My name is Priscilla Keiko Watson! I’m a first year farmer living and farming on beautiful Whidbey Island. I’m a recent transplant from Los Angeles exploring the world of food, dyes, and plant medicine.
I grew up in 2 insane food cities—Los Angeles and Tokyo, so I was spoiled from the get-go. My mom’s a stellar chef with incredible taste, and eating what she cooked and watching her relationship with food informed mine as well. I love how different cuisines tell us a story about the history of the world and how
we’re all connected—I think it’s the best language you can use to relate to others. And now that I’m farming, I’m learning more about the science behind food as well as fundamental connections within the food system, which broadens my scope of the entire story of food. For me, though, a lot of it has to do with the feelings I get around certain meals and tastes…food is love, food is comfort, food is healing energy….and everyone deserves that.
One of the most important relationships in my life is the one that I have with food. It’s at times traumatic and sometimes joyous, too…a delicate balance that’s usually the nature of most relationships. Because it was my first year or faming, I didn’t have much of a plan on what to grow, but I knew I wanted to honor my family members in the process. I dedicated some crops to them—Okra and Gobo for the ancestors, Kabocha for my mom, Collards for my dad, Safflower for my new niece Beni. I’ll dedicate some stuff for my friends next year, too. It’s nice to be reminded about where I come from and who is in my corner, and for that to be reflected back to me through my crops is incredibly heartening.
What is your favorite fruit and/or vegetable? And/or ideal meal?
Favorite fruit: Grapes, mango a close second
Favorite veg: The humble cabbage. It does everything.
Ideal meal: a HOT, spicy Asian noodle soup (Jang Kalguksu, Kimchi jjigae, Ohn no khao swè)
Favorite food spots in Seattle?
Banh Mi Deluxe!!!
Favorite spot on Whidbey Island currently is Hale’s Kitchen. Black owned BOMB chicken n waffles!
Favorite Recipe:
JAPANESE KABOCHA CURRY
Tis the season! I love putting seasonal veg inside the classic Japanese curry recipe. Here’s my autumnal twist with kabocha squash.
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
A meat of your choice, I like chicken thigh, cut into bite size pieces
2-3 carrots, chopped into 1” pieces
1 whole packet of instant Japanese curry roux (I like the House Kokumaro brand)
~2 cups kabocha, cut into 1” cubes
2 tsp Curry powder
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 bay leaves
4-5 cups of water
Sauté onions, garlic and meat in oil in a large stockpot on medium until meat is cooked through. Add your carrots and any other veg you want to throw in. Add 4 cups of water to the pot and simmer about 15 minutes, or until the veg is softer. Add your curry roux and lower your heat to low. Add your kabocha and the rest of your spices (curry, ketchup, bay leaf). You can get creative here and add
sweetness if you like sweet curry (chocolate, grated apples, honey) or more spices with heat (gochugaru, cayenne). Flavor it to your liking! Simmer for about 20 minutes or until your kabocha is cooked through and soft. The curry should have the consistency of gravy, not too thick and not too runny. Add water if needed. Enjoy over rice!