March 28th was a busy day for foodways on Hindman Settlement Schools campus, but the weather was perfect for a full day of community engagement. The highlight was the annual seed shower, thanks to the support from DAR Chapters and other friends from near and far. We were able to offer a large variety of vegetable, fruit, flowers, and herbs. These seeds were beautifully displayed on the dining hall tables, ready to be shared with our community members and Grow Appalachia participants that are eager to begin their gardening endeavors. It was a wonderful opportunity for community members to meet some of our farmers market growers to get some gardening advice from experienced growers!

 

In addition to the seed shower, we hosted our first springtime Grow Appalachia meeting. Here, we distributed flats of wonderful spring crops to more than fifty families, sourced from a local greenhouse, and organic fertilizer from Berea College. We had some familiar and favorite plant starts of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and  kale, and as a bonus, we introduced pak choi to encourage growing new and versatile crops.  With their supplies in hand, participants are primed and ready for the season!

We were fortunate to have Cherisa Smith, our Community Ag Education Member, join us! She was able to extend warm welcomes to our community members and provide us with an extra layer of support on our busy day. March was filled with community spirit, generosity, and shared excitement for the growing season ahead!