The menu included spinach tortillas, braised chicken, pork & potato rosti, seafood cavatelli, grilled Key West chicken, vegetarian minestrone soup, and stone fruit & blueberry bread pudding as well as a variety of standard Ratty fare.

Pawtucket Mudd

Brian Moore, 2008 presidential candidate of the Socialist Party USA (far right), sported a sign reading: “Reform System, No! Radically Transform System, Yes! Educate About Socialism, Not Sloganeering or Provacative [sic] Rhetoric!” Despite this, he marched alongside us while we chanted provocative slogans like Up, up with the fair food nation! Down, down with the exploitation! and El pueblo unido jamás será vencido [“The people, united, will never be defeated”]. Moore told me he considered himself a revolutionary, and criticized the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) for demanding change within the existing agro-industrial complex, rather than seeking to transform the system itself. Before long, however, a couple of students affiliated with the International Socialist Organization (ISO) introduced themselves to Moore and me. They insisted, somewhat comically, that they, not Moore, were the true revolutionaries, because whereas Moore sought to work within the existing political system (i.e. by running for President of the United States in 2008 – he earned 6,555 votes nationwide), these students (left and center – no pun intended) and the ISO do not trust established governments to bring about meaningful change. Soon after these students appeared, they engaged Moore in animated conversation and before long I lost them all in the vast, vibrant parade.

This man saw us picketing at Publix, shouted “No fair wages for farmworkers!” from the parking lot, then rushed home to scribble this sign in counter-protest. It reads: “Don’t like your wages? Get another job! Immigrant = migrant, Migrant = nomad. Follow the season. Most “pickers” have MANY kids they DONT [sic] take Care of… THE STATE DOES. Lower Wages NOW.” Clearly, nobody took the time to educate this man about the realities of farmworker conditions. Workers can’t simply “get another job” because they are held in physical bondage or in debt bondage; or because they have not been educated about the rights and opportunities legally available to them in America (imagine not being read your rights!); or because, as undocumented immigrants, they lack access to the political and linguistic resources taken for granted by most Americans. Furthermore, it’s useless to ask workers to “follow the season” when consumers clearly refuse to do so; the year-round demand for tomatoes is precisely what leads to such intensive, industrialized systems of agriculture. And the argument about “kids they DONT take Care of” is of course absurd. The state doesn’t take care of the children of Immokalee workers… the state doesn’t even take care of Immokalee workers.

From as far as New York City and Chicago, artists of all kinds convened in Tampa to support the CIW. The rhythms of the drums imparted persistence and regularity to our steps, and unity and resonance to our chants. The melodies of the jaraneros kept our spirits light and our energies focused. Dancers clad in ceremonial feathers, accompanied by the pungent smell of Mexican incense, gave our procession the solemnity of a rite and the joie de vivre of a carnival. Photographer extraordinaire J. J. Tiziou, who has worked with the CIW since 2003, documented the gestures, colors, and expressions of the weekend; he would sprint ahead of the line, climb onto overhanging branches, and crawl in the gravel and dust to get the perfect shot. The union of art and activism in this movement is truly inspirational.

BDS has posted the two positions that are available for next fall to the Brown Job website.  See the job descriptions:
https://financialaid.brown.edu/JobX_FindAJob.aspx?t=as
One is the Real Food Progress Coordinator, a fantastic opportunity to really dive into the practical side of Real Food. BDS is very supportive of the initiative, and in just a few short months current coordinator Emily Viggiano has been able to learn an incredible amount about how BDS operates and about all the different factors that go into our purchases.  As Progress Coordinator, tasks range from creating sustainable purchasing guidelines, evaluating suppliers based on the Real Food calculator, and proposing items to
switch, to facilitating communication between local producers, processors, and distributors.

The other position is the former Community Harvest internship, currently held by Maddie Brown.  This intern will work closely with the nutritionist and menu-planner, Gina Guiducci, more specifically on local, community relationships.  There will be a lot of potential next fall to shape the new direction of these internships and their relation to the Real Food internships.  All four positions (2 Real Food and 2 Community Harvest) will be working together under one larger sustainability program.

Student volunteers spread compost and stir up the soil, mixing in the mulch (wood chips) that were covering the ground for the winter

Group effort to make the rows-- shaping the soil into raised mounds with paths in between

PEAS! The first seeds to go in the freshly-formed rows were Sugar Snap and Snow Peas, and did you know that the seeds are just dried peas? We soaked them overnight and then stuck 'em in the ground

Progress! Standing on Hope St., this is what the tilled & mounded half of the garden looks like as of April 11th (the dark trails are lines from watering the peas)

At the student garden we’re lucky to have good, healthy soil that was brought in and has been tested for safety, but a lot of Providence soil is contaminated from years of industry and toxic products, so if you’re thinking of gardening and ready to dig in, make sure to test the soil OR plant in raised beds (we have 4!)

LEARN MORE from Southside Community Land Trust @ http://www.southsideclt.org/about/faq.php

Since 1997, there have been seven such cases in southern Florida, involving over 1,000 slaves. Immokalee is the Tomato Capital of the US; if you eat ten tomatoes between December and May, nine of them came from this county of 20,000, where 40% of residents live below the poverty line. If you need another reason to eat locally and seasonally, look no further.

