‘To me, community happens around food’

By JODIE GARCIA, Herald Staff Writer

Joan Vibert makes her way to the basement of her old home.

There, her babies await.

She pulls a container from beneath a light and removes the lid.

That’s broccoli and cabbage, she says, gently touching the tiny plants.

Like any mother, Vibert worries about her babies, especially when she lets them go “on their own” outside, to survive and thrive under the rain and heat and wind.

And when she first started out as a grower, Vibert was so attached that she almost couldn’t eat her own produce, she said.

Vibert and her husband, Jim, have come a long way from their former life in the suburbs.

A life evolves

The Viberts were living in Leawood in 1988 when they decided to break away from the area and the suburban lifestyle.

“We thought we were simplifying our lives,” she said. “Little did we know...”

With a house in the country near Homewood and plenty of land, the Viberts had to learn from the beginning, she said.

Vibert said she started growing food for her family in 1994.

A year later, she started a community-supported agriculture group, or CSA. The basic concept of a CSA is that members pay up front and receive a share of the week’s harvest.

While a good project, the idea of members getting a share of everything, whether they wanted it or not, didn’t work well for some, Vibert said, and maintaining everything wore her out.

Vibert’s next project was gathering several organic growers in northeast Kansas to produce such ingredients as tomatoes, peppers and onions for salsas.

The group intended to sell their results, but a series of setbacks prevented it, she said.

“We all ate salsa a lot,” Vibert said.

Vibert later started selling her food at a farmers market.

But her newest effort, one involving a handful of area families, is a version of a community garden.

Community garden

Right now, eight families have joined Vibert’s group, and she has room for one or two more. Similar to a CSA, members are asked to pitch in as they can with planting, weeding and other tasks related to the care of the garden, Vibert said.

“In another two weeks, we’ll have so much planting to do,” she said.

The garden, which is about 5,000 square feet, will contain everything from greens like kale and spinach to vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, Vibert said. And much more.

“I’m really excited about it,” she said.

She said members will receive weekly e-mails detailing what foods will be harvested that week, along with prices, cooking hints and recipes.

Vibert said she especially likes the “community” part of a community garden.

She remembered the CSA and monthly dinners in her yard with good food and good fellowship.

“To me, community happens around food,” she said.

Reaching out

In today’s tough economic times, the timing is perfect to think about getting back to the basics, Vibert said.

She said our current culture is one of reliance on others for everything.

“People have no clue how to do anything,” Vibert said.

She said now’s the time to learn a life skill like gardening or cooking.

“I think there’s a real need for this,” she said.

Those looking for a more involved way of learning can attend one of Joan and Jim Vibert’s life skills workshops. The workshops cover everything from cooking to growing to sewing to woodworking.

Visit www.windwalkerfarm.com for more information.

Vibert said she also wants to work with Hope House to distribute her excess produce to local people in need.

“This is our way of giving back to people what we know and learned over the years,” she said.

Growing how-to

Though it may sound a bit daunting at first, growing food at home is possible, Vibert said.

She said if a large garden isn’t a possibility, try a small one, or even containers indoors.

“There’s no excuse not to,” she said.

Vibert said when she was first starting out, books and later the Internet were her main sources of information. But she quickly gained experience from her successes — and failures.

Vibert said a fellow grower once told her that a person truly cannot call himself or herself a grower until he or she kills at least 10,000 plants.

She laughed and said she used to have a hard time keeping houseplants alive.

“It can be learned,” she said. “There’s some instinct to it, but you can learn instinct, I think.”

Not only is it possible, but growing is fun, Vibert said.

“It gives you real confidence,” she said. “I like that aspect.”

Another side benefit comes from continual physical activity, Vibert said.

“I love that it keeps us in shape and active,” she said. “I love the work and the movement.”

And above all, nothing beats quality food straight from the backyard, Vibert said.

“You know that food,” she said. “It’s just so good.”

Herald staff writer Jodie Garcia can be e-mailed at jgarcia@ottawaherald.com.