In the three media interviews that we have done, the main thing I have attempted to stress to the reporters is that we took baby steps to get where we are today. Our journey actually began with eliminating red dye from our son's diet. He was premature and has suffered some significant health issues as a result, including surgery at two months and two hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses. When he was a baby, I began to suspect that the red dye in his medication was causing extreme hyperactivity, yet he was also on breathing medications and oral steroids (both known for insanity in mom caused by hyperactivity in the child) so it was hard to pinpoint. One night his reaction after a dose of really red Tylenol was so strong that there was no denying the link to red dye. And thus, our baby steps began. From that point, it has taken us six years to get to where we are today.
Another issue I would like to clear up from our interviews is the misconception that we are self-sufficient. At this season in my life, that is not even my goal. If there is anyone growing a garden in Texas that is able to be completely self sufficient, I would love to meet you because this is a HARD climate to work with and I could really use a mentor. I try not to be jealous of my sister up north who can toss in a few plants and be drowning in produce a few months later! My goal is to learn all I can about how to garden in Texas so that as my kids get older and my mommy duties begin to change, I can devote more time to the garden should I choose. Right now my main priority is educating and raising future leaders of our great nation. I hope by having a garden, they will learn a solid work ethic and learn to enjoy what real food tastes like.
The most recent article stated that we only buy 25% of our food from the grocery store. This is accurate, but does not mean that 75% comes from our back yard. We buy our whole wheat grains from a co-op, most of our meats and milk come from straight from the farm and our eggs come from the backyard. Right now the main reason to visit the grocery is for produce. Later this month, the local farmer's market will be open. Between that and the garden, we should be seeing the inside of the grocery much less frequently.
A wonderful way to expose your children to nature and help foster a love for gardening is to visit a pick your own farm over the summer months. My parents had a large garden when I was young, but after we moved from South Dakota our main exposure to gardening/farming came from visits to pick your own farms. The kids are already making plans for us to visit East Texas for blueberries this summer! Our peaches last summer came from generous friend with a bumper crop on their many peach trees.
I hope to get some links set up to the books that have inspired us to continue our journey of baby steps. In the meantime, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle was one of the first books I read on the subject of eating local and becoming more self sufficient. While I am not in agreement with all of her views, it was an eye opening book and really made me think about our industrialized food system. A much less gentle primer would be Food, Inc., which I believe everyone should see.
In the next few days, I hope to get some pictures of my watering system, as well as discuss how I built my raised beds. Most of the garden was built without my husbands help and I am not exactly handy when it comes to building things! If you are thinking of a garden this year, start small and add as you go. If you live in Texas, don't make any plans without first making a plan for irrigation. I started with just three raised beds and have added to my space each year. I also want to dedicate some time to discussing my love for mulch as it is what allows me to spend minimal time in the garden once everything is growing for the season. The mention in the recent article of spending an hour per week caring for it was specific to maintenance and did not include time for picking. Last summer, much of the month of June we spent 30-60 minutes every other day picking blackberries. Now that I don't consider work!!
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