... Well, at least he did, once upon a time! I recently read somewhere on the internet that the first grocery stores didn't really appear in America until 1946. While I am not certain that this date is exactly accurate (groceteria.com cites dry-goods stores around 1859, Piggly Wiggly opening in 1916, chain grocery stores emerging in the 1920's, and supermarkets in the 1930's and 1940's), it really got me thinking and the sentiment is still true- there were not always grocery stores, super-centers, or convenience stores on any given city block. So where did the food on the dinner table come from? In large part, right out side the kitchen door.
Indeed, there once was a time when the American government all but begged good citizens to grow their own food, eat a largely plant-based diet, and practice as much self-sufficiency as possible! Don't have any yard space? Not to worry, the government and companies would even offer an allotment of land to be worked for growing food. Further, those who didn't subscribe to these practices were seen as downright unpatriotic and not-so-subtly frowned upon socially. Sounds a little different from the now familiar consumer driven culture we live in now, hmm? We would all do well with little history lesson and a heaping helping of appreciation for the Victory Garden. Here is a great round-up of some powerful Victory Garden posters:
and doesn't need to be a processed, refined food product
that scarcely resembles any kind of real food??
Looks like someone should let that unpatriotic,
sad ol' Mrs. Waster in on that secret too...
Read it again: "You can use the land you have
to grow the foods you need".
Most of our homes are surrounded by
enormous lawn space. Lawn- just grass
that begs to be manicured and maintained.
Think of how much food could be grown in that land!
Of course, Victory Gardens are sexy. Duh.
For their sake, feed children vegetables
and fruit- real food. Teach children that food
comes from the earth, not a grocery store or a drive-thru.