This, in short, is why seven Brown students chose to forgo three days of classes, with exams just around the corner, and spend 27 hours on a cramped bus to march 25 miles across the sunbaked streets of southern Florida. Our stress and discomfort are nothing compared to the indignities these workers suffer day in and day out.

We arrived in Tampa around 11 a.m. and met the marchers as they stopped for lunch. We got our Freedom March t-shirts and banners and met students, activists, families, and concerned citizens from every corner of the country — Texas, California, New York, Minnesota, and DC, to name a few. We learned what brought some of our fellow marchers to Florida, and shared our experiences of working for food justice and workers’ rights at Brown. After lunch (and a vigorous application of sunscreen) we joined their ranks, winding through the streets of Tampa, sharing our message with everyone we met. Shopkeepers opened their doors and schoolchildren stopped in their tracks to watch the parade of bright green shirts and colorful signs. While we sang freedom songs and chanted slogans in English and Spanish, they read our flyers intently, then (mostly) cheered us on with honking horns and pumping fists.

Around 6 p.m. we arrived at a Publix supermarket, where we picketed for about an hour before turning in after an exhausting day of marching. Publix is Florida’s largest supermarket chain, and they stubbornly continue to purchase cheap tomatoes from growers who have been found guilty of workers’ rights violations. “This is a labor dispute between a supplier and their employees, and we do not intervene in labor disputes,” says Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten. Publix is the focus of our three-day march. On Sunday, we will rally outside Publix headquarters in Lakeland, FL to demand justice and dignity for farmworkers.

Taking on America’s 9th-largest private company is a daunting task, but if anyone can do it, it’s the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. In 2001 they began a boycott of Taco Bell that lasted four years before Taco Bell finally signed an agreement to pay fair prices for their tomatoes. Since then, the CIW has signed similar agreements with McDonalds and Burger King. But they can’t do it alone — taking on these huge, powerful corporations requires lots of organization and plenty of popular support. Only under intense consumer pressure will companies change their purchasing policies. As informed and responsible consumers, we must vote not only with our dollars, but with our words, our time, and our feet.

Further Reading:

“Slavery, plain and simple” – Ft. Myers News-Press

Politics of the Plate: The Price of Tomatoes

Farmworkers coalition to target Publix – St. Petersburg Times

Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Taco Bell reach groundbreaking agreement

The sun shines upon SuFI seedlings in the UEL greenhouse: Pink Beauty, Brandywine, San Marzano, and Washington Cherry tomato varieties

That right there is the beginning of the SuFI Student Garden tomato crop. Seeds were planted in potting soil (see the Kickoff Workday post), and have been soaking up the sun (and water) in the Urban Environmental Lab Greenhouse. Many thanks to the ES department & UEL community garden for kindly sharing space and resources!

Why do tomatoes start in the greenhouse?

The floor to ceiling windows and high sun exposure allow the seeds to get direct sunlight while the soil stays warm, because even though the Main Green is already blossoming with students enjoying spring, the ground is still too cold for seeds to survive. As the photo shows, the tomato seeds have sprouted, and soon we will have to “thin” the plants (pluck out the smaller ones) so they won’t be competing for space and the strongest will survive. As the seedlings get bigger they will be moved to larger containers then transitioned to the outdoor climate (“hardened”) like day trips outside the greenhouse, and finally planted into their beds in the garden.

Make carrot cake, of course!

Here’s a really great recipe from Baking Illustrated:

Simple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes one 13 by 9-inch cake.   Published March 1, 2003.

If you like nuts in your cake, stir 1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter along with the carrots. Raisins are also a good addition; 1 cup can be added along with the carrots. If you add both nuts and raisins, the cake will need an additional 10 to 12 minutes in the oven. Below are instructions for using a hand-held or standing mixer.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment and spray parchment.
2. 2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside.
3. 3. In food processor fitted with large shredding disk (see below for mixer method), shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside. Wipe out food processor workbowl and fit with metal blade. Process granulated and brown sugars and eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds. With machine running, add oil through feed tube in steady stream. Process until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. Scrape mixture into medium bowl. Stir in carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.
4. 4. For the frosting (See below for mixer method): When cake is cool, process cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla in clean food processor workbowl until combined, about 5 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.
5. 5. Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Invert cake onto wire rack, peel off parchment, then invert again onto serving platter. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Cut into squares and serve. (Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
6. MIXER METHOD
7. 7. Instead of Step 3 above, follow these directions: Shred carrots using large holes of box grater (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat granulated and brown sugars and eggs on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream, being careful to pour oil against inside of bowl (if oil begins to splatter, reduce speed to low until oil is incorporated, then resume adding oil). Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Turn off mixer and stir in carrots and dry ingredients by hand until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.
8. 8. Instead of Step 4 above, follow these directions: When cake is cool, mix cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla at medium high speed in clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment ( or in large bowl using handheld mixer) until well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until very fluffy, about 1 minute.

(https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=4677)