August 26, 2024
The sun beamed down on our farmers market stand where we shared foods of our culture. Tables overflowed with vegetables fresh from the Growing Ancestral Roots garden—the fruits of months of care, grown with intention and cultural pride.
But what made this day truly special wasn't just what we grew. It was what we created together.
Sharing Stories Through Food
Patty brought her kitchen magic to the market, generously sharing her pozole recipe made with 2 types of tomatillos and chilies. The aroma of her tamales wrapped in banana leaves drew people in for hours. These were fresh leaves there is nothing like the smell of banana leaves.
Every 2 hours a new food was presented. Hoiyee offered her vinegar eggplant made from delicate Chinese thin eggplant and red chili peppers.
Also a rich Peruvian sauce, crafted from aji peppers and huacatay herb grown right here in our garden was shared with red peppers; traditionally eaten with potatoes. Every bite told a story of heritage meeting harvest, of roots that stretch across oceans.
More Than a Market
Days like this remind us why we do this work. It's not just about the 1,800+ pounds of food we grow each year. It's about the conversations that happen over a shared recipe. It's about immigrants and refugees seeing the vegetables of their homeland thriving in new soil. It's about BIPOC entrepreneurs like Paloma, Julia and Daniela having space to share their craft, their culture, their amazing flavors.
We're grateful to everyone who stopped by, tasted, asked questions, and left with a new flavor connection.
