Do you grow your own food?

I love to garden! We have a bountiful collection of perennials surrounding our house, berry bushes in our backyard and lots of herbs on our deck.

We are lucky to live next door to a family that generously shares their bounty of kale, cabbage and squash (we help weed and water)! Different neighbours share peaches and apples from their trees. And my parents have a giant vegetable patch that provides us with loads of onions, lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, peppers and zucchini. Pumpkins will be picked just before halloween and our freezer is stocked with vegetables for the fall and winter.

I have gained a greater understanding of how much time and effort goes into planting and growing our every day foods. I also appreciate that having access to such healthy food is a luxury and a privilege. On top of receiving seasonal gifts of healthy and delicious fruits and vegetables, my son is learning about where his food comes from and how to prepare it. I'm happy that he is content to eat almost every piece of produce put in front of him (still working on leafy greens)!


 

Sadly, access to whole and healthy foods is just not an option for some. Food deserts are very real and very close to our home. Fortunately, school and community gardens are becoming more and more popular in our city. This spring we spent a day volunteering at community food centre , building raised beds, filling them with soil and weeding the existing fields. In just a day we worked with lots of other helpers to double the size of the farm. It was a fun and fulfilling experience. My favourite part was meeting the people from the neighbourhood who have been positively impacted by the centre. These members are learning how to grow food, how to prepare it and meeting new friends while doing so. Many people were just happy for an excuse to get outside. And for me that's the best part about gardening too.