RISE UP AND GROW

[Guest guest]

> Sorry to get on my soapbox! I think a grassroots movement

> for home

> gardening, even when I find in my own locale it is almost non-

> existant as a

> possibility, would be a great thing for so many people! RISE UP

> AND GROW!

>

> Peace!

> --Laura B., in Illinois (Land of big farms and lots of pesticides!)

 

Fortunately that soapbox is beginning to attract a lot of concerned

people. Recent food scares such as Chinese melamine in pet food and

now in US infant formula

<http://news.google.com/news?client=safari & rls=en & q=melamine+in+infant

+formula

+usa & ie=UTF-8 & oe=UTF-8 & um=1 & hl=en & sa=X & oi=news_group & resnum=1 & ct=title>

recalled meat products, e.coli in produce, mad cow disease among

others are making more and more people question the safety of our

food supply.

 

With governmental agencies effectively working with/for agribiz

rather than for consumers it's harder than ever to know what's in our

food. The US is the only industrialized country that does not require

labeling of genetically modified ingredients in food. GMO products

are banned in many countries, while US consumers have been eating

them for years without even knowing it.

 

But the stats about home and community gardening are encouraging.

With the inevitable rise in food costs (think rising energy costs for

shipping), growing at least some of your family's food just makes

good sense. Great exercise, wonderful return on investment, perfect

family activity, wholesome food, the joy of preserving the harvest,

and the possibility of passing along your gardening expertise to

family and friends -- sure beats the average 4+ hours of TV viewing

or whatever the national average is now.

 

irene, getting off that soapbox to go start onion seed for next

summer's garden...