Jarose by any other name is still gardener

Eva Jarose, 91, of Clifton Park already has her garden planned.

She has planted seeds to begin the germination process so that, when the threat of frost is gone, she'll have hardy plants ready to go into the ground. Later will come other vegetables, fruits and flowers.

Mrs. Jarose will be selling all of it at her roadside stand, known as Sunshine Farms on Grooms Road.

Necessity

Mrs. Jarose has been working her acreage for decades. During hard times, she and her late husband, George, decided to clear the brush that surrounded their home and turn the land into a "mom-and-pop farm."

"In those days, it was necessary to grow your own vegetables, especially during the war years" of the 1940s, she reminisced.

Earlier, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, jobs were hard to come by, and her husband was occasionally unemployed.

"With four little children to feed, we decided that having a small vegetable farm was a good idea," she said.

Head start

For her interview with The Evangelist, Mrs. Jarose sat in her sunroom, warmed by a wood stove in the kitchen that she keeps stoked on chilly days.

The space was filled with seed-starter trays of tomatoes and eggplants, plus last year's geraniums resting in pots and waiting to be returned to flower beds. This year, she will also have organic raspberries.

"I have always grown organic food, and I sell just about everything I grow," she noted.

Volunteer

Mrs. Jarose, a grandmother of five and great-grandmother of 14, was recognized recently with an outstanding senior award for her compassion, sensitivity, enthusiasm and hard work over the years, and for her contribution to the community as a vegetable farmer.

A parishioner of St. Mary's Church in Crescent, Mrs. Jarose was a Eucharistic minister there until 2006. She has been involved as a volunteer in many organizations, including delivering food to the elderly and baked goods to Bethany House in Troy.

Because of her strong belief in education, she has also established the Eva Jarose Award, which gives ten scholarships each year to college-bound students.

Grounded

Gardening, however, remains closest to her heart.

"I so enjoy getting outside and getting my hands into the earth," she explained. "Something very special happens when one becomes connected to the earth through gardening.

"I believe that the Holy Spirit is a driving force in renewal and regeneration. When you look at the miracle of a seed sprouting and growing, you can see God at work. Gardening gives me peace and a connectedness to God. I feel we are all connected to one another, just as each part of our body is connected to the rest of it."

(04/03/08) [[In-content Ad]]