What's Wrong With Our Food Processing Today ?
All of us want to feed our families the best foods that money can buy, but sometimes money just is not good enough to buy the best. The price we pay at the supermarket does not necessarily tell us that it has not gone through any irradiation process that is supposed to prevent the spread of disease from salmonella or other bacterial growth. Irradiation does not necessarily totally eradicate its growth, but what it does do is deplete most of the nutrients from the vegetables, fruits, etc., so that they only contain about what is found in canning our vegetables, or what is found on store and supermarket shelves. Irradiated foods, we are told by expert nutritionists lose as much as 80 % of their vitamin contents, which we are told include A, C, E, K and much of the B complex groups. Irradiation also creates free radicals of which the depleted vitamins are supposed to protect us from by neutralizing them.
How Can We Avoid The Nutrient Losses ?
For those of us who have even some small available space in our back yard and even if we rent, sometimes the landlord will give its tenants permission to use a small area to grow a few vegetables. It is certainly a little more difficult for the apartment dweller to grow their own vegetables, especially organic, but, with perseverance and a little luck, it can be done. For the home owner, one must first find an area for the compost bin, where all of the organic refuse, such as grass clippings and shrub clippings are stored. The "bin" can only be a 3x3x3 wooden box, sturdy enough to hold a few hundred pounds of organic material, mixed with some sod. The soil can be purchased at a local department store garden center, on sale in the spring for $ 3-4 for a 40 lb. bag. This is a pretty small investment considering the future return on investment. All refuse such as grass clippings should be layered with the purchased garden soil, only using a quart or two at the time. Of course if you have leaf piles in your back yard, this is perfect to mix in. The compost bin should be watered on a regular basis, unless you get some pretty good rainfall periods. Now, choose a small patch of land area for the garden itself. Even a 4x8 foot plot will do for a start. This can be increased in increments of a foot or two in both length and width as time goes on, or each early spring. To start, just purchase small tomato or pepper plants from your department store garden center and layout the garden on a small sheet of paper. The first thing is to turn over the soil with a spade shovel, or you can dig small individual holes accommodating each plant. Of course, actual planting should only be done after the last frost in your area. Each plant must receive ample watering during initial plantings.
What Are The True Benefits That You Have Accomplished ?
One, of course is independence and the other is that you know that all the vegetables you pick from your little garden will be totally devoid of any commercial processing and thus will contain all of the vitamins and minerals needed to feed you and your family. You will obviously not be able to pick your harvest every day of the year as can be done at your local produce store, but those you are able to pick during harvest time will more than make up for the wait. If you live in the south, you might be able to harvest year round. It will be a lot of labor, but it will certainly be worth all of your time.
