Center for Coalfield Justice hosts third-annual ‘seedy’ event
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Local businesses and individuals donated seeds and seed packets to the Center for Coalfield Justice’s third-annual seed swap. Donors included Baker Creek Seeds, Territorial Seed Company, High Mowing Organic Seeds, True Leaf Market, Renee’s Garden Seeds, Bentley Seeds, Hudson Valley Seed Co., Pittsburgh Agway, Root Pouch and Ann Kanzius Feeds.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
A DIY salad was on the growing menu at the third-annual Seed Swap, hosted by Center for Coalfield Justice, where folks were welcome to grab lettuce, tomato and other heirloom garden variety seeds. The seed swap also offered exotic plants, like flax and stinging nettle.
Photos: Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Jonah Jankovik browses the selection during the Center for Coalfield Justice’s third-annual seed swap Saturday afternoon. Jankovik drove from Westmoreland City to downtown Washington for the event, where she hoped to find tomato and herb seeds this late in the season, she said.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Kristen Heinze, left, and her mother Barb Heinze, talk all things canning with attendees to the CCJ’s Seed Swap Saturday afternoon, where the Heinze family set up a booth. “We’re multi-generation canning farmers,” said Barb Heinze, who, along with her daughter and husband Rick, will lead classes in late summer.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Along with tomato, celery and okra seeds, attendees to the CCJ’s third-annual Seed Swap event Saturday had the option of leaving with various onion seed packets and bulbs for growing in home gardens. Seeds were free to all, thanks to the generosity of area businesses and individuals.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Rory Smith, 3, hams it up for the camera while her best friend Josie West, left, puts the finishing touches on her terracotta painting project Saturday at the CCJ’s annual Seed Swap event. The girls attended with their moms, Colleen Smith and Jessica West, who said their daughters love art projects and picking fresh tomatoes off the vine.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Dorothy Curry, a Center for Coalfield Justice board member, enthusiastically talks gardening with a Seed Swap attendee Saturday afternoon. Curry, known by friends for her magnificent garden, staffed the seed table, offering tips and bestowing wisdom to those seeking growing advice.
The Center for Coalfield Justice’s “seediest” event of the season is growing.
“It’s been exponentially growing the last three years,” said Allison Evans, event coordinator for CCJ, who spearheaded Saturday’s annual Seed Swap. “We knew we were probably going to have a lot of people. This is the biggest turnout we’ve had. This exceeds my expectations.”
Over 100 gardeners of varying levels and expertise – including nearly 50 who hadn’t preregistered – gathered inside CCJ’s Washington headquarters Saturday for an afternoon of collecting, learning and snacking. The Penn State Extension Master Gardeners, Firefly Gardens and the Heinze family were onsite to talk all things cultivation and canning.
“It’s amazing, the amount of seeds,” said master gardener Linda Lutes, who passed out information on Penn State Extension’s upcoming programs, including a native plant sale June 3.
The amount and the variety of seeds certainly impressed Marcie Legler, who browsed the selection with wide eyes.
“This is way better than going shopping,” Legler laughed, filling her tote with seed packets. “There are so many different things here.”
Determined to find tomato and herb seeds this late in the season, Jonah Jankovik drove from north of Westmoreland City to downtown Washington for the CCJ’s event.
“There’s a lot more provided seeds than I was expecting,” Jankovik said, adding she started gardening when she was young and recently restarted her garden. “It’s cheaper to buy some seeds.”
Local businesses and individuals donated seeds. While folks were encouraged to bring their own packets for swapping, all seeds were free to attendees.
Because “free” is part of the Seed Swap appeal.
“I love free seeds, but I also like free kid activities,” said Amanda Snyder of Canonsburg while her daughter Laurel Snyder painted a terracotta pot. “This organization is such an excellent organization to have in town, and useful and necessary.”
The Center for Coalfield Justice’s mission includes educating, empowering and organizing coalfield residents and protecting public and environmental health. The seed swap encourages area residents to participate and make connections in their community, empowers them to grow their own food and promotes local sustainability efforts.
“At CCJ, we’re always looking to make our community members as sustainable as possible and resilient. We also want to encourage the community to get to know each other, just get together, and just have something free to do. There are not very many opportunities for free, fun things,” Evans said. “We try to do that for the community.”
The Brownlee family looked forward to the Seed Swap and enjoyed painting planting pots, and ogling the seed table Saturday.
“We love the art projects,” said Karyn Brownlee, holding her daughter Rumi while her son Dashiell, 10, crafted a masterpiece. “We don’t have a lot of gardening experience. We’re learning to be. I have big dreams.”
Brownlee said the family plans to grow pumpkins this year and will try their hand at potatoes. CCJ offered attendees potato bags, which are low maintenance and grow nearly anywhere.
“We were really excited about the potatoes,” said Jessica West, who attended the event with her three-year-old daughter Josie and their friends Colleen Smith and Rory Smith, 3.
Folks spent the afternoon catching up with old friends, gleaning growing tips from experts and adding exotic seeds, like pink celery and stinging nettle, to their collections. Evans was pleased with the turnout.
“It seems like everybody’s really enjoying themselves, and really enjoying the seeds, the potato bags and everything,” she said, surveying the crowd. “I think people really look forward to this.”
For more information on the Center for Coalfield Justice or upcoming events, visit centerforcoalfieldjustice.org.