During the football season you can find San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk on the gridiron, and in the offseason, chances are you will find him in another one of his favorite places - his at-home garden.
The nine-time Pro-Bowler has a green thumb, and over the years, has expanded his gardening portfolio to include various herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Everything he grows supplements his diet, and Juszczyk believes his homegrown produce has contributed to his now 13-season NFL career.
"You get so much more nutrients from homegrown vegetables as opposed to store-bought, up to two-and-half times that," Juszczyk said."The fact that I eat as much as I can from what I grow, the farmers that I know and get food from them, I think it's really helped me stay healthy."
Juszczyk took the opportunity to express his enthusiasm for gardening and sustainable farming at an Earth Month volunteer event in partnership with 49ers and Cadence at the Veggielution Community Farm in San Jose on Wednesday morning.
"It's a passion of mine, and I love that there is all of you here today that share in that passion of gardening," Juszczyk said to the volunteer group. "I really do think there is something to just having your hands in the earth because I think it's healing. Just having dirt on your fingernails - I really do think it does something for your mental fortitude and for your actual health."
The fullback inherited his favorite hobby from his mother while growing up in northeast Ohio.
"My mom was always big into gardening, and she brought me and my brothers along from a very early age," Juszczyk shared. "I was probably seven or eight-years old."
The 49ers veteran has also found ways to share the fruits of his labor with his fellow 49ers players. Juszczyk's high-producing garden has created trade opportunities with teammates.
"Nick Bosa and I like exchange produce," Juszczyk said. "He's got an abundance of lemons and oranges at his house, and I introduced him to some persimmons because I got some persimmon trees last year. It's good to have somebody in the locker room to exchange with."
