Victory Gardens, Revisited
During WWI and WWII the government needed to address food, fuel and transportation shortages, as well as bolster moral in the civilian population.
Victory Gardens were a major weapon in the war effort on the home front. Growing or at least buying local produce was the thrust of this program.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt led by example, establishing a victory garden at the White House.
Victory gardens were enormously successful. In WWII alone, about 40% of the national vegetable supply was being grown by 20 million Americans.
World War II is long gone, but with every age comes new challenges. Today, in the 21st century there is a real struggle going on to reclaim the right to healthy, natural food, increase self-sufficiency and implement sustainability.
Why are Victory Gardens making a comeback? Here are some modern food facts:
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Corporate farming on chemically sterilized, fertilized and weed-controlled soils produce large crops, but nutrient quality is greatly diminished. We eat more vegetables but get less nutritional value.
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Genetically modified foods are everywhere, but consumers don’t know which ones are. There is no requirement to label such produce as genetically modified.
Since the verdict is still out on the effects of these modifications, depending on the grocery store for produce can be problematic if you want non-genetically modified produce.
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Fresh produce travels approximately 1500 miles from field to point of purchase. That not only further reduces the nutritional value, but also uses tremendous resources for transportation.
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With droughts, floods and crop subsidies, the price of produce keeps rising. Today's economic times call for new approaches. Growing our own food is one good answer to saving money without limiting our nutrition.
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