Just Say No...To Twinkie Babies And Man Boobs

Where does your food come from? Most people can't answer this question correctly. If you say "Well, my food comes from the grocery store," you're wrong. Your food ends up at the grocery store, but that is only the tip of the iceberg on your food's journey. Why should you care where there food comes from? Well that depends...do you mind eating food created a lab? Food that mold won't even grow on as it sits on shelves for years? Food that was grown in third world countries without proper washing and cleanliness standards? Food seeping with chlorine, gassed with ethylene, diluted with water and cheap, artificial preservatives? If you don't mind, go ahead and keep eating crap, but don't be surprised when scientists begin using you in their case studies as people in our society slowly become radioactive petri dishes of pre-packaged goo. You are what you eat, right?

 Awe Twinkie babies...that's adorable; but what about the little boy with man boobs?  Not so adorable now, is it? People don't realize how easy it can be for a company to get their preservative or additive approved for the market. Even pesticides, as long as they don't have any immediate effects on humans, can be approved before many studies can be done on possible long term effects. Why? Because time is money, and this is a free market with little regulation when it comes to studies on long term effects. The longer they wait to get out their product, the longer they will have to wait for the cash flow. Living in a capitalist society is wonderful, but as we are seeing, every great system has it's subtle drawbacks.  A good example of approving pesticides before adequate testing is Methoxychlor, relative to DDT and a pesticide banned in the USA in 2002 for it's neurotoxicity and effects on reproductive structures in pubescent rats. This chemical was used on many vegetable crops, grain crops, livestock operations, and even in the home for 54 years before it was taken off the market. A lot of damage can be done in 54 years. Sure, skeptics would argue that no human studies have been done on human reproductive effects from this pesticide, but the effects are "likely" given the findings from the rat studies and I would rather take an experts opinion, than risk being a human petri dish for the skeptics.

(Copyright: Jackson Laboratories)

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox for now, but I encourage you to hug a farmer today. Check out your local farmers market! These are the people bringing you seasonal, local, unadulterated produce. If not for farmers, the world would starve.  And don't be afraid to ask them questions about their produce. After all they were in their fields from seed to harvest, so they know their product is safe, the best quality, and as natural as it gets. Most, if not all the farmers at farmers markets practice some sort of Integrated Pest Management, which emphasizes a variety of natural control measures while using pesticide only as a last resort, so you know your purchase isn't just healthy for you, but it's healthy on the environment too. The best time to get out to a Farmers Market is on the weekend, most of the big ones are on Saturdays, but if you are lucky you could find smaller ones during the week. So get to know a farmer, you will find they have so much knowledge to bring to the table. Check out the USDA search engine  for farmers markets in your area!

If you really want to practice being an Old Lady At Heart, start your own garden! Even if it's just one pot. You can even get small starter herb plants at the grocery store or any home improvement store. That's how I started out, I went to a hardware store and they were having a sale on their lettuce and broccoli plants, so I took one of each home,  planted them, had my first taste of garden fresh broccoli, and this year I planted a whole row from seed. I promise, once you've tasted home-grown broccoli, you will never want to buy it from the grocery store again. To figure out what you can grow in your area you first have to know your "zone" by checking out your zone map. Once you figure out what zone you're in, you can see what will grow in your area. Living in Bakersfield, I am zone 9. From there you can research what grows in your zone, and even the best times to plant from one of my favorite sites The Vegetable Garden. See, so easy! You'll have homegrown, sexy veggies in no time.

For those of you who like adventure, I found this really cool site where you can sign up and get your garden started by joining the Seeds of the Month Club. The first month they send you 8 packs of seeds, and the 4 packs any additional months you sign up for. It's a cool way to try new things, and it's way cheaper than buying seeds at the hardware store. Enjoy! :)