Collards & Kin Summer Growing Program 2026

Collards & Kin is a community growing experience presented by Sustainable G's — a program where food is more than nourishment. It is culture, memory, resistance, and connection.

This summer we are exploring the "Kin" — the plants, peoples, and traditions that are deeply connected across African, Mexican/Latin, and Native American foodways. We will grow okra, dinosaur kale, hibiscus, and black-eyed peas together, and we will share the stories, histories, and recipes that make these plants so much more than ingredients.

Each session weaves together hands-on gardening, cultural history, cooking demonstrations, and social-emotional learning through meditation and somatic movement. Whether you have never touched soil or have been growing for years, this series was made for you.

What to Expect

Sessions will include guided growing instruction and garden time, cultural storytelling and food history, cooking demonstrations and shared tasting, and grounding practices including meditation and somatic movement. Sessions build on each other across the summer, and home assignments between gatherings keep the learning alive all week long.

Topics across the series include the African and West African roots of black-eyed peas and okra, Indigenous bean traditions, rice as a sacred and cultural staple across Mexican, Native American, and African diaspora foodways, the botanical kin network connecting okra with other plants and the radical act of growing your own food as a form of food sovereignty.

What You Receive

Every registered participant receives a growing journal to document their season , a growing pot, potting soil, and seed packets to start at home. Everything you need to grow alongside the community from your own doorstep.

Complete the Series — Earn Your Spot

Participants who attend the full program through September 12th will be automatically enrolled in our Fall Harvest Festival — our community-wide celebration of the growing season. Enrolled completers will also have the opportunity to enter our Growing Competition, where participants showcase what they grew at home across the summer. This is your harvest moment.

Series Dates

All sessions are held on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM.

• June 13 — Kickoff: Planting Day
• June 28 — Beans Are the Bridge: African & Latin Traditions
• July 12 — Rice Stories: Mexico, Native America & Africa
• July 26 — Okra, Hibiscus & The Kin Network
• August 9 — Roots & Resistance: SEL Through Food Sovereignty
• August 23 — Harvest Celebration & Collards Preview
• September 12 — Series Closing & Fall Festival Enrollment

Location: Heavenly Gardens, San Antonio, Texas

Time: 9:00 AM each session Cost: Free

About Sustainable G's

Sustainable G's advances food sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and community resilience through accessible education, hands-on experiences, and culturally rooted programming. We empower individuals and families to grow, prepare, and sustain their own food systems — rooted in the knowledge and traditions of our ancestors.

This program is free and open to all. All skill levels, ages, and backgrounds welcome.

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