Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park: Freedom Garden (Recipe)

Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park has unveiled the Freedom Garden along with resident gardening expert, Charity Coleman. Charity has lead the creation of educational gardens for schools, churches, parks, and museum spaces across the country. These gardens connect people to its land and their stories. From planting events and history leasons, to native plant hikes and cultural talks, Charity is proud to celebrate traditions and educate all that cross her path. The hope for the Freedom Garden is to inspire generations to come with the food and culture of the historic community and let their legacy live on. It’s something that Charity describes as “preserving agricultural wisdom to nourish furture generations.”

Many of the foods we grow carry the memory of Africa including okra, rice, black-eyed peas, hot peppers, peanuts, sesame, sorghum, and watermelon. Native Americans also shared crops that became central to Lowcountry cuisine such as corn, squash, tomatoes, and berries. Together, these foods built the foundation of Gullah-Geechee foodways and community life.

Today we are sharing this delicious recipe for Collards, Rutabagas, and Turnips in a savory soup recipe. We hope you enjoy!

On these wintery days of January, we hope you make this dish and cozy up with a delicious bowl of this soup.