How to Take Advantage of Miami's Summer Produce with Chantelle Sookram

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MT: Hey everyone, welcome to Seasonal: season 1, episode 2. So I just wanted to start out by saying thanking everyone for the overwhelming amount of love and support that I've been receiving for the release of the podcast. I just want everyone to know that it means the world to me that you guys are supporting me on this venture and I am just so excited to share all this amazing content with you guys and all this wisdom from our local community experts, so again just thank you to everyone for all the love and support. But I did receive a bit of feedback from a friend who told me that since the podcast is called “Seasonal” that I should dedicate Episode 2 completely to seasonings, so I decided I would take her up on that so today's episode is going to be completely about cumin, starting now. So cuman is a seasoning, it's really tasty, it's used in Chili, it's brown, it's sometimes yellowish-brown, okay I'm just kidding you guys I'm not going to talk about cumin, I'm not going to take my friend up on that offer, so I'm sorry to all those cumin lovers out there. But today we do have a really exciting episode because we will be hearing from Chantelle Sookram of Urban Oasis Project. So I just wanted to mention that we are all still navigating through this COVID crisis as a community and we are just caught up in our daily routines at home and in doing that we tend to kind of forget about nature and forget the beauty the sights, the smells, the sounds, that nature has to offer us. So I just kind of wanted with this episode to bring that sensation back to everyone by describing the beautiful gems that nature is providing us with right now especially in Miami. It's an amazing time to be a Miami resident, arguably the most exciting time to be a Miami resident, because it's tropical fruit season you guys, and I'm so excited about it. We finally can get our hands on those juicy, delicious, beautiful, exotic tropical fruits that we really only have access to in the hotter, wetter months so super excited about it. These fruits include our beloved mangos, papayas, custard apple, soursop, passion fruit, mamey sapote, jackfruit, and many many more. So Chantelle is not only a great resource that can speak to what's local and what's seasonal right now but she also has some means skills in the kitchen, and is going to teach us a thing or two on how to take advantage of her favorite tropical fruit. Also I just want to mention to everybody to please please show your support for the podcast by heading to Anchor.fm, searching Seasonal, and clicking support, so I can keep this podcast alive and going, and I will also have a link up in the show notes so you can access it there too. Okay, so let's catch up with Chantelle and discover what's in season right now and how we can access it. 

MT: Chantelle is on the team at Urban Oasis Project where they bring together local farms and small local businesses to get the delicious local produce and fresh products out to our community and they do so in a very organized and streamlined way. Chantelle, thank you so much for being here it really means a lot so thank you so much for coming on. 

CS: Yeah, thank you. Thank you Maria for having me.

MT: Of course. Can you start by telling us a little bit about Urban Oasis Project and what you guys are doing for the local food movement and kind of what your mission is for the community?

CS: Yeah so Urban Oasis Project has been in existence for about nine years now. I've only worked with them for the last three and a half years. And it started off just having potlucks, ya know, getting people together and talking about food and yeah it was like potlucks in different communities and then it moved on to building gardens for folks which is a program that we still do and then the folks who got the gardens would get together and have potlucks with what they grew, and then it grew to a farmer's market, like a smaller farmer’s market that was on the corner of 79th and Biscayne, which is now, after several years of moving and different permitting it is now in Legion Park every Saturday now from 9 to 2, there are 40 different vendors selling anything from juices, fresh produce, handmade clothing items, vintage items, things like that. Yeah and our mission is to make fresh fruits and vegetables available and accessible to all, so at all our markets we accept EBT and food stamps, and we double it, up to $80, usually, but now that we’re in a crisis moment here we have been doubling and matching every dollar amount, so essentially like everything's half off on your shopping with food stamps. So yeah we’re trying to support farmers and provide fresh food to the folks in our community.  

MT: Yeah and I think it's just so cool the way you guys are doing it because a lot of the farmers are so busy as it is and they just really have to focus on their product and kind of getting it out there and so you guys take a lot of that burden off of them which I'm sure they really appreciate.  You make it so easy for us in the community to access it, and you provide us with a lot of information, and there's so many different pick-up points, I mean at least right now, for us to access it so thank you so much for that.

