I garden. Yes, its a verb, not just, I have a garden. I've enjoyed gardening since childhood, having grown up in a family that had farmers on both sides and an uncle(Mike) who owned 5 lots, 4 of which were garden plots. I remember going to his home and "helping" by pulling up the carrots and picking the tomatoes and enjoying other stuff like the the rich smell of carrots and turnips just out of the earth always excited me...go figure.
During this time, I remember people complaining about the differences between real and "store bought" produce. My uncle was of the opinion that the "company" farms( i.e., not small family farms) were "manipulating " the plants so they could grow all year long even tho that wasn't normal. Most people just sort of laughed at Uncle Mike behind his back--see he was old fashioned and just really didn't understand about "progress".
Well, as we now know, that's basically what happened. I was reading an article about the tomato and how, in the 70's, the agriculture corporations came out with a "season-less" tomato. Did it taste like a tomato? No, but their idea was to flood the market, marvel at being able to have tomatoes, cheaply, all year round...and in a decade, no one would really remember what "real" tomatoes tasted like and the agra-businesses would make money.
This is a Genovese Costulo tomato, the one on the right is a Brandywine. Not a perfect round sphere, but oh so luscious, who needs pretty when you have taste?
So...it sounded like something that would work, and it did for many a year, but most people who grew up with real tomatoes remembered the sweet, juicy treat and dreamed of the summer days when the deep red fruit was available...maybe a plant on the balcony, maybe one of the small family farm kiosks that are available in some towns, but they remembered.
So, now, go to the present. Not only are Farmer's Markets in every town, but they're packed with people looking for those summer treats that are full of flavor! They've become fluent in the language of tomato--heirlooms, determinant, indeterminate, Box Car Willie, Lunch Box, Brandywine, Genovese are all well known adjectives and pronouns rather than just Big Boys and Early Girls. The consumer has gone even farther by growing their own, demanding organic and wanting to know which products are GMO or not! So, in other words, the citizens are debunking the corporations ideas and, if not winning, making a dent in the idea that people will just settle for what we shove at them.
Also, because of my gardening, we eat a lot more "fresh" stuff--no canned tomatoes for this family, nosireebob, when I'm cooking, I have fresh tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, herbs, spices...but this does mean a bit more work for me. I mean it is easier to just open a can and throw it in. No weeding, no seeding, no waiting. Right now, between par-boiling tomatoes to make sauces, I'm roasting peppers, slicing up squash, freezing peppers. Also, giving some of it away, to friends, to our church(we have a summer program about sharing your gardening "wealth") and not doing it just because I'm overwhelmed by the bounty(I've got about 2 gallons of tomato sauce at this time and I've roasted at least 40 peppers), but because its good to share and to give to others that have less than you. Yes, its a bit messier than just going to the supermarket, which more and more is looking like SlaveMart, but its a much more satisfying feeling.
Yes, two of my 80% home grown meals--stuffed peppers and a tomato/mac dish. The only added ingredients that were bought? Ground beef and cheese for one, a chicken breast, whole grain pasta and cheese for the other.
So, how does this warp into democracy? We have been forced into this political farce by big bidness buying the republicon crazies, who, since Reagan, have made government the "bad guy". We've been taught that we shouldn't have a War on Poverty or a Great Society, both of which did take a bite out of being poor, but that being poor is criminal...while giving more and more of the People's wealth to the corporate sluts. We've allowed the greed of human nature to become honorable position, unless, of course, it may truly affect us(like those teabaggers that carry signs, "Keep your gov't hands off my Medicare!", kinda sad when people don't know that Medicare is a Government program, eh?).
Education funding is cut, but more money sent to the War Industry and the Prison Industry. Republicons try to cut food stamps by billions of dollars, while giving twice that amount to the agra-business whores who do lap dances for them. We are told that this evil president has made the deficit so much worse...without most of the media yelling, "LIARS!" at the top of their lungs(since the deficit has shrunk faster under President Obama than the last 3 or 4 Republican presidents. But, most of the media has also been bought by the corporate whores who own most of the media, so why would they turn away from the golden idol?
Its time we, the American people, stand up and take a real look at what is happening. We did it with food, an important ingredient of life and we need to do the same with democracy...another sweet luscious fruit of an earlier generation. Its time to learn the lessons of being somewhat old fashioned...and remembering that we are the Government, we are the ones that fire the Government representatives, but we need to spend time to educate ourselves on what is happening and what is important, not just what the sound bytes tell us. Yes, soundbytes are easy, but they just aren't as satisfying as the truth and compassion for your fellow human being.
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