For thousands of years, indigenous peoples cultivated the land that is now known to be North America. With its versatile and fertile soil, the people native to the region were able to feed their families and communities. Today, the abundant and nutritious foods native to the Americas are cultivated in most continents, fulfilling different cuisines and feeding the world.
Here are just a few foods that are native to the Americas, many of them available at our farmers markets in the fall, and some into winter. As we gather around the dining tables this holiday season, let us acknowledge that the land we inhabit in the Bay Area is the traditional and stolen land of the Ohlone people. Let’s honor the knowledge and work of the indigenous peoples who stewarded the land and tended these crops, and appreciate all of the bounty native to our region.