Slow Food North Louisiana and Cultural Crossroads of Minden hosted “Hand Them Down to Lift Them Up: An Heirloom Food Forum” on November 15 at The Farm of Cultural Crossroads, drawing a strong turnout for a day focused on seed preservation, regional foodways and culinary history.
The forum highlighted the work of the North Louisiana Seed Preservation Program, whose efforts include recovering the Red-N-Sweet watermelon, a variety once believed to be lost. Presenters discussed ongoing projects to locate and save regional fruits and vegetables developed through LSU AgCenter research stations. Attendees also received heirloom seeds to plant at home.
The agenda included a welcome from event organizers, a presentation from the seed preservation team, and “Finding, Saving and Celebrating the Red-N-Sweet” with writer and publisher Joshua Fitzwater. A seed-saving demonstration followed.
Chef Hardette Harris of Us Up North prepared a seasonal lunch. Harris, a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist, said, “My hometown was the perfect setting for this event. We all grew up consuming food sourced from the garden of our backyard, or from a relative or neighbor. It’s how we showed love. To have experts working to preserve seeds from that time is something we all should be grateful for.”
Harris added that she hopes to one day enjoy a watermelon like the ones she remembered from childhood and praised the LSU AgCenter team’s work. “This event also celebrated the legendary Chef Edna Lewis. Deb Lewis gave us a look into Edna’s life of country cooking with her documentary, ‘Finding Edna Lewis.’ Cooking that looks just like ours up north in Minden,” she said.
After lunch, attendees viewed the Emmy-winning documentary “Finding Edna Lewis,” followed by a discussion with its host and executive producer, food writer and anthropologist Deb Freeman.
Cultural Crossroads President Elaine Eaton said the partnership reflected her organization’s mission. “We were absolutely honored to partner with Slow Foods North Louisiana’s event highlighting and celebrating preservation of Louisiana’s heritage through seed conservation and the stories of their rediscovery.
“Celebrating and preserving our culture is an important part of our organization’s history and this was a great fit. It’s our sincere hope everyone enjoyed the grounds and event. We hope to work with Slow Foods North Louisiana in the future.”
The North Louisiana Seed Preservation Program will be hosting a statewide seed swap/sale in Longleaf, Louisiana, on February 7, 2026. For more information, visit their website at www.lsuagcenter.com/seedprogram.