Aunt Katie's Community Garden

A Tiny Homestead

Today I'm talking with Orran at Aunt Katie's Community Garden.

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00:00
This is Mary Lewis at A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. If you're enjoying this podcast, please like, subscribe, share it with a friend, or leave a comment. Thank you. Today I'm talking with Orran at Aunt Katie's Community Garden. Good morning, Orran. How are you? Good morning. Glad to be here. Good. Tell me all about Aunt Katie's Community Garden.

00:26
Okay. Um, so and Katie's community garden was started about 15 years ago by my director, um, Mr. Michael Jackson. Um, he was a lobbyist for, um, non-smoking designated areas, um, back when that was a big column issue. And so after being kicked down from passing these bills, he, he, he, he transitioned into.

00:55
healthy living. And so that started a community garden, which was named after a childhood lady of the neighborhood, Aunt Katie. So he created the garden, started with a few raised beds. And over time, the community kicked in. He got donations, funding to build out the garden, starting with a small greenhouse.

01:26
100 beds and five high tunnel houses. So that's kind of a brief history of the community garden. Okay. I'm really excited that you were willing to chat with me this morning because I'm really trying to find all the different places that help communities have good food for them to have access to and I've decided on making it my mission to find somebody like you.

01:56
in every state before the end of 2025 to talk to. That's awesome. Yep. Because people need to know where to find food. It's the inflation prices have been so bad that people are starving. People who shouldn't be starving are starving. Yes. Um, that's, so that's one of the main, um, focuses of the garden is to grow nutrient dense vegetables. Um,

02:25
I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but the things you get off the shelf are pretty subpar when it comes to nutritional value. So what we grow using our compost, our special compost mix, it allows us to have a lettuce or a leafy green that tastes the way it's supposed to taste and also gives you that nutritional value that we all need in order to, you know, health of your living. So

02:54
That's our main focus is growing top, you know, top-notch vegetables. And the public, they really, they really grasp onto the concept, especially during COVID. So, you know, we got people, we got people who you never think eating bok choy. Now bok choy is a popular plant that we grow. And so, you know, during the off season, everybody's, when's the bok choy coming? So it makes me excited that we can.

03:22
you know, change people's taste palates and have them eat more healthier. Absolutely. So you're in Alabama. Where are you in Alabama? Um, we're in, we're in Dothan, Alabama. It's, um, South, Southeast, um, the very bottom of the, of the state. What's the nearest big city to you? Uh, Montgomery, we're about, uh, two and a half, two and a half, three hours from Montgomery. Um.

03:50
four hours from Birmingham and five hours from Huntsville. Okay, so do you know if any of the big cities in Alabama have anything like what you're doing? Absolutely, so me starting my work at the garden, it's a pretty cool story, I can tell you that, but I'll go into, so what I do now that I'm a director at a community garden, everywhere I go before I...

04:19
arrive, I look up community gardens and I either call or drop in and try to do a tour just to see what these different parts of the state have going on. And of course, I'm from Huntsville originally, so we do have two great community gardens, which one is Oakwood. It's a college. They have a great, great community garden and they also have a grocery store.

04:46
which is very state of the art. I love it. It has self checkout. It's very small, but it's really neat. You should check that one out. And also my alma mater, Alabama A&M, they're starting their community garden process. So it's exciting to see and exciting to, you know, come back around to what I started and then see it. You know, now I see community gardens everywhere.

05:15
Okay. So how did, okay. What does aunt Katie's community garden do? Is it that you guys grow food for the community or is the community coming in and growing food at the community garden? Okay. So what we do is kind of multilayered. Um, I think I have a diagram that I drew. So it's like a, it's like a three-legged stool and one is

05:42
Nutritional education and outreach to the community. That's from kids to adults. That's one part the second part is community gardening Which allows people to come in and grow and learn how to grow and we have bed subscriptions so people can subscribe to a bed for a year and they can either work their bed or We'll do it for them and at the end when it's harvest time we can we'll reach out and say hey you can come pick up

06:12
a basket or sometimes they just, they give it away to somebody else, which is the other part. And then one of our new things since I came on board is we do value-added product production. So I make like 13 different products. When I arrived at the garden, I just saw this food, food, food. And so I began making

06:41
hot sauce, Verde sauce, I make lip balm, I make hibiscus tea, I make all these different value added products. And they just gained popularity and it began, people started requesting it and coming and I was selling out, you know, like in two days, I will make, you know, six, seven cases of hot sauce and they'll sell out in two or three days. So I was like, man, I'm really onto something, so.

