Big Dreams and Microgreens

Jacqueline Jackson is turning family lessons into fresh produce for her Alabama community

- by SYMIAH DORSEY

SNIP YOUR SALAD Radish, sunflower, and kale microgreens will pretty up your plate.

"IF YOU CAME TO my grandmother's house, there were two things you were going to find: discipline and food,” recalls Jacqueline Jackson, the owner and operator of Mattie's Garden, an urban farm in Birmingham that’s named after her beloved matriarch. On Saturdays, Jackson brings her harvest-lush bundles ranging from arugula and bok choy to her coveted microgreens—to Birdsong Farmers Market. Each crop is a reflection of her joy and the lessons of generosity passed down from the women before her. “I'm a vibrant person with a vibrant personality, so I like my produce to look bright, friendly, and colorful,” she says.

The idea for Mattie's Garden sprouted years ago while Jackson was working as a banker and searching for her next path. Monday through Friday, she thrived in her career, but during the weekend, she was in the garden, planting seeds for the future she envisioned. “I fell in love with it,” Jackson says. “I did not want to put it down on Monday morning.” She and her husband saved up so she could leave her old job behind. Seven years later, she hasn't looked back. “I'm not one to give up on things, and that’s something I also saw in my grandmother,” she says.