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John Murphy

Prescott Food Forest Continues to Grow with Your Support

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On behalf of our growing team of gardeners, volunteers and students, I want to invite you to join us, too! What are you waiting for? Let’s get growing!

An amazing phenomenon is happening at the Prescott Forest @ B Organic Farm in Chino Valley.

Passionate and inquisitive Quad Cities residents are pitching in to help manage and harvest our growing garden beds and greenhouse.

Each Saturday, there’s a garden project party, which brings together families and individuals that enjoy fellowship, food, music and of course, gardening projects that need to be worked on. This combination has proven successful as each week we have between 10 and 15 volunteers picking fruits and veggies, planting new crops and weeding. The indoor greenhouse has cooled air, so we offer both options to participate.

Another milestone was met when we hosted the first Gardeners Of Destiny Kids Boot Camp where Stephane Leon led a four-day introduction to kids, ages 5-12, and their moms. It was a total success and brought together like-minded moms who know the value of teaching their kids how to grow food. Our goal has always been to teach the next generation this important life skill.

I am proud to announce our next Gardening Course “Autumn Gardening,” including how to plant and care for fall and early winter crops. The class is $99 for eight weeks but we are offering full scholarships (limited) in exchange for 10 hours of volunteer time. This model was very well received in previous courses. Go to prescottfoodforest.com<http://prescottfoodforest.com for more information or to  register. The classes run from 10 a.m. to noon, Aug. 19 to Sept. 23. These classes have sold out so reserve your spot today. Families are welcome too!

One of the great benefits of this program is all the fantastic people that want to help and learn more about gardening.

I’d like to give a big shout out to Doug and April Rich for their help and for sharing our mission. Also Nick and Kim Plancich and their daughter, Shelby, for volunteering and sharing our mission with their family and friends. That’s how this has grown, organically (pardon the pun).

We are seeking schools and clubs to work with to expand our greenhouse capacity and to lead a pumpkin-planting project as a fun competition with prizes and awards. If you would like to have your school or organization participate, call or email me directly.

On behalf of our growing team of gardeners, volunteers and students, I want to invite you to join us, too! What are you waiting for? Let’s get growing! QCBN

By John Murphy

John Murphy is the executive director of Make 100 Healthy Inc., an Arizona 501 c 3 non-profit. He’s also a Prescott-area realtor and can be contacted at John.teammurphy@gmail.com or 928-899-1341.

Teach Your Children Well at the Prescott Food Forest  

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The Prescott Food Forest @ B Organic Farm is committed to building a lush teaching garden and a productive food forest.

It’s all about the children! Our responsibility to the next generation is to empower them to be healthy, strong and self-sufficient. Teaching young people the art of growing food is at the core of our mission.

The Gardeners Of Destiny Training program has taught people of all ages how to plant, manage, harvest and eat real fruit and vegetables, which are nutritious and delicious.

One of our goals is to bring families together to help volunteer and tend to the gardens while they learn the nuances of growing food.

We have been blessed to have many families come to B Organic Farm every Saturday for classes and hands-on work in the greenhouse and our new half-acre outside garden.

To accelerate and incentivize families to grow together, we are offering a Family Kids Boot Camp to learn about the essential aspects of growing food. The camp is four days of garden fun, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Monday, July 17 to Thursday, July 20.

Activities include seed planting, a bug hunt, seed discovery, herb planting, pumpkin planting, harvesting, snacking and so much more. This class is perfect for kids ages 5 to 12. Mom and dad are welcome to join us as well. To register, go to www.prescottfoodforest.com or call 928-899-1341. Space is limited. Secure your spot today.

The cost is $50 per kid. We are offering scholarships on an as-needed basis. We are accepting donations to help support the program and to offer more scholarships to those who need them.

Recently, we’ve hosted Garden Project Parties with music and a BBQ after working in the garden beds. It’s a lot of fun and very productive. You are welcome to join us from 8 to 11 a.m.

Also, we have volunteers. Our Wednesday crew tends the garden from 9 a.m. to noon, and Fridays by invitation, to harvest food for our team, for food pantries and for sale. It’s a great time and a way to give back.

The Prescott Food Forest and Make 100 Healthy non-profit are actively working with local schools and groups to schedule service projects and special classes covering everything from fermentation, the benefits of mushrooms and preserving food.