07:08
That's leading us to work on a future processing center where we can have more capacity to produce, but that's the three things that we really focus on. Okay. So when you say people buy us or get a subscription, do they buy a subscription to the plot? Yes, ma'am. We have corporate sponsorship and then sponsorship for, you know, just individuals.

07:36
families with two different price points, but that's the way we do it. And we also offer discounts to people with EBT. They get like a, I want to say 50% discount. So people with EBT can also subscribe. So the subscription, Camp Talk, is not a bar to people being able to do this. People who aren't.

08:05
Flush with cash can still subscribe to be part of this. Absolutely. Awesome. Awesome, I'm so excited. I love it when people come up. Different what's up.

08:18
Go ahead. Yeah. Different walks of different, different, um, walks of life. Come to the garden and you know, there's elderly people, um, where lady comes, she'll say, what can I get for $5? And I'll say, Hey, just give me, give me the five. I'll hook you up. Um, and you know, I always give a little bit extra love. That's just the way we do it at the garden. Yes.

08:42
Extra love is the best thing ever and I get it because we ran a CSA subscription for three years from our farm to market garden and we always threw in extra stuff because we were like People want it and we have it and it's just gonna go to the chickens if we don't share it with the family So why not just why not add some to the to the box? Yes, and so we're

09:09
We're focused on upcycling food, so nothing goes to waste. And like we do, I do have chicken farmers that we give our scraps to, but I also have a couple of restaurants that we bought or in exchange. I work with a pizza shop and they buy from us, but they also, if we have a load of peppers, I know it's a chef life, it's a window. So I say, hey, can y'all use some jalapenos this week?

09:39
They'll say, yep, we won't order from the truck. We'll order from you. And that offsets the cost for that week, just whatever they're spending on that, we're giving them a greater market value. And also I noticed they always give us praise, like, oh, these bell peppers lasted so long. The ones that came from the truck were already starting to rot and we got them. So we really appreciate the quality.

10:08
There's a big difference from picking from the garden and going directly to the restaurant. Um, you get a longer shelf life, you get a better quality, better taste, um, all of those, you know, points from that. Yes. It's amazing how the stuff from the garden, the produce from the garden lasts longer, but if you make homemade bread, homemade bread doesn't last as long as store bought bread because store bought bread has conservatives and stuff in it.

10:37
Yes, that, that, that, um, but once, once you, once your program, the other way, um, working at the garden, it, you know, I, I don't, I see differently. So when I go into a grocery store, I, uh, I kind of, I kind of skim past the produce section on different from certain times of the year. I really know I do check the quality sometimes and compare, but now that I'm eating

11:05
you know, from the garden, it's a lot more, I don't rely on it as much and it feels better because you don't have to accept what they give you.

11:19
Yeah. Um, so do you, do you actually feel better? Do you feel healthier eating from the garden? Absolutely. Um, so I'm, I'm, I was a healthy eater anyway, and I also grew my own things in the backyard. So, um, part of, you know, you have to be, you have to represent what you're doing. You know, you wouldn't sell a product if you didn't use it. So, um,

11:47
I'm always cooking at the garden, doing pots of soup, you know, making fancy salads, pickles and whatever. And I eat, I eat that daily. So it's, it's a part of my lifestyle. It keeps me going. And, um, we have a lot of people that come in with health issues and they begin to eat better and feel better. So I'm a, I'm a testament of that. It works eating healthy and cutting the meat out a little bit. Um, during the week I do, you know,

12:16
three, four days, no meat. And then, you know, on the weekends, I'll have a barbecue or something, but I try to do everything in moderation. Yes, absolutely. So how many people do you think that Aunt Katie's Community Garden has helped since it started? That's a great question because I was thinking about that last night. I think she made... So we serve thousands of people.

