My name is Marlyn and I am the new assistant coordinator here at High Rocks in Hillsboro, WV for the 2016 Season. While this is a new position for me with High Rocks Grow Appalachia, I am not new to the program. Four years ago I was a beginner gardener in Grow Appalachia. I had never planted a garden in my life, much less knew how to keep any of it alive. But the time that I spent in my garden, starting seeds, watering, transplanting, weeding, and harvesting fused a deep connection to nature and to my food. Since my first garden, I’ve continued that journey – expanding into cooking from scratch, then preserving foods by fermentation, like kimchi and kraut, canning goods – like tomatoes and jalapenos. I think the most exciting and defining parts of my life over the past four years have been because I started a garden. I think that’s why I continue to be a part of Grow Appalachia. I want to be a part of helping others connect with gardening, food, and other nutrition related issues. I believe it is one of the most important journeys anyone can take on. I believe that food is medicine and it can heal a lot of physical and mental ailments. So the more good nutritious food people can have access to, the better!

lettuce

Next week we have our first meeting with the 2016 gardeners! I am looking forward to meeting our new participants and talking to them about their gardens.

Marlyn ramps