Meet

Photo Credit: Rustik

One of my favorite things about living in the countryside is many of our neighbors, who are also our friends, love to share the bounty of their harvest. It’s not uncommon for me to come home and find a basket full of beautiful berries sitting on our porch table or a bag of freshly-picked greens hanging on the doorknob. Someone might stop in with cheese they made or heirloom tomatoes they grew. Most recently, Chris Field and Jessi Okamoto sent over a bag of chicories representing their first harvest season for their new Italian speciality produce business. It was almost too beautiful to eat! But I’m glad I did. Right now they are primarily selling their produce to restaurants in addition to having a stand at the Union Square Greenmarket Farmers Market weekly. I never knew the full depth of chicories until I had the opportunity to speak with Chris who gave me a 101 on everything from Castelfronco to Tardivo for an interview for a Berks Country cover story I wrote last month about first generation farmers. 

Jessi Okamoto and Chris Field featured in Berks Country / Reading Eagle