My name is James Steele and Welcome to Gainesville Farm Fresh

I first got started in gardening in Miami in 1970. My new home had vegetables, fruits and herbs throughout the yard. I was inspired by Organic Gardening Magazine and at the time was a vegetarian for a number of years and wanted to grow my own food. It wasn't until March of 1970 that my world changed. Issue No. 2 of 'The Mother Earth News' was in my local health food store and it was titled "How to Get Out of The City and BACK TO THE LAND". I still have that issue along with an issue of Organic Gardening magazine from 1977 on Herbs...they are both printed on old newsprint and are browning with age very nicely. Over the years and over 50 issues later, the MotherEarth News, the Whole Earth Catolog, Organic Gardening Magazine and my own love of gardening/farming, were my guides. Articles from Paul Hawken, Alan Chadwick and books by Albert Howard, Rudolf Steiner and others, brought to life the secrets of organic gardening and the pleasure of working with Mother Earth, not against it.

It took me all of a few weeks to ponder the articles in Mother Earth News and soon, my home was up for sale and I bought 5 acres of land outside of High Springs, near Rum Island on the Santa Fe River! That magazine was the seed planted in my mind and with over 39 years of growing, seeding, composting, harvesting, canning, preserving, harvesting eggs, baking breads and quiches for bartering and teaching ...I am still growing herbs and vegetables, still teaching and have a wonderful relationship with the Earth, nature and my community. One can't ask for more, to be able to make a living doing what you love, and what I love is to grow things and pass that knowledge onto others.

( Photos from left to right: The Cabbage Patch, Turning in Cottonseed Meal, Cover Crop & Compost & Bio-Intensive Planting )

( photos from left: Molly helping me turn the soil at the Herb Garden, Molly and Ben harvesting ( eating ) green beans, A typical harvest from my bio-intensive garden 1985, Healthy Squash in August )

There is a revival in the food movement. I say revival, because I watch a younger generation, enthused and energetic about organic farming, local food, sustainability, all the things I was fired up about almost 40 years ago! I was part of the early 70's 'Back to the land' movement and that movement set my life on a course of adventure and appreciation for nature with a deeper understanding of the need for homegrown, local food, grown in concert with nature and respect for the resources and the environment. Back then it was known as Ecology.

This October, as I celebrate my 20th anniversary owning The Herb Garden Nursery in Melrose, and 39 years of gardening, I look forward to the adventures ahead, in being part of a similar movement, with the same goals and respect for sustainability. With Gaineville Farm Fresh, another seed is planted and the harvest will certainly be bountiful!

2009-06-30