There are two themes running through my column this month: Land Stewardship and Destiny. A strange combination at first glance, but considering the history of our Lenape predecessors, it struck me that an overarching karma of connections drives this story.
I began by tracking down local farmer Rob Flory, who gained expertise in historic agricultural practices before retiring from Howell Living History Farm. Ever active in his community, Rob is on the board at FoHVOS and has supported the work at the Outdoor Equity Alliance and SSAAM.
When Rob was at Howell Farm, they had grown Lenape corn on a very small scale. At harvest time, Rob attended a program at Princeton University and first met Lenape Chief Vincent Mann. Chief Mann mentioned that he was looking for more than just packet quantities of this corn, known as Puhwem corn. He wanted to be able to plant fields of it, and Rob offered what he had.
The next year, they grew more and had a planting ceremony at Munsee Three Sisters Farm. Representatives from several nations attended and Northeast Organic Farming Association spread the word with a documentary.
When Flory retired in March 2024, among his passions was finding a new home for the Lenape project. The biggest challenge was locating a plot of land that had no other corn growing, to avoid cross pollination with the special corn.
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In 2020, D&R Greenway Land Trust had several active projects. They celebrated their tenth anniversary of preserving St. Michaels Farm Preserve, announced a new historic land preservation in Bordentown known as Point Breeze, and began planning some gardens at both sites.
At St. Michaels, D&R Greenway responded to the global pandemic by establishing an 8-acre fenced field to address food security issues and grow community connections. 32 plots were plowed with 10-foot rows in between for social distancing.
In addition, the volunteer-run sharing garden provided fresh produce to Aunt Chubby‘s Luncheonette who used it in box lunches and to provide bags of groceries to families in need.
At Point Breeze, which had been home to Lenape Native Americans for 13,000 years, D&R Greenway honored the history of the land by creating a museum. D&R president and CEO Linda Mead consulted with Mann at planning time. “Chief Mann had advised us early on with our Bordentown work at Point Breeze,” she said.
D&R Greenway released a 2021 video where Chief shares his hopes of working together. In the film titled Preservation of Point Breeze: A Native American Perspective, Mann discusses the importance of farming the land: “It is about reestablishing our connection to mother earth.” He mentions the significance of farming the three sisters: corn, squash and beans.
D&R Greenway hired a gardener to help at both sites. “D&R Greenway started the sharing garden during covid to help the local community and partnered with Aunt Chubby’s, and the first year it was run completely by volunteers,” Mead said. “In year two, we hired a gardener who spent three days here and a couple days a week establishing the Point Breeze Bordentown farm. We supported that through year two and through year three.”
“At the end of Year 3, it was a very hot summer,” Mead continued, “volunteers had dwindled somewhat. Our gardener had left D&R Greenway, and we were looking at ‘What’s Next?’ So, we approached Aunt Chubby’s and said that we would be willing to provide the space, the seeds, and we have an irrigation system in place, but we need help with the gardener.” Chubby’s considered it, but found an alternative source of produce that precluded the expense of a gardener.
So D&R Greenway’s new challenge was how to repurpose the sharing garden. In addition, they sought to expand both St. Michaels’ community gardens and Point Breeze’s historical gardens and farm.
Rob Flory re-enters the story here. “I heard that Greenway wasn’t going to continue the sharing garden at St. Michaels, so I contacted Linda and said, ‘What do you think about this project?’” Flory proposed growing Puhwem corn as the foundation for a Three Sisters Garden.
Linda Mead was immediately intrigued. “When Rob approached me, I thought, ‘What an interesting project! We are already doing the Three Sisters garden along with the historic garden in Bordentown. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful connection to make this happen?’” she said.
The new project brought together the endeavors that Rob and Linda separately initiated with Chief Mann and the Lenape tribe. “D&R Greenway’s mission at Point Breeze was to show all the layers of landowners and share their stories in their own words. The Lenape were also here at St. Michaels in Hopewell,” Mead said. “This is another way that we can honor and recognize the Lenape culture.”
In exchange for getting the land to use, Flory agreed to do some educational programming. He led his first session last June to support the community gardens, and proudly added that as a result new community members signed up for plots.
“So, it’s a symbiotic relationship between bringing Rob’s work at Howell here, expanding the community gardens and Point Breeze. So, it all works together nicely towards the mission of preserving land,” Mead said.
Flory explained the significant benefits realized in bringing his corn project to the former St. Michael’s sharing garden. “This land is more than I had at Howell. Our primary goal is to produce seed to share with Lenape nations for their projects and initiatives around the state and in Pennsylvania,” he said.
All Three Sisters, corn, beans and squash, are interdependent on each other as they grow. Corn originated in America, and is among our most important crops. As we walked through the fields, Flory showed how the beans grow straight up the corn stalks. The squash runs across the corn and shades the root systems.
As Flory reflected on the symbiotic relationships among the Three Sisters plants, I remembered Linda’s reference to symbiosis about their work. What a delightful destiny how it all came together.
Rob will be leading an event on Aug. 10 about his Lenape agricultural work.
Rob Flory and Linda Mead in the Puhwem corn field at St. Michaels Preserve. (Photo by Lisa Wolff.),
