Fast and loose produce! Victory gardens in the 21st Century!

When times get tough (like now?) and you and yours are seeking a way to make the food budget stretch….

I say get down and dirty and grow it yourself! And right now, brothers and sisters, is a damn good time to start. You know, when vegetable prices are skyrocketing! (I just paid a dollar fifty for a green pepper)!

Home grown vegetables can cost just pennies a pound. Something your forefathers knew very well. (As a species, we’ve survived for millions of years by living off the earth and there’s no reason why we can’t in this day and age).

Back during the dark days of World War II, Americans answered the call when food was rationed for all as part of the war effort. Magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post and Life printed stories about victory gardens, and women's magazines gave instructions on how to grow and preserve garden produce. Families were encouraged to can their own vegetables to save commercial canned goods for the troops. In 1943, families bought 315,000 pressure cookers (used in the process of canning), compared to 66,000 in 1942. The government and businesses urged people to make the practice of gardening a family and community effort.

The result of victory gardening? The US Department of Agriculture estimated that more than 20 million victory gardens were planted. Fruit and vegetables harvested in these home and community plots was estimated to be 9-10 million tons, an amount equal to all commercial production of fresh vegetables. So, the program made a difference then and it can make a difference now!

Hey everyone, we’ve been there before and we can get through these tough times again by working together, sharing our resources and having a great faith in God.