Eat as if your life depends on it.
As I was reading through my usual blogs today I saw this post about Victory Garden posters. The nostalgic art and concept inspired me to do a little “research” on the Google, and I thought my findings may be deemed share-worthy by some.
In case you don’t know, I’ll let Wikipedia provide you the definition and brief history of the Victory Garden:
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In addition to indirectly aiding the war effort these gardens were also considered a civil “morale booster” — in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. This made victory gardens become a part of daily life on the home front. [1]
As mentioned before, the art of the propaganda posters is what piqued my interest. These posters would make for some nifty little aesthetic pleasures on your wall. And apparently I’m not the only one who thought so as the posters have even inspired some modern graphic art.
Beyond the art, the concept has even inspired creation of modern Victory Gardens. Again we turn to the mighty Wikipedia:
Since the turn of the 20th to 21st century, there has existed a growing interest in victory gardens. A grassroots campaign promoting such gardens has recently sprung up in the form of new victory gardens in public spaces, victory garden websites and blogs, as well as petitions to both renew a national campaign for the victory garden and to encourage the re-establishment of a victory garden on the White House lawn. In March 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama, planted an 1,100-square-foot (100 m2) “Kitchen Garden” on the White House lawn, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s, to raise awareness about healthy food. [1]
One such initiative (which inspired the opening line of this post) can be found here.
Ultimately, I’ve been inspired, yet again, to give a great deal more thought to gardening, and where my food comes from. One of these days maybe we’ll be growing and preserving all our own food, but in the mean time, I’m going to take little steps toward victory in the food system. Hit the link to see more of these great inspirational posters mostly courtesy of the Ghost of Government Past… Continue reading
People think I’m crazy when I tell them I want to have a farm. Honestly, I don’t blame them. But maybe the picture you and I have of a farm is quite different. Maybe when I say ‘farm’ you think of the miles and miles of corn fields you see driving through Indiana or any of those other fertile, mid-west states. I don’t think of that as a farm, I think of that as a corn factory – a highly controlled, utilitarian food (or fuel) production plant. Maybe you think of the huge pig barn that makes you hold your nose when you’re anywhere within a mile radius. Who would want that? Not me. I’m not an industrialist. When I say ‘farm’ I imagine anywhere from 1-20 acres of land hosting a plethora of different plants and animals that are all essential to each others’ survival (myself being one of them) – a community built on sustaining life with very little need for outside intervention. Sounds weird, huh? But believe it or not, it can be done. Below I’ve attempted to expound upon just a few of the things I value about farming. 
. This comical and heartfelt look at organic farming and the future of food in our country is relevant enough to apply to anyone, but still personal enough to bring you to tears. The movie, which opens with John Peterson tasting the soil on his farm and declaring it tastes good today, features a quirky, generational farmer who abandons his first love and then finds it again in a whole new way.
Food Before Thought 