I heard a quote recently that really hit home with me. I thought about it all day long and realized fully just how true it was.
Growing food is one of the most dangerous occupations on this earth because you are in danger of becoming free. – Jules Dervaes
I could not believe how simple and amazing this truth is. When we do not grow our own food we are slaves to food companies, grocery stores, and a government that promises to protect our food supply but often doesn’t. We have to worry about food prices sky rocketing, the noxious chemicals and pesticides that may be inside our food, and having to rely on OTHER people for one of our most basic human needs. We certainly would not want to rely on other people for oxygen to breathe and we should also be a bit more concerned about relinquishing all control we have over our food supply.
The concept of a victory garden remains just as important today as it was in years past. During WWII you would see posters encouraging you to grow your own garden so that you could avoid the restrictions of food rations and become more self sufficient during what had to be stressful times. Families grew their own food on what land they had. Other people gardened in vacant lots, on rooftops, and in city parks. Public schools even designated areas for gardens and the students maintained them.
The purpose behind the victory garden was to lessen the demand on commercially grown 
produce and thus more would be available to the Armed Forces and lend-lease programs. We don’t really have this problem now but we still need to reconnect with our food in the same way. We cannot trust in many of the companies that grow and supply our food. They are in this business for money, not to feed and soothe the masses. They don’t care if we are ingesting petro chemicals and pesticides that may give us cancer down the road. We may not be able to continue to feed our kids healthy, organic foods if this economic meltdown continues. We do not have to just accept that though. We do not have to take it laying down. We can grow our food to the extent we can and with each veggie we grow we are just a bit closer to food freedom. We don’t have to be victims… we can be the victors… all we need is a little homegrown revolution.
I am gardening for food freedom this year. Are you?
In honor of the upcoming planting and growing season for most of the US I am going to chronicle my journey and I encourage everyone else to do so as well. Even if you grow just one or two things this year… perhaps some cilantro in a window box or some tomatoes on your porch you are growing your way to freedom. Send me pictures of your efforts and your produce and I will even post some here with a link to your blog if you have one. Let’s come together this year and garden for freedom and support each other while doing it.
If you don’t have a yard to garden in you might try some of the following:
1. Plant in containers on your porch, patio, or window. Use any space you have available.
2. Use any resources you have available. You can recycle stuff you already have to make containers or even go to thrift stores and look for old pots. Check out the book Don’t Throw it – Grow It for eco friendly and frugal gardening ideas. It shows how to grow 68 window sill plants from kitchen scraps.
3. Look for a community garden that will give you a designated spot or plot to garden. You can also join up with friends or family and plant at one of their homes if they have the space and you don’t. I did this one year and it was great.
4. Find a small secret place to garden at a local park. I know one gentleman who gardens in various places in Central Park!
5. Do you have an elderly neighbor who used to garden but can’t anymore? Volunteer to work their garden in exchange for half the produce.
6. If you can’t find any way to garden then support another gardener or local farmer. Buy from local farms and skip the middleman.
So let’s get busy! And email me your pictures! Grab the button below if you want to as well.
Related posts: Frugal Gardening
