From the Fields to Our Tables: Honoring Mexican Agricultural Heritage
A Shear Taste Tribute to Mexican Independence, Agriculture & the Food We Love
September 15 and 16 are important days in Mexican history and culture. The evening of September 15 and the celebrations of September 16 commemorate Mexico's independence, beginning with the Grito de Dolores in 1810 and the struggle that ultimately led to Mexico becoming an independent nation.
At Shear Taste, we believe that food is more than something we serve on a plate. Food tells stories. Food connects generations. Food carries history.
As we celebrate Mexican culture, we also want to take a moment to recognize something that can sometimes be overlooked: the farmers, agricultural workers, families, and communities whose labor has helped put food on our tables.
Before the Recipe Comes the Harvest
Mexico has an extraordinarily deep agricultural history.
Long before modern agriculture, Indigenous communities throughout what is now Mexico developed sophisticated farming traditions and cultivated foods that would eventually become fundamental to cuisines around the world.
Corn, beans, squash, chile peppers, tomatoes, cacao and avocados are just some of the foods connected to Mexico and Mesoamerica that have become part of the global food landscape.
The combination of corn, beans and squash—sometimes referred to as the Three Sisters—demonstrates how traditional agricultural knowledge could produce complementary crops while supporting communities.
These foods weren't simply ingredients.
They were culture.
They were survival.
They were community.
And they became the foundation for countless dishes and culinary traditions.
Honoring the People Behind Agriculture
When we talk about Mexican agricultural history, we should also remember the people who worked the land.
During Mexico's independence struggle, rural communities played important roles. Mexico's agricultural ministry notes that campesinos, Indigenous communities and Afro-descendant communities contributed manpower, food, local knowledge and resistance during the struggle for independence.
That history continued long after independence.
In the United States, generations of Mexican agricultural workers became an important part of American farming. During the Bracero Program, which operated from 1942 to 1964, Mexican guest workers came to the United States to work in agriculture. They planted crops, maintained irrigation systems, harvested produce and helped keep agricultural operations moving.
Their story is part of American food history.
When we walk through a grocery store today and see fresh fruits and vegetables available year-round, it can be easy to forget how much human labor stands behind that abundance.
Someone planted the seed.
Someone cared for the crop.
Someone harvested it.
Someone packed it.
Someone transported it.
And eventually, someone cooked it.
From Mexican Fields to Mexican American Communities
Agriculture also helped Mexican American families establish communities throughout the United States.
In California, Mexican and Mexican American workers became deeply connected to orchards, vineyards and other agricultural industries. Over time, many migrant workers established permanent roots, building families, businesses and communities.
Agricultural work wasn't simply about earning a paycheck.
For many families, it became part of a larger story of building a life and creating opportunities for the next generation.
And those communities brought something else with them:
Food.
Recipes.
Traditions.
Techniques.
Celebrations.
Family gatherings around the table.
The Mexican Influence We Taste Today
Mexican cuisine has become one of the most influential culinary traditions in the United States.
Think about the ingredients we use every day:
🌽 Corn
🌶️ Chiles
🍅 Tomatoes
🥑 Avocados
🫘 Beans
🍫 Cacao
🎃 Squash
🌿 Cilantro and other herbs
These ingredients can appear in everything from traditional Mexican dishes to modern American cooking.
And the influence goes beyond ingredients.
Mexican cooking has given us an appreciation for bold chile flavors, slow cooking, fresh salsas, masa-based foods, roasted meats, layered spices and the balance between acidity, heat, sweetness and savory flavors.
Today's food culture continues to evolve because cultures continue to meet, share and create.
That is something we celebrate at Shear Taste.
Food Is a Bridge Between Cultures
At Shear Taste, our philosophy has always been rooted in the idea that food brings people together.
Our cooking draws inspiration from different culinary traditions while respecting where those traditions come from.
That's why Mexican food and Mexican American culinary history deserve more than a celebration once a year.
They deserve recognition as part of the larger story of American food.
The taco truck.
The neighborhood taqueria.
The family recipe.
The restaurant kitchen.
The farmworker harvesting produce.
The grandmother teaching someone how to make tortillas.
The chef putting a modern spin on a traditional ingredient.
These are all pieces of the same story.
A Toast to the Farmers
So this September, as we celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Shear Taste would like to raise a glass to the people behind the food.
To the farmers.
To the farmworkers.
To the families who carried recipes across borders.
To the Indigenous agricultural knowledge that shaped Mexico's food traditions.
To Mexican American communities that helped build agricultural regions throughout the United States.
And to every person whose hands have touched the food before it reaches our table.
Because sometimes we take the food in front of us for granted.
But behind every ingredient is a story.
Behind every harvest is hard work.
And behind many of the foods we love today is a history worth remembering.
From Mexico's fields to American tables, we celebrate the people, culture and traditions that continue to feed us.
¡Viva México!
¡Viva la cultura!
¡Viva el campo!
Shear Taste
Midwest Roots. Global Flavors.
