Philip explained that what were eating was what we were eating was a roti and that ‘lime’ was slang that loosely means ‘friends hanging together’.
On the early side of 10, we thanked our hosts, leaving Philip with his people who were gracious, but a bit confused by our seemingly early departure. The party was just getting’ started man! The crowded house was jumping with a joyous community.
A few months later, feeling social, I thought hosting a group of friends would be fun. The house agreed, as we would all invite a few friends.
I approached Philip, remembering the lovely time we had had that fall and asked him for the roti recipe. His eyebrows furrowed, he hesitated and then said he would have ask his community.
Just mere days before the party, still no recipe. Phillip remained coy till the eve before the day when he knocked on my bedroom door and proudly said with a smile, “we are doing this, man”.
“We?” “What?” Huh?
He produced a grocery list and said that we had to go shoppin’. Err…ummm…ok.
BAGS of Potatoes, peppers, spices … whole chickens. The cart was overflowing and we strained to carry it all back to the house. Still no recipe. Every time I asked Phiilip, he just shook his head and replied “No worries, man, we got you”
“We”???
On the day of the party, the 5 of us were once again sitting in a tight circle, overseen by Phillip who was coaching us up to peel all the potatoes. He had us gather everything we prepped and a car I didn’t recognize drove up to the house. Phillip waved warmly, exchanged in a banter with the driver who gave me a fleeting glance. They went back to talking, the man just nodded in understanding and then Philip turned to me and explained to me that THIS was the man that was going to make the roti. He was a grad student working on his thesis but was happy to help in exchange for his dinner. Unceremoniously, everything we had prepared was loaded into the vehicle and away it went.
We were left only with several large bags of flour and an abundance of butter. I still wasn’t getting ‘it’ and Philip just kept reiterating, “we got you”.
Then there was another knock on the door. Again, Philip was uncharacteristically quick to answer. He welcomed the four large men with hugs and handshakes. Again, Philip pointed to me, and they all nodded and chuckled. They filed past and went straight into the kitchen. Bags of flour were slashed open, butter was cut and they took over every working surface. Rolls of kneaded dough were rolled out, buttered and then powerfully kneaded again. They worked with purpose and staged themselves in an organized way. All the burners on the stove were covered as they browned and one by one placed on a tray in the oven to keep warm.
In among all of this, Philip caught my eye and held it. Without a word, he waited, like a patient teacher for me to learn the lesson.
Roti Lime’s are not about just something you make to host your friends. They are about community. You don’t get a recipe…you get shown. You get taught. Everyone comes together and each person takes a part in the preparation.
It was a very special evening. The house was a full mix of our invited guests and the welcomed Caribbean community that chose to come alongside and kindly their culture with us.
That night, we were a jumpin’ man! (lol)
A fun story, Mike…but what has that got to do with the farm?
Well, today we are doing a serious amount of planting. My friend and fellow farmer Dain Burrell had dropped by for a visit and saw that I was behind. He looked into my greenhouse and shook his head.
“ohhhhh Man….Mike….your babies are cryin’!! You must get them to the field!!”
“I know, I know…but the weather has held me”
He paused, for a long thoughtful moment and then said these magical words:
“No worries, man, we got you!”
Today is the day they are coming and the field is going to be a jumpin’ man!
It is always a good day when community comes together -)
Thank you to all of you who are a part of our season and doing your part to make it happen.
~ Michael
What’s Fresh This Week
The harvest is really starting to roll in, and we couldn’t be more excited about what we’re bringing in from the fields this week. Here’s a peek at what’s freshly picked and ready for your basket:
Greenhouse-grown cherry tomatoes
Baby red flesh potatoes
Genovese basil
Mint
Curly leaf parsley
Recipe of the Week
Mediterranean Potato Salad
This week’s harvest is the star of this Mediterranean Potato Salad. We’re using baby red potatoes straight from the field, juicy cherry tomatoes bursting with flavour, and a handful of just-picked herbs from the farm. Tossed with briny olives, creamy feta, and a bright squeeze of lemon, it’s an easy, fresh dish that works for quick lunches, cookout sides, or healthy meal-prep all week long.
Ingredients:
- 1½ lbs baby red potatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ cup Kalamata olives, sliced
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Inspired by Life with Mira
Instructions:
- Add the baby potatoes to a pot and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, roughly 12 to 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
- Allow the potatoes to cool just until easy to handle, then chop them into halves or bite-size chunks while they’re still warm—this helps them soak up more flavour.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth and well blended.
- Transfer the warm potatoes to a large bowl and drizzle the dressing over top. Gently toss to coat every piece.
- Mix in the red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, parsley, and dill, stirring carefully to keep the potatoes intact.
- Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the salad and give it one final, gentle toss.
- Give it a taste, add more salt or pepper if you’d like, and serve right away, at room temperature, or straight from the fridge.