CS: Yeah we’re happy we were able to adapt so quickly, and yeah the response from the community has been overwhelming. They're happy that we're still up and running and we didn’t just bow down when the city shut down from this and we tried to make it work, because yeah like everyone needs to eat and if Publix and all these other grocery stores allowed to be open because they're essential and we are just as essential and just as important because we’re are also supporting a very specific part of community, which is local farmers and the small farmer who can’t necessarily sell cases of something to a large grocery store you know they have like a few boxes something and we can buy that and get that out to people, so yeah we’re happy to fill that need. 

MT: Yeah and that's kind of what I wanted to ask you about too because during this COVID crisis has sort of forced you guys to pivot your way of doing things. So can you talk about what that process has been like? And how you guys have had to transition from everything being in person to your virtual farmer’s market? How is that been for you guys?

CS: Yeah it's definitely been challenging because we basically changed a business model over a day like overnight. We went from setting up a physical farmstand and having physical produce displayed for people to purchase to just having all this electronically now and our store online. Every week has been changing and like trying to streamline things and make things easier for the customer to understand and also for us to process the orders because our team is small, we rely on volunteers, we do have core people that work with us but yeah it’s a very new process for a lot of folks as far as getting the order sheets, looking at quantities, making sure it's the right amount, and like all these things are a lot different from when you're at a farm stand and someone's like “I want that papaya” and see it and people are also allowed to touch things at the farmer’s market and they can pick and choose and see what they want and now we're having to make that decision for folks, and yeah we’re trying to do it in the best way possible because there's only so many notes that people can put in and requests and yeah so we’re trying to be mindful that everyone is getting what they want and also that we're also not like wasting time and yeah we also want to be efficient.

MT: Yeah because people are very particular about their produce, I mean, it shouldn't matter about the appearance, but it does for a lot of people, so you guys kind of do have to make that decision. But at this time and we can't really be as picky as usual but I mean it does take that whole taste element out of it because at the farmers market I love to taste the berries, or the tomatoes just so I know, but I mean, I know for me, I don’t have a choice and I need it so I don't really care anymore to be that picky. 

CS: And also I think it’s opening people’s minds up a little bit to think like-- ok, I probably wouldn’t have picked these tomatoes at the market but what can I do with them and how can I adapt this to my menu or like what I'm feeding my family and then that’s gonna happen more as the season changes and a lot of local greens, like kale, are gonna go out and cucumbers and like those things are gonna go out, but like a lot of fruit is going to start coming, like tropical fruit, mamey, bananas, jackfruit we have this week on the store, and so yeah things are shifting also.

MT:  Yeah, so I just wanted you to highlight some of the farms that you guys use and what their specialties are, just because I want people to know where it's coming from and I think they deserve the credit just because they're putting in so much hard work, so can you just name a few of the main ones that you guys have been using.

CS:  Yeah, absolutely. During the year we pick up from over 20 different farms. But our main staples that are always there are Three Sisters-- we got all our bananas come from there, turmeric, he does those freeze dried banana snacks also come from John at Three Sisters. And then we also pick up from Sal, that’s Health and Happiness Farm, and he’s been certified organic for over 18 years, and we all our mamey, papayas, sunflower sprouts from him, and then of small amount of turmeric, depending on the time of year we get from his. Opossum Trot is Robert Barnum and we also get tons of tropical fruit from him, jackfruit, caimito, passionfruit. We pick up from Margie at Bee Heaven Farm, and she connects with Warden Farm, which is in Central Florida. And we get the bulk of our greens, cucumbers, squashes, and main veggie items, like when broccoli is local we get broccoli from them, cauliflower, eggplant, green peppers, they grow a wide variety of organic stuff and yeah we purchase heavily from them during the season. So yeah those are a few of our main folks, Three Sisters, Opossum Trot, Health and Happiness, Bee Heaven, and Warden Farms.

MT: Nice, and I know you guys also pull from a lot of the local small businesses like the kombucha.

CS: Yeah. So in switching our market to this online store, we also want to be mindful that, yes we're still in business and able to provide for the community, but part of why we run the farmer’s market is to give small venders the opportunity to sell their wares. So the kombucha folks, Be Cultured Tempeh, Clive from Nature Boys, who does coconut water and juices at the market, Canton does patties, so slowly week by week we've been able to get some of our vendors on the store so that their items can be purchased, because yeah this has definitely affected them because this weekly Saturday market is where they sold the bulk of their products online, doesn’t exist anymore, so now that we’ve shifted to this online store we're, trying to accommodate as many as our vendors as we can.

