The public is invited to the 28th annual Taste of the Heritage Garden on Wednesday, July 9. The annual celebration, hosted by Johnson County Master Gardeners, honors and connects Iowa’s citizens with the state’s history, agriculture and food.

The event is held at historic Plum Grove, 1030 Carroll Street in Iowa City, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The cost is a suggested $6 donation to offset the cost of food and activities.

As they have for many years, the Old Post Office Brass Band will perform throughout the activity.

Should inclement weather prohibit an outdoor activity, the festivities will be moved to the Iowa State Extension office at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, 4261 Oak Crest Hill Road SE, Iowa City.

For more than 20 years, Master Gardener Betty Kelly (1927-2022) organized annual efforts for Plum Grove Gardens and “The Taste.” Now, multiple Master Gardeners coordinate the annual activities. 

Bringing the annual activity to the public, from conception to cleanup, requires the assistance of nearly 50 Master Gardener volunteers. While the produce planted in the spring is not quite ready to harvest when The Taste is held in mid-July, volunteers organize the menu focusing on heirloom and organic vegetables that Friendly Lucas might have grown and served in the mid-1800s.

Visitors can tour the historic Plum Grove home, Robert and Friendly Lucas built the home in 1844. Robert served as the first governor of the Territory of Iowa from 1838 until 1841. Iowa became a state on Dec. 3, 1846. Johnson County Historical Society cares for the state-owned property and the local Master Gardener group maintains the flower and vegetable gardens.

Plum Grove showcases four gardens tended by Master Gardeners: vegetable (1995), Grandma’s Heirloom Flower Garden (1998), a wildflower garden (2000), and Quester’s Rose Garden (2010). The historic vegetable and flower gardens are part of the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens.  

Organized in 1982, the Johnson County Master Gardener program is a volunteer service and educational organization of the Iowa State University (ISU) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and ISU Extension and Outreach. JCMG supports a variety of education and community outreach programs. Funds received through JCMG public events support a variety of community outreach programs, including community outreach, an annual plant sale & flea market, a speakers bureau, and volunteer support of many community garden sites.