By Yaza Sarieh
Purple potatoes. White cucumbers. Heirloom tomatoes. While you may have never come across these produce varieties, they have been harvested for decades in the Appalachian Mountains of Georgia. The Hometown Harvest project in Lumpkin County, Georgia is an heirloom garden intended to preserve produce unique to this region while educating children about nutrition and the ancestral foods grown in Appalachia.
During the summer of 2019, University of North Georgia Biology and Ecology Professor Dr. David Patterson and his wife were delivering meals to schoolchildren in Lumpkin County. While interacting with the children and their families, Dr. Patterson noticed that they did not have any access to fresh produce. He began to work with Lumpkin County School Nutrition Director Julie Knight-Brown, who has worked around the state for over 16 years in childhood nutrition and wellness. While striving for the Golden Radish Award, Julie was exploring ways to increase wellness, food, and nutrition education in all aspects of school programs.
Photo courtesy of Hometown Harvest.
“Every School Nutrition Director hopes to get a Golden Radish Award each year. Students in Lumpkin County have a very hands-on educational experience, and I wanted to find ways to incorporate that with nutrition” said Knight-Brown. Hometown Harvest
In collaboration with Dr. Rosann Kent in the Appalachian Studies Department at the University of North Georgia, Dr. Patterson and Julie began the Hometown Harvest Project to supply Lumpkin County Schools with a surplus of fresh fruits and vegetables, while propagating heirloom seeds to support the preservation of Appalachian food heritage.
Hometown Harvest is not just any community heirloom garden. It is a space for students to experiment with the latest gardening technologies and best gardening practices for school and community plots. The Hometown Harvest heirloom garden utilizes a precision agriculture system, which takes daily readings on the garden to determine crop needs, such as the pH levels of the soil or the amount of water necessary for ideal growing conditions. Additionally, the garden uses a rainwater system, which helps to cut the cost of utilities. These strategies have made it possible for the Hometown Harvest garden to supply fruit and vegetable donations, while also maintain the garden without large expense.
Photo courtesy of Hometown Harvest.
Photo courtesy of Hometown Harvest.
Students in Lumpkin County have experienced the garden in multiple ways. Hometown Harvest has provided over 150 pounds of fresh produce for school meals in Lumpkin County. Their favorite food from the garden has been the cherry tomatoes, which can be found at the cafeteria salad bar alongside other crops such as spinach, broccoli, or kale. The garden produce has provided students the chance to try unknown fruits and vegetables, such as kohlrabi or rutabaga, in addition to experiential learning opportunities. For instance, students used the garden to conduct experiments about pollinators and their importance to plant life cycles. Hometown Harvest has been a source of enrichment not only for student’s health and nutrition but also for real world application of classroom knowledge.
The Hometown Harvest project has enabled students not only to learn about growing their own food but also to grasp the importance of nature in Appalachian heritage. This heirloom Garden has engaged members of the Lumpkin County community from all walks of life, with individuals coming together to plant seeds that have been passed down for generations and to tell stories about regional traditions and practices. As an ecologist, Dr. Patterson has found it interesting that the knowledge of gardening is inherent among many community members.
He mentioned how many of the school lunch workers have contributed key insight into growing and harvesting produce without any formalized training, reflecting, “The staff from the Lumpkin County School System have a rich history in gardening and they come to the heirloom garden to tell me everything I should be doing for the crops. They have lots of tricks in terms of planting and harvesting, and I enjoy learning from their knowledge.”
Additionally, he discussed how many heirloom seeds have evolved over the generations because various individuals have artificially selected plant traits and propagated new produce varieties without even realizing it. Dr. Patterson cited the rich bean tradition as an example of this phenomenon—Appalachian families have been growing their very own unique bean varieties that can only be found in this region of the world.
The most rewarding component of the heirloom garden for Dr. Patterson and Julie has been the opportunity to introduce children to new types of produce while making fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible.
Julie acknowledged, “I love being able to feature the garden produce in the schools. It is a great way to connect the kids with the community and show them new vegetables they may have never known about. They are even educating their parents on the healthy produce they try at school!”
Furthermore, it has united the community during the COVID- 19 pandemic, as dedicated volunteers have continued gardening and spreading knowledge of Appalachian culture.
If you are interested in creating a garden at your school, Dr. Patterson and Julie recommend reaching out to others—both kids and community members. Try engaging your student’s interest and planting produce that they would be excited to eat. Additionally, contact other gardeners, schools, or organizations such as Georgia Organics, to learn about starting a garden and get support for your project. The Hometown Harvest project in Lumpkin has been an amazing way to supply food and to connect folks through a garden that will continue to keep on giving for generations to come.
For more information or to get involved, please contact Julie Knight-Brown with Lumpkin County Schools at julie.knightbrown [at] lumpkinschools.com.
Yaza Sarieh is a contractor for Farm to School at Georgia Organics. To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit www.georgiaorganics.org and follow us on Instagram @GeorgiaOrganics, Twitter @GeorgiaOrganics, and at www.Facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.