Organic vegie gardens - Backyard food
Most current large-scale food production systems are unsustainable and lead to nutritionally depleted foods, often carrying a toxic load that is harmful to our bodies and the environment, in both the short and long term. Not all the blame can be attributed to the farming systems, we need to take responsibility for our choices as consumers. Changes in patterns of food consumption have resulted in a largely malnourished Western society. We eat more processed, junk or synthetic food than ever before, and by so doing, are challenging our body's ability to continue to function adequately.
Fresh unprocessed food is one of our most basic needs. Yet, today many people do not eat fresh food on a daily basis. What supermarkets call fresh fruits and vegetables are grown in nutrient-deficient soil, picked before they ripen naturally, are gassed, irradiated, artificially ripened, stored for days, weeks, months, or even years. Those of us who are attempting to eat a healthy diet are consuming mostly fruit, vegetables, grains, animal products and seeds. But most of this food has been cooked, frozen, canned, processed, refined, pasteurised, and genetically engineered etc.
The changes our food production systems have seen in the last few hundred years include:
- Green Harvesting
- Transport and Storage
- Food Processing
- Soil Depletion
- Chemical, Pest, Weed, Fungi, and Disease Control Products.
These new practices are not sustainable — neither for the environment, society nor for humans. The environmental, social and human costs are high.
In terms of loss of nutrients consider the tomato:
- Green harvesting loses up to 25% of its nutrients
- Transporting loses up to 25% of its remaining nutrients
- Storage loses up to 50% of its remaining nutrients
- Canning loses up to 83% of its remaining nutrients
- Cooking loses up to 50% of its remaining nutrients.
This leaves the tomato with 2.39% of it original nutrient content.
Buying conventionally grown fruit and veggies from the shops is unlikely to delivers our nutrient requirements. Prior to 25 years ago it was common for most people to have a few fruit trees and a veggie garden in their backyard. Yet, we currently have far more reason to grow our own veggies than in the past, yet fewer of us do it. If we want nutrients delivered to our table we need to set about growing as much of our own food as we can. We don't need a large backyard to do this. Even if we live in a unit, we can still have tubs on the balcony or on the kitchen windowsill. Even a little is better than none at all.
How can we ensure it is as organic as possible?
The best way we can ensure there is goodness in our fruit and vegetables is to grow it ourselves making sure that everything that goes on the plants and into the soil is organic and of the best quality. This means organic mulch, organic pest control, organic fertilizers, crop rotation, and natural pest and disease control.