12:46
Um, I did have a number of the pounds of vegetables. I don't have it right with me, but like, like on an average day, you know, 10 to 20 people coming by yesterday, probably, probably more like 30, 40. Um, so, you know, so on a yearly basis, I think we serve, you know, thousands, we serve, you know, we're in a, we're in a, we're in a low income community. So we serve all those people.

13:15
And then we serve the people outside of that area, all walks of life. So it's, you know, it's up in the thousands.

13:26
Yeah. Do you guys donate any of the produce to food shelves or anything like that? Absolutely. We, um, we donate, we donate to the food bank. Um, we also have a free days where people can come and pick. We have church groups and, um, boys and girls clubs and different nonprofit organizations. Um, we give them a day where they can come, they come help us, um, finish projects.

13:56
weed beds, clean up and organize our seed houses. And then in exchange, they get to pick whatever they want, pick a basket of produce. Fantastic. So I feel like the whole thing is your favorite thing about Aunt Katie's community garden. But do you have a favorite story that you could share about it? So yeah, I love to tell.

14:26
the story of how I found the garden. So I was driving along, minding my own business and I kind of coasted by these raised beds because I was building my own raised beds and I saw like 40 or 50, I was like, what is this? And so screeched on the brakes, errr, backed up. So I parked crooked because I was like,

14:54
I gotta see what this is. And I saw this lady in the garden, bending over, working. And so I ran towards her and was like, what is this? And she was like, welcome to NK this community garden. My name is Miss Belvie. She's the queen of the garden. So I was like, I grow vegetables, I'm a da da da. Just going on and on and on, talking fast. And she was like, yeah, we've been here for several years. And

15:23
Um, this is what we do and and Katie, she was still alive then she looked at Katie lives over here and, um, so fast forward. So every Saturday I get up, I go to the garden and hound Ms. Bell via, uh, my tomatoes aren't producing. What am I doing wrong? And she's like, do you prone them? Like, no, I'm like, this is not growing. She's giving me so many tips. And so I know they were like,

15:51
this guy, he's never gonna stop coming. So it was like I was stuck in the garden. And so about a year later, I got a call from the director. He was like, hey man, I need your help. You know, I'm going through some health issues. He's like, and I need somebody that is passionate about this, you think you could fill in? I said, sure, I'll do a couple of days a week, you know, volunteer, whatever. And it ended up turning into a position.

16:21
He made me the deputy director and I've done, you know, so many, the garden is involved so much since then, um, not bragging about me, but you know, I, once I got in there, I just started putting in work, putting in work, creating new products, um, and then all my followers, people that, you know, in my network start coming, so it created a new influx of people too, as well. So that's the like.

16:50
kind of my history of being involved with the garden. That's amazing. I love it. I am so excited for you. This is great. So do you guys do any classes? Do you teach people about produce and growing and stuff? We do. Yes, we do. We do greenhouse workshops. So people, so the high tunnels are becoming a new wave in

17:19
our area, there's probably 80 plus that's been coming up in the past couple of years built by Mr. James Curaton. He's the builder. So they're popping up everywhere. The USDA is involved with assisting with the funding. So we have workshops where we come out and show people how to grow in those houses. We also show them how to grow in raised bed situations.

17:48
We have cooking and canning classes. I did a pesto party class. It was just like a, I made pesto kits and we just blended up the basil and garlic and cashews and everybody made pesto. And then I showed them the different things you can dip, used pesto vegetables, you can dip in the pesto, pesto pasta, just different.

