I picked up this book last year, 2013, when I had a need to "hold" a book and read. I had heard about the book from somewhere, or someone, and I can't remember where or who now, but I'm glad I went searching for the book.
I won't spoil it for you, you can go over to amazon or to your local book store and take a peak at it there.
I will say that once you've read it, you begin to think about where your food comes from. Truly. I know that farmers grow my food, but it made me more aware of "where" my food comes from and I began to look when I was shopping for my groceries.
I was surprised and appalled to see that a lot of the canned items I was using were from other countries. Why are mushrooms coming from CHINA when Pennsylvania has one of the largest mushroom growers in our country?
Why were the oranges in our orange juice coming from Brazil and other countries? I have since found a brand that juices from oranges here in the United States.
I can understand in the dead of winter there are fruits and vegetables that are not grown local and have to travel farther, but really? Why from another country?
Not just canned and fresh either, frozen as well. I probably shouldn't mention names, but Green Giant, check their labels.
When we lived in the Midwest, the potatoes and the green beans, in season, by the truck load, would roll to the Green Giant plants. Tractor trailer loads! What a sight to see. But now, look at their labels.
The book was the primary reason why I decided we had to figure out a way to grow more of our own food.
Our yard presents us with great challenges, and Dear Darling was so wonderful to build my main garden for me. It was a tremendous amount of work and expense, but it did very well for it's first year, I'm happy to say. While I did not keep any true records of how much was grown, we did have something from it nearly every week once it was producing, and it's the first time I ever canned my own tomatoes and dried them.
This book helped me to begin our journey to a simpler life and growing where I am planted.
What book got you started on your simple life or your gardening journey?
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