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 Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 9:15 am
I'll have to check into those seeds. I have a hard time eating healthy because I am not very well off when it comes to money. I haven't tried growing though simply because I have tried before and I don't seem to have what one would call a green thumb. But I want to try again this year hopefully.
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Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 10:03 am
isnt it great, how oroganic stuff is always better....XD
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ResidentOfThe6thDemension
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:35 am
Speaking of growing your own food, any advice for beginners who want to start their own vegetable and fruit garden?
Ive been increasingly interested in gardening w/out the use of chemicals for sometime now...
Is it necessary to own a farmer's almanac? That's what my grandparents tell me...
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:46 pm
Find some old garden books. They show up at the used bookstores here pretty often, and basic info is pretty much the same from book to book. A good one to look for is "Square Foot Gardening." If you just want to try things out, or if you don't have a lot of growing area, this book can show you that you can get a great harvest in a really small space.
The Farmers Almanac can also be found online, and there's a lot of information there. The Mother Earth News is online, too.
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ResidentOfThe6thDemension
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Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:50 pm
biggrin tHANKS! I'll check it out!
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Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 1:03 pm
I never had a green thumb...but I did a load of reading when I had spare time at the college (I actually read every book they had on vegetable gardening). And then I started growing. I have had many failures. But each year I get more from my garden, and I figure out how to kill less of my plants. Even if you have the black thumb of death you can enjoy a kitchen garden with fresh organic yummies, so don't give up!
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 4:22 pm
Yeah good food is really hard for poor families.. I know, I'm in one of them haha. Until I began receiving financial aid from going to college I really couldn't afford much super healthy stuff.
One thing I COULD afford before now though were carrots. They are pretty inexpensive and super healthy and yummy! I put tons of them in curry or just eat them sliced thinly or cut them into sticks for snacks. Mmmm carrots C:
As for pet peeves and stuff, since I saw that brought up in here, my only pet peeve about this sort of thing is when people say they can't afford to buy vegetables but then the same day go out and buy a couple bags of $3 potato chips and two liters of coke--things that really have no significant nutritional value and are not even a necessity. When I was a kid we only had that kind of stuff on birthdays and Christmas. Anyway, so that's my rant, haha.
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:22 pm
Let's look at food justice through the lens of (commodity) corn...
Farmers in Iowa: Use pesticide & chemicals & genetically modified seeds to grow commodity corn (in large quantities). Usually, when they sell their corn, they sell below how much it cost for them to produce the corn. So then the government pays them through subsidies.
The government: Supports commodity corn growth via subsidies. This started in the 1970s when the secretary of agriculture decided that more is better and that the government would no longer place a limit on corn production.
Communities: Consume corn in more ways than they think. A significant portion of commodity corn is turned into high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in basically everything. Bread. yogurt. sodas. etc. High-fructose corn syrup is cheaper for companies, and it makes for cheaper food. HFCS has no nutritional value; it's empty calories.
People also consume corn via meat -- like beef. A huge portion of commodity corn is used to make feed for cattle. Unfortunately, it's not best for their diet, so they get sick (acidosis), and then they are pumped full of antibiotics so they'll survive until they're slaughtered. So the "meat" is mostly fat and tainted with antibiotics, and if you break it down, it's mostly corn. And genetically modified at that.
When it comes to whether healthy food is a luxury... I have to say yes now, even though I used to argue otherwise. If you're in an impoverished area, you probably don't have access to a grocery store w/ organic fruits & veggies. If you do, could you afford it? And if you're poor, and you have a family, and you're working multiple jobs, when do you find the time to grow your own food? And can you grow food if you're in a poor area that's treated as a dumping ground for toxic waste or power plants, etc. And if you're poor and in an impoverished area, isn't it likely that you grew up in those circumstances, too, which means you probably lacked access to good education about nutrition & growing your own food, anyway?
See, it's a really complicated system overall. There is no black & white answer. It's all shades of gray.
And who benefits? the corporations.
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:01 am
I am MoonBunny Let's look at food justice through the lens of (commodity) corn... Farmers in Iowa: Use pesticide & chemicals & genetically modified seeds to grow commodity corn (in large quantities). Usually, when they sell their corn, they sell below how much it cost for them to produce the corn. So then the government pays them through subsidies. The government: Supports commodity corn growth via subsidies. This started in the 1970s when the secretary of agriculture decided that more is better and that the government would no longer place a limit on corn production. Communities: Consume corn in more ways than they think. A significant portion of commodity corn is turned into high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in basically everything. Bread. yogurt. sodas. etc. High-fructose corn syrup is cheaper for companies, and it makes for cheaper food. HFCS has no nutritional value; it's empty calories. People also consume corn via meat -- like beef. A huge portion of commodity corn is used to make feed for cattle. Unfortunately, it's not best for their diet, so they get sick (acidosis), and then they are pumped full of antibiotics so they'll survive until they're slaughtered. So the "meat" is mostly fat and tainted with antibiotics, and if you break it down, it's mostly corn. And genetically modified at that. When it comes to whether healthy food is a luxury... I have to say yes now, even though I used to argue otherwise. If you're in an impoverished area, you probably don't have access to a grocery store w/ organic fruits & veggies. If you do, could you afford it? And if you're poor, and you have a family, and you're working multiple jobs, when do you find the time to grow your own food? And can you grow food if you're in a poor area that's treated as a dumping ground for toxic waste or power plants, etc. And if you're poor and in an impoverished area, isn't it likely that you grew up in those circumstances, too, which means you probably lacked access to good education about nutrition & growing your own food, anyway? See, it's a really complicated system overall. There is no black & white answer. It's all shades of gray. And who benefits? the corporations. thaaaannnkkk yooouuuuuu though i must add if all the coca cola in the world is made in georgia then why does mexicos coca cola have real sugar in it???? (it may malke you fat but id rather deal with that the side effects of HFCS)
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:30 pm
Healthy eating is rough on a budget. If a person can grow a veggie garden and freeze the extra produce it helps in a way.
