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and added a beehive, which Sarah ordered on a whim, called Lynn

up, and said, “OK — the bees come in two weekends!”

Lynn says she would usually be one to research exhaustively but

has learned to jump in. “Everyone in Plenty has learned to take

a step of faith, even if we don’t know everything,” she says. Sarah

adds, “Every time you fail, you say ‘Well, I’ll never do that again!’ ”

Plenty Farms has continued to attract like-minded people,

and partnering has helped all of them achieve more than they

could alone. Sarah met Heather Goldstein, who makes and sells

organic skin care products through her company, Herbal Heart

Apothecary, a venture also inspired by family health concerns.

Sarah and Heather quickly realized they shared a similar vision. At

Heather’s rental house, they put in 80 garden beds, requiring them

to haul more than 200 wheelbarrows of wood chips, and they

added chickens and bees. They’re companion planting Heather’s

herbs and Sarah’s vegetables — a perfect collaboration.

“I was doing all of this on my own, which was fulfilling,”

Heather says, “but it’s so much more fulfilling with a group of

people. We’re supposed to do this as a community — to have

relationships and learn from each other.”

All three women note the hard work (especially on garden

workdays), and the rewards that have come from days when CSA

program members gather to learn about canning or pickling, to

share recipes, or ask each other, “What are you doing with all

this squash we’re growing?” Lynn says they often meet with an

idea to try something no one has done before, and they figure it

out together.

Reviving the Local Village

Those relationships have been a support as members have faced

challenges and had to make tough choices. “It’s a lot of responsibil-

ity. But we have each other — all of these shoulders,” Heather says.

Clockwise from top left: Preserving the harvest together brings a fulfilling sense of community. The Peterson kids join forces to stake a tomato plant.

Raised beds along the side of the house provide more garden space. Sarah gives tours to teach kids about growing food and raising animals right

down the street. The Plenty Farms cart, which attaches to Sarah’s bicycle, hauls greens, wood chip mulch, and more around the neighborhood.

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