Brassicas
This leafy green has large, flat leaves with a wavy edge and a waxy coating. The leaves on its head grow open rather than closed like a cabbage. They are one of the crops included in a pot of greens.
What are collards?
Though this food is native to South America, it is very popular in the African Diaspora. It's consumed in soup, boiled or roasted whole or ground into a butter-like paste. Baba George Washington Carver used this crop to teach Black farmers how to heal Southern soils after centuries of cotton production.
What is Peanuts?
Name one variety of hot peppers we grow at the farm.
What are fish, fatali, habanero, jalapeno or scotch bonnet peppers?
This crop is known for its mucilaginous texture. The other names we know it by reflect its indigenity to Sub-Saharan African - one is "gumbo" like the popular Louisianian dish.
What is okra?
WHen this crop was mass cultivated in the US, it was known as "Carolina Gold" for amber color of its hull. It can be grown upland or flooded. It is commonly found in food dishes with peas, beans, soups and stews.
What is Rice?
This crop has a peppery flavor. The leaves are lighter green, tender and large. The seeds are ground into a popular yellow condiment.
What is mustards?
This crop is sometimes referred to as cowpeas. It arrived in the Americas with our ancestors and supplemented their diets during slavery. Today, we still witness this crop in popular cultural dishes like Hoppin' John.
What is Black Eyed Peas?
This nightshade plant resembles a popular poultry item that chickens produce. It is prevalent in West African cuisine.
What is Garden Egg?
The calyces or outer flower of this crop is often processed into teas, juice or herbal medicine. The red drink it produces is made for celebrations across the African Diaspora.
What is sorrel, hibiscus or bissap?
The crop can grow more than 10 feet tall like its relatives, corn and sugarcane. The grain is milled and consumed like rice, and the cane used to be pressed into molasses before the wider availability of sugarcane.
What is sorghum?
This crop has round, fist-sized roots that can be eaten like its greens. It is known for its bitter flavor.
What are turnips?
This crop is also called Lima Beans. It is not technically a signature crop of the farm.
What are Butterbeans?
Though not a signature crop proper, this variety of plant is named after Black historical figure who lived in Philadelphia. He was a concert singer, theatre and film actor, activist and professional football player. He lived on 50th and Walnut Sts until his death in 1976.
What is Paul Robeson tomato?
The fluffy fibers of this crop have been processed for textiles since 6000 B.C. Our ancestors were the primary producers of it for centuries. In addition to growing this crop during slavery, our ancestors used parts of this plant for medicine.
What is cotton?
BONUS: This crop is popularly used in pies for the holiday season. Though called "yam", it is not properly related to the African yam or cassava. Its leaves and tubers can be eaten.
What are sweet potatoes?
BONUS: Known for its hydrating fruit, this crop is a cultural symbol of abolition and sovereignty. African Americans cultivated and sold it after emancipation. It inspired many forms of pop culture from the US to Cuba to Palestine.
What is watermelon?
BONUS: This crop is a melon known for its storage properties once its been dried. Ancestors used it as instruments and containers. In the popular Japanese anime, Naruto, the character Gaara uses one to transport sand.
What is bottle gourd?