The Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern will host its latest installment of Gather and Grow this Thursday, October 17, 2024 from noon to 1pm in the Garden's Heritage Pavilion. The "Sticky Business" program will feature locals Trish and Randy Morton, who will educate attendees about sugarcane.
Tickets are just $20, which includes the program, lunch, and beverages. Tickets for Garden members are $15. You can purchase tickets online here.
Learn more about the program below.
Patricia "Trish" and Randy Morton are Bulloch County natives who grew up on farms and attended local high schools. Both earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Georgia Southern University. Their son and daughter are also Georgia Southern graduates.
Trish is a retired English teacher. Randy is best known for his 45-year career with Morris Multimedia, where he served as publisher of newspapers in Southeast Georgia and Southern California, including the Statesboro Herald. He is also retired.
In 2017, following the death of Trish's father, Lannie Lee, the couple took over the family farm near Statesboro. Lee, a former president of the local Farm Bureau and recipient of the 2010 Bulloch County Farm Family of the Year award, was a beloved figure in the community.
In the early 1990s, Lee began growing sugarcane and making "Lee's Syrup." His fall syrup-making gatherings became a local tradition, evoking nostalgia for many who grew up in the rural South. Trish and Randy continue this tradition at L&M Farms, LLC, a 65-acre Georgia Centennial Farm that has been in the family for over a century.
Currently, they cultivate approximately four acres of sugarcane and lease the remaining cropland.
Interested in growing sugarcane? This fascinating perennial, a relative of bamboo, produces sweet, nutritious juice and is non-invasive. Learn how it's grown, sample the juice, and enjoy delicious treats made with pure sugarcane syrup.
The Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern is located at 1503 Bland Avenue in Statesboro. For more information on Gather and Grow, please visit the Garden website.