Revolution in the Garden

<span style=”font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;”>by John Young
<br />(from the http://localag.wordpress.com)<br /><br />This year, in my garden, I will be growing 72 broccoli plants in two separate plantings. As these are harvested they will be cleaned, blanched, vacuum-sealed and placed in my freezer. <br /><br />This will amount to about 100 pounds of organic broccoli that, if purchased at the grocery store, would cost about $600 at today’s prices.

99% of the broccoli crop in the United States is grown in California and Arizona. The overwhelming preponderance of the planting and harvesting of that broccoli is performed by Mexicans</span>.
<span style=”font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;”>When I grow my $600 worth of broccoli, I am pulling $600 out of a system supporting Mexican immigration.

And that’s just ONE vegetable!

Naturally, my cost for the broccoli is a lot less than the $600 I’d pay at the supermarket. But, when you add it all up, I pay less than $1/pound. when the cost of packaging is included, plus I get some exercise. <br /><br />Not a bad deal at all: I get to save money and eat well while supporting my Folk.

The same economic equation applies with practically everything I grow.

So — what is stopping you?</span>

2009-04-05