It’s been an incredibly significant week in the history of the world.
And at first it seemed slightly surreal to blog about vegetable recipes in the midst of it all!
Yet strangely, how to feed ourselves is one of the most critical topics on the current political agenda. And not just in the USA.
In this month’s “Dis-Patch from the Veg-Patch” section of our newsletter, we talked not only about our own efforts to grow food in the back garden, but also spoke for a second time about the Eat the View campaign to persuade the new President to convert the White House lawn into a “Victory Garden” designed to inspire others to do the same. Less food miles so less petrol (oil) and less carbon emissions, less pesticides (oil again), less global warming, improved health, lower healthcare costs …
The resounding message right now is not just that “we are what we eat”, but that “we are how we grow and buy what we eat”.
Over on AboutMyPlanet, there is a timely reminder from Craig Baird that if we are going to change how we grow, we’d better do it soon. A reminder that the way we grow – and shop for – food now will have a direct impact on whether we’ll be able to grow food at all in the future. According to some estimates, in only 91 years, one in two people will be going hungry because of the effects of rising temperatures both on crop yields and on how much water falls to fill supplies.
Barack Obama invited Americans to “seize gladly” the opportunities to meet our duties to the planet and the people on it. Whether or not you’re American, if you’re already committed to personal changes designed to preserve and sustain our life on earth, keep going! Is there any more can you do? Who else can you inspire?
zero waste week
And if you’re at the beginning of this journey and are not sure where to start … how about starting your own Victory Garden? Or reducing your household waste just like Mrs Green and so many of the residents of Gloucestershire this week?
And (of course!) how about moving away from eating oil disguised as asparagus flown in from Peru, and moving toward simply buying, cooking and savouring the flavours of what’s in season where you are?
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Hey
Thank you for the mention of zero waste week; it’s a great challenge for people to take on as a way of living a greener 2009.
Funnily enough, I’ve just been thinking of a few plans for our own garden. Last year we had an abundant crop of horsetail and bindweed on our clay soil; so much so, we almost turfed everything over during the autumn. However, we’ve decided to try and love our land more and make it more productive for us. I did it one year and it was totally amazing; now I need to do that again. And with all your lovely recipes to inspire us to use our bounty, there is even MORE reason to stop procrastinating and just get on and do it.
Trouble is, the bottom of the garden is like a boggy marsh at this time of year. Ho hum….
Great to have you drop by, Mrs G!
I was thinking about the bottom of your garden … how about going for a paddy field?!
Just in case you could use some reminders about how to get started “growing your own”, here’s a link to the summary of the webcast we did with Penney Poyzer on that very subject. The summary includes links to useful resources and a personal planner document too :
http://blog.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/2008/12/08/ready-steady-grow-your-own/
PS thanks for the YUMMY carrot cake idea – http://tinyurl.com/b7kbng
I agree, if everyone started eating food that was grown/raised locally, we’d cut our carbon footprints by a LOT. I took an ecological footprint quiz, and “food” made up more than half my footprint
http://www.ecojoes.com/ecojoes-ecological-footprint/
Anyhoo, I started my “victory” garden last year, but there wasn’t too much victory in it :-/ Hopefully this year will be better for it
I’m delighted to say that this article has been featured in the latest Carnival of the Green blogcarnival:
http://www.getwithgreen.com/2009/01/25/carnival-of-the-green-164/
Thanks, GetWithGreen!
Hey Joe – thanks for dropping by. I loved your blog about making paper. I have got stacks of scrap stored for when I can make myself a little frame.
SO excited to hear about your Victory Garden … can you share with us where you did your footprint test?
Hi,
Thanxs for the visit earlier to my little blog. I appreciate it. That is a scary statistic, the one about how in 90 years one in two people will go hungry.
I personally know (unfortunately) of a few souls who live recklessly and because they don’t go without, don’t really think too much about those who do go without. And it boils my blood, so to speak. Because the future is not going to remain as we see it now. But these are also the same people who will not fully understand the REASONS why things will be, the way they will be.
We all need to do our part and help in whatever ways we can. Not too sound to morose. lol. But that is a scary stat, and fact is, it could very well be true. I wish more people would HEED the call to action. You know.
I’ll get off my pitty pat pot now. Glad to have met via the Eco Carnival.
Talk soon,
Missy.
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