Our Food in the Time of Quarantine: 3 Perspectives

Farmer & Food Justice Educator Disha Patel (front) and Farm Director (lead Farmer) Deborah Greig (rear) of Common Ground High School, Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center - using Covid-19 safe food handling measures while washing farm fresh greens to send out to families in need during the quarantine.

We are over a month into the Corona Virus lockdown, and the number of things to talk about around food and justice issues is overwhelming. This pandemic is having a serious impact on all aspects of our food system from working conditions to empty grocery store shelves, farmers dumping veggies, milk and eggs, they no longer have customers for, and restaurants unsure if they will re-open after months without income. I’m seeing lots of creative home cooking in quarantine, and so so so many people struggling to feed their families now that they’re out of a job, and food pantries are closed or low on supplies. This Virus has massively amplified the long history of systemic racial and economic injustices that already existed in our society, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking.

There are many things I’m seeing though that are giving me hope. Last week I reached out to a few folks working in food in my home town of New Haven, CT, and asked them to share stories about how this pandemic is impacting their work in the food system. This show has three parts. You’ll hear from a wholesale produce distributor, an urban farmer and food justice educator, and then some tips for cooking in quarantine from my home kitchen.

A Wholesale Produce Distributor Shares Her Perspective

First up is Maria Desarbo, a second generation owner of Carbonella & Desarbo’s wholesale produce company. They recently expanded into a new modern facility, and a big part of their business is selling cases of fruits and veggies to universities and restaurants, two huge sectors that are no longer purchasing food due to the shutdown. I reached Maria by phone to learn more about what’s happening in her part of the food industry.

We recorded this interview the week of April 6th, and realities in agriculture and food distribution are changing minute to minute. At first the distributor was faced with massive surpluses of produce that they worked to get out to food banks and food pantries any way they could. I got a call from Maria early on asking for more ideas of places to donate food to, “I can’t let this food go to waste, I just won’t let it happen” she said. Produce needs to get straight into the hands of consumers before it rots, so it can work better to connect with smaller daily pantries like The Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, Amistad House, or a nimble food rescue team like the amazing folks at Haven’s Harvest.

One challenge for the distributor is that wholesale produce is packed in huge bags and cases, not in retail sized portions - making it harder for food pantries to distribute in small quantities for individuals or families. As the food industry landscape has quickly changed, some large scale farmers stopped selling crops all together, either because they couldn’t work safely, or lost large customers making it cheaper for them to plow under their fields than harvest them with no one to sell to. This article from Civil Eats shares a little more insight into what’s happening in the large scale agriculture and produce distribution sectors.

From left: host Tagan Engel, Maria Desarbo, and Latha Swamy Food System Policy Director for the City of New Haven during a 2020 site visit to the new Carbonella' & Desarbo produce warehouse in Branford, CT, months before the Covid-19 shutdown.

Earlier this winter I visited Carbonella & Desarbo’s new facility (photos above). The modern upgrades are enabling them to use their touch-less key cards and digitally segregated rooms to create even stricter health safety protocols to create a work environment that is as safe as possible during this unpredictable pandemic. Unfortunately working conditions on many large farms and other food production warehouses are falling short of protecting their workers. Check out this episode of Democracy Now! to hear more about workers in different parts of the food system and The Food Chain Workers Alliance for ways to support food workers.

An Urban Farmer & Food Justice Educator Shares Her Perspective

Disha Patel is a farmer and food justice educator at Common Ground High School, Urban Farm, and Environmental Education Center. She works with the farm team and educators to engage students in learning about growing food, cooking, and the ways culture and systems of power impact food in their lives. On a normal school day the Common Ground farm provides food for the school cafeteria and a community farm stand. When school shut down suddenly on March 13th, the farm team including Disha, Director and lead farmer Deborah Greig, and Assistant Farm Manager Diane Litwin worked with school staff to figure out what to do with the farm, and how to help all the students who would suddenly be in need of food at home.

I caught up with Disha by phone in the midst of her super busy schedule. We also recorded during the week of April 6th, as the farm team was entering their fourth week creating 50 food share boxes to deliver to school families in serious need of food. They used early spring produce and eggs from their farm, and partnered with Haven’s Harvest to get additional rescued food from places like Trader Joes. Local bread business Chabasso bakery typically donates lots of bread to the school, and started packing it in individual bags making it safer to distribute to families.

Raven Blake (rear left) and Ashley Blount (rear right) of CT Core - and Disha Patel (front) sort food and pack boxes for CT Core’s mutual aid work across CT. Photo credit: Raven Blake

In addition to helping the families of their students who are most in need, the Common Ground farm team is working in solidarity to support the work of two great local mutual aid efforts. CT Core- Organize Now!, which is focused on serving Black and Brown communities in Connecticut, and the Semilla collective New Haven Area Mutual Aid Fund which is focused on immigrant communities in New Haven, are now packing shares up at the common ground farm, using covid 19 safe food handling practices. Check this great article and story from WNPR on their work. You can reach out to either of these groups if you are in need of assistance or have help to offer (money, time, skills, etc…).

Cooking in Quarantine

I asked listeners to send in questions about food during the quarantine. Many people mentioned how hard it is trying to feed their households multiple meals a day, while also trying to work (in or out of their home) while also needing to help kids with school work. AND of course there were questions about beans glorious beans! Listen in to the podcast at the top of this post for many tips about ways to cook head for the week to make daily meals less effort, as well as info on cooking up dry beans, roasting vegetables, and other recipe-free cooking. Check back soon for a more detailed post on this segment!

Help Share the Wealth!

So many people are struggling financially right now. If you are blessed to still have an income or savings, and receive a government stimulus check that you don’t need to survive, PLEASE consider donating some or all of it to people who desperately need it to live and won’t be receiving government aid. In New Haven and CT Check out: CT Core, The New Haven Area Mutual Aid Fund with the Semilla Collective, The CT Undocufund - all of these are run by grassroots activists with deep personal relationships in the communities they are working with. Check out mutual aid groups or grassroots organizations in your area, or ask around to connect directly with people in your area in need of support.

Thanks to the fabulously talented Taina Asili y La Banda Rebelde for the use of their music in this show! We need your radical words and joyous passion more than ever right now! Check out their Covid-19 physical-distancing remix of their song “La ALegria”

May our ancestors, many of whom survived horrific events in history, continue to protect us and help us through this challenging time. May we each find ways act in this moment that supports justice and life for all people. May we be vulnerable to ask for help if we need it, may we give the help that’s needed, even when it’s hard, and may we work together to bring about the change that’s needed so that everyone has what they need to thrive.