Meet Jess
Jess Carroll is our Farm Assistant here at Finca Tres Robles. She helps out with any farm duties including harvesting, planting, seeding, greenhouse work, CSA prep/deliveries, and other farm maintenance!
Read the interview below to learn more about the Jess, one of the farmers behind who grow your food.
How did you learn about Finca Tres Robles and what made you want to join?
I learned about Finca on one of my trips to the Eastside Farmer’s Market back in 2017. I have volunteered for various organic farms through WWOOFing and was looking for places closer to home where I could volunteer my time! I was super excited when I found out that Finca was looking for people passionate about farming, food, and community to join their team.
What’s something you think would surprise people about your day to day?
Well on a very basic level, people are always very surprised that I work on a farm that is within the Houston city limits. After that, people are surprised by the variety of crops that we grow. We live in a super unique farming climate, where we don’t experience the usual four seasons, allowing us to grow all year around!
What would you say is a challenging aspect of your work?
As you would expect, exposure to the elements can be challenging! Even when I’m feeling my most disciplined and unaffected, the mosquitoes can break you!
What are the biggest rewards of working here?
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“Wow, where to even begin! It is such a privilege to feel so connected with my environment in such an urban setting. Last week, we were out doing work in the field and we were able to experience the cold front face to face, which was awesome to behold! Most often, we miss forces of nature like these because we’re in our cars or offices or homes.It is also very rewarding meeting everyone who comes to volunteer/tour/visit the farm. Being able to talk to people about what we’re doing here and getting to share the experience, share my excitement for this space, and to see others’ curiosity and excitement is truly something special. ”
What does community mean to you?
Community means everything to me. As an urban farm, what are we without our community? Who are we growing food for and who are we sharing our food with? I think that Tommy said it best when he was taking me through orientation on my first day at the farm. He said that farms were never places just meant for growing food. They have always been gathering places, places of sharing and celebrating, and raising families. In modern society, the food that we consume has become more of a nebulous concept than a concrete, secure source of nutrition, sustenance, and satisfaction. It’s crazy. We should be very aware and knowledgable and secure in what we put in our bodies. Being able to contribute to Houston’s connection to its environment and natural bounty is a dream.
What foods do you like that you’ve grown here?
I am a huge fan of harvesting the greens–arugula, collards, mustards (and I’m super excited for the lettuce and kale!). Greens are the largest part of my diet and so I am able to really appreciate being present for their entire life cycle–from seeding in the greenhouse to seeing them on my plate! I also LOVE the cucumbers that we grow. I’ve never had anything like them!
What do you do outside of work?
Outside of working on the farm, I love to read, write, do yoga, go to the movies, try new taco trucks among many other things! Houston is such a fast growing city and it has also been such a blast exploring it. Growing up here, I feel like I took all that makes Houston so unique and so cool, for granted. I have really enjoyed getting to know it again.
How do you practice wellness?
My most important wellness practice is my morning routine. It’s almost impossible for me to be able to roll out of bed and straight into the day as a functional human. I like to wake up a few hours earlier than I need to be up and at ’em so that I can take my time, make some coffee/tea/juice and do some writing and meditation.
If you could have a message broadcasted to everyone in the world, what would you like to say?
I think that it’s always super important and grounding to remember that we are all doing our best to figure this all out.