MT: Yeah, I mean it’s smart of them to take advantage of what you guys have built, because you guys, I’m sure, have a lot of traffic through that site, Local Line, and so it’s very smart of them to be taking advantage of that.

CS: Yeah it’s like a a one-stop-shop kind of thing, yeah it’s in everyone’s benefit, because that way, the customer doesn’t have to look out and think, where can I find tempeh, or where can I find Kombucha, or Clive, and for those folks who have to set up their own platform to do that, it’s like, no let’s just join forces.

MT: Yeah, and even if they do set up their own platform, who knows if it would get as much exposure as it is through you guys. 

CS: Exactly, yeah. 

MT: So I know you mentioned some of the exotic fruits that are in season right now, and I know the season here in Miami is kind of switching at the moment because it's becoming a little hotter and wetter, so can you kind of highlight some of the produce that we can be expecting to see from you guys and was kind of starting to come in season?

CS: Yeah. tropical fruit, mangos, I mean I’m sure everyone's driving around and seeing mango trees in their neighborhood, Yeah we have a few people that provide us with mangoes, so we’ll be selling mangoes. Mamey, papaya, bananas, those are all tropical fruit that we have all year round. Jackfruit is predominantly a summer fruit, and we've had that at the store this weekend and it will continue on for weeks to come. And then as far as greens, we will start getting more asian greens, like Mizuna, tropical spinach like Longevity spinach, Malabar spinach, because these are local greens that will grow through the summer. Callaloo, I don’t think we have anyone specifically giving us that this year, but it is something that grows here that we might start sourcing. Just so that there’s still a good balance of local produce at the store, even in the summer months. Yeah so predominately fruit is what to expect, and then tropical spinach, there will be things like ciruela which is like a hog plum, that's an unusual little treat that we get from Margie from Bee Heaven, so yeah. 

MT: Also I wanted to point out that at Bee Heaven she dries the tropical fruit sells it and so I got it from you guys last week, just because I wanted to see what it was and try it, but it's delicious and it’s such a good little snack to have and I think she does such a good job on her part and I great way of kind of showcasing all the fruit that we do have that's now starting to come in season and it's not going to go bad and it's not going to just sit out on your counter or sit out wherever, yeah so it’s such a good way to take advantage of that and not waste them. 

CS: I know, yeah, for sure. It’s great when I see farmers taking that extra step to preserve some of their produce because  it gives a longer shelf life for us to hold onto to sell it and also it gives a customer another way of looking at it and the the costumer thinking “oh well I have all these bananas, I’m just gonna eat them with my cereal or oatmeal” but it let’s them have another experience. 

MT: Yeah and we're in Miami and there's just an unbelievable amount of mangoes that we have here, so it's like, it's so smart of her to just take that extra step and do that just to preserve it, because a lot of times, a lot of them go bad because people just can't eat that many mangoes. 

CS: Or yeah, yeah people can’t eat that many mangoes and then you end up in this thing where you think, oh this is all going to go to waste or composted and like someone could have eaten this, and yeah, you know with mangoes, I mean, I started drying, I’ve started dehydrating them, make mango butter, all these different things, because yeah when the season is over in September, I'll still be enjoying manges. 

MT: Yeah, exactly right when they're ripe I just dice them up and put them in the freezer and I just have them like for the whole year to put in smoothies and stuff. Ok so that leads me to my next question, because I know you're such an excellent chef which of these foods that are in season right now, or about to be in season, is kind of your favorite and that you're most excited about? And how do you like to use it in the kitchen?

CS: Mangoes for sure are at the top of my list, as far as favorite things coming into season right now, mangoes, every variety is so different and has so many different uses to from juices, to the way you were saying where you just cut them up and leave it in the freezer for smoothies later. Yeah, I slice them, I have a dehydrator so I dry them so they’re like little mango leather, chewy. I have a friend that I give them to and he makes these fruit roll-ups, and yeah he just makes mango juice, and then puts it on a little silk pad, adds spices to it, and dries it, and it’s just a really yummy snack to have. Even green mangoes, like I make chutneys with them, you can pickle them, you can make different chows and salsas with green mangoes, I enjoy doing that. So yeah they don’t even have to be ripe, so if you’re in your neighborhood and you see a few green ones on the ground, pick them up because yeah you can still do so much with a green mango.