In essence, we explore the full ecosystem of food creation, growth, harvesting, cooking and preserving the foods grown. Very cool.

If you want to take a tour or have a few hours to volunteer, we have a spot for you. The more people we have, the bigger the impact and quantity of food we can grow and give away.

To schedule a private tour, email me directly at jmurphy@itsexciting.com. All volunteers go home with fresh veggies from the garden. It’s a win-win situation. Please help us keep growing.

Teaching the next generation the art of growing food and the knowledge and skills to be self-sustainable is a very worthy pursuit. I welcome you to be part of our gardening family.

The Prescott Food Forest @ B Organic Farm is committed to building a lush teaching garden and a productive food forest. We are on our way. I want to thank you for your support.

Onward and upward! QCBN

By John Murphy

John Murphy is the founder of the Make 100 Healthy Foundation and a Prescott realtor. He can be reached directly at 908-309-7046. Make 100 Healthy, Inc. is an Arizona 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Courtesy Photo: Volunteers work in the greenhouse and on the new half-acre outside garden to harvest food for food pantries and for sale. 

Prescott Food Forest is Flourishing

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If you cannot physically garden or you just do not have time, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support this program.

The goal was to create a gardening education center to teach people how to garden and grow their own food, a place where we could learn and share the fruits (and veggies) of our labor with those who are affected by food insecurity, a place to have fellowship and work together to build a lush Food Forest.

I am very proud to say we are making great strides in bringing our vision to reality. In fact, because we kept the greenhouse at B Organic Farm heated all winter long, we have ample vegetable growth already that we have given to those who need it most.

All this progress wouldn’t be possible without the hospitality and passion of Mark and Ginny Bonacquista, the owners of B Organic Farm. They have opened their property to us, which has allowed us to expand our capability to teach all the aspects of planting, growing, harvesting, eating, cooking and preserving the food we grow. It’s truly a blessing.

We recently completed our first eight-week course, Winter Greenhouse Gardening. It was a thrill to be able to utilize the greenhouse to plant and grow vegetables in January, February and March. The generous donations from our supporters and sponsors allowed us to offer full scholarships to 25 eager and determined gardening students.

Currently, we have a greenhouse chock full of lettuces, peas, artichokes, tomatoes, beans and more. This is the result of arduous work by several gardening leaders including Master Gardener and Garden Manager LeRoy Miller, Hoss Lambeth and Ann Smeltzer, who have been volunteering every Wednesday since the inception of the program.

We are turning our attention to a half-acre garden bed that will allow us to amplify the quantity and variety of food we grow and give away. Our vision is to be able to give food to those in need, plus be able to sell fresh food at farmers markets and our own roadside stand.

Our second semester course, Summer Garden Growing, is in progress now. The course is led by Stephane Leon, who has taken the lead in our Gardeners Of Destiny training program, teaching the essential life skill to know how to grow food.

How can you get involved? There are specific opportunities depending on your experience and time you have available. We are always looking for volunteers to help pick the food, to manage the gardens and to help support others who might not have the experience to teach gardening.

Please visit www.Prescottfoodforest.com to see the schedule for volunteer times. Typically, we have volunteers come out to the farm on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. It is fun and fulfilling to get your hands in the dirt or to pick delicious locally grown food. The camaraderie and friendships that have been created is another bonus of this effort.

If you cannot physically garden or you just do not have time, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support this program. We have been able to provide scholarships to more than 40 people of all ages because of the generosity of our supporters and sponsors.

We are grateful for any amount, but a $100 donation to our non-profit organization, Make 100 Healthy Foundation, provides a full scholarship to an aspiring gardener. In return, the recipients pledge a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer time on the farm. That is a win/win for all. If interested, please call 928-899-1341 or go to the “donate” link on www.PrescottFoodforest.com.

Like any new venture, we are adjusting, tweaking and expanding the content to give the most gardening insights possible. Our goal is to empower everyone to be able to grow their own food for health and self-sustainability.

Also, we are planning a summer boot camp for kids. More details will be forthcoming. This is family fun for everyone, an immersive opportunity to gain experience and improve your garden skills.

