Goodness Grows News

May 2022

Newsletter # 55

Springing Into the Growing Season!

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Mulching. Digging. Planting. Watering. Weeding. And before you know it...harvesting!

All of those words describe what's on the minds of our entire GG team right now. These folks have been working hard and are the perfect bunch to pull off another fabulous growing season!

Welcome to Our New Staff Members!

We are so glad to welcome these three into (or back to) the GG family!!!
We look forward to a fantastic summer with all of you!

Weekly Market Starts Saturday!

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We are very excited to be a part of this new adventure! Come see us this Saturday (and every Saturday thru October!) at Columbiana's newest farmer's market, right across Rt. 14 from Firestone Farms. Harbel's (replica of Harvey S. Firestone's horse barn named after his favorite horse) is home to an impressive display of Firestone memorabilia, as well as a farmer's market from June thru October. Part of Vagabond Village at Firestone Farms. Explore history, enjoy the beautiful area, and find amazing local vendors. Hope to see you there!

GG at the Flea

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We Flea for one reason - community! The Youngstown Flea hosts a “Market For Makers” one Saturday per month from 9am-3pm right in the heart of the Downtown Youngstown area, dedicated to local/regional vendors of hand-made, antique and repurposed wood/metal/furniture, vintage clothing, and collectibles.


For 2022, GG will be at the Flea on 6/11, 7/9, 8/13, 9/10, & 12/4!

Come See Us at the Festival

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Columbiana Wine Festival is an annual one-day-only wine tasting event featuring local music, artisan vendors, delicious food, and selections from area wineries. The festival is held at TownCenter at Firestone Farms, 101 TownCenter Avenue in Columbiana. Wristbands are $25/advance, $30/gate and include a commemorative glass, tasting booklet and 10 tasting tickets. Advanced tickets are available at the office in the Columbiana Area Visitor’s Center at 11 N. Main Street or online: bit.ly/ColumbianaWineFestival2022. Advance sale wristbands will be available for pick-up at the gate during the event. Regular admission wristbands will be available at the gate for $30 starting at 4pm on June 11. Stop by our table to figure out your favorite jam/wine pairing!

Jungle Jam & Juicy Jam

Jungle Jam: Blueberry Jalapeno, Hot, Cranberry Jalapeno,

Cherry Habanero, ​Pineapple Habanero, Dragon


Juicy Jam: Cranberry Orange, Strawberry Lemonade,

​Sugar Free Strawberry Blueberry


These are the flavors we currently have in stock.
Our jam supply will change as fruits move in and out of season. Is there a favorite flavor you don't see? Let us know and we will try to put it on our list of jams to make!

Remember, if you return an 8oz. jam jar, you get $1 off the purchase of a new 8oz. jam!

Additional Items We Offer


Handmade Wine Cork Cat Toys - $1

Handmade Organic Catnip Toys - $4

Fresh Dried GG Grown Herbs - $1

Fun on the Farm

At the beginning of May, we took a field trip to our client Shawn's neck of the woods. Big thanks go to Rita and Kathy for an amazing day!!!! We visited farms, met beautiful animals, learned about milking, silage, soybeans, selling beef, and so much more! Everyone had a blast seeing the sights and spending time with some of the friendliest folks in northeast Ohio. You can even check out one of the places we visited - Johnson Family Farms. After having lunch there, we can absolutely recommend their hamburgers! Delicious!

Busy Days in North Lima

It is a good thing that our crew members are full of energy because they sure do have a lot of responsibility here at Goodness Grows. We take time each week to clean inside Common Ground and, if the church will be having Communion, we bake the Communion bread for them. We also set up for church events and for any other events that occur here. We spend time in the kitchen, practicing our skills and trying out other recipes and, of course, making our spicy and sweet jams! In the warehouse, we work to keep things tidy and we have been sorting and preparing for our Annual October Giveaway. Outside, we take care of the landscaped areas to keep things looking nice by weeding, planting, and weed whacking. We also run the farm portion of the property. Our CSA program brings needed funds into GG, so we spend much of the year tending to fields, gardens, and raised beds of all sorts. Starting on June 30, we will add harvesting and CSA pick-up prep to our list of tasks. Isn't it amazing what out fabulous GG family accomplishes together?!?!?

Be a GG Volunteer

We would love for you to be a part of the work and fun! Volunteers are always welcome and appreciated. Stop in to see us (9am-2pm Monday-Friday) or give us a call. There are many, many ways to get involved. (Note how happy volunteer Nicolette was at GG last week! YOU could be that happy, too!) As the JM Barrie quote says, "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

Plenty of Smiles, Guaranteed!

Are You Spring Cleaning?

The annual Coat & Clothing (& More!) Giveaway is coming up fast! Scheduled for Saturday, October 15, 2022, 9:30am-1pm, it is held in the warehouse above Common Ground Church Community. We accept donations all year of clean, useable items. So, if you are cleaning out coats, clothes, household items, toys...anything you think might help someone else...please drop it off here. Leave items under the overhang behind the warehouse or bring them into the Great Room of the church to use the donation barrel. No need to wait eight months!

Check out our website & Facebook page to learn more!

Goodness Grows is a faith-based 501(c)3 non-profit operating out of Common Ground Church Community. Our mission is to cultivate personal, social, and community growth through gardening, education, and opportunity for people of all abilities. We are working to improve people's lives through social and therapeutic gardening practices. We'd love for you to join us!


Create. Cultivate. Thrive.