Read by Michael Flamel

As I begin this collection of stories about gardening and farming across America, I find myself reflecting on how deeply the land has shaped my own life. Like many families in this country, mine traces its roots to people who worked the soil for their living. Generations before me rose with the sun to tend fields, plant crops, and harvest what their families and neighbors depended on. Farming wasn’t just work—it was a way of life, guided by seasons, weather, and a respect for the land that sustained them.

My own appreciation for growing things took root through my father’s memories of his grandfather’s farm in rural Tennessee. When he spoke about it, the farm seemed almost magical—a place of open skies, hard work, and simple pleasures. To him, it was a refuge, and through his stories it became one for me as well. Long before I ever planted my own garden, those tales sparked a curiosity about how things grow and why the land matters so much to those who care for it.

Although I was raised in a suburban community outside Sacramento, agriculture was never far away. Family farms dotted the surrounding landscape, and neighbors still kept productive gardens and orchards. My father taught me how to grow vegetables at home, and nearby farmers often put me to work during busy seasons. I learned how to stake tomatoes, prune fruit trees, gather eggs, and appreciate the patience required to help something thrive. Those early experiences instilled a lifelong respect for the effort behind every harvest.

Now, after more than forty years spent gardening and working in publishing, I have the pleasure of sharing these stories through GreenPrints Garden Club. In this StoryBook, you’ll find ten stories that capture the spirit of gardening and farming as it has been lived and remembered across generations. Though I’m the one retelling them here, each story began with someone else—a family member, a neighbor, a farmer, or a friend who trusted me with a memory worth keeping.

Over the years, I’ve also gathered stories from colleagues in other creative fields—travel, crafting, cooking—reminding me that people everywhere share a common thread: memories tied to food, land, and the joy of growing something with their own hands. No matter where we come from, stories rooted in the soil seem to resonate with all of us.

As you read through these pages, I hope you find moments that feel familiar, comforting, or inspiring. Perhaps they’ll remind you of your own garden, or of someone who first taught you to plant a seed. And maybe, in time, these stories will become part of your own family traditions, passed along just as they were passed to me.

Gardening is never only about plants. It’s about connection—to the land beneath our feet, to the people who came before us, and to the communities we nurture today. May your garden continue to grow, and may it always be filled with stories worth sharing. ❖