To start out I should try to define sustainable and since it is not in the dictionary. I try to use the meanings that make the most sense and is what in my mind sustainable means to me. Sustainable the ability to support, keep alive, endure without giving away, to keep going continuously, and uphold the validity of. So for me buying local ecologically farm raised food not only sustains us nutritionally and our overall health, but our community economically too. In addition the land around us, the animals indirectly and directly connected to that farm or backyard and Mother Earth.
When I mean sustainable I don’t mean the farmer down the road who sprays for pests and weeds using artificial chemicals, excessively uses artificial fertilizers, and raises animals or crops in big monocultures and pumps them full of medicines to keep them alive. This form of farming does not sustain I know I am a farmer and gardener as some of you know, and struggle everyday trying to do the right thing ecologically for my land, animals, and keep some cash coming in to keep the farm going and get the things I need for the animals and farm. As you can see I didn’t mention organic in my heading and it is not because I don’t think organic methods are bad per se, but sometimes they are not the most sustainable either and with our government involved I don’t know where organic will end up it is becoming big business which is a shame it was for small family farmers to earn a decent living not corporations.
So we can apply this meaning of sustainable to many things not only gardening or farming, but how we further process and cook our foods. What kinds of utensils, dishes, and cookware do we use? What kinds of foods and ingredients do we use to cook with? Is it whole foods, whole grains, home canned and stored that are not overly refined and processed like white flour, sugar, and most things found in a box or bag with preservatives? Are we eating things more in season and fresh or are we depending too much on foods shipped from far away and out of season? Do we raise, grow, and pick our own food and go to our local sustainable farmer or do we go to the nearest big chain grocer and buy everything we need? Do we recycle and if so do we try to buy things that will last, can be recycled, and turned back to the earth quickly by composting?
I know this is hard believe me I have a tough time too finding things I don’t grow or raise myself and even fall into the category of buying out of season though I am getting better everyday. I at least try to keep most it in the USA, I have and will buy some things we can’t grow here and that is ok to me. As far as I know we can’t grow cocoa beans and vanilla.
It’s an on going learning process our society has been conditioned to just throw it away and buy another or get it at Walmart it’s cheaper and easier. Well, there are problems with big corporations like Walmart, etc and that is a whole other issue we won’t deal with here.
Our world is full of human made chemicals from the things we eat, wear, use, drive, and live in, on, and around. The Earth is taking a beating and so are our bodies physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Some would say we can’t afford to eat local sustainable or organically grown food and I can understand what that person is saying. From my experience with my health, my animals’ health, and the health of the land that is in my stewardship I cannot afford to not eat, grow, and live without being sustainable or practicing some sensible organic methods. Here are the benefits from my experience, more energy, feel and look better (skin and hair are healthier), maintain a decent weight, clearer thinking, and just my overall health is much better than it was just a few years ago. I have had trouble controlling weight even as a young child and when I think back on why that was (I am only 38 now) I realized it was the things I was eating and being fed.
I got smart 15 years ago and realized I couldn’t use soap made in the store I had oily skin, but also had dry skin what a mess. I couldn’t find anyone making them at the time that wasn’t full of colorants or perfumes, so I started making my own herbal soaps. Unfortunately back then I didn’t realize it was also the food I ate that gave me trouble too. That took my animals for me to get the bigger picture. I was doing everything right as I was taught and read by the agriculture schools, but yet I didn’t understand why I was having trouble health wise with my animals. Then I started to investigate and it became an overnight obsession to find some answers. In learning from my animals’ health problems I have learned that my own allergies, asthma (that come and go), facial blemishes, unbalanced skin oils, and weight problems stemmed from the healthy well-grown, nutritious food I was eating from our local grocers. They are not to blame totally and neither are the farmers who think what they are doing is right they were told the same as I was and we believed and wanted to. But it is time to change and it is a hard and slow process we need more nutritionally grown food, the animals, plants, and land taken better care of because we are what we eat.
Love and light
Liana
No comments:
Post a Comment