Pilgrim Terrace sprouts a healthy plan for its residents and the community in 2024

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Pilgrim Terrace senior living property also has a community garden on site and with that it is serving up a healthier game plan for the community in 2024.

The Terrace Foundation garden has many uses.

Part of it has been sectioned off for 50 community gardening plots that can be rented by the year. Some are already producing vegetables, some are set aside for students and another senior housing project.

Anyone who gets a plot can immediately begin growing their garden with daily access. Some urban farmers already have lettuce, kale cabbage, broccoli and herbs. Tomatoes and squash are expected to be in the ground in a couple of months.

The Terrace Foundation is a non-profit and the farm is approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a site to produce the freshest food for chefs in the nearby kitchen. That's where daily, healthy meals for seniors are prepared.

Pilgrim Terrace Executive Director John Jeffries said, "it's all about taking control of your own food supply and that's one of our main thrusts, is that we have to get back to basics  in Santa Barbara and we have to set the bar for everyone else in the country. That means we have to eliminate food insecurity in our city."

The message about healthy eating and encouraging nearby residents to farm on the plots has been embraced by several residents, some who are signing up this month to kick off the year.

The site for plots available for rent is off Modoc Road on the densely populated Westside where there aren't many stores for fresh produce. Jeffries said, "it's very, very important for this side of Santa Barbara."

Some areas of the farm are for the Pilgrim Terrace senior living housing where  there's 84 units. Some of the garden plots are set aside for nearby school kids and some for another senior housing site. The rest are for the community to dig into.  One urban farmer looked over his two plots he's loading up with vegetables and herbs. Louis Cassano said, and said, "develop your style of gardening so you can benefit your family with healthy food.  That's the goal."

The farm grows has traditional styles of growing in the ground and greenhouses for microgreens. It also uses the these low water use towers filled with seedlings that mature in two months. "By eight weeks we can get the harvest.  The harvest is just absolutely wonderful, the nutritional value is off the scale.   The reason it is off the scale is because they are constantly watered and constantly fed."

Some of these vegetables are bought by local restaurants. There's also an on site farm for the Pilgrim Terrace residents to enjoy the bounty at their meals. "What we are doing is 108-thousand pounds of produce out of this little garden a year right now and we can actually triple that," said Jeffries.

The Terrace Foundation Director of Agriculture Amanda Catlett said there is a robust future ahead for all the programs. "figure out what needs we have in the future and set up some systems, meet our goals for feeding the community and grow beyond our potential, beyond where we are at right now."

Some of the daily harvest was being chopped up in the Terrace Foundation kitchen for the daily mid-day meal. "It gets plucked and while it is still alive it gets served as a nutritious meal  for the people that we  cater to," said Catlett.

Under the Terrace Foundation plan, their residents get one free nutritious meal a day and many have seen their over health improve significantly.

Joe Mulvihill has been a resident about three years. "II find that I really only eat one meal a day and I am very active. I go to the Y (YMCA) and I am out and about so it is sufficient and it is really good."

The Terrace Foundation said it has plots available for more urban gardeners.

Donors and supporters who join the non-profit also have access to boxes of fresh produce on a regular basis for a modest fee. One of the recipients was in on Wednesday and said his box was always filled with more than enough vegetables for his family. That included a variety of lettuce, kale, microgreens, and other seasonal vegetables.

Some of the microgreens are also sold to local restaurants who are supporting the non profit garden and serving the fresh ingredients to their customers.

For more information go to: www.terracefoundation.org