We went to Huntly, to the Devron Projects. The first thing I noticed was a poster that said «Plants don’t care much for borders», and I thought it was quite beautiful and pertinent. The second thing I noticed were two books on the shelves: «Radical Gardening: Politics, Idealism & Rebellion» by George McKay and «On Guerrilla Gardening» by Richard Reynolds.
In Mexico, I had thought about how meaningful and powerful it was to grow certain things in different contexts. Growing organic corn as a form of rebellion against Monsanto, patented fields of corn, or continue to grow beans when weed is more profitable, or selling oranges and coconuts from your trees on the side of the highway without the need of a middleman.
After thinking about these acts of resistance, I thought again of green tomatoes (or tomatillos) and how my identity as a Mexican is deeply embedded in them. Tomatillos are quintessential to green salsa, green salsa to enchiladas, enchiladas to a meal, a meal to a party and a party to a home.
However, it’s always hard to get them outside of Mexico, and, most times, I can’t bring them or their seeds on an airplane. Even though plants don’t care much for borders, humans care much about their placement. This got me thinking: How can I bring tomatillos with me everywhere I go? I though about a pop-up plant of tomatillo.
At Devron Projects, they talked about the opening of a cafeteria and how they wanted to prepare food with what they grow in their orchards. Daaf had told me they had been wanting to make recipes that the migrant and refugee community in Huntly were missing. I think these acts of growing and preparing food making go back to the power of hosting and not feeling like you are always a guest.
I thought about illustrating these recipes.
Maxim Zaragoza 