Come On People! Join the Garden Revolution
Why not feed the people everywhere and let the peace begin. Turn your swords to plowshares everywhere and feed the people. Stephen StillsThere is a garden revolution happening all over the country. People are taking responsibility for their food and have begun small gardens on the porch, a windowsill, a small patch of yard or a large swath of land. Recently StillPoint Schoolhouse and the Foodshed Alliance, here in New Jersey, hosted their first Organic Gardening series and the class was full of eager amateur gardeners interested in learning how to grow food without the use of chemical sprays. This course will go through the spring, summer and fall months and will include growing vegetables, fruits and herbs, preserving, canning, fermenting and freezing produce in anticipation of the winter months.Interestingly, there are many communities and farms in America offering these same kinds of classes. Our local community college gardening courses have a long waiting list and people are turning to on-line courses to receive their information. This is the most powerful kind of revolution, when communities of people come together on their own initiative and then share their knowledge. Although it may seem like a lot of work for some people for others the reality of our food supplies political unpredictability has individuals preparing for the worst and stocking their larders with quality food.One example is the small town of Sedgwick, Maine that recently passed a Food Sovereignty ordinance, declaring the right to grow and sell their locally grown foods without the oversight of any state or federal regulation. These kinds of actions are in defiance of our governments attempts to control all large and small farms, including family gardens. It is when the people take action, by themselves, in community with others, and for the Earth, that a wave spreads across the land bearing fruit in the form of organic gardens filled with bees, butterflies and organic food, lots and lots of food.According to the Org! anic Con sumers Association 75 percent of the worlds food is produced by 1.5 billion small farmers. Enough food is produced for 9 billion people showing that organic farming can feed the 6 billion people worldwide. The blame for hunger and obesity lies with the overproduction of junk foods, how it is distributed and what it does to ravish the land. The garden revolution is a direct F-you to the destructive manipulations of companies like Monsanto Corporation. By turning the soil in your backyard or community garden and planting organic heirloom seeds you are sending the message that you will no longer tolerate the toxic, poisonous food you are being asked to consume.And look what else is happening to your supermarket purchases! A recent New York Times article, Food Inflation Kept Hidden in Tinier Bags, by Stephanie Clifford and Catherine Rampell, reveals that packaged foods give a smaller yield for the same or higher price in todays market place. In other words, it is getting more expensive to buy lower quality foods and people are realizing they can save money and stay healthy by growing their own. There are plenty of other reasons to grow your own food as outlined in a recent Care2 post, 7 Reasons Why You Should Grow Your Own Food, but being part of a revolution without having to march on Washington with pitchforks raised in the air, can be as simple as planting your own food, boycotting the commercial GMO imitations and teaching others in your community to do the same.
Delia Quigley is the Director of StillPoint Schoolhouse, where she teaches a holistic lifestyle based on her 28 years of study, experience and practice. She is the creator of the Body Rejuvenation Cleanse, Cooking the Basics, and Broken Bodies Yoga. Delia's credentials include author, holistic health counselor, natural foods chef, yoga instructor, energy therapist and public speaker. Follow Delia's blogs: brcleanse.blogspot.com and brokenbodiesyoga.wordpress.com. To view her website go to www.deliaquigley.com
