Planting For A Secure Food Future

As people around the globe settle into a new normal during pandemic lock-down the panic shopping and hoarding of goods have given way to a more logical and long term approach for most.

Many of us found ourselves wandering through grocery stores in the last month or so not only desperate to find toilet paper but to find basic food essentials. As we looked in awe at barren shelves where canned foods and produce once stood many of us decided then and there that we did not want to rely on the stores alone for our food in the future.

If you are fortunate enough to have acreage like my family and many in our community do, then you are probably making use of your land like never before. Either you are finally plotting out that garden spot you have always dreamed about or you are ramping up your usual hobby garden into a field size supply of fruits and veggies to last you through the year.

If on the other hand, you don’t have an abundance of land or like many of our friends who live in the city, you only have a small backyard or an apartment balcony, hope is not lost. You too can take control, even if just in part, of your food supply by gardening.

If all else fails or you just find out you have a black thumb: MRE’s (Meals Ready-to-Eat) are a great backup plan

Important side note: Not all seeds are equal. If you are truly looking for long term sustainability with a garden, you will want seeds that will allow you to harvest for the years to come. This means that you do not want to buy hybrid seeds.

As we all prepare for whatever the future may hold, I hope that you each plant a seed of hope in your hearts and grow strong through these trying times.

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

― Robert Louis Stevenson

Happy Gardening,

Shana Utton