Traditional Arts in Upstate New York. Traditional Arts of Upstate New York
53 Main Street
Canton, NY 13617
(315) 386-4289

Grow and Tell Project


Making Bissap with Lauren and Ena Diop
Making Bissap with Lauren and Ena Diop
“I’m from Canton, NY, where I live with my husband Abdoul and our four daughters, Ena, Coura, Rokaya, and Adaleen. I’ve been watching or helping in the kitchen with my mom and sisters for as long as I can remember, and it’s the same with my daughters, who always want to be cooking with me as well as making up their own creative dishes.

I love how food can bring people together and connect us back to people, places, and memories. Everywhere I have been able to travel has influenced my cooking, and recreating dishes transports me back to those places. The same I think is true for my husband, who is from Senegal. We eat Senegalese recipes weekly in our home, some of which I have learned from my husband's mother and sisters. We are grateful that our daughters love and regularly request drinks like bissap and Senegalese meals. This tradition provides the flavors and memories of home as well as giving our daughters that connection to their culture.” —Lauren Diop

For the Grow and Tell project, we visited Lauren Diop and her daughter Ena (Canton, NY) to learn about how they use the mint from their garden in making bissap. Watch this video of them sharing how they make this delicious drink that is very special to their family.

 
At the peak of the summer time, while everything is so green and lush, we paid a visit to herbalist, native plant conservationist, and TAUNY North Country Living Traditions Award recipient Jane Desotellle in Plattsburgh, NY for our Grow and Tell video project. Watch this video here, see how Jane grows her wild edible and medicinal garden, and listen to the stories that she shares about family, friends, traditions, and plants.
Tending the Wild Edible Garden with Jane Desotelle

 

 Never Tire Farm: Hope in a Box 
A Grow and Tell Project Production
 
Never Tire Farm is the only wholesale greenhouse operator in St. Lawrence County and an important source for many small retailers in the area who supply plant starts directly to customers in the community. As part of the Grow and Tell Project, we visited Megan and Ray Bowdish, the owners of Never Tire Farm, and produced this video that provides some insight into the greenhouse business, and the ways they take care of the seeds and plants that many in the community depend on to grow food as well as flowers in their own home gardens.

The 2021 Grow and Tell Project, part of our collaboration with littleGrasse Foodworks Community Farm for the Folk to Table traditional foodways project, highlights how the food we grow reflects and helps sustain our food traditions.
Never Tire Farm: Hope in a Box
This project is made possible by support from the Cloudsplitter Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
  

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