Opting Out of the Corporate Food System With My Own Garden

2011 wasn’t as bad as it was because PC’s everywhere, especially mine, were crashing.  It was bad because of the way people came to disregard others, evidenced most obviously by the growing rift between the rich and the poor, by outsourcing and the record number of foreclosures.  Fifty percent of American households live in poverty now.  I find that statistic alarming, to say the least.  In addition, food prices are going up across the board, though retailers are passing along those increases very slowly so as not to shock consumers.  In response to those factors, as well as the general distrust of the “Have’s” that has arisen on the part of the “Have Not’s”, people like me are looking for alternatives to buying their food from big corporations.

The last few weeks of 2011 found me pouring over garden books and seed catalogs.  I am determined to become more self-sufficient rather than continue to rely on those who have proven themselves only reliable in serving their own self-interests (corporations).  On the first day of 2012 I took the plunge and ordered my first round of seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, the largest non-government seed preservation organization in the United States (http://www.seedsavers.org).  In all things I do, I use a strategic approach, even in what appear to be my more impulsive moves.  The strategy behind my garden choices is multi-faceted: 

1. I chose foods that I love to eat but are heavily sprayed with pesticides when commercially grown, so that I can have the organic version at home without paying exorbitant prices at Whole Foods (it’s like food extortion, that place, I refuse to pay $4 for a pear, unless I am directly related to it and it's being held hostage).
2. I ordered the bulk of my seeds from The Seed Savers Exchange, which offers only seeds that are heirloom or open-pollinated.  This means that the plants grown from these seeds will have the same characteristics as the parent plants.  I only have to buy these seeds once.  After my first growing season I can save the seeds from the fruits and vegetables I’ve grown, and use them to grow the following year’s crops, as well as share with others who wish to grow their own, so that after my initial investment, I will save money on my grocery bills every year for as long as I continue to garden.
3. This year’s seed choices are also based on foods that I like to eat fresh in abundant quantities or that I can preserve for use throughout the winter:  beans that are dried on the vine; tomatoes and other fruits for canning; root vegetables that will keep well for a long while; melons that my kids love but I can’t afford to buy in the store anymore, and other produce that freezes well.
4. Several of the crops I chose can be grown in containers, some can be grown vertically (climbing vines and the like), and others in raised beds, preventing me from having to double dig the hard, heavy, clay soil in my backyard.  Last year, we broke the shaft of a spade because the soil was harder than the wood.  Call me lazy, but I’m not crazy.  I still need time to write every day!  And I don’t want to buy new tools every week.
5. Planting by the moon.  It sounds like woo-woo to some, but it’s an ancient practice used by native cultures the world over.  I’ve heard from many different people that their grandmothers swore by it and that their crops always did well while others’ failed.  I’m using a calendar and information I found at Gardening By The Moon (http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/index.html) to learn the system.  The idea behind it is that the moon’s gravitational pull affects not only the oceans’ tides but more subtle bodies of water as well, including the water in the soil, and that this dictates the optimal time to put a seed in the ground or when to harvest crops or cut plants back.  As a newbie to gardening, I'll take every advantage I can get.

Here is a rundown of what I am growing this year, including seeds that have made their way to this country from other parts of the world, maybe even from your country, dear Reader:

Beans:

Black Valentine--an excellent source of Vitamin B12, which prevents the graying of hair, something we all need in this wildly changing world!  This is why Latin Americans keep their dark hair color so much longer than the rest of us, black beans are a dietary staple in that part of the world.  (fresh or dry; bush habit)  

Bumble Bee--high in vitamin and mineral content (dry; bush habit)

Calypso--originally from the Caribbean; great for baking and soups (dry; bush habit) 

Ireland Creek Annie--an English heirloom, named after Ireland Creek Farm in British Colombia where it was grown before it was brought to the U.S.  (bush habit; dry)

Kentucky Wonder Pole--American heirloom originally from Texas; prolific; wonderful fresh eating. (fresh, vine habit)

Carrots:

Paris Market (you guessed it, originally from France) they are small and round, about one to two inches in diameter, and can be grown in containers rather than in a garden bed.  Handy in case I decide to move before the season is over!

Ground Cherries:

Before I saw these in the Seed Savers catalog, I never knew such a thing existed!  Supposedly they are very sweet and make wonderful preserves as well as fresh eating.  They do in fact grow on the ground, which will be interesting.  I may not get any if the local wildlife has anything to say about it.  The fruits are yellow, the plant is sprawling.  

Corn:

Blue Jade--kind of a dwarf corn that can be grown in containers, it’s sweet and has steel blue kernels until boiled and then the color turns to a “blue jade”.  

Cucumbers:

Early Fortune--a slicing cucumber to be eaten fresh

Russian Pickling--Originally from Perm, Russia, they are sweet and have good crunch, meant to be pickled.

Eggplant:

Listada de Gandia--From Southern France (1850), lovely white oval fruits with purple stripes, they are heat tolerant, an important quality here for Missouri summers.

Lettuce:

Forellenschluss--Austrian heirloom Romaine, great flavor, heat tolerant

Winter Density--Bred in England, both cold-tolerant and slow to bolt in hot weather.  A sweet, crisp Bibb-Romaine.

Melon:

Charentais--French, from the Poitou-Charentes region, renowned as the most flavorful melon in the world.  I hope that is still true when they are grown outside of France.

Petit Gris de Rennes--Another French heirloom, this one documented almost 400 years ago in the garden of the Bishop of Rennes, probably lasted this long because it’s orange flesh is rumored to taste much like brown sugar.  I can’t wait to find out if that’s true!

Pepper:

Bull-Nose Bell--Grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.  If it was good enough for Jefferson at Monticello, it’s good enough for my Dad’s garden, too!  Goes from green to red, can be eaten at either stage.

Golden Treasure--Italian heirloom variety (finally!  I’m representing) Sweet, can be fried, roasted, or eaten fresh.  I bet I try all three.

Tomatoes:

I am American of Irish and Sicilian Italian descent, so my tomato list may look overwhelming to a non-Italian.  It’s a genetic as well as a social/cultural need, tomatoes.  I will grow two kinds for my father, and three more for myself.  It’s a bit much, but I’ll list them here in case you’re interested.  Feel free to skip to the end if you get bored.

Italian Heirloom--the fruits weigh over a pound and are great for slicing or canning, excellent flavor.

Large Red Cherry--fruits are almost two inches in diameter.  I chose these for myself, but how much do you want to bet my father will stand there and eat them off the vine when he visits?  

Martino’s Roma--Italian heirloom for Dad to make his slow-cook sauce.  For that, I will grow tomatoes all summer!

Riesentraube--from Germany, the name translates into English as “little bunches of grapes” which is what they look like, except tomato red.  A yummy snack, I hope they grow well in hanging baskets.

Rosso Sicilian--A Sicilian brought these seeds to the U.S. in the late 80’s, according to the story, and I can’t resist the name or the fact that they are Italian heirlooms.  They have an unusual shape, more wide and flat with multiple lobes.  Another tomato for making sauce.

The End

  

I’ll keep you posted on how my personal version of the “opting out revolution” goes.  Meanwhile, I’d like to hear from you if you are doing anything to opt out yourself.  There are readers of this blog from all over the world, some of whom are curious about what day to day life looks like from inside the United States.  We are equally curious about what goes on in your neck of the woods!   Does anyone else feel like it’s in their best interest to grow some of your own food or take up hunting and fishing as as supplement like my friends and family?