For me, that question prompts many responses. From a sustainability point of view it makes sense to grow as much as possible of our own food. The carbon footprint of the food grown there is much less than food which has been grown half way across the country or in some cases half way around the world. Generally a garden produces more than enough for the family doing the work, so there is excess to give away. That covers the social responsibility aspect of our global citizenship.
When planning a garden, we can include enough output to preserve food for the rest of the year. Once we have learned the proper and safe ways of preserving food, we not only have an ample supply of wholesome food for the off season, but we have the satisfaction of knowing this was something we did with our own hands.
I mentioned wholesome or healthy food. The healthiness of the food will depend on our treatment of it while growing and once harvested. To preserve it we have to learn the proper methods and ingredients to include. That takes care of food safety. But there is also the matter of preserving and then consuming foods that we preserve such as jams and jellies, with large amounts of sugar, which is not a good thing.
There are artificial sugar substitutes, but my feeling is that they are worse than sugar due to their synthetic composition. I am not sure that our bodies know quiet how to handle some of the synthetic additives being promoted as healthy in the various media. There are natural sweeteners such as stevia, that do not have the glycemic loading of sugar and other similar products. You might want to investigate this further to see if it will suit your palate.
Of course there are also endless adulterations to food stuffs through the use of toxic chemicals and genetically modified (GMO) seed. While there is still much debate about the safety of GMO foods, I prefer to err on the side of caution. Not enough independent scientific information is available to prove GMO food safety, especially over a persons lifetime. I try to stay away from such material.
With one’s own garden it is possible to procure non-GMO and even heirloom seeds and plants, many of which are produced organically, and grow healthy crops. I am not a certified organic producer, but that is because I refuse to have the government tell me what is or is not organic.
I have watched the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), reduce the standards for organic crops, solely to placate one big chemical company or another. My feeling is that if you have to wash something several times before consuming it, after it was treated with a “safe” chemical, then the chemical is not safe. One of my greatest pleasures in the garden is to pick and eat my produce without washing and worry about what chemical(s) I may be ingesting.
Now other health benefits of raising your own food, might include getting you off the couch and outside.Doing this instead of sitting in the house eating junk food while watching the mindless drivel, which usually is the standard fare on the television, certainly would seem to be a health improvement. Fresh air and sunshine at least for a short time every day can go a long way to helping us feel better physically and better about ourselves. According to some research we need some small amounts of direct sunlight every day to help fight cancer and depression.
The activity, provided we have good enough health initially to do physical work, is great for our bodies and overall health. I know personally that my physical and mental well-being is much improved by physical work and play in the sunshine. The fresh air we breath that is cleansed even more by the presence of trees and a large chemical-free garden, help clear the body of toxics we accumulate each day cooped up in an office or worse yet an industrial facility. Offices and industrial facilities where our exposure to all manner of toxics can be extreme, even with the best controls and regulations in the world, account for so much poor health that it is no wonder that those costs continue to skyrocket and health related lost workdays continue to rise.
While all of us having gardens will not solve all these problems, having your own garden can go a long way towards helping you improve your life, and well-being. The sense of accomplishment every time you harvest and either prepare and eat or give away something that you grew with your own hands and the help of the Almighty, can by itself be worth the expense and effort of growing your own garden.
Since I have made some comments above about health and things relating to improving your health, I have to also advise you that any claims or opinions expressed about the healthfulness of any food or activity are purely my own and have not been evaluated by the FDA or any other big-business controlled government bureaucracy. Of course, before embarking on any strenuous activity or work, be sure to check with your health care provider to ensure you can do so safely.
Now that we have that housekeeping chore out of the way, all that remains is to wish you, happy gardening! And remember a great spring garden begins with great preparation in the autumn.
All the best,
Dave
© August 2012 By David Posival, Post Oak Enterprises
No comments:
Post a Comment