This being the fourth week marks the midway point of Agriculture in The City CCE internship. It seems as though processes across the sites such as harvesting frequency, continuous weeding, and the close attention to fertilization practices have assumed a new pace. Though the summer draws to a mirrored midway point, the thunderstorms and unusual rainy weather conditions persist. Unfortunately, because of this two of our workdays, this week were canceled.
The days that we did get to experience were truly rewarding. On Tuesday, William, who is a Cornell Lund Fellow working at Red Hook Community Farm, made a delicious frittata with different greens. He cooked with so much passion, focus, and love. Needless to say, it was amazing! However, Thursday at New Roots in Woodside Queens was my favorite site to visit this week. Not only did we get to see the beautiful progress of crops such as tomatoes, kale, and eggplants, but we honed our skills on trellising the tomatoes which were planted in some interestingly shaped beds. There came an amazing surprise when a neighborhood woman who cares for and waters the garden regularly with her husband, so graciously brought us many plates of food after a long day of watering, trellising, weeding, and fertilizing. It was such a beautiful gesture- less so of gratitude- but more so pure kindness and generosity. I hope to learn more from her about her Bengali culture, cuisine, and knowledge of plants!
Sammi and I hope to visit a variety of other farms practicing some exciting, innovative, and grassroots methods throughout the remainder of our month. Some farms and agricultural sites we hope to visit include Oka aquaponics farm in Brooklyn, and the Community Garden at Mott Haven in the Bronx. The latter is a very young garden pioneered by the same family who is using the tool of traditional Oaxacan food to strengthen community and preserve Mexican cuisine at their restaurant, La Morada. I had the opportunity to share a meal from the transformative restaurant a few weeks ago with a friend whose internship has also brought them to New Roots. Not only was the food delicious and simple, but I could truly taste the care and love put into its creation. Below is a link to La Morada’s home page!
https://lamorada.nyc
