Harvesting Plums and Sharing the Abundance
Plum harvest at Wisdom’s garden, Zenger Farm
We spent an afternoon picking plums from Wisdom’s garden at Zenger Farm, our partner and the home of our garden space. The work was good, but the conversations were better: talk about reciprocity, about the land, and about where this food would go and who it would serve.
The answer was close to home. We shared the harvest with our friends at Wapas Nah Née Shaku, NAYA’s community garden. That garden is grown around Indigenous Food Sovereignty and First Foods, stewarding heritage crops like the Makah Ozette potato and Inchelium Red garlic (one of the oldest known garlic strains in North America), alongside the three sisters, camas, and other native plants.
Zenger Farm has grown food and built community in outer SE Portland since 1999, pairing organic farmland with a wetland to support sustainable agriculture, food access, and farmer training. We now turn the plums we picked into jams, dried fruit, and other goods for community members.
To connect with your land, food, and medicine, follow Zenger Farm and NAYA to learn more or get involved.
September fills up fast. The garden is heavy with fruit, the powwow circle is full, and our next group of ITEK interns is taking shape. Here’s a look at what’s been happening at Wisdom of the Elders over the past few weeks, and how you can be part of it.
Harvesting Plums and Sharing the Abundance
Plum harvest at Wisdom’s garden, Zenger Farm
We spent an afternoon picking plums from Wisdom’s garden at Zenger Farm, our partner and the home of our garden space. The work was good, but the conversations were better: talk about reciprocity, about the land, and about where this food would go and who it would serve.
The answer was close to home. We shared the harvest with our friends at Wapas Nah Née Shaku, NAYA’s community garden. That garden is grown around Indigenous Food Sovereignty and First Foods, stewarding heritage crops like the Makah Ozette potato and Inchelium Red garlic (one of the oldest known garlic strains in North America), alongside the three sisters, camas, and other native plants.
Zenger Farm has grown food and built community in outer SE Portland since 1999, pairing organic farmland with a wetland to support sustainable agriculture, food access, and farmer training. We now turn the plums we picked into jams, dried fruit, and other goods for community members.
To connect with your land, food, and medicine, follow Zenger Farm and NAYA to learn more or get involved.