For South Shore Permaculture:

“Just when I was ready to give up on growing food and planned to put all my gardening energy into native plants, my friend Todd gave me a gentle nudge in the direction of Permaculture. I had heard the word before but didn’t really know much about it. After spending some time with Google and YouTube, I quickly realized that Permaculture was something I needed to learn more about. I signed up for the first session of South Shore Permaculture’s PDC (Permaculture Design Course). The first session went over the basics via an online Google classroom and culminated with an in person walk through a local farm. The classes are led by Todd and Jessica. They really are a dynamic duo! Both a wealth of knowledge but with different styles that complement each other. My intention was to just do the first session this year and maybe do a session a year until I finished the course, but I am already signed up for the next section and hope to keep going! I highly recommend this course. If you are in South Shore MA, are interested in growing your own food, helping the planet, etc then check out South Shore Permaculture! You won’t regret it!”

— David Baker

“My experience with Module 1 of South Shore Permaculture’s PDC course has been fantastic! The information received prior to the start of the course was timely, relevant and accurate. The material covered in the course has been accessible, detailed, and presented in a very professional and organized manner. Todd and Jessica are a great team and enhance each other’s teaching styles very well. While online training is not my favorite, the format has allowed for much easier access and flexibility due to my busy schedule. The in person portion was very rewarding and provided a great deal of practical insights to be aware of when considering a design. I am very much looking forward to completing the upcoming modules and am very confident it will be a most rewarding process!”

— Matt Whittaker

for todd — the grateful gardener:

“I have known Todd for nearly ten years. He was at first a vendor, growing fresh vegetables for my 'locally grown food' home delivery program. Later he became a founding partner in the Food Pantry Garden, an initiative to grow fresh fruit and vegetables for food insecure neighbors, create a welcoming, peaceful space for people to gather, and provide educational opportunities and workshops around growing food. 

Todd's passion for plants, growing food, creating sustainable systems, and peaceful spaces for connection, is tangible. These are not goals he sets for himself, but an ethos he lives by. He takes enormous pride in the quality of food he grows, and has been instrumental in the success of our Food Pantry garden which has become a much-talked about project in our community. We are fortunate to have his wisdom, experience, and commitment to vulnerable populations here on the South Shore.”

— Pamela Denholm

“I have known Todd for many years and have always considered him a guru in all my gardening/farming/sustainable agriculture needs. He is to the South Shore what Joel Salatin is to the Shenandoah Valley. He is able to simultaneously look at things and see them at a small scale, local level, and at the same time understand the big idea. Todd's ideas, taken to scale, truly have the ability to change the world. I'm happy to call him a friend and mentor.”

— Brandon Riordan

for jessica — the almond tree:

“Jess is an incredible wealth of information and exceptional chef! 

I have worked with her now in a variety of capacities and have had nothing but positive experiences with Chef Jessica!!

She is passionate about her work, possesses an exceptional attention to detail and brings with her a unique perspective to every project that she is a part of! 

If you’re looking for someone to help you embrace more ethical eating and make it easier to discover amazing new dishes, you definitely want to connect with Jess! 

Jess is also an amazing resource for sourcing local goods and produce!”

— Melissa Peralta

“Jess is a wealth of knowledge on everything from knife skills to how/where things grow to recipe development and more. She’s friendly and non judgmental and makes cooking (which is daunting to me) a whole lot less stressful and almost fun? Crazy! I appreciate everything The Almond Tree has done for me!”

— Alexandra Fisher