Food Justice & Sovereignty Program
Announcing
Sowing the Seeds of Change is Back
Food is Medicine: Three Sisters and Infused Vinegars
Food is Medicine: Three Sisters and Infused Vinegars
Food is Medicine: Three Sisters and Infused Vinegars
Fecha y hora: Wed, Sept 16, 5:30-7PM
Lugar: Growing Gardens (dentro del granero), 1630 Hawthorn Ave, Boulder, CO 80304
Light snacks will be provided!
Class Description: The Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) are sacred foods that have sustained Indigenous communities across Turtle Island for generations. In this hands-on workshop, participants will prepare a Three Sisters Salad with a healthy dressing using local and organic ingredients. The class will explore how simple, whole-food dressings can replace highly processed store-bought options and support everyday wellness. Participants will also create an infused herbal vinegar to take home and use in homemade dressings. Through food preparation and storytelling, the workshop invites participants to reconnect with ancestral food knowledge and food as medicine.
Instructor Bio: Amy Barcenas is an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree Nation and founder of Yellowtail Lactation Consultants and the Bitterroot Doula Collective. She serves Indigenous and underserved families across the Denver metro area as an Indigenous Lactation Counselor, full-spectrum doula, and community health worker. Amy weaves together ancestral knowledge and modern health practices in homes, schools, and community spaces. A proud grandmother of four with deep ties to Montana and a lineage tracing to Chief Little Bear, she is passionate about Indigenous food sovereignty and traditional healing. Her work centers community wellness, cultural preservation, and reconnecting people to ancestral practices.
Salsa: Reclaiming Ancestral Flavors
Salsa: Reclaiming Ancestral Flavors
Salsa: Reclaiming Ancestral Flavors
Fecha y hora: Wed, Sept 23, 5:30-7PM
Lugar: Growing Gardens (dentro del granero), 1630 Hawthorn Ave, Boulder, CO 80304
Light snacks will be provided!
Class Description: Join us for a hands-on culinary workshop exploring Mexican ancestral foodways through the medicine of salsa. Together, we'll discover the cultural significance of chiles, salsas, and traditional sauces as expressions of Indigenous knowledge, nourishment, and community. Learn how fresh ingredients and simple techniques can create vibrant flavors while honoring generations of culinary tradition. Each participant will prepare and take home two homemade salsas made with fresh ingredients y mucho amor.
Instructor Bio: Josie Valadez Fraire is an Indigenous mama to her vibrant wild child, Metztlixochitl, a curious plant-person, and the eldest daughter of Jose Valadez Amaro and Josefa Fraire Arellano from Tapias de Santa Cruz, Fresnillo, Zacatecas. According to her mother, Josie's lifelong love of salsa began in the womb and has since blossomed into a deep devotion to ancestral foodways, plant medicine, and the healing traditions of her community. Through sharing food, stories, and culture, she honors the wisdom passed down through generations and invites others to reconnect with the medicines found in everyday meals.
Bear Root, Buffalo, and Medicines of Rematriation
Bear Root, Buffalo, and Medicines of Rematriation
Bear Root, Buffalo, and Medicines of Rematriation
Date and Time: Tuesday, Oct 6th, 5:30-7PM
Location: Growing Gardens (dentro del granero), 1630 Hawthorn Ave, Boulder, CO 80304
Light snacks will be provided!
Class Description: This workshop is a journey into our deeper relationship with our bodies, plant and animal relatives, matriarchal medicines and our commitment to the land and our communities. You will learn the properties of Bear Root and how it has been used medicinally, culturally and ceremonially for healing. You will also learn why this relates to our buffalo relatives and why it is important to restore the buffalo populations to the land. By learning from these matriarchal teachers, we will have a broader understanding of why our commitment to the protection and healing of the land is a reflection of ourselves.
Instructor Bio: Myranda Pretty Owl, Oglala and Sicangu Lakota, is the founder of Boundless Warrior and Star Bear Ranch and Medicines, Native Cultural Liaison for Wozu Healing Gardens. Myranda grew up within traditional Lakota matriarchal ways, guided by her upbringing in Lakota traditions, ceremony, and life ways. For the past 26 years Myranda has dedicated her life and work to advocating for Native Sovereignty, Rematriation, and returning to original ways in connection with the Earth. Within Myranda’s liberation work, she is a spiritual counselor and traditional medicinal practitioner. She helps people to physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually disconnect from the sickness of colonialism and back to our indigenous roots.
Our Core Activities
The FJS program is built on engaging, hands-on experiences within our urban gardens and farms. We empower our community through a variety of educational and collaborative activities.
Hands-on Workshops
Learn practical skills in organic gardening, seed saving, composting, and sustainable farming methods. Our workshops are designed for all experience levels.
Knowledge Sharing & Education
Participate in sessions focused on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), nutrition, and the cultural significance of food within Indigenous communities.
Community Harvests & Celebrations
Join us for vibrant community gatherings, harvest festivals, and shared meals that strengthen local bonds and celebrate our collective efforts.
Volunteering Opportunities
Contribute to our urban gardens, assist with workshops, or help organize community events. Your time and effort make a real difference!
Food Justice & Sovereignty Gathering series:
Sowing the Seeds of Change
Is a transformative gathering series bridging ecological and social justice, cultivating equitable community spaces while cultivating biodiverse gardens
Our Moments in Action
