Why You Should Grow Your Own Food

I feel like I should take a step backwards and explain why I think it’s important to grow your own food, even if I’m just preaching to the choir.

The first thing I think people notice, though maybe not the most important, is flavor. The vegetables you buy in the store have been bred to ship well, store well and look good because failing at any of those things cost producers, shipper and retailers money. They aren’t concerned with your satisfaction with the product once you get it to the table because they’ve already made the sale and they expect you to have forgotten how it’s supposed to taste and for you to season the hell out of it or use tons of condiments.  Ironically they make ship and sell those to you too.

Part of their motivation for breeding plants with those characteristics is so they can take their time with shipping (slow shipping is cheaper), ship them long distances (to higher priced markets) and store them under sub ideal conditions (because refrigeration is expensive). Unfortunately these practices destroy nutrient value long before visible signs of decay appear. Nutrient content wasn’t part of their breeding program to begin with, so they are starting the race in the rear.

Thirdly, the producers, shippers and retailers have an arsenal of chemical pesticides, fungicides, preservatives and ripening agents to aid them in the illusion of “fresh produce”. Theses weapons against decay are questionable at best in regards to human safety for the consumer and the farm workers and routinely have to be replaced by “newer and better” chemicals as long-term data concerning human exposure becomes available causing older chemicals to be banned.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the newest under researched weapons against decay, unsightly produce and small yields. Plants are altered at the genetic level to resist herbicides and to even to produce their own pesticides. Early use of this tactic was for the production of animal feed, which resulted in the poisoning death of huge numbers of livestock (Google it if you don’t believe me on any of this. I’m too lazy to add links to the proof). Today some 90% of soybeans, 50% of corn and a good amount of other grains (feel free to correct my numbers. I’m just throwing them out there now) intended for human consumption are GMOs.

Other interesting reading can be found by searching: The X Gene, Monsanto (try putting in the word “evil” next to it), GMO corn contaminates Mexican native corn fields, Food inc, banning of seed saving in Iraq by Bush, Percy Schmeiser, and http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/273328.html

These issues can be debated ‘till the corn walks home. The one thing that both sides could probably agree upon is that it is totally unnecessary and completely avoidable if you have backyard of any decent size (sht, grow in the front yard if you’re low on space), have the gumption and the know-how to grow it yourself.

Please leave a comment to let me know your thoughts, thanks,

-Rik clay soil, fix clay soil, amending clay soil, planting in clay soil, gardening in clay, clay, soil, vegetables, vegetables in clay, organic vegetables, soil amendments, compost, composting, making compost, vegetable gardening, organic gardening, Merced clay, Merced gardening