18:15
The versatility of Pestos is great. I love Pestos. So, we do Pestos classes, we do herb classes. We do sound healing. Or we have an herbalist that does sound healing. So, in the greenhouse, we'll have a sound healing session. And it's the most amazing thing because you see people just so relaxed, tears streaming down their face. And when they done, it's like, oh my gosh, I feel so happy. Like,

18:44
Sound healing is a great, it's a great, great session. I would encourage everyone to try to do a little sound healing. It's very, very relaxing and empowering. Wow. Okay, so you guys aren't just about food, you're about overall healing and help. Yes, ma'am. Oh my God, I just, I was so excited to get hold of you guys and now I'm even more excited because this is amazing.

19:17
What you guys and yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Nope. Say what you're going to say. Oh, yeah. I wanted to also talk about, um, cause I'm an artist. I'm a, excuse me, my voice. Um, I'm a classically trained artist. Um, I've done, you know, painting, ceramics, pottery, all that kind of stuff. Um, as well as photography, but, um, last year. Well,

19:46
Two years ago, I filled out for a grant, the Verde Art Grant, and I won. And I was so excited. So what I did, I did a project called Cultivating the Community. And what that entailed was I went out and did portraits of these people that were connected with me through the garden. Um, I didn't realize that until after the project was done, cause all these people I either met through the garden or they came.

20:16
to see me at the garden. So I shot my friend Charlie and his wife there homesteaders. I shot a farmer. I shot Spencer our herbalist with his herbs. I did these black and white portraits and I did a greenhouse exhibit inside of one of our big tunnel houses. It was like one of the first that I've ever seen a art exhibit in a greenhouse and it was spectacular. It was so many people came.

20:46
I had lo-fi music in the background. It was just a total vibe. I had some of the panes were suspended from the beams by wire. And so you could see just the panes were like kind of floating in the air and it was great. As an artist, it was like a form of completion for me. It made me feel like I finished the project and the public really enjoyed it. And I had it up for like a month. So it was great.

21:14
It was great. It was time to garden in with my art. You are brilliant. And anytime you can bring creativity into a one focus thing, like, like growing plants is a one focus thing, but there's so many other things around it that you can bring in to get people's attention. Absolutely. Yeah. So even, even with growing, um, when I first started at the garden and it was trial and error,

21:44
I begin to grow things that, because I'm an artist, so colorful things. So I discovered purple basil, which is beautiful. Thai basil, which is beautiful. Um, there's so many varieties of lettuce that I went crazy. I probably spent about $300 on seeds out of my own pocket. And. I.

22:11
I was able to grow the specialty lettuces and I grew them in patterns in the greenhouse. So you got red, green, speckled, you know, like the frilly kind of lettuce. And it's just the textures and the variety in colors, it's art in itself. So I'll have to like inbox you some of the pictures of how it looked, but it's art. And people are like, this looks like you. I was like, thank you.

22:41
So you can express yourself through growing too. Just step outside the norm and grow some rainbow beets. People love those. You slice and you see all these rings on the inside. It's pretty cool and artistic. Yeah, we grew the peppermint beets, the ones that are white and red on the inside. Yes. And we grew red romaine lettuce and we sold them at the farmer's market. And my husband kept telling me that people would be like,

23:11
They're so beautiful. I've never seen this before. Yes. And they taste great. Um, there's, um, what, what are, what are, what's the newest thing? Um, it's the purple pea flower. Okay. Um, King tut beats. I mean, no King tut beans. So they're like the, they're like the, they're like the, um, snap, not snap, but the sugar snap peas.

23:38
but they're purple on the outside and when you crack them, they're bright green on the inside. Those are beautiful and they taste good. They're good on charcuterie boards. And what's the other? Oh, there's a lettuce called flashy trout back. It's a red and green speckled lettuce with like broad leaves. It's one of our most popular lettuce varieties. People love it. It tastes good and it's great.

