My Grandparents: Their Story Became My Story with their Organic Gardening

The summer edition of my local Edible Magazine, Edible Sacramento, is now out. And I'm happy to report that I have an article in it.

Over a year ago, I had an idea to write about my grandparents and their way of organic gardening in the Sacramento Valley in the early '80s. I miss them and think of them all the time, and when I realized my paltry little garden in the same Sacramento Valley would never measure up to theirs, even though I wanted it to, I knew there was an article in there. 

It helped that I had photo albums full of photos of them and their gardening lifestyle. My grandfather had even been the president of his local Organic Gardening Club.

I was also privy to our local version of Edible Magazine and thought maybe the twain should meet? So I found some photos, wrote up an article, and voila: they decided they could use it. After over a year of thinking about it, writing it, and submitting it, it's finally printed.

Am I a master gardener like my grandfather? No. 

Can I cook every vegetable as good as my grandmother? No.

Will my body even allow me to eat the same vegetables as them because of my dumb autoimmune disease? Again, no. Which is why I have a humble herb garden these days.

But their love for the garden, their ability to create an awesome Garden of Eden out of nothing and into something so divine that I dream about their garden still, is what inspired me to write the article.

I realize only local Sacramentans will be able to find this around town for the next few months (starting June 26th), so here are some photos of the inside spread.  (If you click on the photos and zoom in, I think you can read the article!) I'm honored and humbled, and hope my grandparents know how much of an influence they were on me and my family. 

They're still missed, but in a way, having my own garden keeps me close to them. It's as if they're still here.♥

-Heather