Summit Community Gardens and EATS will invite the community to eat and enjoy harvested crops and celebrate the rich agricultural traditions of Mesoamerican culture at the final event of this year’s La Milpa program, La Milpa Harvest. The event will take place Thursday at the Summit Community Gardens, 4056 Shadow Mountain Dr., at 5:30 p.m. This event is free to attend, open to all community members and will be held in both English and Spanish.La Milpa Harvest invites everyone to honor the knowledge passed down through generations, showcasing a vibrant tapestry of culture, community and sustainability.“La Milpa | Born from Corn” is a collaboration with local nonprofit Artes de Mexico en Utah. At the beginning of each season, garden staff, alongside cultural ambassadors, volunteers and others from Artes de Mexico, come together to decide on what to plant in the program’s two long beds — La Milpa Planting.“We talk about what variety of corn will be planted, what’s worked well in the past, (where) we’ve collected seeds from, (whether it be) Salt Lake or from here,” said Helen Nadel, executive director of Summit Community Gardens and EATS.Though other crops are planted, too, this choice is mainly centered on crops known as the three sisters: Corn, beans and squash were traditionally planted together by Mesoamerican and Native American farmers for their symbiotic relationship. La Milpa refers to a field used to plant corn along with beans and other crops, and it’s a term commonly used in Mexico and Central America. The technique and crop-growing system is still used today.“The three crops benefit from each other,” said an Artes de Mexico learning guide. “The maize provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles which are more commonly used today. The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants use, and the squash plant spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight, helping prevent the establishment of weeds. The squash leaves act as a shade.” “One of the biggest benefits of this space is, first, folks connecting with their growing practices,” said Nadel, “their heritage, their amazing knowledge that has been passed on from generation to generation.” Helen Nadel uncovers a row of squash plants, which will be harvested and used during the La Milpa event on Thursday. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record Helen Nadel uncovers a row of marigolds that will be used for a Dia de Los Muertos celebration later this year. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park RecordNadel said that many people have shared with her that this space reminds them of their grandparents’ gardens in Mexico and the experiences they had with them, noting that they haven’t found a similar experience in Park City. This space represents an important part of their life, culture and family knowledge.Staff at the community gardens offer support throughout the season with the garden beds, and three events are hosted surrounding the program: La Milpa Planting, Food is Culture and La Milpa Harvest.Each of these events offers a look into traditional practices and honors ancestral and current Indigenous traditions, particularly from a Mesoamerican perspective. Each event focuses on a different aspect of the agricultural cycle — planting, nurturing connections to food and harvesting — while promoting a deeper look at our individual relationship between land and food. María Elena Lowe, a Maya Elder whom Nadel said is closely connected to Artes de Mexico, did the blessing of the seeds earlier this year and will return for the blessing of the Harvest when the yield will be on full, flavorful display — including tamales made with the corn husks from the garden.“Those of us who are not from that culture get to learn and witness that knowledge,” said Nadel, “and I think, especially in a place like Park City where there’s a lot of stark inequality … it’s important for everybody who’s not Latinx, doesn’t have ancestors from Mesoamerica, to see the incredible cultural knowledge, beauty and richness of the space.”RSVP for this free event at summitcommunitygardens.org/la-milpa-registration.The post Community Gardens ready for La Milpa Harvest appeared first on Park Record.