We’ve talked to a lot of new team members, so let’s meet one of Rootbound’s more experienced farmers! It’s Oscar’s sixth year working at the farm, and he’s done it all. From spending days seeding in the greenhouse to animal tending, he says that he is able to work any job on the farm. Every farmer has a vital role to play in Rootbound’s success, but they need a break, too. While Omar visits his family back in Mexico for his vacation, Oscar has been working with us in the pack shed for the past two weeks.
If you’re ever in the pack shed, you’ll hear a variety of music played on our speakers as we work. Oscar prefers the Banda genre, “un grupo formado de quince o veinte personas,” a large-format band consisting of almost twenty people equipped with guitars, accordions, clarinets, trumpets, tubas, and drum sets. His favorite song is Mi Meta Contigo by Banda Los Sebastianes.
Usually, Oscar is one of the key members of our equipo de cosechas–the harvest team. You’ll often spot him wearing all red in UofL attire. No job on the farm is easy, but the harvest team spends hours out in the fields under the hot sun making sure that we get the veggies in your box every week. “Todo estan listo para cosechar,” he says as he describes the cabbage harvest process. I got to see the team in action a few weeks ago to see just what he meant. When one bed is ready, almost every cabbage is ready for harvest. The team walks through the bed, cutting the heads off at the base, and then they walk back through to throw up the heads into our large storage bins.
In terms of other brassicas Oscar is looking forward to, he mentions the Brussels sprouts. You can look forward to seeing some when estan listo–they are ready–in November. Farming is all about the past, present, and future. Looking back on the past, Oscar remembers that heirlooms are a new variety of tomatoes this year and that we’ve only grown red slicers, cherry, and grape tomatoes in the past.
While he’s off the job, Oscar likes to decompress and watch serias de zombie–TV shows about zombies–like The Walking Dead and Resident Evil. “Me gusta un poco de accion y terror en combinación.” He likes that the shows, along with The Transformers and Avengers films incorporate elements of both action and horror genres. Oscar gets into action himself by exercising. He likes running, bicycling, and jump rope, but “a vez estoy muy cansado del dia. Depiende de trabajo.” Depending on the day’s work, he’ll decide if it’s a good idea to rest or work out.
“Mi dia ideal es estar con mi familía.” His ideal day is spending time with his family. “Salida a comer, ira a la playa, y ver peliculas.” He likes going out to eat, going to the beach, and watching movies with his wife and two children back home in Valla De Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico. While he gets to be there for his daughter’s birthday in January, he said he would call back home to wish his son a happy birthday this week.
Red Beet Recipes
Butternut Squash Recipes
| Steamed Egg with Mushrooms and Squash – Little Fat Boy |
| Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto – Serious Eats |
| Keralan Style Butternut Squash Curry – The Korean Vegan |
| Vegetable Tagine – Labhco |
Eggplant Recipes
| Baigan Choka – That Girl Eats Healthy |
| Mutabal – Palestine in a Dish |
| Eggplant Mesa’a’ah – Cardamom and Dill |
| Aloo Baingan – Ministry of Curry |
Turn Your Share Into Breakfast
