The Edible Apartment is a nonprofit that designs urban gardens, particularly on apartment building sites to educate, inspire well-being and create a food source for the community. I was so inspired by the woman who began this project, Jill Volat, that I had to meet her and photograph her gardens. I met Jill early one morning at her Los Angeles apartment where she began The Edible Apartment. She immediatly greeted me with a hug. We chatted, and she gave me a tour of her garden along with a sampling of some of her organically grown produce. Nothing like fresh arugula and tomatoes in the morning. The flavor was so authentic and earthly. Her journey creating this nonprofit unraveled and presented itself to her as she explored a new stage in her life. A life long gardener, Jill had just moved into an apartment and was craving getting back to soil and plants and a healthy lifestyle. But where to have this garden of her dreams? The abandoned front yard of her apartment looked appealing, and when she approached her landlord, he agreed. After an initial garden was planted, the neighbors came out to enjoy and converse with her. A lovely new addition to this project was inspiring others to eat healthy by sharing her produce, making new friends and creating a community around this garden. Since then she has established her nonprofit The Edible Apartment and continued to create new urban gardens around Los Angeles. Vacant lots have now been repurposed into edible landscapes. This is a brilliant idea. I love getting back to simpler times, getting in touch with nature and feeding our souls with the earth. Truly nothing is better for you. I have my own garden and love going out early in the morning to water and see what has happened over night. I find it meditative to garden and really look closely at the beauty of mother nature. Of course I love photographing all aspects of the garden. Such a pleasure to roam through The Edible Apartment garden and capture this admirable project. Never underestimate the power of a woman to change the community. Great ideas come from changes in our lives if we are open to them. As women, Jill and I have each turned our lives around after difficult moments. The most important thing to remember is to be open to change because great things can come from it. As my mother used to say, "Something good always comes from something bad." Don't fear the not so perfect times in your life. Dig down into the dirt and embrace it.