High food prices lead to growth in backyard gardens
Categories: Eating & nutrition, In the news, Environment
Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle inspired me this spring to add on to my small garden patch and put in a full-fledged and fairly large vegetable garden. I spent last weekend planting tiny little carrots, caging tomatoes, and training sweet peas onto a string, then stood back to admire my work. I fully intend to be standing at that same spot in August, wondering how the whole thing got away from me. I'm not the only one trying to grow her own food this summer. The double whammy of $4 per gallon gasoline and skyrocketing food prices have people running for their compost bins. Nearly 40% of people with backyards responded to a poll done by the Garden Writers Association, saying they intended to plant a garden this spring. Food safety and sustainable living are other issues that are inspiring people to get their hands dirty.
Rising food prices weren't my main reason for
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Judy 5-17-2008 @ 1:46PM
We're slowly digging up little patches of our backyard to grow things. Right now we have a tomato patch, some beans and peppers, melons and squash, and my 4 yo randomly scattered some corn and sunflowers, which are growing in strange places throughout the yard.
We are concerned about the prices, yes, but also the environmental impact and the growing practices of our produce. No, we will never be able to grow it all, but we're going to try what we can. The hardest part, for me so far, is learning how to grow things in our climate (Deep South Texas), where the intense prolonged summer heat makes it more difficult to grow things that otherwise would do just fine. Then again, we might get fresh produce in the winter when other people can't. Mostly, I'm just learning as I go, but regardless of what we do or don't successfully grow, we are all getting lots of exercise and fresh air, and my sons are learning where their food comes from.
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Jan Bay 5-17-2008 @ 9:19PM
The benefits of exercise, fresh air are big plusses, but there's a lot of evidence that eating produce soon after picking has lots of nutrional value that might be lost in a truck ride across country. Plus, you get to make some decisions regarding the chemicals that are poured onto your veggies. If you have to buy a tiller or lose a crop or two you might not see much financial gain, but the pros still outweigh the cons by a mile.
Personally, I'm wrestling with using the farmer's market and growing some stuff myself. I don't have a lot of confidence in my gardening abilities on a large scale.
Jan from http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/
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Bethany Sanders 5-17-2008 @ 11:10PM
Jan,
I'm with you. We're also getting a box of veggies each week this summer from a local farmer, to supplement what I don't manage to grow :). Farmer's markets are an excellent solution as well. I couldn't believe how much we saved last year by visiting ours each week.
Thanks for commenting!
Grandpa's Kitchen 5-19-2008 @ 1:51PM
Because of a need to eat gluten free we have began to manufacture a gluten free mix. This mix can also be made lactose free. It is a delicious bread and is loved by everyone that has tried it. We tried every gluten free bread mix and ready made bread on the market and finally decided we either had to create our own bread or quit eating bread all together. Our mix makes one large loaf. It does not dry out and become brittle as it sits. Heating it up either in the microwave or toaster makes it taste just like it did when first made.
We know how difficult it is to make a bread that appeals to children, however, our bread is very good. It can be toasted, made into a grilled cheese sandwich or any sandwich, and is also delicious as french toast.
If anyone is interested in purchasing our bread please get back to me, Joyce Shrock at grandpaskitchen@gmail.com. We are located in Utah.
Joyce Shrock
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