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On
Sunday August 30, from 11 am - 4 pm, the
34th Heirloom Garden Show will be held at
Garfield Farm & Tavern Museum.
The
show features the gardens and prairie of the
museum and growers of historic varieties of
produce. The Websters of Rolling Prairie
Acres of Sigourney, IA plan to return with
their incredible array of garlics and
heirloom vegetables. Jimmy's
Chilis will return from Tinley Park with
heat for the tongue.
Over
60 varieties of antique flowers are blooming
for the show thanks to the assistance of the
Kane County Master Gardeners.
Indiana's
Gayle Saberniak will bring her favorite
tomatoes, peppers and flowers as well as
seeds and garden magazines for sale. Any
heirloom garden enthusiast is welcome to
come and exhibit, sell or talk about their
favorites by contacting the museum in
advance.
Jack
Shouba, prairie expert. plans to return to
explain the role of native plants in our
ecosystem.
New
to the show from Dwight, IL is Brian
Severson who grows historic varieties of
grains. Turkey Red wheat, Purple Straw
wheat, Red Fife wheat, Indian Tooth Corn,
Bloody Butcher corn, Pennsylvania Dutch
popcorn, hulless oats are some types he will
bring. The flours the Seversons produce are
also organic.
As
the museum works towards its goal of being
an 1840s working farm and inn museum,
appropriate varieties of domestic plants and
animals from the 1840s are needed. Although
most modern varieties of crops and
vegetables trace their genetics back
hundreds of years to historic types, those
historic cultivars are now rare because of
change over time. Yet their genetics might
provide the very solution to disease, yield,
climate tolerance, market forces, etc. that
inevitable change over time. The show aims
to increase awareness in this important
issue.
As
the show celebrates heirloom varieties and
genetic diversity, the small local farm
movement plays an essential role in
preserving agricultural knowledge,
supporting local food systems, and caring
for the land. Invitations have been extended
to local producers to broaden our visitors'
awareness of such local resources.
Tours
of the 1846 restored brick inn will be
offered from 12 noon – 4 pm led by
interpreters in period clothing. The prairie
plot just west of the museum gardens will
also be interpreted by museum volunteers.
Last
minute exhibitors are welcome and should
contact the museum. There is no fee for
exhibitors as the event is an educational
show.
There
is an $8 donation for adults and $3 for
children under 13 years of age. Garfield
Farm and Tavern Museum is Illinois’ only
historically intact 366-acre former 1840s
prairie farm and teamster inn being
interpreted as an 1840s living history farm
museum by volunteers and donors from over 37
states.
Please
email info@garfieldfarm.org or
call 630 584-8485 if you have questions.
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