and a staple in Thai cuisine.
Research has shown this plant to be loaded with antioxidants and quercetin (anti-inflammatory).
It also happens to be delicious and easy to grow! Here’s how to add this super health food to your nightly nightcap routine ;)
Lemongrass Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 stalks fresh lemongrass
OR
1 TBSP dried lemongrass
Bring water to boil on the stovetop. Add lemongrass and let steep overnight. Strain, bring back to boil, and stir in sugar. Let cool and store in the fridge up to 2 weeks!
Now for the really fun part!
You can use this syrup in teas, lemonades, and cocktails. Here are a few of SWELL’s favorite ways to enjoy Lemongrass Simple!
The Mo Martini
Because who doesn’t come home from a long day at work and need something with a little extra kick?
1.5 oz. your favorite gin
.75 oz. Lemongrass Simple
.25 oz lemon juice
egg white
Add all ingredients to the shaker, and shake like crazy for a minute to emulsify the egg white!
Then add ice to the shaker, and shake for about 15 seconds.
Strain into a martini glass, and enjoy!
Garnish with lemon!
2. Thai Spice Special
Garnish with a peach!
1.5 oz your favorite vodka
1 Thai chili
.75 oz lemongrass simple
.5 oz fresh peach juice
Soda water
Remove the seeds from the chili and muddle in a shaker with vodka and simple. Add juice, and shake!
Strain well into glass over ice and add soda.
3. Lemonade-grass
Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice.
Garnish with a lemon!
3 oz your favorite lemonade!
1 oz your favorite rum
.75 oz lemongrass simple
Now it’s time to sip and enjoy!
Did you know that composting is actually an American pastime?
In the early days of America, George Washington recognized that cultivating tobacco ruins the soil…
Washington ran multiple experiments on the best ways to convert dung into fertile soil. Thomas Jefferson ran experiments on dung and the importance of crop rotation, while James Madison stressed the importance of returning to the soil what had been taken.
I mean, if they can do it, then you certainly can! Even a small compost pile prevents unnecessary waste from entering our landfills. Landfills everywhere are running out of room, and the EPA estimates that roughly 25% of the garbage in the U.S. is made up of yard trimmings and food scraps.
That's over 60 million tons each year that could easily be returned to the earth!
Check out just how easy it can be to start composting today!
Mariposa Tapas Bar
If you’re from the South Eastern NC region, then chances are, you’ve heard of True Blue & Butcher. Well, did you know that owner and chef of True Blue, Bobby Zimmerman, has expanded his culinary reaches to include Spanish Tapas?
That’s right!
Mariposa is the newest restaurant in Wilmington’s South Front District, right near the ever-expanding Cargo District by Greenfield Lake.
Grab your friends and embark on an edible journey to Wilmington’s only Spanish Tapas Bar!
Tapas, or snacks, were originally given to customers who ordered glasses of wine, so they could put their snack plate on top of the glass to prevent unwanted flies from drinking all their wine.
Today, it means that when you share with friends, you get to try more food!
Feel transported across the Atlantic in downtown Wilmington!
So get on down to the South Front District and get your snack on with authentic Spanish Tapas…
Check out this amazing new restaurant. Click the link below for more information about:
Mariposa Tapas Bar
Bugs, bugs, bugs, oh my…
While summer in SENC is incredible, it can also be incredibly buggy.
We interviewed Brian Holton at Healthy Home Pest Control to get the real scoop on everything from spiders and mosquitoes to birds, rats, and more. Boy did we learn a lot and we hope you will too!
Brian didn’t intend to work in pest control, but after 12 years in the business these little critters have changed his life! He now owns and operates Wilmington’s top-rated pest control company and is the only company in town to offer a new and exciting mosquito repellant program with a 95% success rate.
Here’s What He Does:
Mosquitoes
Healthy Home Pest Services is the only company to offer the in2Care mosquito trap. Brian doesn’t like to call it a trap, though, because its main effect is to interrupt the life cycle of the mosquito and, according to studies, can cause 90% larval mortality.
Conventional mosquito-control methods are becoming less effective in controlling mosquito-borne diseases because of widespread resistance against safe and recommended public health insecticides.
in2Care uses cutting-edge technology based on scientific research to disrupt the life cycle of the dreaded mosquito. In 3rd world countries where it’s been tested, in2Care has cut down cases of malaria by 40%.
“Palmetto Bugs”
AKA water bugs, aka really big cockroaches, are widespread in the South Eastern North Carolina region. Natives and newcomers all have an aversion to these bugs and their size, but as it turns out they’re really quite harmless. They also don’t want to live in your house *sigh of relief.* They get inside when it’s really hot to escape the heat OR to get dry when it’s raining.
Fun tip: even though they have wings, they cannot fly…it’s more like gliding or falling with style.
IMPORTANT TIP:
Do not use store-bought bug bombs! They actually make it worse by spreading the pests even further around your home.
Worried? Call Brian today at 910-540-1030
Bed Bugs
The last thing you want in your bed are these little devils. Mostly you’ll find them in hotels, apartments, and vacation rentals. It might surprise you, but these bugs generally come in with other humans. It can be tricky to get rid of them too because they could keep coming back in with the people trying to get rid of them! Gross, right?
Well, there are two ways to treat bed bugs: heat & chemicals. Brian and his company offer both styles of treatment, and even a combination of both to ensure these bed bugs are nowhere near your home anymore!
Rats
These rodents happen to be extremely intelligent and very good at passing on knowledge to their offspring. Traditional rat traps simply don’t work because they’ve learned our tricks over the years far too well.
Check out this rat throwing a stick at a trap and then eating the cheese:
Rats are smarter than you think…
This is why it’s important to have patience when trying to get rid of them, it can be a process. Rats will go to extreme lengths to avoid humans and even more extreme lengths to avoid pest control persons!
Think you have a pest problem?
Contact Brian today to see just how he can help be pest-free!
Meet Shelby
Shelby is looking for a single-family home or townhouse, preferably with 2-3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. He would like a home that’s comfortable for him and his dog, Zeus.
Zeus needs more room to roam and play…their apartment is just not cutting it anymore!
Shelby is a first-time home buyer and a Marine veteran. Shelby double qualifies for our SWELL Buyer Rebate and is going to save a bunch of money when he buys a home. Shelby is an awesome guy, ready to begin his next adventure of home-owning!
SWELL is working hard to find him the perfect place to live.
If you know of a home that might be a good fit for him, please let us know.
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