Organized by Monticello and the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello is an annual celebration of local food, heirloom plants, and sustainable gardening. Thomas Jefferson championed vegetable cuisine, plant experimentation, and the value of sustainable agriculture and the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello continues that legacy.

The 2009 festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept.12 on Montalto, Thomas Jefferson’s “high mountain,” overlooking his historic home and gardens, the city of Charlottesville, and the surrounding Virginia Piedmont.

There will be fruit and vegetable tastings, chefs demonstrations, informative workshops, talks, children’s activities, and much more – all to promote regional food, organic gardening, and the preservation of traditional agriculture. Local vendors will offer meals and snacks, as well as seeds, plants, garden supplies, etc.

An Old-Timey Seed Swap – where seed savers can share their knowledge, enthusiasm and seeds – will begin at 8 a.m.

Parking is $5 per car; carpooling is encouraged.

To kick start the festival weekend, on Friday September 11 the Center for Historic Plants will host an afternoon of workshops and tours. These will highlight the work of the Center for Historic Plants at Tufton Farm, and will include tours of the display gardens and nursery, a workshop on herbs and roses, and a program on sustainable gardening practices. Noon-3:30 p.m., Tufton Farm. Free. No registration required. Call (434) 984-9816 for additional information.

Later in the afternoon on Friday, a special event will combine a seed-saving tour in the gardens of Monticello with an illustrated lecture by author and heirloom vegetable authority Amy Goldman. Her presentation “The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table” will celebrate the world’s most beautiful fruit in all its glorious diversity. Following the talk there will be a reception with a chance to talk to Dr Goldman about her books and her work with the Seed Savers Exchange. Tour starts at 4 p.m., Garden Center, Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center. $35. Tickets not yet available. Call (434) 984-9816 for more information.

Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, is owned and operated by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc., which was founded in 1923. As a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation, the Foundation receives no ongoing federal, state, or local funding in support of its dual mission of preservation and education.In its 65 years of existence, the Foundation has steadily expanded Monticello’s functions and holdings. Its stewardship now includes approximately 2,500 of Jefferson’s 5,000 acres, of which more than 1,400 are held under protective easements. The 2004 purchase of Montalto, the neighboring mountain that rises 400 feet above Monticello, represents the Foundation’s most significant land acquisition. In addition to the new Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center, which had its grand opening in April 2009, large capital projects have included the Jefferson Library and the Thomas Jefferson Parkway, both of which were dedicated in 2002.

About a half a million people visit Monticello each year.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is a wonderful source for heirloom seeds and other open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds with an emphasis on vegetables, flowers, and herbs that grow well in the Mid-Atlantic region. We support seed saving and traditional seed breeding. Seed savers and breeders are to thank for our rich selection and we will do whatever we can to support our customers and associates to carry on this noble tradition.