I am humbled how we’ve been able to build the Gardeners Of Destiny training program, which has been embraced by all ages. Onward and Upward! Let’s keep Growing Together. QCBN

By John Murphy

John Murphy is the founder of the Make 100 Healthy Foundation and a Prescott realtor. He can be reached at john.teammurphy@gmail.com.

Courtesy Photo: By keeping the B Organic Farm heated through the winter, Prescott Food Forest has been able to supply an abundance of vegetables to those who need them.

Prescott Food Forest Gala Marks a Major Victory for Gardening Education Programs

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There has never been a more important time than now to learn or expand your ability to grow food.

On Tuesday Feb. 21, at The Club at Prescott Lakes, we hosted a Victory Garden Gala to raise awareness and funds to support the Gardeners Of Destiny (GOD) gardening education training program at B Organic Farm, Chino Valley.

The evening was a total success. More than 125 people from all sectors of our community came to support our mission to empower people to grow food for health and self-sustainability.

I am grateful for the support from our sponsors, donors, friends and neighbors. I want to thank Ed Walsh and Bob Knudson from Lamb Cadillac for their generous primary sponsorship and also Grayden Guilford and Pinnacle Bank for their gold sponsorship. Your donations allowed us to accelerate our plans and efforts!

A special note of appreciation to Ken Lain and Watters Garden Center for their sponsorship and donation of a fruit tree orchard as part of our live auction. Ken was also the keynote speaker, sharing his first-hand experience seeing the shift toward edible growing and backyard gardening to fight inflation and to ensure healthy food consumption. His expertise and insights were enjoyed by all.

I was honored that Prescott City Councilman Steve Sischka attended as a sponsor with Olsen’s for Healthy Pets, as well as Dan Olsen, who offered a beautiful blessing before dinner. I am proud that my wife, Lisa, was a sponsor with Silver Sands Recovery. Special thanks to Quad Cities Business News, Toby Ebarb with Legacy Roofing, Mark Womack with Womack Construction and Brian Wirick of Sterling North Homes for their sponsorships. Vickie Johnston from H20 Health not only sponsored the event, but contributed a whole house water filtration system for our live auction. I have gratitude for the Barley Hound and the Vivili Group for donating a private culinary experience for eight at the Barley Hound, with a personalized chef’s dinner.

I want to thank many local individuals and businesses for donating items, experiences and art for our silent auction and raffle items. We truly live in a giving and supportive community. All told, we raised close to $30,000 and netted close to $20,000. This provides the needed resources to grow and expand our efforts.

The evening started with a soulful musical performance by the very talented Kenny James. The food, prepared by Chef Matt at The Club at Prescott Lakes, was delicious. They also donated a private chef’s dinner for six and a round of golf.

I was proud to present the 2nd Annual “Arline’s Angel Award” (in memory of my mom), which is presented to someone who reflects the giving nature my mom had. We awarded Stephane Leon, a local schoolteacher and the designer of our logos, website and the evening’s program guide, as this year’s recipient. Most importantly, she is the director of the Gardeners Of Destiny training program, which just completed the eight-week winter greenhouse growing course and was well received.

In that regard, we are offering a Summer Growing course starting Sat., April 29 for eight weeks. If you would like to participate, we have a few spots left. For more information, please visit prescottfoodforest.com. To apply for a full scholarship, you need to commit to a minimum of 10 hours of volunteering at B Organic Farm. Everyone seems to love this win/win deal.

Finally, I am thankful for our team of volunteers that worked tirelessly to help plan and execute the outcome we achieved. Specifically, I want to thank Ann Herrington, Susan Rubio, Rhonda Clark, Debra Ott, LeRoy Miller, Wendy Lancy, and Betty and Bob Knudson for their time, effort and heart to make this event a Big Victory to continue our education and growing food programs.

There has never been a more important time than now to learn or expand your ability to grow food. You are welcome to join us as a volunteer, student or donor for our scholarship drive. Together, we are making a difference and positively impacting our community by teaching gardening skills and building new friendships with like-minded people. Yes, this is a place for people to grow together, so let’s get growing! QCBN

By John Murphy

John Murphy is a realtor and founder of Make 100 Healthy. He can be reached at 928-899-1341.

