Proud Mama

Today I stood up for my right to reasonably priced produce and got myself some plants. That's right, I've got a nano-farm going on my back porch. Until now I've only attempted bamboo, since I seem to have inherited the Black Thumb of Death from my mother (thanks Mom), but I like to think I'm the adventurous type, so I'm going for it. I'm keeping it simple to start (don't want to push my horticultural luck): Porch tomatoes purchased from a local vendor at the organic farmer's market here in Charlotte, organic cilantro, peppermint and basil starters to boot.

I'm pretty excited seeing I spend at least $15-20 a week on tomatoes and herbs (I seriously eat tomatoes at every meal except breakfast). That means within two weeks of "harvest", I'll have paid for my investment. The thought of my little babies bearing too many tomatoes for me to eat all by my lonesome is so lovely. I can't wait to give people baskets full as mid-summer's day presents.

I'm also reading a fascinating, though frightening book to further my education on GM foods--Genetically Modified foods that is. They are more prevalent than we think and the laws governing their use and safety are slack at best. But I digress. The book is called Uncertain Peril (By Claire Hope Cummings) and it's been a really great read so far. I did a lot of research my freshman year in college on this subject, but I was looking at it from an international perspective and only touched on U.S. policy surrounding the matter. Having gorged myself with the illustrious Vandana Shiva and the like, I feel like it's time to learn about how the U.S. currently handles these products (for my own health and well-being) and also how we can create change through our actions (how and where we spend our dollar, who we vote into office, etc.). This is a subject that a lot of people are unaware of (and that's certainly a conscious act by those involved in GM production) and can really affect our nation's economy and consequently our global economy. Not to mention the very obvious risks posed to our health by the inadequate research done on the subject and laughable laws in place to keep our food safe. I urge each and every one of you to look into the matter. You'll be shocked (or maybe
expecting) to find that the government has hardly any measures in place to keep us safe in this regard. Remember Dolly the cloned sheep and the issues she had? Well genetically altered food has the same propensity to fail us, but nobody mentions that on their packaging.

But I digress again. I really must be off! It's been a busy, busy weekend already and it isn't even half over! I'll be sure to post pictures when my babies started producing!!!