Why I LOVE Gardening...and a little more...
John and I have been joking about my homesteading project lately. He's part of the group that tends to think I may be a little too ambitious in this area, for now, considering I am expecting a third child. Most of you know that he grew up on a working ranch. And of all people, he knows the work that goes into it. I understand how he feels, because I tend to need his help and advice quite a bit. So MY homestead project is actually, OUR homestead project. And he loves me so, that even after a long week at work, or a late night, he will help me with whatever scheme I am currently concocting. He did put his foot down when I mentioned a goat. And although he may shake his head at some of my ideas, he really enjoys most of it, especially the garden.
And I am enjoying this sooo much! I can not tell you how satisfying it is to head out to the garden at 4:00pm, gather greens, fresh spices, garlic, and come in the house to make dinner with the addition of a can of beans, tomatoes (which I hope will be growing soon), and ground turkey. Voila! I have put dinner on the table with food that has grown in my own backyard! I love it. I much prefer this, to heading out to the local grocery store with kids in tow. And even better...I don't have to worry about e.coli and tainted lettuce.
Is it just me, or is this tainted food business getting a little scary? When I grocery shop, it's usually at my local Smiths. We don't need to buy a lot of beef, since we get most of ours from John's family's ranch, but on occasion we buy some good cuts, or buy ground beef that we always seem to be low on. Imagine my shock this morning, as I read about the Smith's beef recall. The version of e.coli in their tainted beef causes, "bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure"! That's just grand. Thankfully, none of the beef I purchased has been recalled, but it still has me wondering whether it belongs in the trash.
So there's my number one reason for gardening. I am not scared to feed my kids what I grow myself. This coupled with the fact that I absolutely HATE grocery shopping has me rethinking how, and where I will purchase my food. In this pursuit, I found a great website, http://everydayfoodstorage.net. I am going through the process of building food storage, and I am going to try to grow and purchase my produce from family run farms in the area. This will give me peace of mind, save money on the grocery bill (which tends to get a bit out of hand), and eventually, hopefully, get my bulk shopping trips down to once a month. Maybe that will free up my time to eat all those bon-bons I'm supposed to be consuming!
And I am enjoying this sooo much! I can not tell you how satisfying it is to head out to the garden at 4:00pm, gather greens, fresh spices, garlic, and come in the house to make dinner with the addition of a can of beans, tomatoes (which I hope will be growing soon), and ground turkey. Voila! I have put dinner on the table with food that has grown in my own backyard! I love it. I much prefer this, to heading out to the local grocery store with kids in tow. And even better...I don't have to worry about e.coli and tainted lettuce.
Is it just me, or is this tainted food business getting a little scary? When I grocery shop, it's usually at my local Smiths. We don't need to buy a lot of beef, since we get most of ours from John's family's ranch, but on occasion we buy some good cuts, or buy ground beef that we always seem to be low on. Imagine my shock this morning, as I read about the Smith's beef recall. The version of e.coli in their tainted beef causes, "bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure"! That's just grand. Thankfully, none of the beef I purchased has been recalled, but it still has me wondering whether it belongs in the trash.
So there's my number one reason for gardening. I am not scared to feed my kids what I grow myself. This coupled with the fact that I absolutely HATE grocery shopping has me rethinking how, and where I will purchase my food. In this pursuit, I found a great website, http://everydayfoodstorage.net. I am going through the process of building food storage, and I am going to try to grow and purchase my produce from family run farms in the area. This will give me peace of mind, save money on the grocery bill (which tends to get a bit out of hand), and eventually, hopefully, get my bulk shopping trips down to once a month. Maybe that will free up my time to eat all those bon-bons I'm supposed to be consuming!
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