Edible Blue Ridge Summer 2022

exposed to other cultures in that way, where we can chat about what is this, how are you going to use this, is there any cultural signifi cance to it, is really rewarding.” It’s not just the general public that is learning to identify and utilize the produce found at the New Roots stall; it’s professionals, too. Beloved Charlottesville restaurant Lampo is also a supporter of the New Roots program. During the previous growing season, chef Mitchell Bereens purchased produce weekly, sometimes several times a week. “Last year, the big one was the pumpkin blossoms. I came up with a pizza on the spot, put it on our social media and it just blew up, exploded,” recalls Bereens. It became so popular that Bereens was selling 5-10 times more of the blossom pizza than anything else on the menu. e producers were able to grow more, and the pizza stayed on the menu for the majority of the summer (look for the pizza’s return this season as soon as the squash begin to blossom). Other sellers at IX are already quite familiar with New Roots. Khadija Hemmati — owner of the popular Khadija’s Kitchen — immigrated to the U.S. in the fall of 2016, joining her mother and sisters in Charlottesville. “It was really helpful when I moved here. You know, when you move here from your original country to the United States, every body here is busy with their life … so even though I had my mom and I had my sisters, they had their own jobs, their citizenship classes or GED classes, but everyone would farm or garden together,” says Hemmati. “For me, and even for my kids, we didn’t have many ac tivities. We didn’t know the language, so we couldn’t go out as much and talk to other people. But with New Roots, it was stress relieving. We’d even have picnics when we farmed with the kids; it was almost like camping! We really enjoyed it.”

able. For example, the producer that sells to Orzo now grows more Mediterranean-style crops that fall in line with the menu: arugula, Chioggia beets, and kale. e pandemic halted the Micro-Producer Academy, but New Roots still trains micro-producers, and since the pandemic, a new opportunity has been presented to growers: e Farmers Market at IX. “It’s such a great place for a start-up business, as an incubator, be cause being a vendor at the farmer’s market is a low-cost entry level,” says Cecile Gorham, executive director of Market Central. New Roots provides the tent and has a collective booth; anyone that has a plot in the community gardens may utilize it, even if it is only one time. A grower may have an overabundance of tomatoes or cucumbers and sell at the market just one week, or a grower like Rai may be at the market every week. e cost of the market stall is di vided between whoever sells that day. In addition to the growers, vol unteers help man the stall every Saturday during the growing season. “It’s really good both ways. It’s good for the person trying to support themselves and it’s good for the community to see new veg etables and to see people working for themselves, that’s empower ing,” says Gorham. In many cultures, the market is a place to shop, not just for a few specialty items, but as your weekly grocery supply. Markets are a place of social gathering. In short, they build community. Providing the structural support for recent immigrants and refugees to par ticipate in and sell at markets helps them find a place in their new community. e foundations of all markets are as public spaces, to create a place where all feel welcome. “It was great to see the variety of things people would bring that were, you know, outside the normal American palate,” says volunteer Malcolm Augat. “Bitter melon, for example — just seeing people get

New Roots participants sell produce at the Farmers Market at IX

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