I know that my posts have been all about gardening as of late, but it is completely on my mind. Growing your own organically raised food is an excellent way to live a simpler, greener and healthier life! So, here is another post about gardening!
This morning, I read a very interesting article in my local paper. It was in the section entitled Country Sampler by Nancy Ralston and Marynor Jordan. They write about all kinds of seasonal, countryside topics. It is always a great read and reminds me of the usefully practical articles that abound in small town newspapers throughout the Midwest.
This morning’s column read “Let’s hear it for prosperity gardening.” Nancy and Marynor go on to define living green as “raising fresh fruits and vegetables and bringing this produce to the dining table, sharing it with family, friends, neighbors, and others, whatever feasible. It also involves replenishing the earth that provides bounty.” That is a definition that I can certainly get behind.
In proposing that we all start a Prosperity Garden, Nancy and Marynor offer a new spin on the Victory Gardens of the early to mid twentieth century. (More on that in a minute…)
Victory Gardens (gardens planted at private residences in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom during WWI & WWII to reduce pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort) were so popular that they accounted for more than 33 percent of fresh produce grown in the United States during wartime. First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, saw to it that a Victory Garden was established on the White House grounds in 1943. Sadly that tradition did not continue (though the Clintons did grown some food in containers on the rooftop!)
It’s been big news that First Lady, Michelle Obama, has been overseeing a new kitchen garden on the south lawn of the White House. Some of the produce grown in the garden will be used at State dinners and a local elementary school will help tend the garden throughout the summer. This garden has organic and local food supporters drooling! Imagine the First Family inspiring American citizens to start growing their own food again!
I grew up with a wonderful garden in my backyard (I have found memories of picking raspberries with my mom and digging potatoes with my dad) but I didn’t have a garden of my own until a few years ago. It is exciting to see people, young and old, getting back out into their gardens (or containers) again. I talk about gardening every chance I get and encourage others to try to grown something, anything themselves. It is such a rewarding experience. So, hooray for the Obamas!!
Imagine what we could do to the national food supply if we all grew something. I don’t have any fancy statistics to back it up, but it just makes sense. There are websites popping up all over the web advocating the revitalization of the Victory Garden, offering tips on container gardening in urban settings and encouraging people to truly understand where their food is coming from.
So, back to Nancy and Marynor and their Prosperity Garden. These two spunky ladies have hit it right on the head- “We don’t need ‘recession,’ ‘recovery’ or ‘survival’ gardens, we need Prosperity Gardens to get us through these touch economic times and we can do just that, get through them and prosper!”
How’s that for a little Monday inspiration?