Food Forest Growing with Volunteers, Sponsors, Programs

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With all the new gardeners and volunteers, we are planning to grow more food than ever before. It is a true blessing,” she said.

The launch of the Prescott Food Forest and Gardeners Of Destiny (GOD) Training Program has been a real success. In fact, the eight-week Winter Greenhouse Gardening Course is sold out and has hosted 30 passionate local residents that want to learn how to grow food.

Located at B Organic Farm, Chino Valley, the program’s first week was on Jan. 21, 2023. While it was literally freezing outside, the greenhouse was a balmy 50 degrees with the help of heaters, provided by my non-profit “Make 100 Healthy Foundation.” This allowed classes to start, regardless of the weather conditions.

The full attendance confirmed that many people want to learn to grow food, to be able to help those less fortunate to receive fresh food, even in the dead of winter. How wonderful! We have attracted many local gardening leaders to join our efforts because of the awareness that was generated from my past articles in QCBN.

Greg Eddolls of www.Foodscape.tips has taken the bull by the horns by volunteering to teach each Saturday. His main business, Tri City Computers, in partnership with Don Gordon’s DLG Recycling, has donated a refurbished 60” Flat Screen Interactive Touch Screen Educational TV and a greenhouse laptop that allows us to use multimedia and videos to reinforce the class subject manner. We are grateful for his generosity in time and resources.

Also, we are so blessed to have seasoned gardeners and passionate people, including Hoss Lambeth and Master Gardeners LeRoy Miller, Joe Rubio, Ann Smeltzer and others who have led the volunteer efforts during the week to allow for a beautiful and productive greenhouse setup. In fact, Hoss has focused on reinforcing the cinderblock raised beds with rebar and drip system redesign. This is hard work that is not for the faint of heart.

LeRoy Miller has brought his lifelong skills as a gardener to lead the ramp-up of the greenhouse to be ready to grow the Food Forest into a lush and productive place for fruits and vegetables to grow in.

Stephane Leon has been brilliant in bringing all the content together to inspire and lead the course for these aspiring gardeners; all of whom have received full scholarships to the eight-week course, thanks to our fundraising efforts and our main sponsors Lamb Cadillac and Pinnacle Bank.

The most exciting aspect of this program is the folks that have attended. We have families, couples and individuals that come each week ready to learn and apply their newfound skills, both at B Organic Farm and in their homes. Each student has committed to giving a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer time at B Organic Farm in return for the scholarship they received.

Ginny Buonaquista, the owner of B Organic Farm, is grateful for the help. “I have pretty much been on my own since COVID hit and it has limited our ability to provide free food to those in need. With all the new gardeners and volunteers, we are planning to grow more food than ever before. It is a true blessing,” she said.

How can you get involved? First, we are always seeking volunteers to help tend to the garden. If you have three or four hours a week to give, we have plenty of work for you to do. We have a volunteer scheduler on our site: prescottfoodforest.com or call us directly at 928-899-1341 for more Information.

What’s next? We are in the process of offering a Spring Garden Growing course, starting in April, and we are working on a summer boot camp program for children and families alike to teach them the skills to be able to grow healthy and nutrient dense fruits and vegetables.

This effort has been a testament to the tenacity and commitment of many local people to give our community the skills and insights on why growing food is so important. Thank you to all who have been a part of this incredible journey, which is just starting to scratch the surface of our full potential. I am humbled by the outpouring of support and encouragement.

Let’s keep growing! QCBN

By John Murphy

John Murphy, Make 100 Healthy/ Realtor.

Volunteering, Learning, Celebrating Opportunities at Prescott Food Forest

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Teaching kids and people of all ages how to grow food is at the core of our mission.

“A very fun, educational experience!” That’s the exact quote of a happy Trinity Christian School student who just got done volunteering in the greenhouse at B Organic Farm in Chino Valley recently. In fact, in two days, there were 40 Trinity 9th graders learning, experiencing and helping tend to the garden at our new Gardeners Of Destiny (G.O.D.) Education Center.

Teaching kids and people of all ages how to grow food is at the core of our mission. In addition, we teach the importance of eating real, nutritionally dense, locally grown food and why it’s the best way to stay healthy and keep your immune system strong.

