Volunteer helping to prepare the organic pesticides. Photo by Maggie Puniewska.

The quick six: lemon grass, ginger, onion, garlic, pepper, and lemon juice. Dice. Put in blender. Voila! A homemade pesticide recipe. Because Cabanas Siempre Verde uses organic gardening methods, pesticides are no exception. “It’s actually not that much more work to use this organic pesticide,” said Marcos Garcia, founder of the organization. “Probably the most difficult part is to get all the ingredients and put them in the blender.” Even though this recipe lacks the harsh chemicals found in traditional pesticides Garcia assures they are just as effective and definitely more environmentally-friendly. Having eaten from the garden daily, I can attest that flavor was absolutely superior to that of our American grocery stores. Coincidence? I think not.