Food Not Lawns!

I have some chicory plants out by my front step that managed to survive the winter, and this spring they grew tall produced new leaves. I asked some of my neighbors whether they thought these leaves would be edible. I got my answer later that day when one of my neighbors knocked on my door and presented me with a delicious bowl of hot greens, sauteed in garlic and oyster sauce... from my own lawn!

Food Not Lawns is a movement which encourages people to grow edible crops in their yards, instead of maintaining grass. Growing one's own food is one of the many manifestations of the philosophy that one should tend to eat food that is grown locally. Local food does not have the same carbon footprint as food transported over great distances. Local food does not utilize as much packaging as commercial food. Eating food produced locally means that we are more likely to know the person who produced our food, and more likely to trust that food has been produced in a caring, responsible manner. Developing and encouraging local food sources increases so-called "food security." I hate that term, but it reflects the chances we take when we rely on distant farming and corporate farming methods.

We are blessed in Narberth to have a large and growing number of people who increasingly turn inward, find solutions within themselves, and start growing and raising their own food. This strengthens self-reliance, and neighborliness, and adds to our collective local know-how. I recommend that everyone check out the Narberth Vegetable Exchange -- held on Saturdays starting in June -- where gardeners bring their surplus produce to make exchange deals for somebody else's surplus.

I also recommend stopping by the Food Not Lawns webpage, and Facebook page.

Let's see how much food we can produce this year, Narberth!