Historians found the first evidence of people cultivating the land for food production in Syria, about 13,000 years ago. Droughts forced people to grow wheat and rye to survive. This point in history could well have been the start of the demise of the forager and the starting point the era of people farming for food production. These pioneers of grow-your-own-food are the early source of the seeds and plants we use today. As a result of hundreds of years of humans developing and selecting plants, we now have a wide choice of available food crops to grow in our back yard. The current reasons to grow our own food obviously differ from those of our early ancestors: today a vegetable garden provides a way to save money, eat healthier, be more conscious of the environment, and a way to exercise.
Today, growing our own food is no longer a necessity for survival, but it does provide a preferred pastime for hundreds of thousands of people, making them feel connected to nature and self-sufficient. Growing our own vegetables has seen a enormous rise in popularity in lately for the following reasons:
- Increased demand for organic foods
- Non-acceptance of genetically modified crops
- Heightened awareness about the disadvantages and dangers of using chemicals
- Reduced income of many people because of the current economical recession has made ways to get cheap fruit and vegetables more attractive
- TV Chefs have become the messiahs of homegrown food
- People have become aware that transporting food around the world, puts a further strain on earths limited oil reserves and causes pollution.
Not only does the nutritional content suffers with time elapsed, taste also changes a lot, to the worse! Picking vegetables at the top point of maturity will get you the best sensation of flavors possible. Seasonality has lost lot of its meaning in modern days as convenience foods have become the norm. Seasonality means eating food normally available in that season. We are so accustomed to Egyptian green beans in the depths of winter that we cannot remember how recently picked beans rally tastes.
Doesn't it seems absurd importing products from across the globe when you can grow them yourself usually much cheaper than the foreign varieties. As soon as you grown your own vegetables, you will no longer purchase Egyptian green beans, I can assure you.
Leaving financial issues and loss of flavor aside, consider the damage to the environment. Why waste precious energy and adding to the pollution planet, just so we can eat vegetables out of season?
The beauty of growing vegetables in your own back yard is the variety each different season brings. Every other season brings you different tempting treats. By using seasonality to your advantage, you will end up with a much more varied fresh and exciting diet while at the same time you will help the environment by reducing the large CO2 emissions from food transportation.
The case for growing vegetables in your own back yard is a clear win-win situation.
NEXT: Keeping fit working your vegetable garden
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About the Author
Will Shakestear is the author of several investment manuals and other online articles. His main hobby is gardening, spending time with his son in the garden.
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