Backyard Gardening: Healthy & Sustainable

If you'd have asked me, even a few years ago, if I ever thought I'd be writing a blog on the benefits of growing my own food, I'd have laughed and asked what you were smoking. I had the idea that many people have: that gardening and compost are icky, reserved for peasants and farmers. I'd have insisted that I was fine buying most of my "fresh" produce from the grocery store. Ah, the clean, glistening aisles of the grocery store, where we can pick up and purchase what is labeled as a "fresh" tomato, without so much as seeing a blemish or a speck of dirt! 

...but what's really going on underneath that so-called cleanliness?

The truth of the matter is that local or homegrown organic produce is not only more nutritious but also better for the environment. They are free of pesticide residue and simply just taste better. Have you heard that adage about homegrown tomatoes? The idea that homegrown tomatoes taste better than their store-bought relatives is true.

One of the most important lessons I've learned in life is that a societal acceptance of an idea doesn't always mean that that idea is the best for society. Generally, people tend to accept beliefs that are comfortable, assuming that those beliefs are the right ones. We've seen this time and time again throughout history: everybody's milling about doing one thing until something better comes along and all of a sudden everyone's doing it that way. Take the industrial revolution or Henry Ford's assembly line production as two examples of this evolution. Instead of evolving physically, we're evolving mentally. And that's great. 

We see these patterns a lot in food and nutrition, especially in the last twenty years or so, since people began relying less on fresh, home-cooked meals and more on prepackaged or heat-and-serve meals. The 2000s brought an explosion of health food products, and now it seems we can find products that used to be unheard of (e.g. Veganaise, coconut milk) at most well-stocked grocery stores. Great! 

We're attracted to words like "natural" and "chemical-free," because we all want to take care of ourselves and live long, happy lives. More and more people are beginning to wake up and take control of their food choices and ultimately, their health. 

But wait a minute... is the wool still being pulled over our eyes? What if we don't always need these health food companies to produce the products that we're enjoying as deliberate and health-conscious humans? The object of any business is to make money and stay in business by convincing everyone that their products are necessary. Sometimes, they are. (I'm not going to go and make vegan cheddar cheese– I'll leave that to Daiya.)

But what I'm saying is, why buy organic produce if you can grow it yourself, and have even more of a hand in where your food comes from? If we're really concerned about the process in which our food gets to our table, wouldn't we want to make that process as transparent as possible?

If you say time is an issue, think of how long it takes to drive to the grocery store, choose your items, and wait in line. Setting up and maintaining your garden or hydroponic system takes half that amount of time, if that.

If you say money is an issue think of the amount you already spend on organic or treated produce ($1.99 per pound of tomatoes?), and then ask yourself: how much of that goes bad? Nature is abundant! Think of being able to walk out your door, into your yard or patio, and having more than you can possibly eat to choose from. Your neighbors and friends will love you, too, and who doesn't love love?

And once you get going with your bad, sustainable self, you'll learn so much and get so much more than what you bargained for, in all the best ways! Nature (and all of life, really) moves in cycles. Your produce is fed by sunlight and organic nutrients in the soil, which you can add to by composting biodegradable, natural products (like eggshells and coffee grounds) and plant waste. These items, which make up 20-30% of all of our waste, realistically should break-down once they're returned to the earth, but unfortunately the landfill system in effect doesn't make it so easy. In addition, when we take an active stance in waste management, in a way that's more hands-on than simply sending off our paper and plastic to recycling, we're able to see the whole metamorphic cycle of "gross" food scraps into a dense, nutrient-rich resource.

It really gives perspective to how often we rely on the concept of "out of sight, out of mind" to rationalize our choices.

By choosing to grow some of your own food, you're not only benefiting your health, but the earth as well! Gardening can be a pleasant experience for anyone, regardless of how big or small a space you have to work with. It's extremely rewarding when you pick your first baby eggplant or make salsa not only from scratch, but from home-grown scratch. Even if you don't have a green thumb, there are plant varieties that are easy to grow and very forgiving. 

In the coming weeks, I'll be posting more about gardening, both in containers and in outdoor beds. Other health and environmentally sustainable topics (like a more in-depth post about DIY composting) will be covered as well.

Remember: the earth is naturally abundant. Give it a chance to grow!