Nura’s Story

Nura’s Story, Jute Mallow & Armenian Cucumbers

Text: Two seeds I have a connection to are jute mallow, or Molokhia, and Armenian cucumbers. The jute mallow crop we eat is famous in my country, Sudan. My uncle is a farmer, and we were raised growing jute mallow. It is our favorite part of the summer. In Sudan, we go with the seasons, we farm duirngthe rainy season. As awas a child, I loved to go to the farm. When I came to United States, I was really missing home; so when I found that you are be able to farm, the first thing I asked about was the jute mallow and Armenian cucumbers. I grew them last year and this year as well. Sometimes we cook jute mallow as a soup. We cook the onion, meat, and sauce, and then you add the jute mallow. The way my grandma cooks it is different from how mom cooks, which is different from how my aunt cooks it. The Armenian cucumbers are espeically juicy. We eat the cucumber as a kind of snack. I know most Americans like to dip chips in sauce, we also have a special dipping sauce that we make for the cucumber. The food brings the memories, you feel at home. That’s nice memories with the family, cousins, neighbors, friends.

Seed Stories is a project produced by Urban Roots youth during the summer 2024. The youth conducted eight interviews, created short videos and radio pieces, and created this zine, in partnership with the other media group and artist Mayumi Park. A seed story is the story of our relationship to seeds, and seeds’ relationship to us. Everyone has seed stories, although you might have to dig a little to find yours. Maybe your seed story begins with a food that is meaningful to you, or with the stories that a grandparent likes to tell, or with a traditional medicine, or with the seeds that your family saves after the gardening season. Each of these instances can be traced back to our relationships with seeds, relationships that we depend on for our survival and joy on this land.