The students from Trinity Christian School gave a total of 120 volunteer hours. We broke into smaller groups and did some incredible work. On day one, we tied up the drip system, turned over a raised bed, pulled mint and roots out, turned over the soil, added compost soil, leveled it and re-positioned the drip system. Some of the students took starter sprouts and transplanted them into bigger containers.

The next day’s group focused their efforts outside in a one-acre garden lot that needed a lot of work. They removed the drip system, rolled up the old weed mats, weeded the entire area and pruned back artichoke plants to be ready for spring.

Overall, it was exactly that: “a very fun, educational experience!” And we are excited to have the students come back after their winter break.

Our next course, “Winter Greenhouse Gardening,” starts 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, and runs for eight weeks. In this course, we will examine and explore the full ecosystem of planting, managing, harvesting, eating and preserving the food we grow. The class costs $199 for the full program, but we are offering a 50% tuition credit in return for six hours of volunteer time in the garden. Also, through the generosity of our donors, we have opportunities to give full scholarships as needed. The bottom line is anyone who wants to learn how to grow food will not be turned away if they can’t afford it.

To reserve your spot, go to www.prescottfoodforest.com and click on “Register now” for the Winter Greenhouse Gardening course. There will be a certificate of completion and a Gardening Guru patch that each participant will receive at the end of the program. This is a great opportunity to grow food this winter.

Besides students, we are seeing local gardeners and food experts come and share their knowledge and expertise. Greg and Dori Eddolls have their own garden project, Foodscape, which explores the best practices of growing and eating real food. They came to the farm with a bunch of tomato, pepper and other plants and gave them to us since we have a heated greenhouse. We have had quite a few other great people volunteer. If you can give three to four hours a week, please contact us to get on the schedule. Find volunteer hours at www.prescottfoodforest.com or call 928-899-1341.

Finally, I am excited for our “Victory Garden Charity Gala,” 5-9 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, at The Club at Prescott Lakes. All net proceeds will raise money for the Food Forest at B Organic Farm and our Gardeners Of Destiny Training program.  Make 100 Healthy Inc. is an Arizona-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

This event promises to be a fun-filled, informative evening featuring the Mountain Gardener himself, Ken Lain, who will be the keynote speaker. Great live entertainment includes Kenny James, Michael Somma and Rick Jordan playing sets. We have healthy food stations, a raffle, and silent and live auctions with awesome items, experiences and packages. I am the host and emcee for the evening. Tickets are available for $75 each, with discounted tables of eight tickets for $500. Reserve your tickets today at www.prescottfoodforest.com.

I want to personally thank all our supporters, sponsors, donors and volunteers for helping launch this important program. As our slogan says, “Let’s Get Growing.” I hope to see you either at the gala, on the farm or both. God bless. QCBN

By John Murphy

John Murphy can be contacted by email, john.teammurphy@gmail.com, or phone, 908-309-7046. Visit the Prescott Food Forest FB page for updates.

Growing Charm on the Farm

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Knowing how to grow, cook and preserve food is an essential life skill that too few of us know how to do.

It’s easy to say you’re going to do something. It’s exciting to think about the future. But, when it’s time to bring all these dreams and ideas to fruition, it’s time to do it.

I’m very proud of the effort that many people have given to bring the Prescott Food Forest @ B Organic Farm to reality. We have hosted local gardening clubs, gardening enthusiasts and students to tour B Organic Farm. Everyone who visits is impressed and wants to be part of it. That’s the true spirit of community involvement and support.

Recently, some master gardeners, volunteers and I made it our mission to clean out the greenhouse to be ready to launch the Gardeners Of Destiny (G.O.D.) training program and Gardening Education Center.

We all worked to organize the supplies, repair some of the raised beds, sweep and declutter the space and trim the gardens. We filled up a truck bed of debris that wasn’t needed anymore. The result was outstanding. Each of us took ownership of a task and by the end of the day, we had accomplished our goal. We set up the greenhouse to be ready to host students for service projects and learning classes. This will be a fun, interactive and fulfilling project for local students and families alike.

One of the schools that we reached out to is Trinity Christian School in Prescott. We met with Kelly and Chris Orr and Aaron Rosberg, the leaders of the school, who are working with us to bring Trinity students to help tend the gardens and to learn about growing food. A win/win for all.

