Hello there, I’m Larissa! (she/her)
I am originally from Wisconsin so I absolutely LOVE cheese. For me, the wisdom of life goes, “life is uncertain–eat more cheese.” While I haven’t actually made my own cheese ever, I do aspire to learn how to take care of goats and make aged goat cheese in the future. I have gotten really into doing my own fermentation over the past couple of years, and have been making kombucha and olives that I have even sold at a craft fair.
I sold all of the olives I brought!
giving out olive samples at craft fair
I also love foraging, whether urban foraging in San Francisco where I have lived the last few years, or finding edible berries and leaves in wilder places. Last summer, some friends and I found a green pine cone on a hike, and I suggested that we roast it to see if we could get pine nuts out of it. Turns out we could–and we found out that some of the pine nuts had been eaten by larva! We tried those too, and unsurprisingly, they really just tasted like pine nuts. Come talk with me if you’ve eaten insects and have some good stories about entomophagy.
picking out roasted pine nuts from a pine cone
I am new to Augusta this year, and am excited to learn with all of you this summer. I will be the Village Leader for Manzanita. I am 33, and have spent the last decade in formal education, first as a middle school science teacher, and most recently as a “life coach for teachers” supporting educators to implement new ways of science instruction. As a classroom teacher, I would do enough field trips every year that eventually my principal would tell me we couldn’t leave campus again, which truly became a mark of pride. Other teachers would always tell me, “you’re like the kids–you just like the fun stuff.” I believe that the best learning happens outside, in nature and in the real world, getting curious about our surroundings. For a lot of kids, I think the best and most effective school environment would look and feel like summer camp.
Two of my joys in life that I’m thrilled to experience at Augusta this summer are creating community and belonging, and connecting people of all ages with the natural world. I love picking up random projects and hobbies that accomplish these (see my first successful mushroom spore print below), and can’t wait to follow this curiosity with all the Augustans in Manzi.
Mushroom spore print. Make sure to put a “Do Not Eat” sign because sometimes they look like food!!
I love exploring new places, whether connecting with people, learning about plants and animals, or enjoying the landscapes. When I see an interesting background, I love taking photos where I try to mimic the shape of what’s around. This is one of my favorites, from an early morning hike at Arches National Park!
making the shape of an arch… sort of