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Growing Up in the Garden

Growing Up in the Garden

Tag Archives: food justice

Where the Road Takes You

30 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Jessica Y in Food Politics, Garden, Why I Garden

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cabin pl tomato, chersonskaya, food justice, food politics, garden, gardening, sustainable living, winter fare beans

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The membership card is printed on nothing more than heavy paper, perforated for me to carefully tear out and store somewhere. It arrived a few days ago and I felt so excited to officially be a part of Seed Savers Exchange. I had been meaning to join for some time – mostly because I support what they do and how they go about doing it – but maybe now because I find myself growing three distinct and rare vegetables in my beds this season: Cabin PL tomatoes, Chersonskaya squash, and Winter Fare beans. Each of these has a story of how they came into my possession, and it was not planned that they would all end up in my garden this year or that this was the season I would become and seed saver – officially. But, it was bound to happen. It makes sense. It is a small act that encapsulates how I feel about food and our access to it. It is not a showy act – but is a lifestyle choice that reflects a part of who I am and what I believe in. Continue reading →

“This is What Democracy Looks Like”

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Jessica Y in Food Politics, Garden, Label GMOs

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

activism, food justice, food politics, garden, gardening, GMOs, Monsanto, sustainable agriculture

MAM Flyer Single

Right now, today, there are people marching all over the world. Marching to change our food system. As I drove to the farmers’ market this morning, I was a little remiss about not being able to attend the march in downtown Los Angeles, but then got realistic about taking both my little ones on the train ride down there, walking many more blocks than my 5-year-old could endure, and then coming home, possibly having to walk back to where we started to pick up the train again, all on my own. These could be seen as excuses, I guess, but in the this long haul of healing our food system, self-preservation is important.

(If you are wondering why people care so much about opposing Monsanto and GMOs, check out this post by Stacey at Slow Foods Mama. She gives a very good and thorough overview of GMOs and the big business behind them).

Marches are important, so important. They grab media attention, inspire people, create momentum, and hopefully make enough noise to get some people, who may have not been listening before, to notice. Continue reading →

Earth Day and Action

22 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Jessica Y in Altadena, Food Politics, Garden

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Earth Day, food justice, garden, gardening, Next Course Pasadena, sustainable food, sustainable living

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Today is Earth Day and this past weekend was filled with all kinds of festivals, lectures, classes, etc. to commemorate the day. I am glad that we have a day to celebrate the earth, to raise awareness, to bring people together around common interests and to educate. This is good. However, I think most of us agree that it takes an everyday commitment to honor our planet, and by doing so, we make changes within our own lives and hopefully are getting creative and working hard to create change on a larger scale.

I walked through a beautiful Earth Day festival to attend the first of a series of meetings where the attendees will try to do just that. Continue reading →

Muir Ranch: A Vibrant School Farm

25 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by Jessica Y in Altadena, Food Politics, Garden

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Altadena, food justice, garden, gardening, Muir Ranch, school gardens, sustainable agriculture, sustainable living

Muir Ranch Chard

I arrived at Muir Ranch, just after 9:00 a.m. on a Monday morning. Their indoor space was already stacked with boxes and crates full of fruit and vegetables waiting to be split up into that day’s CSA shares. Students trickled in and began bagging peas, lettuce, and broccoli. A couple of women were there parsing the 10 half shares they would be taking back to their school. Before 10:00 a teacher from a local elementary charter school arrived with her students to harvest kale and then put together the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares that would be distributed on their campus.

Continue reading →

Monsanto’s “Hidden Food Tax” Double Standard

03 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by Jessica Y in Food Politics, Label GMOs

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

California's Right to Know, food justice, food politics, garden, gardening, GMOs, Monsanto, Proposition 37, sustainable agriculture, sustainable food, sustainable living

Photo Credit: Peter Blanchard, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Those that know me well know that I am not a person who easily riles. I am contemplative and quiet most of the time. But, when I think an injustice has been committed, my blood boils. Monsanto, the biotech company, produces this effect in me time and time again.

