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You are here: Home / Archives for Prescott Food Forest

Prescott Food Forest

Volunteering, Learning, Celebrating Opportunities at Prescott Food Forest

December 27, 2022 By quadcities Leave a Comment

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.

Filed Under: Columnists, Education, Tourism Tagged With: B Organic Farm, Gardens of Destiny, John Murphy, Prescott Food Forest

Prescott Food Forest Finds a Home in Chino Valley

October 30, 2022 By quadcities Leave a Comment

All we need is 15 to 20 volunteers to give three hours per week to substantially increase our growth and giving potential.

It is an honor and a pleasure to share my thoughts and perspective on living a healthy life with you. I am passionate about living a long and healthy life; hence, my nickname, “Your Make 100 Healthy Guy.” As the founder of the Make 100 Healthy Foundation, I am always exploring best practices for nutrition, exercise and an overall sense of well-being.

With that in mind, I am leading a Gardening Education Program to teach people how to grow food. We just needed a home. We were blessed with an amazing opportunity.

Enter B Organic Farm in Chino Valley. Mark and Ginny Bonacquista, the owners of a fully functioning five-acre working farm that already has three greenhouses, numerous raised beds, acres of in-ground gardens, a worm farm, a 50-tree fruit orchard and two large cisterns, reached out to us and offered their property to build and grow the Food Forest Gardening Education Center and our Gardeners Of Destiny (G.O.D.) training program.

“John and his Make 100 Healthy Foundation previously helped us by donating money and time to help us raise a barn. By doing so, we were able to open our second greenhouse, which enabled us to double our food production. We felt it was only right to return the favor and welcome the Food Forest here to B Organic Farm,” said Mark Bonacquista.

I’m proud to say that the Prescott Food Forest @ B Organic Farm broke ground with a free gardening class led by legendary gardener Daniel Blake, on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Stephane Leon, a local teacher and one of the driving forces in bringing this project to fruition, is leading the educational program and is excited to teach kids the joys and benefits of gardening. “Our first family class will be an eight-week Winter Greenhouse Gardening program, starting on Jan. 21,” she said. “Over the eight-week course, we will plant, grow and harvest what we grow.”

How can you get involved? First and foremost, volunteers are needed to tend to the gardens to maximize the full potential of food production and distribution. Mark Bonacquista said, “We have the potential to double and even triple our output, but we don’t have the help to do so.” All we need is 15 to 20 volunteers to give three hours per week to substantially increase our growth and giving potential. We are glad to teach, train and direct anyone who has the heart to learn and help us grow food. With the Food Forest team, we already have more help and that’s why we are keeping one of the greenhouses operational all winter long.

Now that the Prescott Food Forest @ B Organic Farm is up and running, what is the next step?

We are building a community of spirited people that all want to learn or teach people how to grow food. There are plenty of opportunities if you have a special talent you would like to share. Just reach out to me and we can add to our offerings. This project was intended to bring more awareness about and insights into healthy eating.

To accomplish our mission to build a sustainable gardening educational center with the means for long-term viability and long-lasting impact, we are holding a BIG Charity Victory Garden Kick Off Gala, 5-9 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, at The Club at Prescott Lakes.

There will be live entertainment led by Kenny James, a silent and live auction, prizes, giveaways and special keynote speeches from Ken Lain from Watters Garden Center and myself. All proceeds will benefit the Food Forest @ B Organic Farm Gardening Education Center and the Gardeners Of Destiny training program. Visit www.prescottfoodforest.com/calendar for tickets and sponsorship opportunities.

Please plan to bring yourself, your families and friends to experience why gardening is a lifelong hobby for so many! To contact me directly, email me at john.teammurphy@gmail.com or call 928-899-1341. You can find more information at www.prescottfoodforest.com.

Let’s get growing! QCBN

By John James Murphy

John James Murphy is a Prescott realtor at Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert.

Filed Under: Columnists Tagged With: Gardeners Of Destiny, Gardening Education Program, Ginny Bonacquista, John James Murphy, Mark Bonacquista, Prescott Food Forest, Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert

Planting Seeds for the Prescott Food Forest

April 26, 2022 By quadcities Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Ann Herrington, John Murphy, LeRoy Miller, Prescott City Council, Prescott Food Forest

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