I never considered being a farmer, but farming grew inside me as life grew. When I was a young girl, my mother always kept beautiful houseplants around. Plants always made the house warm and brought a sense of stillness inside a household of seven kids. My mother would sing to her plants and nurture them, which made them thrive. Almost everyone who came over to our house was always in awe of how big or vibrant her plants were.
My first gardening experience happened with a lady named Ms. Mary. May she rest in peace. She was an elderly African American woman that lived next door to us who would spend time with me and we would grow lots and lots of marigolds off the land and in old car tires. The marigold came with instant seeds you could take and replant immediately, and more beautiful flowers came. I remember seeing the tiny little sprout when it broke through the soil and how excited I was to witness growth with my own eyes. Some days, I wanted to stay in the soil all day and not even go to the park to play basketball, which I loved.
2020 was a shifting time, and the world was becoming more ill with many health concerns. At the time, I was coaching in my fifteenth season in the WNBA for the Chicago Sky. I decided to return home to Phoenix and focus on my health concerns nutritionally and the concerns in my community. The main concern for me was learning how to grow food and eat the food that I grew. It has been the biggest challenge I have faced and am still seeking to overcome. “I only want to eat God's food, and that would require I lose my taste for man-made food, processed, artificial modified food, and whatever else they are doing out there.” I started building my foundation on an ½ acre community garden in the middle of the desert. I wanted a community garden because I wanted to give other people this opportunity as well, and we
could then, in turn, learn from each other. The journey has not been easy, and the countless hours pulling weeds, growing soils, growing compost, seeking volunteers, and raising funds were not what I was familiar with, but I committed to it because I knew the importance. My faith in God is what leads me here. Living a natural life, eating from the land, and being one with it puts you in a different space. Now, we are in our fourth year with the Bridget Pettis Foundation. We have tilled the land, planted many seeds, and grown pounds of food in south Phoenix, Arizona.
With the start of Ms. Be’s Garden Market and its functioning commercial kitchen, the sky is the limit. Every day, I am reminded of the one seed I grew with Ms. Mary in our garden in the projects and how we made our small spaces beautiful. Now, we want to make our spaces healthier.
I can’t say I’ve discovered a new passion in the kitchen because I’ve been cooking since I was a little girl. I love using my hand to create something that heals, tastes good, and makes you feel good. Our primary focus is to make the meals we prepare and fresh juices accessible throughout our local community. We plan to support most farmers' markets, schools, senior citizens, and local food banks. We are open to expanding opportunities and excited for what more is to come. For more information on what we are doing in our community, please go to BridgetPettisfoundation.org and msbesgardenmarket.com 🧡🙏🏿
Ms Be