Eve Minson has been teaching people about how to grow their own food for as long as she can remember, 35 years. Now, a Sullivan County resident for the past 12 years, Minson owns her own company, Just One Seed, where she does “foodscaping,” a combination of landscaping and food. She is also hosting a “Growing Wellness, One Garden at a Time” lecture at the Daniel Piece Library in Grahamsville on Thursday, May 14.

Minson’s ultimate goal is education, which starts with an understanding of our ancestral roots as growers. “It used to be that in our intergenerational families the elders all grew food and they taught the younger generations. There’s less and less of that now,” Minson said in an interview with the Journal.

“When I was a kid, everybody grew their food at home. Every other property was a small farm of some kind. My family had a summer home outside of Ellenville and I watched and learned from them. It inspired me to become a farmer.”

This connection to our food, Minson believes, has been largely lost over time, only kept alive by small groups and individuals.

Coalition of Forward Facing Ellenville, the local based community advocacy and organizing group, recently announced that there will be opening a community garden opening in the village behind the 7^th Day Adventist Church on the corner of Center Street and Clinton Avenue, across from Morning Sunshine and Juniper Cultural and Wellness Center.

Ellenville has a history of community gardens – most recently the Aiyana Community Garden, founded by the Family of Ellenville in 2008 and located in a plot on Center Street near the former Sook House. By 2015, the garden seemed to fall into disrepair, leading to conflict between Family and village officials. The village board agreed to let the garden continue for another season, but for the past decade Ellenville has been without a community garden. The new garden, called “Grow to Gather,” will begin planting on May 24, with help from Flowering Sun farm.

Minson started out further south, building several large (500 plots) community gardens in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in order to give people access to healthy, affordable food.

“Seeing how people responded in that space was thrilling,” Minson said, who also mentioned the simple connection and engagement that people receive from being a part of a community-based operation being a “powerful experience” for her to witness.

Since moving to Hasbrouck, just outside of Woodbourne in Sullivan County, Minson has dedicated her life to teaching people across the region about the power of “just one seed.”

“I came to the conclusion that everything starts with just one seed,” Minson said. “Whether it’s conversation you have with someone or a new idea that comes your way, that seed becomes whatever you’re dreaming up and I think we can all make a contribution.”

Growing your own food is not only a way to deepen our connection to ancestors and the earth we live on, but it’s affordable, highly nutritious, provides accessible access to food, and can be a stress reliever.

“I want people to feel that they can make even the smallest garden and grow something for themselves and their families and think about deescalating food costs for everyone. It’s never been more important than now; we have food deserts, poverty and eat bad food. For the everyday person they may not be thinking about fresh food and growing it in their backyard. Why not bang the drum and help people understand it’s easier than they think?”

Minson emphasizes that growing food doesn’t have to be a daunting task. It can be as simple as a pot of herbs or a tomato vine.

“If you have five square feet in your backyard and it isn’t full shade we can grow something there,” she said.

Minson also works with the Center for Discovery in Hurleyville, where she did a demonstration of how a 4x8 foot raised bed with good soil, compost, fertilizer and deer fencing can grow 4-5 tomato plants, eggplants, beans, peas, herbs and peppers, to name one of many variations. The whole construction, from soil to seed, would cost around $100.

Join Minson at the Daniel Pierce Library, 328 Main Street in Grahamsville, to learn more about foodscaping and the nuances of growing your own food. The program is free to attend, with registration suggested, which can be done at www.danielpiercelibrary.org. Learn more about Just One Seed at justoneseedllc.com to see how you can turn your grassy backyard into a real-life edible arrangement.

“After a full day of working in the garden I’m exhausted,” Minson said, “but I feel like I’ve done the most important work in my life.”