Revive the Victory Garden!

Revive the Victory Garden!

I am obsessed with food. Of all of things that we can purchase, food is the one thing that nourishes us. Yes, items can nourish our soul, but food is what nourishes our bodies – – it provides us with energy so that we can live. I think this is why so many of my posts are about food. We cannot go without.

60 years ago we were at war. We were fighting an enemy at faraway lands. Our government encouraged us to plant gardens at home. People came together to fight this enemy by planting gardens in their backyards. These gardens could help us fight the enemy from home and gave our citizens a sense of national purpose. Magazines told people how to plant and tend to a garden. Co-ops were developed. This community effort brought together families and neighbors to provide their own food so that more was available for the war effort.

Today we are again at war. This enemy does not have a face. It is not an enemy that we can see. However, this enemy can threaten the nature of our lives and planet. This enemy is global warming. Let’s fight is by planting a garden. A victory garden over global warming.

Why would planting a garden have an impact on global warming? Our current food system is created so that the salad that you are eating today (in January) has traveled over 1500 miles to get to your table. The lettuce and tomatoes have been sprayed with petroleum based pesticides, heavily packaged, and transported in air polluting airplanes and trucks. This salad has contributed to global warming.

Start making plans for the future. Reduce your reliance on this system. Dig up your lawn and plant an edible garden. If you don’t have a lawn, put plants in pots on your patio or balcony. Use your rooftop, sprout some seeds, or visit your farmer’s market. Eat with the seasons. Talk to a neighbor. Let’s become a community fighting this enemy. Let’s no longer make the 1500 mile salad a standard. Let’s fight global warming with a victory garden.

btw, need more incentive? one 2 cent seed will provide many more veggies than you can purchase for that at the store. planting a garden will save money!