Who Else Wants Free Organic Vegetables? Our Inspiring Food Park Opening

I recently attended a fascinating lecture comparing the nutrient content of organic and non-organic produce down to the cellular level. I could bore you with detailed comparisons on the phenol and amino acid qualities but the main focus was on knowing where and how our food is grown.  Everyone should be mindful of where their food comes from, it's good for your health, community, and the planet. Bonus points if you actually know how to grow the green goodness, then you'll be a valued asset in the zombie apocalypse! Let's get the gardening creative juices flowing while looking at the opening of an awe-inspiring local community garden.

I've been volunteering with Our Fertile Earth a local non-profit organization dedicated to creating urban "food parks" all around Jacksonville, Florida. Using "permaculture" techniques that replicate how plants grow in their wild native environment we've created a productive food source and relaxing retreat for retired residents that won't need fertilizing or watering.

Okra, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, Basil, Mint, Swiss Chard, Kale, Oranges, Lemons, Grapefruit, Eggplants, and many baskets of organic goodness are being bountifully produced in what was once a lot of half-dead grass sandwiched between two apartment communities.

It's so inspiring to witness. It sets me to dreaming of all the available plots of lands being cultivated as food producing spaces.

Can you imagine an eden, an oasis of food on every median or empty lot?

Can you imagine saving hundreds per month because we can step outside and pick fresh greens for our salads and smoothies daily?

I don't have a yard of my own, but I'm going to start gardens in the happily volunteered yards of friends and family; nourishing soil and bodies along the way.

Food can be free, even if you start with a single potted plant on the windowsill.

I'm excited to keep growing and learning from the garden- and eating the literal fruits of our labors!

I leave you with a beautiful local pumpkin variety, the seminole pumpkin! I'll stop here, I could post hundreds of photos from the garden if I don't check myself.

Do you garden? How do you like to grow or save money on food?

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