About Me

Hi, my name is Jessica. I am a mother, a teacher, a learner, a gardener, and…. Like all of us, I have many hats. I grew up in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, to be more precise. My dad comes from a somewhat agricultural background, and we did have a strawberry patch in the backyard when I was a young child, but beyond that, it wasn’t until college that I considered gardening at all.

While in college, I developed a connection to the earth and the food we eat. My connection to gardening is embedded in a larger political context that involves communities, workers, industrialized agriculture, food access, knowledge and power. I, of course, also enjoy eating the fresh food from the backyard.

Until recently, I was an elementary school teacher and that was where I focused much of my energy. Now that I am a stay at home mom I have time to focus my thoughts and energy on new things, or things that only got a small allowance of that energy in the past. This blog is a place where I can share reflections, lessons, and observations on all things gardening and food justice. You will find lots of posts about my garden, some on current food justice issues, some about my kids and reflections on being a parent, as well as lots of garden photos and the occasional “off topic” post. I use writing as a processing tool and hope that the blog becomes an arena for me to hash out the complexities of our food system and the movement toward more sustainable, local food sources, and how I fit in. I ask, what can I do to bring more access and justice to our food system? I hope you will join me.

I will often refer to my immediate family members in my posts. My significant other is largely hands off in the garden and is much more interested in things technical. He is “The Engineer.” My oldest child, The Negotiator, spends very little time in the garden these days. My youngest, The Grazer, spends all kinds of time in the garden with me and loves to help.

You can contact me at: jessyarger (at) hotmail (dot) com.