Reflections from our Gardeners

“The community garden has been a great experience for me. Not only because I get to learn about and enjoy organic produce, but also because it has exposed me to the amazing women associated with The Sisters of St. Joseph. The garden has cultivated a sense of community for me, opened my eyes to environmental and health issues, and connected me in meaningful ways with women who I consider to be spiritual leaders in our community.”

“I learned so much from everyone there about gardening and really felt like I was a part of a passionate community. We had great conversations as we worked together, yet nothing was ever forced – it just happened.”

“Celeste's Dream Community Garden has been an exemplary new partner for the Campus Kitchen at Augsburg College. Last season, we were the grateful recipient of over 100 servings of garden fresh salad greens. The quality was inimitable, the care put into every facet of the garden obvious, and the taste divine! Thank you for your partnership!”

“I have personally found the garden as a way to slow down during the week. It is an opportunity to connect with others and the earth which does not happen as often as it should in this busy, fast-paced world! What has struck me the most about the garden though is the people who "stop by" on their way to a concert at St. Kate’s, after walking the labyrinth, etc. Their surprised reaction to people gathering for organic gardening to primarily share with others shows the true "magic" of the garden.”

“Fresh produce is not the only thing growing in the Celeste's Dream Community Garden. From our first conversations in a learning circle, to our most recent gathering to plan and order seeds, this garden grows change, nature's poetry, fortified people, hopeful community. The symbolic presence of the garden, the radical thinking that growing vegetables on common ground through the simple work of our hands and blessings of earth and sky and sun is a profound statement about the kind of world that can be created. Our first conversations focused on sustaining the common good. For me, the practical response of creating and growing a garden is both immensely logical and sincerely magical. The existence of the garden has led to other things, new relationships, fresh sustenance for the next cycle of community building, community growing. The garden lives in my world as space- physical, spiritual, and metaphorical for all of sacred life. And working in the community garden is fun- bugs, heat, dirt and all.”

“I joined Celeste's Dream's community garden two years ago now, and I relish meeting every week to get my hands dirty. I knew virtually nothing about gardening before I joined the group, and the framework of collective group work and ownership of tasks, in union with teaching and experiential learning, has made for wonderful growth in me. We have become a tight-knit community that can also teach and learn from each other, and we are constantly have new people join us. I have now learned everything that I need to know to start a garden for my community, or to grow my own produce at home - so that wherever I go and whatever I do I will take my experience at the Celeste's Dream garden with me. Of course, there is also the food itself - I take home as many veggies as I can eat every week, and we still donate 50-100 pounds of produce each week with those in need. It has also been wonderful learning how to process many of these foods, whether it be salsa, pesto, or some other delight. The last aspect of the garden that I want to mention is its willingness and eagerness to establish relationships with other gardening and cultural & environmental health groups - it has been a pleasure to be able to get to know the folks at Dream of Wild Health and to form partnerships with them. This spirit has led me to get involved with other garden-related groups as well, and I even had the pleasure to use data from GardenWorks of Minneapolis to map all of the community gardens in the neighborhoods along Lake Street for an interactive kiosk portal that will be included in an exhibit on the history of Lake Street at the Minnesota Historical Society this coming Fall. It started with one seed, and for me that was the Celeste's Dream garden. Thanks to them, their funders, and the continued health and success of both.”