After 25 years of living in Meadville working as an accountant, John Clendenin wanted something new. He recently bought a house and 170 acres in Centerville, PA. He and his wife Dona will move to the new farm within the next month and will begin a new life there. "I've been looking for a farm for a long time," John said. "We wanted three things. To raise our own food, heat with wood, and have our privacy."

The new house, which was built in 1985, needs some repair work, and John bought local wood to repair it himself. "The house was built on an old barn." John said and pointed at a concrete wall showing under the house.

John had already pursued gardening in Meadville and had a small garden packed with vegetables. At his Meadville house on busy North Main Street, John has a wonderful garden, not too big in size, but blossoming, and full of fruit and vegetables ripening. "This is my little garden," John said.

In this garden John grew three types of tomatoes, beans, four types of cabbage, celery, zucchini, asparagus, rhubarb, Swiss chard, basil, red raspberries, black raspberry and cauliflower. "I try to pack a lot of vegetables in this small garden," John said, but was frustrated that there was too much shade on the garden making it harder for the plants to grow.

John was ready to expand anyhow, and has decided to move some of Meadville with him. "This here is my pride and joy," John said pointing to a Bald Cyprus tree that he planted a few years ago. "Of course I'll take it with me to my new farm."

For his dream of starting a farm that would be appreciated and actually have a market, John and his friend David Vines helped spearhead the initiative of creating the local farmers market on Saturdays and Tuesdays.

One of John's wishes is to rekindle the pride in being a farmer, and expresses the importance of growing healthy food for the community. "I will not try to compete with the conventional agriculture," he said, " It's a whole new ball game. I'm choosing to do something different. In the Meadville Area Local Growers we grow food for the people! Not industrial crops."

His mind is full of big ideas and plans for his new farm. Pointing at a large square of lawn, he shows his visitors where he will begin his first garden. Around it, he already has Apple and Pear trees that bear fruit. "In the front, my wife is planning on having a perennial garden," John said. "I hope I'll have sheep and beef cows in the future. Maybe I'll plant an orchard up on the hill. I don't know yet, we'll see what happens.

John and Dona have two boys: Evan 24, and Nathan 20. "Nathan wants to have a farm with horses," John says, "so if he comes to live here and help me, we'll get horses."

"In the old days, everyone plowed with horses," John said. "One of the good things about horses, you raise your own replacement, it's kind of a self-maintained farm. But with a horse, you can't plow a large field, you just can't."

His neighbor, who grows soybeans, corn and oats, cultivates approximately half of John's land. "Eventually I would like to take over the whole field, and turn it into grass and hay to feed the animals," John said. "Hopefully I will turn part of it into a pasture for livestock."

"I have lots of plans, and a vision for the farm." John said. "What's frustrating is that it will take four to five years until it will start looking like I want it to." He said. "But this is what I'm gonna do for the rest of my life."

By Shira Leon and Amanda Kralj, Local Foods Network Interns