Make Life Better
Why do we grow? We grow so we know what is in our food. Because we feel that many who go hungry are not getting enough vitamins and minerals from what they pick up at the food pantry. Most of the food donations are canned or frozen. Grocery store “fresh” produce is often the tail end of an expiration date. Plus commercial vegetables are often sprayed with chemicals for bugs and weeds several times during a season. We love to garden organically, watch seeds pop up out of the ground or climb the trellis or wrap around cages. It’s a Heaven and Earth combo. I love to hear comments like, “I didn’t know that collards grew like that,” or “I didn’t know that popcorn grew on a stalk.” We are used to going to the grocery store and buying something already packaged. Some products have no information on where the food came from or how it was grown or processed. We realize that it’s not the 1950’s any more. Foods are made in ways we cannot wrap our brains around, then marketed to hide that process so we visualize the perfect product. We can make a difference by growing our own food. H&E Growers share this knowledge with those who want to get involved. The fellowship of working together and giving away what you grew is most rewarding. And that’s why we build and give.
Do you know where your food came from? A box, frozen or canned, how was it made, where was it grown? Many people don’t really care, they just open a box or can, heat and eat. Everyone is in a hurry. They don’t read labels, and frankly they don’t understand the ingredients. They generally are getting way too much salt, sugar and preservatives. They feel it’s a waste of time to find out. Many markets are offering prepared foods for those who want dinner quickly. This comes in handy when you need it, but seriously how was it made? Were the ingredients made from scratch? Cooking is one if the best gifts you can give yourself and your family and friends. Take a cooking class or watch the food network, get together with friends and share meals on a regular schedule. I like the idea of the third Thursday of the month potluck with friends or neighbors. Get involved with what you eat and what goes into your body. Ditch the highly processed foods. Grow your own food, then share some of it.
Live a better life. Make your body happy. Share often.
Quoting author Michael Pollan in “Food Rules”, Rule Number 2, “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”
Make it a point to be better educated about what you buy, how it was made and what are the ingredients. Here are just a couple links that we like to get you started:
FOOD, INC., the movie. Here’s the trailer. (copy and paste) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqQVll-MP3I
THE FUTURE OF FOOD. A documentary about the corporatization of our food. (copy and paste) http://www.thefutureoffood.com/
FRESH, the movie. FRESH is the embodiment of the good food movement. (copy and paste) http://www.freshthemovie.com/
