Powered Up Ramen: From cupboard staple to lesson in food sovereignty
In November, we powered up ramen
Not to make it fancy, but to bring it home.
A pantry staple.[…]
Author: La Semilla Staff
Food, Land, and Memory: The Development of the Paso del Norte Food System Timeline
As I walk to meet Haylee for the first time, I see her in the field at La Semilla Community Farm, hanging pieces of paper from two clotheslines along with other staff members. I know she’s preparing an activity for the staff meeting, and I can’t wait to see it. I say hi from a far and I can sense in her gleeful response the kindness that I’ve now come to cherish whenever we see each other. As I come close, I finally make them out: two timelines showing the history of food systems, one for the United States, and another one for the El Paso del Norte Region.
Learning and Remembrance: Culture and Food as Medicine
I’m at Centro San Vicente, where La Semilla’s Community Education team facilitates classes for patients referred by the clinic that are managing diabetes. Here, they’ve attended gardening and cooking classes, seemingly returning to being students in a classroom in anticipation.
Meet Brooke Ratje: Our Healthy Universal School Meals Recipe Competition Winner!
Brooke Ratje’s recipe for Elote a la Cruceña – a dish inspired by the casseroles she was raised on as a child – wowed judges at this year’s Cultivo Colectivo, the Paso del Norte Edible Education Conference, which took place on Saturday, March 29th.
The recipe incorporated nixtamalized corn, a requisite for the competition that embraces local culture and indigenous food practices, and was accompanied by a side of asparagus salsa fresca.
Doña Ana Elementary’s Dedicated Lunch Team Embraces Healthier School Lunches
New Mexico is one of eight states to recently pass Universal School Meal legislation that ensures all children will be provided with school meals free of charge. New Mexico’s legislation is unique in that it also seeks to improve the quality of school meals, including requirements to increase scratch cooking, local sourcing, cultural relevance, and student and family input in shaping menus and recipes.
lOCO for OCOtillo
Foquieria splendens is a plant that has earned their name. Whether it is flowering, leafed out, or a bare, thorny tower, ocotillo is a truly splendid sight.
Setting Roots Again: 2023 Chihuahuan Desert Cultural Fellowship Feature – Kasi Munoz
Throughout her life, Kasi Munoz has always created a path for herself that was rooted in a deep connection with nature and an unwavering commitment to community. As a member of the Spring 2023 cohort of the Chihuahuan Desert Cultural Fellowship, Kasi shared her extensive experience in landscape architecture and garden design, as well her approach to community-based education.
De duelos y esperanza: Río Olvidado de Rocío Favela
La obra de Rocío Favela explora el Río Bravo —como metáfora, como sitio de leyendas, como ser agredido por políticas divisorias e industrias extractivas. Explora matices de la vida fronteriza, aportando una voz y perspectiva importante de la región Paso del Norte.
¿Qué eran esos cantos de aves que escuché aquellas mañanas de agosto?
Como muchos otros habitantes de esta región, Roberto Méndez es migrante. Llega a nuestra región con una curiosidad y bondad palpable, con ojo de biólogo y corazón solidario notando la “tierra lastimada”
Returning and Reconnecting with the Chihuahuan Desert: Eva Gabriella Flynn
Eva Gabriella Flynn grew up with the expansive U.S.-Mexico border as a backdrop–a backdrop that is interwoven throughout her art to this day. As a member of the 2023 Chihuahuan Desert Cultural Fellowship cohort, she brings her experiences crossing and critiquing borders and a deepened connection with the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion.