Busy Bees

I've got some catching up on the Diet section
January 13th
I woke up to a cup of buckwheat groats with cinnamon, almond butter, and coconut oil.
In between breakfast and lunch I ate some black sepotes which are eaten when they appear overly ripe and taste like chocolate pudding. I ate a lunch of chilli comprised of black beans, rice, garbanzos and some spices.
For dinner I ate a bunch of oven roasted vegetables including turnips, red skin tomatoes, kale, rosemary, olive oil, salad greens, and brownies for desert.

January 14th
I woke up late to a cup of fresh brewed coffee and a few almonds. Then for lunch I had two whole wheat hummus wraps with a bunch of freshly picked greens like beet greens, baby kale, pei sei, arugula, lemon basil...I also had a jack fruit which is a spikey shelled fruit shaped like a football that has a sort of mixed taste between pineapple and dried mango, but I liked it.

     Yesterday was interesting. I worked a lot with Pedro, a Guatemalan migre, espanol for migrant worker, who doesn't speak a lick of English. He and I were weeding out the tomatoes and the beets and we communicated through my butchering of the Spanish language. Either way, I was able to find out about his family and that he loves beer.
    I also traveled with Margie, the owner of the farm, over to a neighboring farm to pick up some green beans. It was a sort of culture shock to see about fifty Hatian immigrants working in the field with two old school buses in the middle wearing many thick winter coats and with one person wearing a santa hat. Margie informed me that they were Hatians because of the way they harvested in circles and plucked out the plants opposed to different harvest groups of Guatemalans or Mexicans that would just go down the row and refrain from pulling the plants from the soil. We drove her truck right over the crops to the middle of the field where we picked up fifteen bushel of green beans, loaded them up, she and the farmer, a white, later middle aged man, chatted for a minute about business, and then we headed off.
     I went for a nice bike ride yesterday as well which was about 12 miles up to US1, Dixie Highway. Homestead is a very minority rich area with large numbers of black and hispanic peoples. I just rode around for a little bit then made my way back for supper.
     Today has been extremely busy. We have been packing boxes for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) distribution tomorrow. I think we have filled 419 boxes of produce today and a few extras. All organic and all local, south Florida, south of Lake Okeechobee. In addition to the produce, the do egg shares, Mediterranean shares, and cheese shares. The eggs come from Bee Heaven, but the Mediterranean and cheese shares come from a Lebanese goat farmer pronounced Honey down the road. A CSA is a partnership between consumers and farmers. The consumers buy shares at the beginning of the season in the farms produce. Thereafter, they are given dividends of food resulting from how much the farm produces. The idea behind it is that the consumers take a part of the risk by investing in the farmer and suffer or benefit with them. I think it is a great way for local farmers to compete with multi-nation corporations and for consumers to feel involved in their local food system while contributing to the local economy.
     Well that is about all for now. I have to go finish dividing the Mediterranean shares.
Adios
Tommy