Trafford Publishing: Mary's Garden

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Mary's Garden

by Marika; Illustrated by Peggy deLeers; Photographs by Marta and Ted Stanton

30 pages; Saddle stitched; illustrated; catalogue #05-2662; ISBN 1-4120-7765-6; US$16.50, C$18.97, EUR13.55, £9.49

Mary's Garden is the story of a girl who wants a garden. Her garden becomes an environmental justice project, bringing healthful organic food to a poor area.

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About the Book About the Author Excerpts Catalogue Information

About the Book

Mary's Garden is the story of a little girl who wants a garden in her yard. Her garden grows so well it gives more food than her family and friends can eat. She is aware that there are poor people in her county who don't have transportation. Sometimes, they have to take two or three buses to get to a grocery store.
Mary's garden expands to become an organic produce stand, and then expands again into a building with a vegetarian kitchen and dining room. People come from miles around to eat the delicious food that is served there, grown on the land nearby.
The author is a member of the Bioneers, which stands for "biological pioneers" (www.Bioneers.org). Marika is learning about many projects to naturally restore human health and the planet. At the 2004 Bioneers Conference, LaDonna Redmond spoke about the issue of bringing organic foods and urban farms to poor local communities which have otherwise been left out of the picture.
LaDonna's son had terrible allergies, and she decided to improve her family's nutrition to help him get better. She made the shocking statement that, in her inner Chicago neighborhood, "It's easier to buy a 38 caliber pistol than to find an organic apple!" She and her husband started an inner city organic produce store as a result of this revelation.
Mary's Garden is designed to appeal to "children of all ages", from the very young to the young adults and parents who might be moved to create a similar project. It's also an inspiration for people to create similar programs in their own area, with a flyer and photos showing how to get started. There's a coloring book called "Wiggle E. Worm" that all children seem to love.

Vision

Writing "Mary's Garden" led to this Vision for an Eco-Farm which is being started in Petaluma at this time. Please contact Marika at 415-499-0907 for more information.
A return to a more simple, land-based life where the pace is in harmony with the slower pace of Nature… In the rolling hills of Petaluma, rows and rows of organic vegetables and a thriving orchard of organic apples, peaches, pears, figs, plums, oranges and lemons. A Community Supported Agriculture cooperative where many people will receive weekly boxes of organic produce, and some of them will contribute "sweat equity" to the gardens and fruit trees.
A beautiful green modular home by Michelle Kaufmann that houses a Wholistic Health/Environmental Education Center devoted to teaching the relationship between human health the the health of the Earth. Beautiful therapy rooms for Massage, Energy Work and Aromatherapy. Floor-to-ceiling shelves offering "green" products for personal care, house cleaning and laundry. A giant website offering these products to online customers; and a big classroom for classes and seminars. Rows of biodynamic bee hives giving shelter and safety to domestic honeybees, who love to live in organic environments.
Transportation for students of La Escuela de Gardineria Organica who live in Marin City and the Canal Areas of Marin. Clean, functional and self contained housing units for agricultural workers who are part of the entire community. Fair wages for the workers who help grow and distribute food. A Learning Center where the children of these workers can come to learn from the gardens and the business.
Community celebrations honoring the seasons and the union of all workers cooperating to bring natural health and healing to Humanity and the Earth.
If you like this Vision and want to get involved, please call 415-499-0907; or send us an email to the above address.

About the Author

Marika, MA, CMT, and Registered Polarity Practitioner, envisions a patchwork quilt of organic gardens spreading across the county, the nation, and the world! She sees gardening as a healthful activity families can do together and a great outlet for youthful energies. She believes that our neighbors from Mexico, Central and south America are here to help us make the shift to a more agrarian society.
When learned that the average morsel of food travels 1300 miles to get to our tables - and our supply of gas and oil is being depleted - she created a way to build a local organic food supply, right in her yard. She started a community garden. "All I ever wanted out of life was to be able to go outside and pick my dinner!" she says.
She was involved in the Green Revolution of the 60's, when she and her family moved to the country to live off the land as much as possible. They gardened, raised goats and lived without electricity. The children all drank goat's milk after they were weaned, and there was no TV. Those years were the best years of her life.
Even before that, she has gardened wherever she has lived, since she was a small child. She has woven a few pictures of her own childhood into the story to show how long she has held this vision.
She is the mother of four children, and the grandmother of eight! She claims, "I have learned more from my children, my goats and my gardens than I did in school!" She is a talented Polarity Practitioner, as well as a writer. She's a member of the AMERICAN POLARITY THERAPY ASSOCIATION, GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP NETWORK, CHURCH OF RELIGIOUS SCIENCE and SCIENCE OF THE SOUL STUDY CENTER in Petaluma, CA. She as founded the JOY OF LEARNING CENTER to help bring holistic health teachings and organic foods to low income communities.

Excerpts

Catalogue Information