A victory garden in times aplenty?

This year my husband and I plan on starting our own victory garden! A victory garden? you may ask, isn't that something that people did during WWI and WWII because of government rationing? Yes, and another name for those gardens was "war gardens" or "victory gardens for defense" because they helped ease the pressure on the public rations that were available. Growing your own food in your backyard is an excellent way to get delicious, nutritious and cheap nourishment. In this day and age not many people live on farms and off of their own land any more... Having a connection with the natural world, the earth below our feet and the sun above our heads, is something we have lost over time. Despite the fact that victory gardens originated in times of war, they are something that should never go away. We rely too much on what our supermarkets have to offer, we have lost our inherent connection with the land and with this good earth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden

 

We rely almost solely on food grown from farmers from all over the globe: tomatoes from California, oranges from Florida, avocados from Mexico, lettuce from Holland and eggplants from Spain! The carbon footprint from transporting these foods all over the globe is astronomical, not to mention the chemicals, fertilizers, gas for the machinery and so forth needed to keep up these huge farms. We have lost the sense of seasons, now we can purchase a fresh tomato in January in Maine or an orange in February in Minnesota! There was once a time when all food was based on the seasons, but not anymore.

Going organic is not always an option for people either. The organic market is markedly more expensive than its non-organic counterparts. Many people shop for price over nutrition. A sad, but true fact. I try my hardest to buy organic, when possible, however when I am on a tight budget, as most people are these days, and I have a choice between a leek costing $1.99 each for non-organic and $4.99 for organic, the choice is unfortunately set. This brings me back to the victory garden! Buy a few packs of seeds, organic and non-GMO, and start planting. The bounty that one small vegetable garden can bring will save hundreds in grocery costs! The amount of money you save by having your own vegetable garden will allow for other things, perhaps local and organic meats (let's get Americans off of the factory farmed meats!).

Taking control of your food source is liberating. Understanding how your vegetables got to your table from the earth is enlightening. Taking charge of your own health via the food you eat is, well, priceless! The more I understand about the connection between my health and what I eat, the more I want to eat the things that are good for me! Getting outside and doing a little manual labor is also excellent exercise, so you are helping your health in more ways than one. A victory garden is a win-win situation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden

This is something I feel very strongly about. The fact that I now live in a house where it is possible for me to turn lawn into garden is exciting! I look forward to the spring when I can start my seedlings inside, building raised garden beds, and thinking about all of the delicious foods I will be able to make with my home-grown bounty! Why fill your yard with boring, inedible grass which requires tons of maintenance to keep up? Why not fill that space with a bountiful, beautiful, edible garden? It is certainly more pleasing to the eye! Here's to a great season!

Here's to Victory gardens and all that they may do to change our lives and society for the better!

- Night Owl Gal

Comfort food

Happy New Year! Here's looking forward to a great year. Welcome 2013!

Thus it is wintertime. Outside the snow is piled high, the temperature is nearly sub zero, and all around people are cooking up warm, delicious comfort foods to get them through the long winter nights. I love winter, especially here in the Northeast, where the changing of seasons is comforting and beautiful. While the snow is falling there is a sense of peace that cannot be found anywhere else. Simply to stand and listen to the silence; clarity and calm will befall anyone who does.

During this most recent cold snap I decided to make up a yummy comfort food dinner for myself. I was working with the limited ingredients found in my fridge and pantry: cheese, bouillon cubes, macaroni, kale and onions. Who would have thought that they could create something so yummy?

Basically this is a non-milk version of macaroni and cheese, spiced up with some delicious kale and onions. I started out by sauteing some onions until translucent. While the onions are cooking, put a pot of water on for your macaroni.

 

Then I added half of a vegetarian bouillon cube to the onions and mixed until it was blended in.

I tossed in some kale at this point and sauteed until it was soft. Cooked my macaroni (enough for a serving or two) and strained it. 

Grated about a cup of cheese (I had a delicious aged cheddar) and mixed it into my noodles. 

Mix in the kale and onions and add a few tablespoons of water.  The water will mix with the vegetables and create a broth from the bouillon cubes. 

Mix well and voila!

I was thrilled with this delicious concoction. It was the epitome of comfort food! I hope that you like this as well! Enjoy!

- Night Owl Gal