Why Are WE Making Goshen?

We have been asked by many people, "Why are you making Goshen?" Although we have many similar answers - our desire to live healthy lives, our love of food and gardening, our passion to preserve ancient culture, our ever-expanding environmental awareness, our dream to live in community, our faith in God, our effort to learn from our ancestors - our personal responses are very different.  

SARAH: A large percentage of my friends and family members have battled at least one of the most common modern diseases: cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. My Grandfather has had open heart surgery; a triple bypass operation. My Grandmother has battled cancer. My generation is facing a growing epidemic of disease.

According to the National Cancer Institute, "serious diseases that are linked to what we eat, kill an estimated 3 out of 4 Americans each year!"  

Goshen is a quest for a solution to prevent disease and famine so that my family, my generation, and myself can not only survive, but thrive, in the days ahead. From my personal experience and countless hours of research, I know many diseases are directly linked to our diet and lifestyle. 

After creating Back to Eden and eating from Paul Gautschi’s organic gardens and orchards, I believe in the medicinal and spiritual value of food. I drove away from Washington maintaining a fully local, fresh, and organic diet and encourage everyone I meet to do the same. For me, there is no other way to garden than the Back to Eden way - the gardening methods truly are revolutionary. However, throughout life there is always more to learn. 

Growing your own organic food is only step #1. Sustaining a physically and spiritually healthy lifestyle requires more knowledge and more action. We receive countless emails each month from Back to Eden followers asking how to save seeds, where to buy heirloom seeds, and even which variety of vegetables and fruits to buy! Goshen will answers these questions, reveal new steps, and teach you how prevent and treat modern diseases and famine by sharing diets and lifestyles from communities around the world! Our goal is for you and your family to experience health and food security. 

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DANA: Since I was a child, I have been curiously attracted to the idea of those who understand how to harmoniously live off of the provisions of the wilderness. Although I admit this idea can be easily romanticized, it wasn't until I experienced it for myself that I realized how disconnected I was from practicing basic survival skills in my daily life. In 2005, I embarked on a three month wilderness survival course on the glaciers and islands of Patagonia, Chile. Surviving in the wilderness was the most impacting experience of my life. I was surprised to find that it was not my connection to the land alone that allowed me to survive but my preparedness and most importantly my connection to the people around me. 

In many nations, advancements in modern technology, abundant access to clean water, food and shelter allow people to become comfortable and complacent -- it is not a necessity to think about how to acquire daily provisions. I believe that an integration of more sustainable living practices and survival skills may be critical for people to adapt in the near future.

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According to author Julian Cribb, "the global demand for food will more than double over the coming half-century, and the world faces looming scarcities of just about everything necessary to produce high yields of food – water, land, nutrients, oil, technology, skills, fish and stable climates, each one playing into and compounding the others. The coming famines of the mid-21st century cannot be solved by governments, by scientists or by farmers alone. We need a change in behavior by every person on the planet, especially in rich and urban societies.”

With this information I ask myself, what should my change in behavior look like? 

It is my desire to learn more about the following: 

1. SEED: How to save them for ultimately food security. 
2. SUSTENANCE: How to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet. 
3. SURVIVAL: How living in community can impact my spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being.

My personal experience living "off the land” and my knowledge of current environmental issues makes me passionate and equipped to share a message of seeking life, prosperity and hope in future generations, through producing Goshen. 

If you would like to be a part of the movement behind Goshen there are many ways to get involved:

You can support the production by making a tax-deductible donation by clicking here.
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