“This is the true story of nine strangers, picked to live in a house and have their lives taped to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.”

No, it wasn’t MTV’s Real World, it was a weekend with the BLAST Youth Leadership Cadre, a top-notch group of 9 young adults from across North America working to create change in our food system. We harvested melons, heard how to plant corn in the desert of Arizona, compared how Bosnian beekeepers in Chicago strain honey to how they strain it in Brooklyn, and marveled at how a thick Boston accent could make “Walker Center” sound indistinguishable from “Worcester”. We cooked dinner together on Saturday, with sweet potatoes, risotto, burgers, “3 pound brownies”, and salad. Check out one of the recipes below!

Quote of the weekend:
“People say it’s a luxury to eat organic food, but I believe it is a luxury to NOT have concerns about where your food comes from – to not live next to a hog confinement”
–Sarita Daftary

Recipe of the weekend: “Food”
Roast or boil 5 sweet potatoes, and mash them. Dice 1 large or 2 small bell peppers (any
color), and add them to the sweet potatoes. Mix in the juice of 3-4 limes or lemons, and mix in a can of black beans. Add a little olive oil, some paprika or chili powder, maybe cumin, and a bunch of chopped cilantro if desired (cilantro seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it food). Stir and serve!
–Rasha Abdulhadi