We’re dedicating our final Rootbound Farm Staff Spotlight of the season to our delivery driver and farmer, Jerusha! 2024 is their second year on the Rootbound team, and we are excited for many more years together. As the driver, their work schedule is pretty clear throughout the CSA season. They prepare and wash produce, pack boxes, and, of course, deliver hundreds of CSA boxes to pickup locations across Kentucky. While most of the farmers work seasonally, Jerusha, Branner, Bucky, Ben, Bree, and I work year-round.
“There’s no shortage of things to do in the winter.” When CSA isn’t in session, Jerusha will still deliver to our wholesale retail and restaurant partners like Blue Dog Bakery and Good Foods Co-Op. Outside of their weekly delivery schedule, they’ll be harvesting high-tunnel produce like carrots, spinach, and green onions and preparing the Packshed for the next season.
Outside of their work schedule, Jerusha pursues many hobbies. They used to take dance lessons to learn bachata, a genre of music and dance originating from the Dominican Republic. “I want to try salsa next,” they said, thinking about starting dance classes again.
Jerusha likes spending their free time in the outdoors, too. Sometimes, when I ask what they’re up to after the work day ends, they’ll say that they will go hiking on fishing around the trails. Even after a long day, they find our farm trails relaxing. “Mushrooms are the draw for me.” When they go hiking, they take plenty of photos, and sometimes cook and eat them at home. “They’re really pretty and really cool.”
Earlier this year, Jerusha visited Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, a city many of the seasonal H2A farmers call home. They visited Don Chepe’s house Pillo’s house, and met many of the farmers’ extended families. “My favorite part of the trip was when we went on an overnight adventure to fish for shrimp.” Sounds like a perfect way Jerusha would spend their vacation. At 8 PM, Jerusha and their friend traveled two hours from Tepic to a fishing area with many small ponds.
Jerusha’s Fishing Guide
1. Set up a candle near the water’s edge.
2. Throw out food to one spot in the water.
3. “Then you wait a little while.”
4. Throw out a net to the spot where you threw the food.
5. Reel the net in, open it up, and the shrimp will jump out. “My job was to collect the little shrimpies and put them in the bag.”
Star Tip: The most efficient way to fish is to use two ponds.
They finished fishing and returned home with a nice catch, and their friend prepared the shrimp into a nice meal. These are camarones a la cucaracha, literally translating to shrimp a la roach, as many refer to shrimp, lobster, and other shellfish as “bugs of the sea.”
They responded, “I hope so, I would love to” when I asked if they’ll visit again.
Now that all the farmers are leaving, they’ll miss spending time talking with Omar and the rest of the seasonal. “Everything just takes a little bit longer because there’s less people.” We begin preparing for the next CSA season shortly, when we start seeding onions in January. Jerusha is currently convincing Bucky to order some serrano seeds, so we hope to see those spicy green peppers and you, in CSA 2025!
Recipes
Lamb Recipes
| Tender Braised Lamb Shanks with Bitter Herb Salad – Serious Eats |
| Sichuan Roast Leg of Lamb with Celery Mint Salad – Serious Eats |
| Lamb Biryani – Serious Eats |
| Classic, Savory Shepherd’s Pie – Serious Eats |
Daikon Radish Recipes
| Moolor Ghonto – Bong Eats |
| Punjabi Mooli Paratha – Sanjana Feasts |
| Mulor Dal – Kitchen Mai |
| Mullangi Poriyal – Raks Kitchen |
| Cream of Celery Soup with Daikon and Potatoes |
| Quick Pickled Daikon and Carrots |
Leek Recipes
| Lemon-Dressed Cabbage and Caramelized Leek Salad. – Justine Doiron |
| Roasted Leek and Potato Soup – Nik Sharma |
| Buttered Leek Fettucine – Hailee Catalano |
| Carrots and Leeks, Turkish Style – Ottolenghi |
