Anyone Can Do This

This was originally an instagram post, but I received so many compliments on it that I decided it should be posted here, as well.  This was a very inspiring bowl of soup. This soup was almost entirely homegrown, and it is delicious. Those ingredients are: -Seminole pumpkin -Sweet potatoes -Onions -Jalapeño & Habanero -Okra -Tree collards -Cranberry hibiscus -Rosemary -Coriander Not homegrown: Coconut milk, bone broth, garlic, chili paste, salt & pepper. My grocery bill has dropped significantly as I’ve grown more and more of my own food over the last couple years. So far this year I’ve harvested 537 lbs of food from my yard. That’s with only a few hours per week spent working in the garden- my main focus is the nursery (a full time job), markets, maintaining the house, a part-time property management job, and all other aspects of life. Guys, it doesn’t take much more than planting seeds. Anyone can do this. Maybe you’ll have to give up that extra dozen hours a week you spend watching netflix. Maybe you’ll have to wake up a half hour earlier to plant a bed before going to work. Not a big deal. You’ll be better for it. I’ll help. The food is better than anything you’ll find at a grocery store. Not only that, but the satisfaction of eating what you grow is the healthiest part, because it keeps you sane and anchored in reality. Last time I checked, a lawn couldn’t do that. Who cares what your neighbors think when they see you outside in the rain, pulling sweet potatoes from your front lawn? They’ll be jealous when they see you harvest that banana rack that’s been hanging for months. Maybe they’ll come over and ask you about it, and you’ll be able to tell them how easy it was. Maybe they’ll want to do the same with their yard- maybe they’ve always wanted to, but never had an example to follow. We are only a few generations removed from people who grew and raised everything they ate. Why did we stop tending the garden? What is more important? Food for thought. As always, I’ll be at @districtfarmersmarket tomorrow from 9 am til 2 pm, having a blast, talking to people about their favorite varieties of mangoes, and why their basil died for the 4th time in a row. No worries, I’ve personally killed more plants than most people would like to admit, but seeds are cheap and I just keep going. Nothing’s more fun. #GrowFoodNotLawns