If you have a school, church or organization that would like to give service and time and learn about growing food, please contact me to set it up. Also, this is a great opportunity for families to learn and grow together. This is exactly what we envisioned and it is coming to life. What a blessing.

In that regard, we are working diligently to make our Charity Victory Garden Gala a big success to benefit the Gardening Education Center and Food Forest @ B Organic Farm. I want to invite you to join us for an exciting, fun and informative event from 5 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17,  at The Club at Prescott Lakes. I’m so happy that the Mountain Gardener himself, Ken Lain from Watters Garden Center, will deliver his insights and expertise on the importance of growing food. There will be tasty and healthy food stations, live musical performances by Kenny James, Michael Somma and Rick Jordan, as well as silent and live auctions with cool items, experiences and packages that will be available to raise funds for the program.

If you would like to donate an item, gift certificate or want to be a sponsor, please contact me. Speaking of sponsors, I was brought to tears when Ed Walsh from Lamb Cadillac told me that they were going to be a platinum partner sponsor. It meant the world to me, as Ed has been watching our efforts and wanted to give us a good launch. I am grateful. Thank you, Ed!

Tickets can be purchased on our website, www.presecottfoodforest.com/calendar. Individual tickets are $75 and a table of eight is $500. All proceeds will go to fund and build the Gardening Education Center and Gardeners Of Destiny training program.

I will host the event and share my thoughts on living a healthy lifestyle for longevity. (Hint: It all starts with the food we eat.) I am excited to announce our first education program, an eight-week immersion into Winter Greenhouse Gardening, starting on Saturday, Jan 21. For more information, call 928-899-1341.

In closing, we have a responsibility to give our friends, family and ourselves the tools needed for self-sustainability. Knowing how to grow, cook and preserve food is an essential life skill that too few of us know how to do. This program was created to change that. Let’s Get Growing. QCBN

By John Murphy

John Murphy can be contacted by email, john.teammurphy@gmail.com, or phone, 908-309-7046. Visit the Prescott Food Forest FB page for updates.

Planting Seeds for the Prescott Food Forest

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Advocates work to create a center focused on growing healthy food.

In Prescott, it’s an idea ripe for the picking: a gardening discovery center exploring the world of growing food and eating healthy for all generations, to be called the Prescott Food Forest.

With a slogan of “Where People Come to Grow Together,” the plan has been growing.

One of the central elements of the project is creating a community garden, a concept not new in Prescott, as a previous community garden near Granite Creek had closed a few years ago.

However, with the pandemic in 2020, interest in community gardens flourished as people woke up to worries about food security. The community garden concept is loosely modeled on the old victory gardens essential during both World Wars, backyard gardens where citizen gardeners maintained plots to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs to augment dwindling national food supplies.

Prescott realtor and entrepreneur John Murphy is spearheading the Prescott Food Forest project and will lead the presentation of a comprehensive plan to the Prescott City Council within the next few weeks.

Plans call for the center to be located on a two-acre parcel of land owned by the City of Prescott near the Heritage Park Zoo. In the 1999 Prescott Master Plan, this parcel was chosen as the future home of a community garden.

Healthy food has long been a passion for Murphy, who started a non-profit foundation several years ago, the Make 100 Healthy Foundation, with the goal of encouraging healthy lifestyles for longevity.

“A key factor in living a long and healthy life is the food we put into our bodies,” Murphy said. “Growing food has become somewhat of a lost art form. When I started this foundation a few years ago, the mission was to grow 1 million new victory gardens in the next five years. Why this mission? It’s because we have a rampant epidemic of obesity and diabetes. People think they are eating healthy food, but they are actually eating empty food with little nutritional value. This is an opportunity to fill a void created when the previous community garden went away.”

Murphy and the three-person board of directors for the Prescott Food Forest will be asking the City of Prescott to approve their plan to create the food forest design, which will include the gardening discovery center with a community garden.

“The property is already fully fenced, has water and electricity and is a blank canvas to build on,” Murphy said. “We are asking the city to grant us a 10-year lease, and we will beautify the property for the good of the community.”

After an analysis of why the earlier community garden in Prescott failed, planners will hire a garden manager who will be on site to tend the gardens and maintain the property, help oversee alternative growing models for optimal food production and engage with all who use the garden.