24:05
in my spring mix. I do like a spring mix and those are some of my favorites right now. Well since you're an artist and I assume that you cook, there's so much artistry in cooking too. Oh yeah, I'm actually working on a cookbook. I have a lot of recipes I've been developing over the years and I finally sat down and made a list and categorized my recipes and

24:33
I'm the resident chef at the Garden light. And I've done a few cooking shows, segments with another one of our local cooks, Mr. Woodall. And I also cook with, we have a chef named Chelsea Gisleman. She's a good friend of mine. She actually beat Alex Garnaschelli on the Food Network. Oh my. Yeah, right here in our hometown.

25:02
She beat her on a food competition. So I'm really big on the chef scene. And I have a specialty pizza coming out September 23rd at Firestone Pizza. I developed a Jamaican jerk pizza with a Jamaican barbecue sauce. And it is phenomenal. We did the test run and I let the crew, all the chefs.

25:30
in the restaurant, they try, they say, man, you, you, you knocked it out the park. So that'll be featured for Dolphin restaurant week and the proceeds from that dish will go back to the garden. So we're, we're working together, man. I'm so excited about, um, reaching out and locking arms with these community, you know, community businesses. You are a busy man and you completely understand networking and marketing.

25:58
I'm so impressed. Thank you so much. So what's the, what's the future look like for this? Just, just keep growing. Yes. The future, the future is looking, um, I'm excited. So, um, I can, I can say we've the city and the CBDG grant. Um, they awarded us, um, some money.

26:26
I'm not sure if I can say how much, but it's a nice piece of change. So my plan is to get those funds matched because I want this project to be completely funded and built out to completion. I don't want to piecemeal it. I want it to be so the future for Aunt Katie's is a commercial processing center with coolers, you know, shelf.

26:55
places we can process and bag and cut our produce and put it in bags and jar it can it whatever we need to do and this processing center would also allow our small farmers to be able to use our facility to process their you know if they get a ton of tomatoes they can bring it to us and come use our kitchen maybe rent it maybe a small fee maybe not I don't know but this kitchen will be for the small farmers which we're

27:23
deeply connected with, they'll have a place that they can process their food and eliminate a lot of waste. So that's coming soon. I wanna say, in the 2025, 2026, I'm hoping that'll be done. Wow.

27:46
I am just blown away. I am so glad I got the chance to talk to you today, Oren. This is fantastic. Thank you so much. Oh, thank you for having me. I'll just, um, I'm just excited and, uh, I'm not a big talker, but when I talk about community gardening and what we're doing, I can, you know, freely speak with confidence about that type of thing. Any other subject I might be fumbling around, but this is a passion of mine. You can tell. And.

28:16
Um, I just get worked up every time anybody that's interested wants to learn. I'm just here to talk about it. Awesome. I, it's so funny. When I started the podcast, I was like, I'm just going to talk to people who homestead and garden and make things and cook. And then I found out that there were all these topics adjacent to it. And I have met so many amazing people doing fantastic things that helped their community in the last year.

28:44
And every time I talk to someone like you, I walk around just smiling all day long after, because I'm like, wow, there are amazing humans in the world still. Oh yeah. That's what I was talking to my friend, which he's a homestead of yesterday. And I w we were talking about, you know, the temperature of things today with the politics and all that type stuff. And I was like, but I said, people like me and you, we just, we're, we, we're living in our own kind of normal.

29:14
quote unquote, we're just normal people that want to grow food, take care of our families and just be regular in my opinion. And it's really encouraging to see these across these platforms, you see all these people kind of like-minded that's doing the same thing, kind of just trying to make the earth a better, the earth, not just America or where we live, but the earth, trying to make the earth a better place to live.

29:43
and take care and be just be kind to one another. And there's things that I can help you with. There's things you can help me with. So, you know, bartering is a big, it's a broad subject. We barter, you know, anything from goods to even just services or even just encouraging each other is bartering, you know, exchanging information is the same thing. So I'm real, I'm real confident that we as a people can, you know.

30:12
keep this thing going, you know? Yeah, what a great way to end the episode today. Thank you, Orran, for your time so much today. I appreciate it and good luck in the future. Keep doing the good work. Oh, thank you so much. Have a great day.