My grandmothers didn't have a choice. If they wanted their family to eat, they had to have gardens, and livestock, too. They would process, preserve, can, and freeze their bounties. It was a means of survival. "Waste not; want not" was how they lived. And they passed it onto my parents' generation. Who in turn passed it onto me.
But with the advent of large scale, conventional farming in the 70s, and an abundant supply of pre-packaged processed foods in grocery stores on every corner today, the hard work of growing and preserving one's own food has almost become extinct. Notice I said almost.
Today we have a choice; and I am glad to see a resurgence of small family farms, urban gardening, home canning, and a renewed appreciation for this way of life. I choose to continue on with my grandmother's ways. Only tweaked a bit to make it work with my suburban lifestyle. There are basically 3 reasons why I made this choice. Tomorrow, I'll share Reason No. 1.
What about you? What do you choose?
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