Murphy said that LeRoy Miller, a Yavapai County Master Gardeners member, has volunteered to serve as acting garden manager until a permanent one can be found. The long-term goal is to build a strong organization with members and volunteers who share a common mission: to bring people together with purpose and pleasure, discovering the joys and benefits of growing food.

Prescott resident and Quad Cities Business News Advertising Manager Ann Herrington is also a board member. She heard about the proposed project last year when Murphy made a presentation to the Prescott Frontier Rotary Club.

“He’s really an incredible guy,” she said. “He’s worked hard on this and gotten a lot of people in the fold. He’s making connections and is talking with Prescott Meals on Wheels about the prospect of them buying food from us. He’s also connecting with local schools where they can come as a field trip to see how the food is grown. The goal is to help people learn how to be healthier.”

Herrington calls the location a perfect fit. “It’s just been sitting there for years. We have to get in there and clear it and make it all happen.”

The layout for the project includes creating small structures such as kiosks, raised garden beds, a greenhouse that can produce food year-round (via aeroponic vertical gardening), an industrial kitchen and a fruit and vegetable stand. A focus on sustainability, which Murphy said was lacking in the previous community garden, will be highlighted.

“We have a whole group of people who have gotten behind this concept for Prescott to have a garden we can call our own,” he said. “There’s been a lot of thought and effort put into building it and sustaining it. It’s not just a feel-good, spur-of-the-moment effort, but rather, it aims to be part of the fabric of Prescott’s outdoor community. We want to create a fellowship through the efforts of gardening.”

Also vital to the mission of the Prescott Food Forest is its design as a gardening discovery center. Organizers envision a gardening educational platform that will be a world-class   attraction accessible to all residents of Prescott, as well as visitors and tourists.

Board member Stephanie Leon, who also drafted the menu of gardening classes, will be the Prescott Food Forest education director, Murphy said. Classes and seminars will be offered on gardening, preserving food, healthy cooking and eating, pickling, promoting immunity, overcoming the challenges of high-desert gardening, and teaching alternative growing methods such as indoor, patio, hydroponic and vertical farming.

In addition, the Prescott Food Forest facility will host field trips and educational videos, and stage special events featuring local celebrity chefs. Acting manager Miller will seek other experts to present seminars and demonstrations on healthy cooking and up-to-date gardening techniques.

“We plan to offer multi-generational gardening classes, including a ‘Grandpa and Me’ program,” said Murphy. “Older and younger folks who don’t think they have anything in common will find they have much more in common than they thought.”

Herrington will be one of the teachers at the new facility. Toward that goal, she will soon be completing a three-phase course at Cornell University to become certified as a whole food, plant-based nutritionist. She received a $500 “Arline’s Angel Award” toward her tuition through his foundation, which was set up by Murphy to honor his parents.

Upon approval from the City of Prescott, a community awareness and fundraising campaign will commence, with a “Let’s Get Growing Prescott” theme. The goal is to raise $100,000 to build, maintain and market this effort.

Prescott Food Forest volunteers debuted plans to the public on Saturday, April 23, during the 2022 Prescott Earth Day Festival downtown. Revenue generation plans include sponsorships, grants, rental income, charging admission for select events, membership fees and selling produce to the public, restaurants and other food providers.

Murphy said he hopes they will have the Prescott Food Forest plans approved by the end of this month. “We will present a full vision, which includes a working budget, an implementation plan and design layout.”

There will also be charitable giving by providing food and education to the underprivileged, with a plan to give away at least 10% of what is grown to the food bank and other outlets that help those in need.

“We’re going to have a big gala towards the end of the summer,” Murphy said. “We’ll use the money to build a greenhouse by October before it gets frosty. We’re also going to have a big pumpkin patch.”

“The Greater Prescott Outdoor Fund has allocated a $7,000 grant that will help us get started,” said Herrington, who is overseeing fundraising efforts.

Murphy, who was chairman of the Commission on Well-Being for the City of Prescott, said he has always wanted to give back to the community. “I believe this will be a legacy project, a destination location for gardening, learning, fellowship and community gatherings.” QCBN

By Betsey Bruner, QCBN