My #1 reference on the subject of growing vegetables at home for yourself and your family is without question the April/May 2009 issue of Mother Earth News on the best crops by region. This issue tells you all you need to know on crops that naturally thrive where you live. My overriding goal is to send you and your family packing from the Big Box. Trust me, your overdue departure will be a whole lot easier than you might—at first blush—believe. I’ve made the departure complete, and so can you.
Your grand departure from the poisonous Big Box is simply not a path you may have considered in the past. Here is a perfect example of the gang of health trouble you and the family can get into at the Big Box. A widely promoted brand of potato chips boasts the following on the back of its package: “Our chips cooked 100% in sunflower oil are a savory treat.” Savory perhaps, but a treat? Certainly not in terms of the health of your family.
Most sunflower oil is an omega-6-overloaded polyunsaturated fat that is absolutely not to be used in cooking. The American diet suffers from a monster overload of omega-6. Instead look for either high-oleic safflower or sunflower oil, or even better, avocado oil. All are high in healthy monounsaturated oil.
So it’s time to pull the ripcord on the Big Box. If you have never gardened, take comfort in the little story a local friend recently told me. Last spring, my friend set up a raised bed (your best bet), planted a whole gang of mini plants (not seeds), and without a single minute of weeding or watering has produced a massive harvest of vegetables that will, when put up, last well into the winter.
Mother Earth tells us that nationwide, the five easiest crops to grow are radishes, chard, bush snap beans, rhubarb, and cherry tomatoes. I wish you a great start in your departure from the Big Box.
Warm regards,
Dick
