is home to thriving, health-supporting apple, apricot, cherry and plum trees, plus native aronia berries. It also injects fresh life into the com- munity. Each spring, the Forbords celebrate their son’s birthday by “wak- ing up” his orchard. His mother explains: “People of all ages gather—an assortment of our friends, Joraan’s friends and their growing families, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, students and others—to keep his legacy growing. The incredible community support keeps us going.”


Luverne and Mary Jo Forbord


the reasons fresh, organ- ically grown food really matters to our health,” says Lanier. However, “This is just the tip of the iceberg for us. Ultimately, we’d like to be a chemical-free community


Tarrant Lanier, gardening with children at the Center for Family and Community Development


Tarrant Lanier, of the Center for Family and Community Develop- ment (CFCD) and Victory Teaching Farm, in Mobile, Alabama, wants all children to grow up in safe communi- ties with access to plenty of wholesome food. After working for nearly two decades with some of South Alabama’s most vulnerable families, Lanier want- ed to “provide more than a crutch.” In 2009, she established the nonprof- it CFCD organization, dedicated to healthy living. Within five years, she had assembled a small, but hard-work- ing staff that began building commu- nity and school gardens and creating collaborative partnerships. Recently, the group established the


Victory Teaching Farm, the region’s first urban teaching farm and community resource center. “The farm will serve as an onsite experience for children to learn where their food comes from and


through advocating for reduction and elimination of pesticide and chemical use in schools, hospitals, households and local parks and ball fields.” Lanier aims to help improve on Al- abama’s low national ranking in the health of its residents. “I love our little piece of the world, and I want future generations to enjoy it without fear- ing that it’s making us sick,” she says. “We are intent on having a school garden in every school, and we want to see area hos- pitals establish organ- ic food gardens that


support efforts to make people healthier without the use of heavy medications.” Lanier further explains: “We see our victory as reducing hunger and in- creasing health and wellness, environ- mental sustainability and repair, com- munity development and beautification, economic development and access to locally grown food, by promoting and creating a local food system.”


Don Lareau and Daphne Yannakakis, of Zephyros Farm and Garden, in Paonia, Colorado, grow exquisite or- ganic flowers and vegetables for farm- ers’ markets and community supported agriculture members in Telluride and the Roaring Fork Valley. Recently, the couple decided to take fewer trips away from their children and home- stead, and instead bring more people to their 35-acre family farm to learn from the land and develop a refreshed


Don Lareau


“Kids are shocked when they learn that carrots grow underground and surprised that milk


comes from an udder, not a store shelf.”


~ Don Lareau


sense of community. From earthy farm dinners and ele- gant weddings to creative exploration camps for children and adults and an educational internship program, these family farmers are raising a new crop of consumers that value the land, their food and the people producing it. The couple hopes to help people learn how to grow and prepare their own food, plus gain a greater appreciation for organic farming. “The people that come here fall into a farming lifestyle in tune with the sun and moon, the seasons and their inner clock—something valuable that has been lost in modern lifestyles,” notes Lareau, who especially loves sharing the magic of their farm with children. “Kids are shocked when they learn that carrots grow under- ground and surprised that milk comes from an udder, not a store shelf.”


Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens, of Lakeview Organic Grain, in Penn Yan, New York, grow a variety of grains, includ- ing wheat, spelt, barley, oats and triticale, plus peas, dark red kidney beans and edamame soybeans, along with raising livestock on about 1,400 acres. Their fam- ily farm philosophy entails looking at the


natural awakenings July 2014 17


photo by Dan Hemmelgarn


photo by Dan Hemmelgarn


photo by Dan Hemmelgarn


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