Food Independence

This blog is dedicated to following me as I try and live a more sustainable life.  But lately I have been going through a bit of a identity crisis as to what kind of life am a trying to build.  I sat down last night and I tried to sort that out as best I could.  The first thing that came to mind was food. 

What do I want to do about my food? 

Food and eating for me is a topic near and dear to my heart.  Like most people I love to eat and I think we are hard wired love eating.  This love of food can have its negative consequences.  If you eat the wrong kind of food like most people in America today it has the effects we are seeing now.  A obesity and diabetes "epidemic" is sweeping across the country following the explosion of cheap heavily processed food we find in grocery stores and restaurants. 

Now don't misunderstand me I love a big greasy burger and fries as much as the next guy but I know that I can't eat like everyday.  I personally will get physically ill if I consume to much greasy sugary foods.  My tolerance for that type of food is nothing like it was when I was growing up.  Maybe that is true for some of you or maybe you can still live of off that type of food. 

All I want from my food is to be nutritious, healthy and safe for me to eat.  With the modern food system in America putting all sorts of chemicals that are made to kill things on the crops and pumping animals full of steroids and antibiotics just to keep them alive.  I am beginning to become afraid to eat anything from the grocery store.  When you can't find anything that hasn't been hosed with chemicals or as a ingredient list so long and confusing you need a PHD to understand it, its time to take a step back and go wait a minute. 

I have stepped back and gone wait a minute and for me there is only one option,

I have to get better food....

These days the many options you have to get food like this is growing with farmers markets springing up across the country and co-ops forming in many cities.  These places will carry many types of food from commercially grow produce complete with chemicals or it can carry Organic and all natural foodstuffs.  But you will most likely pay more that you would in the grocery store because of economies of scale.  The organic local producers cannot produce as much as industrial agriculture that is a simple unavoidable fact.  If you have the money to spend this can be a great option and will guarantee good wholesome food for you and your family. 

But if your like me your finances are tight and you have a itch to grow your own then gardening on a big scale is the way for you.  I choose to garden because I like to and it gives me a better connection to my food and helping me to respect it and myself more. 

For the summer season I will be dedicating this blog to all things food and gardening. 

I along with a few of my friends plan on growing as much food as we can this summer with the goal of being largely independent of the modern food system.  You can follow my daily and weekly activities in our big garden under the Learning Curve Garden tab at the top and I will be posting here about all sorts of food related topics till the end of the season.

So please join me as I learn about food and eating this summer

Until next time my fellow environmentalist.

Josh