Hey Steemers!
I want to share the beauty and bounty of my home garden. To grow our own food is to benefit ourselves, others, and this beautiful, spinnin' ball of water we call home.
My dear friend
@anwenbaumeister helped my family to build raised beds from scrap redwood lumber. We wheelbarrowed dirt and planted sprouted seedlings. Just to name a few... brussel sprouts, kale of several varieties, carrots, radishes, sorrel, arugala, beets and an abundance of lettuces. My family consumes damn near a field of salad greens every day, which left us skeptical that the garden could fulfill such high demand. We figured it would be a fun experiment and a great supplement to grocery goods. Little did we know (thanks to a particularly wet California winter) that the beds would explode into abundance.One of my favorite morning practices involves venturing out to the beds to collect greenery for the day. I take a moment to thank the environment that nurtured these plant babies into existence. There are many things to be grateful for. Among them is the fact that we know exactly what substances have been on and around our plants. Namely, none. None of those creepy "ides" (herb, pesti, insecti) that accumulate in our bodies and rec havoc. Additionally, plants offer the most vitamins and minerals when harvested at peak ripeness and consumed soon after. These nutrients are GOLD for our bodies.
Additionally, the only energy required to transport the goods are the calories spent on my short walk to the backyard. Thus, I receive the gift of movement and some extra Vitamin D. The planet is spared from any noxious greenhouse gas emissions. Everyone wins! It has always struck me as bizarre that humans have managed to remove themselves from the food web. Consider this: we are the ONLY SPECIES whose waste products are not food for another. Our trash accumulates, leaches chemicals into waterways and soil, and does the whole ecosystem a disservice. How did we manage that? Why is it something we accept?
I consider our veggie patch to be a small act of resistance against all of society's harms. It is food sovereignty; it has a small carbon footprint; it is enjoyable and delicious and beautiful. Thank you Earth, for allowing me this gift.