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:40 am
Beans, rice and barley are pretty decent in bulk. Eggs and milk aren't that bad either. Everything else from farmer's markets. I usually average at CAD20 per week in groceries (if you take out the real luxury items like alcohol).
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:53 am
Hoshioni (it may malke you fat but id rather deal with that the side effects of HFCS) Isn't the main side effect of HFCS that we metabolize it differently, and get obese really fast?
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 3:16 pm
I am MoonBunny Let's look at food justice through the lens of (commodity) corn... Farmers in Iowa: Use pesticide & chemicals & genetically modified seeds to grow commodity corn (in large quantities). Usually, when they sell their corn, they sell below how much it cost for them to produce the corn. So then the government pays them through subsidies. The government: Supports commodity corn growth via subsidies. This started in the 1970s when the secretary of agriculture decided that more is better and that the government would no longer place a limit on corn production. Communities: Consume corn in more ways than they think. A significant portion of commodity corn is turned into high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in basically everything. Bread. yogurt. sodas. etc. High-fructose corn syrup is cheaper for companies, and it makes for cheaper food. HFCS has no nutritional value; it's empty calories. People also consume corn via meat -- like beef. A huge portion of commodity corn is used to make feed for cattle. Unfortunately, it's not best for their diet, so they get sick (acidosis), and then they are pumped full of antibiotics so they'll survive until they're slaughtered. So the "meat" is mostly fat and tainted with antibiotics, and if you break it down, it's mostly corn. And genetically modified at that. When it comes to whether healthy food is a luxury... I have to say yes now, even though I used to argue otherwise. If you're in an impoverished area, you probably don't have access to a grocery store w/ organic fruits & veggies. If you do, could you afford it? And if you're poor, and you have a family, and you're working multiple jobs, when do you find the time to grow your own food? And can you grow food if you're in a poor area that's treated as a dumping ground for toxic waste or power plants, etc. And if you're poor and in an impoverished area, isn't it likely that you grew up in those circumstances, too, which means you probably lacked access to good education about nutrition & growing your own food, anyway? See, it's a really complicated system overall. There is no black & white answer. It's all shades of gray. And who benefits? the corporations. i just have to say, i love this post. heart
um, to the OP. i'd say start growing an herb or a veggie you really like(for instance, i've started growing basil & tomatoes), & at the same time, cut out on something junk-y you usually get, & use that money to buy something healthy of your choice. & as you keep getting used to doing that, take out more junk & put in more whole foods, & if you can add more homegrown foods.
i'm a vegan who buys her own food on a minimum-wage job, & my parents pretty much buy only meat & cheese-based foods, & i really don't spend a lot of money on stuff per week.
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 10:58 pm
Hi!
Well you can make your own health food stuff like growing tomatos or carrots. The kids think it's fun and they get to eat the produce. But yes it is kind of annoying for others.
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Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 12:02 pm
Dia Dementia I am MoonBunny Let's look at food justice through the lens of (commodity) corn... Farmers in Iowa: Use pesticide & chemicals & genetically modified seeds to grow commodity corn (in large quantities). Usually, when they sell their corn, they sell below how much it cost for them to produce the corn. So then the government pays them through subsidies. The government: Supports commodity corn growth via subsidies. This started in the 1970s when the secretary of agriculture decided that more is better and that the government would no longer place a limit on corn production. Communities: Consume corn in more ways than they think. A significant portion of commodity corn is turned into high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in basically everything. Bread. yogurt. sodas. etc. High-fructose corn syrup is cheaper for companies, and it makes for cheaper food. HFCS has no nutritional value; it's empty calories. People also consume corn via meat -- like beef. A huge portion of commodity corn is used to make feed for cattle. Unfortunately, it's not best for their diet, so they get sick (acidosis), and then they are pumped full of antibiotics so they'll survive until they're slaughtered. So the "meat" is mostly fat and tainted with antibiotics, and if you break it down, it's mostly corn. And genetically modified at that. When it comes to whether healthy food is a luxury... I have to say yes now, even though I used to argue otherwise. If you're in an impoverished area, you probably don't have access to a grocery store w/ organic fruits & veggies. If you do, could you afford it? And if you're poor, and you have a family, and you're working multiple jobs, when do you find the time to grow your own food? And can you grow food if you're in a poor area that's treated as a dumping ground for toxic waste or power plants, etc. And if you're poor and in an impoverished area, isn't it likely that you grew up in those circumstances, too, which means you probably lacked access to good education about nutrition & growing your own food, anyway? See, it's a really complicated system overall. There is no black & white answer. It's all shades of gray. And who benefits? the corporations. i just have to say, i love this post. heart
um, to the OP. i'd say start growing an herb or a veggie you really like(for instance, i've started growing basil & tomatoes), & at the same time, cut out on something junk-y you usually get, & use that money to buy something healthy of your choice. & as you keep getting used to doing that, take out more junk & put in more whole foods, & if you can add more homegrown foods.
i'm a vegan who buys her own food on a minimum-wage job, & my parents pretty much buy only meat & cheese-based foods, & i really don't spend a lot of money on stuff per week.
Thx heart It's basically regurgitated from a training I helped research and design with a team of 3 others... We did the training like a month ago for our Americorps group. It went really well. The topic was (clearly) food justice through the lends of commodity corn.
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