Starting up
The Miami River and downtown skyline as seen from eastbound Interstate-836. PHOTOS:OIP
Shorecrest Microgreens offers nine varieties of microgreens. They're available in weekly subscriptions.
At right, Monica Uribe holds a container of broccoli microgreens at the market.
Local woman’s vertical farm brings live microgreens to market
UPinprint.com
Sprouted at the start of the pandemic, Shorecrest Microgreens offers Miami area customers a healthier alternative to prepackaged and store-bought greens.
Owner, Monica Uribe, says she has perfected a gentle hydroponic growing system using just organic seeds, sustainable organic pads, water, in food-grade containers, to produce the purest, freshest, live foods. Live, local, sustainably grown to order for u-pick guaranteed freshness and no fertilizers, pesticides, or added chemicals are ever used.
Uribe, a New York native, is a Miami Senior High School and University of Miami graduate and the mother of three. She became interested in microgreens after learning about their many health benefits.
"Microgreens have been scientifically proven to fight cancer, aid in weight loss, improve cardiovascular health, balance hormones and regulate blood sugar levels," she says.
Her startup, Shorecrest Microgreens, offers nine varieties available in weekly subscriptions. Customers can choose from kale, broccoli, cilantro, wheat grass, radish, cabbage, peas, onions and spicy salad mix. Many subscribers choose a different variety each week, says Uribe, who also teaches yoga.
Shorecrest Microgreens can be found at Legion Park’s Farmer's Market, 6601 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami on Saturdays.
The single pads which yield more than 10 oz of harvested microgreens sells for $15. There's a starter pack for $24 or the OG MG Lover three-month weekly subscription for $156. Orders can be picked up at the market or have them delivered for a nominal fee.
For additional information, visit shorecrestmicrogreens.com.
A cinnamon hobo by ninetyninehandbags. L.FERNANDEZ PHOTO
Handbag creator learned macrame in school
Olga L. Figueroa
UPinprint.com
When Lourdes Fernandez learned to macrame in an elementary school art class, in her native Puerto Rico, she never imagined it would turn into a business decades later.
The long-time Miami resident is the founder and creator of ninetyninebags, handmade macrame bags that make bold fashion statements.
“Around of 2019, maybe earlier, I saw a growing trend in macrame and crochet bags,” Fernandez recalls. “I started practicing the technique, I had learned in elementary school.”
Her first bag was a clutch which was not a great success and some family members laughed at, but practice made perfect, she says.
Looking for an idea that would make her bags stand out, she came across Paracord.
Paracord is a nylon cord used in United States Army parachutes during World War II. The resistant and light-weight cord has evolved to other uses because of its advantages.
“The huge variety of colors allow me to create bags for each season and age group,” Fernandez says. "It’s resistant to sunlight damage, water and mold," Fernandez says.
A graphic artist by trade, she spent two decades at Miami Herald Media until downsizing happened in 2020, so she took the plunge. She started making and selling her creations online.
She decided to call her company ninetyninebags, because her birthday is September 9, thus 9/9.
Fernandez says her experience as a graphic designer has helped her in creating the line, from the branding to the aesthetics of each piece.
Designs range from chic box bags embellished with a signature gold snake to elaborate shoulder bags with fringes that reach the leg.
Prices start at $275. To see more of her designs, visit ninetyninehandbags on Instagram.