MT: Yeah it's funny that you bring up the green mangoes because Thai Tom Sum, or green mango salad, is one of my favorite dishes, so I'm really excited to make that again, with the fish sauce, I just love it, my mouth waters just talking about it, but yeah I'm excited to mess around with some mangoes. And then lastly, I wanted to ask you, I know you guys have been making a lot of changes in your operations, so when the whole COVID crisis is over do you think you guys are going to go back to normal, having your in-person farmers market, or do you think you're going to stick with virtual or do a little bit of both? How are you guys predicting? Are there going to be any long-term changes for Urban Oasis in your operations or how are you guys kind of predicting that is going to look? 

CS: Yeah, we talk about it. We definitely will have a physical farmers market in the park when we're allowed to, because another main reason we have this is because it creates such a community and yeah it’s a place for people to gather and meet their friends, and see their favorite vendors and there's something to be said about that. And although we are like business as usual in this virtual world, we definitely are missing seeing our customers and interacting with them and hearing ya know, how their week was and what they're excited about cooking and things like that, so yeah, I think it's safe to say that we will resume our regular physical market when we’re allowed to do so. But I definitely think that we want to keep part of this virtual store up because it’s still helpful for folks who can’t meet us at market, and it’s fulfilling a need that there was, that we didn’t know about. We have people taking advantage of our delivery options so yeah so we're a nonprofit and a lot of our funding goes towards building those gardens for folks and is now like providing veggie boxes for families in need and we're also teamed up with Fempower, were helping bail folks out and some of the produce and funds are going to those folks, so yeah this is just allowing us to expand what we do, so I feel like it would be smart to keep part of it going in some capacity. 

MT: Yeah I'm glad you brought up the donations to the families in need because I want to encourage everyone to do that, if they're able to right now, but on Urban Oasis’ virtual Farmers Market, they have an option for you to donate to a family in need so they do a really good job of keeping those in need in mine, with the SNAP benefits and everything and the donations, so I would encourage everyone to do that. And also yeah I completely agree with the sense of community at the physical farmer’s markets because I've met so many people at farmer’s markets and it's just kind of a hub to bring like-minded people together and yeah, you could share recipes, you could share ideas, and if someone sees me just looking at one of the tables they’re like “oh you need to try that, go ask them to sample this” and so it’s just kind a great way to connect with people and connect with the venders. We will hopefully be seeing a push towards you know local sourcing for meals a little more because people are realizing the importance of consuming our local produce and taking advantage of it, so hopefully we'll see a change for the better in that sense and people were kind of start to take advantage of our farmers markets and what you guys are offering, so fingers crossed that we will be seeing that post COVID. So Chantelle, that’s it for me. Thank you so much for your time, this is really important for everyone to be aware of. I just want for the people listening if you want to start eating locally and you don't really know where to go, a lot of the individual farms are offering pick-up or delivery options, but Urban Oasis is a platform that they bring a lot of farms and local businesses together, so it's all in one place, so it's a really good thing to check out. You can go to their website, right, and subscribe to the newsletter? 

CS: Yeah I think the easiest way to keep in touch with us is to go to the website, urbanoasisproject.org, and you can sign up for a newsletter, it’s couple emails every week and it tells you yet what we're having at the store, if there are any changes to anything, yeah it gives you information on our donation program, so yeah it's a good way to keep in touch with what's happening and the local food movement and what we’re doing to support farmers and other organizations and yeah just the community in general. And we’re working on adding farm links, so you can click on different links on the website and you can see where we’re sourcing from and get a little bit of their story, and yeah just to give more exposure to who’s behind everything, like how all of this is even happening. 

MT: Yeah I just think what you guys are doing is so great, and I hope post COVID that people still realize the huge need for it and that you guys are doing as well as you're doing now and keeping us busy as you are now, so and he's so much and I'll talk to you soon. 

CS: Yeah, thank you.