Harvest August 9, 2017

Today we had the pleasure of harvesting with students from the University of Arizona's Public Health department. We assisted the students and volunteer farmers at Felicia's Farm, a nonprofit farm located in Catalina Foothills, Arizona.

Harvesters looking for roots, plants, and leafy-greens this morning

The first group of volunteers left from the Iskashitaa office at 8 am and the second group followed shortly after.  The farm is located on River Road.  We were assisted throughout the day by the farm's own Ashton Inskeep and Sofia Forier-Montes.

Several volunteers hard at work.

The harvesters enjoyed learning about the items they were collecting as well as proper usage. Sweet Potato leaves & Amaranth. Both of which were in abundance today.

Amaranth leaves

Sweet Potato Leaves

We left the farm after having cleared much of the amaranth and sweet potato leaves. But before we did we made sure to take a group photo right in front of the farm as a testament to the hard work we put in today.

"Say 'Amaranth'!"

If you would like to be part of our volunteer and harvesting efforts, feel free to contact the office through the contact tab at the top of our website.

As always, have a great day!

Alfonso Cavada-Tavares

Iskashitaa Refugee Network

Social Media Intern

Harvest August 2, 2017

As Iskashitaa continues it's gleaning efforts, we had another harvest this past wednesday. The two items harvested were Jojobas and Jujubees.

Jojobas (pronounced ho-HO-bas) refers to the desert prominent plant and to the oil that can be extracted from the plant's seed. We have found them all over Tucson and the plants look like this.

We are still attempting to harvest as much as possible to reach out goal in order to mill the seeds in to an oil. Feel free to contact Iskashitaa and let us know where you find the jojoba plants.

Jujubes (pronounced jü-ju̇-ˌbē) are an invincible. They grow in almost any temperature, even in Tucson summers. Jujubes have a long history of cultivation, roughly 4,000 years. Originating in China, they have spread to Russia, northern Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and the southwestern United States. For more information, please enjoy this further reading on Jujube's culture, descriptions, recipes, etc.

The Jujubes, not to be mistaken with the famous fruity candy, will be used during Iskashitaa's kitchen exercises to enrich the community and bring together refugees that are living among us. Stay tuned for those recipes and pictures of the family friendly fun.

Alfonso Cavada-Tavares

Iskashitaa Refugee Network

Social Media Intern