There are so many reasons to despise Monsanto, and the latest campaign against Proposition 37, coupled with an article I encountered in the San Francisco Gate has once again reaffirmed for me that this corporation is willing to lie and bully to increase its bottom line.

Continue reading →

Label GMOs: Everyone’s Right to Know

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by Jessica Y in Food Politics, Label GMOs

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

California's Right to Know, food justice, food politics, food systems, garden, gardening, GMOs, Monsanto, Proposition 37, sustainable agriculture, sustainable food, sustainable living

(This post is also posted on the Food Renegade blog’s Fight Back Friday for August 17)

In California we have a process known as ballot initiatives or propositions, by which laws can be created by citizens and passed into law by votes at the polls. This November Californians are voting to require that genetically modified food be labeled as such. I firmly believe that labeling GMOs is a step in the right direction toward a more sustainable food system. This fight is a people vs. mega corporations fight. The “No” campaign is outspending the “Yes” campaign by millions of dollars. Recently the “Yes” campaign asked: What is more powerful – a million dollars or a million people? I am betting on the latter. Out here in the gardening, sustainable food/living blogosphere, I know I may be preaching to the choir, but the time is now to get involved and help California pass Proposition 37. No matter how little or much you know about GMO food, please get informed about the proposition and consider getting involved.

Continue reading →

The View from Here

04 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by Jessica Y in Food Politics, Garden

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Broadfork Farm, certified naturally grown, food justice, food politics, sustainable agriculture, sustainable food, Virginia agriculture

Every summer my family takes a trip to Virginia. C’s parents, as well as his sister’s family, live outside of Richmond. Once, a very wooded area, much of the woodland has been cleared (and continues to be cleared) for commercial and residential development. The particular development where my in-laws live has strict rules about cutting trees and is still very wooded. The development includes Swift Creek Reservoir, on which my in-laws own their property. The view of the lake from their house is very pretty. While gazing out over the lake, a bald eagle flew up and landed in a tree along the shore in front of the house. I feel like I am staying in a vacation home. But, venture out onto the main thoroughfare and it is a completely different universe, a perfect example of big box store sprawl.

Until last summer, the only places residents of Brandermill and surrounding areas could buy produce were at the large grocery store chains lining the wide boulevards. So, when I learned a new farmers’ market had opened near by, I had to make a visit. Continue reading →

The “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” – What the Lists Don’t Tell You

23 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by Jessica Y in Food Politics

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Clean Fifteen, Dirty Dozen, farm workers, food justice, food politics, gardening, pesticides, sustainable food, sustainable living

Since starting this blog, I have made room in my life to start thinking a lot about the local/sustainable food movement, primarily the localness of it and how it effects (or doesn’t) systemic change. Then, on a drive home from my daughter’s school, my mind drifted to the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen,” the lists the Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out each year (the most recent was published yesterday) documenting the foods that have the most pesticide residues and which have the least. This is a list put out for consumers. Shoppers who want to avoid the “dirtiest” foods can reference the list and opt to buy organic if their budgets allow. The list is widely distributed among green/sustainable living circles and written in major media publications. I use it myself.

But here’s the thing, the list is for consumers and says nothing about how the pesticides on these crops affect the workers in the fields (applying them and/or harvesting the fruit and vegetables). So, I can choose the best for my family, but is this the best choice for the men and women in the field who help to bring this “cleaner” food to my table? I wanted to know, so I did a little research.

Continue reading →

Why I Don’t Love My Local Farmers’ Market

10 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by Jessica Y in Food Politics

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

Altadena Farmers' Market, farmers' market, food justice, food politics, local food, lovavore, sustainable living

I did buy some of these beautiful sunflowers.

I am just going to say it…. I have a problem, a big one, with the beautiful and innovative farmers’ market that just opened up in my neighborhood a little over two weeks ago. I bounded to the market with so much excitement its first day, but as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t love it.

Continue reading →

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