Plants of the African Diaspora Workshop
In September we had our very first “Plants of the African Diaspora” Workshop. (The goal is that this will become a biannual event- spring/ summer and fall/ winter, or at the very least an annual event.) The event was held at Mission Gardens with support from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Pro Neighborhoods Endowment Fund, and was a free event.
There were three parts:
We shared the information about the plants we were sharing including informational packets and fresh produce grown by local growers here in Tucson. During this portion attendees were able to taste the fresh produce, directly after harvesting. They were raw and freshly picked. They were able to see the plants, smell them, and taste them in their purest form. Then those who were interested, were able to take some produce for their families for free. During the presentation we had a question and answer portion. Well mostly, folks asked their questions while we introduced each plant.
We had a variety of fresh produce: okra, garden egg, bitterleaf, African Basil, and more!
2. After we shared about the different plants, folks were able to get free seeds that were donated from Mission Gardens and the Pima County Seed Library. (As well as purchase some of our seeds and other merch.) After that we did our giveaway, every workshop we have a giveaway. This time the winner received a bunch of really cool *books so that they can learn how to use the plants, and others, discussed during the workshop.
3. After all the excitement was over the really fun part happened. We had a food tasting! Thanks to several volunteers from Mission Gardens, we made several different dishes (at least one from each cookbook from the giveaway and a couple of our own) utilizing the various plants we discussed.
The Menu:
Bitterball sauce (for protein or vegetables)
Ewa Oloyin
Lentil, Okra, and Coconut Stew
Blackened Okra
Broccoli Greens
Strawberry and Watermelon Salad
African Pepper Sauce
Sweet Potato and Mango Cake
Watermelon Juice
Zobo
We kept it nearly all vegan (the bitterball sauce had chicken for those that wanted and the cake had eggs) in order to make it accessible to more people.
It was a really great day, and we are so grateful for all the community support to make it happen. As the year winds down, we planning out our programs for 2024, and hoping to continue to offer exciting and engaging programming that will be completely free for the community. Future programs we’re working on: a two part corn workshop, cotton, gourd painting, another intro to seed saving, natural pigments and dyes, and so much more! We’re currently figuring out scheduling and locations, and will hopefully have a full calendar for 2024 starting in January. Until then we will continue to have “Seed Saving Saturdays” every third Saturday.
Notes:
If you’d like to have the handouts from the workshop they are available for purchase (with seeds).
* The books in the giveaway:
Afro Vegan by Bryant Terry
Black food edited by Bryant Terry
Jubilee by Toni Tipton- Martin
Flavors of Africa by Evi Aki
The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism by Karen Rose
Working the Roots by Michele Elizabeth Lee
Photos by: Traci Hughes and @squash_blossom_girl (Nina Sajovec)
