After being knocked down at the beginning of the week with a cold and self-medicating with smoothies and supplements, I was able to show up and was excited to share the highLIGHTs of my week ✨
A phone call from a new farm partner through Homegrown Hillsborough resulted in our veterans project, in partnership with Pam Plager and Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay, Inc., receiving local kale harvested from Parksdale Farms less than 24 hours from the farmers’ hands to theirs. This was kale they needed to move fast (in case you didn’t hear—it hit 90 today near Tampa and will be 45 this weekend, which causes greens to bolt). Serendipity—it was smoothie week for the program!! 🍓
Next, my dear friend Bola Adeshina swung by for support for her programs!
THEN—I represented Access to Fresh as a guest chef/teacher for the Culinary Co-Op organized by @UF/IFAS-One Stop Shop, Pasco County, where we started with a tour of the garden and engaged our senses. I learned about the teens, why they enrolled in the course, and what they hoped to learn from me. Then we harvested a fresh turnip—it was MAGIC (all of them tried it; 3 out of 4 loved it raw), but everyone agreed we could add it to the dish. We then learned turnips have vitamin C and contain calcium and potassium.
We prepped and cooked together with fresh herbs, veggies, black beans, and homemade taco seasoning, where we discussed additives in store-bought varieties. Then we noticed that since the top of the turnip was purple, we had in fact eaten the rainbow and every color was represented—a simple but profound moment. We snacked on raw veggies while we waited for the rice to cook. Everyone ate the dish and topped it with their preference of herbs harvested from my garden—surreal.
Then the magic happened—we shared the meal 💚 I was asked to tell my story and our latest news highlight. The teens were shocked—LOL, I was a celebrity!
As we ate, we discussed so many things, including healthy habits, issues the teens are facing, and ways to use their voice productively to build community while impacting change. These are the moments I will continue to show up for 💚
Nichole Dube
