March 1, 2025
COOK AND PLANT EVENT
This past Saturday, the Urban Fresh Gardens (UFG) team and their families came together at the Urban Fresh Gardens (UFG) Farmhouse. Volunteers Jessica (Food & Media) and LaSonya (Farm to School) and their families met up with Greg and his family for a Cook and Plant.
On the Menu
On the menu? Mexican corn tortillas and a stew. Jessica taught us how to make Mexican corn tortillas from scratch (and how not to burn our fingers) while Greg handled the stew. Also on the agenda: potting and transplanting seedlings.
The Tortilla Team
It was fun making and eating our tortillas from scratch. The first step was making the dough. Next, we flattened the dough into circles with a metal press or tortilladora. The last step was cooking the tortillas on a hot, electric griddle. That’s where we learned to flip our meal with our bare hands! Putting the dough on the griddle was probably the hardest part. [We have a short video here] That’s because more than one of our creations folded in on themselves or had parts missing. Jessica is a patient and fun teacher, though, so she helped us fix our mistakes. We can’t wait for her to teach more people how to make this cheap and nutritious food. Question for you: what is more nutritious – Mexican flour or corn tortillas? Answer below.
Picture of guys and microgreens
The Seedlings Team
As we flipped tortillas, another group, mostly guys, worked on the seedlings. They potted small containers with soil and planted tiny seedlings from the crop of microgreens on hand.
I think some of these kids were having a little too much fun. Not long after they started, the soil was everywhere. After a while, the groups switched places. Greg and the guys moved to the kitchen while most of the tortilla crew took their place with the seedlings.
Topping it off with the Stew
With the guys beside him, Greg sautéed garlic, onions, and Farmhouse-grown mushrooms in a pot. After that, he added beans. Once that was mixed in and salted, he topped that off with pea microgreens (also Farmhouse grown).
We used the stew as our topping for the tortillas. At least one kid had two servings of tortilla and stew. We consider that a success. Here are more pictures from our time together.
[Sorry, our photographer kinda forgot to do her job, so we don’t have pictures of the completed meal. She got involved in what Jessica was doing and forgot to do her camera job. We might have to hire a new camera person].
UFG hopes to have more Cook and Plant events, giving more opportunities to engage community members, introduce them to UFG, and build relationships and teamwork among family members.
Seedlings and Microgreens for Sale
Microgreens
In our last blog entry, we talked about microgreens. Microgreens are really young plants, plucked between 7 and 21 days old. From seed to plate, it takes about 2 weeks for ours to be ready for your plate . If you’re looking for microgreens near you in Waterbury, CT, Call or text us at (860) 940-0108. (We generally respond to texts faster). Place your order. If we don’t have what you want, we can have it ready in 2 weeks time. Made to order.
Microgreens (other varieties will be added as the seasons change):
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Sunflower
- Bok choi
Seedlings
I know that in Connecticut the sun is still losing its battle with the clouds and it’s still cold. But I could have sworn that I heard a bird singing this morning. Start your spring garden early with seedings. Varieties listed below.
Seedings (other varieties will be added as the seasons change):
- Scotch Bonnet peppers
- Callaloo
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Sunflower
- Bok choi
QUESTION:
What’s healthier: corn tortillas or flour tortillas?
ANSWER: According to Google, “Corn tortillas are a healthier option than flour tortillas because they are lower in calories and fat, and higher in fiber. However, flour tortillas are easier to use and are sturdier.”