The handover is eight months late - thanks to an outbreak of the delta variant of COVID-19 in August last year - but is still as significant as ever.

You see, this garden holds 25 native species that are at risk of extinction in the Hunter region - including wild raspberries. These species are a taste of what would have been growing alongside the Hunter River and in Maitland CBD before white settlement.

The garden will be handed over to the next generation - the Maitland-Rutherford Girl Guides - who have been learning about the plants, caring for them and harvesting them for some time.

Some of the lessons have included their nutrient requirements, growth rate, fruiting, harvesting methods and how they can be used in the kitchen.

Related: Plant gallery tells tales of long ago

The garden was made possible through a $15,000 Community Environment Protection grant given to Slow Food Hunter Valley. Slow Food volunteers joined with the Girl Guides to make the project possible.

Slow Food Earth Market chairwoman Amorelle Dempster said the venture was an Ark of Taste project through Slow Food aimed at preserving and improving biodiversity.

She said Maitland Woodturners engraved a series of signs to create a label for every species in the garden.

"It's for the people of Maitland, they are Australian native food plants and they are plants that will grow in this area and are from this area," Slow Food Hunter Valley's Earth Market Maitland Chairwoman Amorelle Dempster said.

"To have a small, microscopic remnant of what was in Maitland itself is very special. These sort of plants grew on all of the surrounding areas on the riverbank. We've brought them together in a small area and we are thankful to the Girl Guides for giving us their land to put them on.

"It's a legacy for future generations and Girl Guides to connect with the past history of our food heritage.

"We were lucky to get that funding to be able to deliver those projects."

Slow Food has been involved in the project for two years. They also built another native food garden at Purple Pear Farm School, which is an education centre. That garden will help people further their knowledge of native species. A different range of plants were used at this garden to suit the soil.

The handover will take place at the Maitland-Rutherford Girl Guides Hall on Sunday at 4pm.

There will be afternoon tea at the hall, followed by pizza, salad and a drink at Purple Pear Farm in Anambah from 5.30pm.

The community is invited to come along and celebrate this milestone. Cost is a $5 cash donation at the Girl Guide Hall to cover the afternoon tea.

Those who want to attend the event at Purple Pear Farm need to book online and the event will cost $15. Click here to book.

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