Sustainable Food: Gardens

When I was little, I never thought much about the usefulness of gardens. My neighbors diagonally across the street were a retired couple who both were great at growing beautiful flowers and maintaining a great garden of fresh foods. I loved to go and visit when the weather was nice and they always shared some of their extra cucumbers or corn whenever there was too much for them to eat.

Now, grown up and in college, I realize how beneficial it is to have healthy, whole foods grown from your own garden. My mom used to always take me grocery shopping with her. At that time, I was always paying attention to how to pick foods, compare foods, and find deals and coupons. However, now that I'm shopping a lot on my own and the money is coming out of my own wallet, I really notice the prices more. Most people know that milk and eggs are the price indicators to watch out for. For me, I also discovered how much my eating habits (and my picky eating) is reflected in my receipt. When I think about how nice it would be to have my own garden growing exactly what I would eat and always being fresh, it sounds like a wonderful idea.

Of course, the idea of having your own garden is nice. I know that plants never fared quite well at home and only a few things that we grew in the backyard ever lasted more than a year. It's both time-consuming and hard work to grow your own garden. That's why my neighbors were lucky people to have the time on their hands and the passion for gardening that led them to have a great plot filled with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

What are the environmental benefits of gardening? I'm not an expert and I don't claim to know any scientific facts. I learned growing up that all plants helped with the oxygen and carbon dioxide cycles on our planet. So in my mind, I always equated plants with helping our earth's atmosphere. Plants also help the soil, whether its absorbing water in the right places or tampering with the soil's nutrients. The whole cycle of things makes plants just as influential as the beings living on earth. And unfortunately, humans are the most destructive to the delicate balance of things. With the way we consume, use, and abuse all the resources on earth, it makes me want to become an all-natural, organic farmer for a living. I've found an inspirational group (Real Food Challenge) that really cares about not only helping to sustain our earth but to help people (mainly college kids) eat healthy and make good food choices. Being at college and eating a whole bunch of unsavory and unhealthy foods...it really pushes me to want to make a difference for my own health and for others.

I feel that a lot of this has influenced my interests in cooking for myself and others, as well as my dream of opening my own cafe/restaurant with sustainable foods.