Five Foods That Are Killing the Planet

[Atman]

39. We had a garden that was quite a bit larger than the one pictured.

We canned or froze a LOT of stuff, from tomatoes and salsas to squash and peppers. You do have a point, though; we supplemented what we grew with trips to local farmers markets. And I mean local. We have the benefit of living in farm country, and have ready access to real free-range chicken and eggs (mass-market "free range" or "cage free" labels don't mean much, you have to actually know where/how the chickens were raised -- we did). When we do eat meat, not too often, it is also purchased from a couple of local farms with very small herds, who also make cheese and milk products. It's not cheap, but it is so much better, and we feel better both physically and from knowing we're sustaining a neighbor, not some giant agri-business. It's wasn't a "fun" garden, it was a lot of work, but it did (and does) supply a sizable portion of our diets.

That said, above poster has a point about the longevity of the produce we grew. Home growers tend to pick when the stuff is ripe, whereas giant agri-business factory farms chemically treat stuff, or pick long before fully ready to ensure a longer shelf life.