Members of the Orleans County 4-H Senior Council observed Juneteenth recently by planting a Freedom Garden outside the Education Center on the 4-H Fairgrounds. “The Freedom Garden includes edible plants that would have been an important food source for freed slaves,” explains Kristina Gabalski, 4-H Program Coordinator at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. “We also included red flowers because the color red is such an important part of the celebration of Juneteenth. It symbolizes the suffering and bloodshed of the slaves during their bondage.”
The Freedom Garden is located outside the classroom entrance to the Education Center. 4-Hers planted heritage varieties of vegetables, including California Blackeye Pea cowpeas, Morris Heading collards, Dorinny Sweet corn, and Sugar Baby watermelon. “The cowpeas have a direct link to Africa,” Gabalski says, “according to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, they were domesticated about 5,000 years ago in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa and would have been a very familiar crop to freed slaves.”
The garden should be growing vigorously by the time the 4-H fair takes place in July, Gabalski says.
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