fresh food | Kai Chronicles

It’s nearly summertime in the Southern Hemisphere and you know what that means: an abundance of fresh food.

It’s only November but I’m already inundated with tomatoes, chillies and the capsicums are really taking off. Don’t get me wrong, the garden continued to grow during winter. Winter was good for sweet potato, silver-beet and the rosemary plant.

Fresh, homegrown food had been highlighted in the media recently.

Many health conscious Australians have already seen fitness guru Michelle Bridges’s marketing flop go viral. If you don’t know what I’m on about, take a look at it here.

What do you think?

Well, judging by the reaction to it here in Australia, Woolies and Michelle have made an massive error.

Imagine calling people who grow their own food freaks. How can frozen, microwaved food be healthier than your own garden*?

Naturopath Jules Galloway posted a brilliant open letter to Michelle on her blog today. I certainly could not say it better than Jules did. Have a read of Jules’s open letter here.

I don’t really care if Michelle Bridges thinks I’m a freak. I’m happy to wear the FREAK label if it means I’m doing what I can to better my health and the health of my family. But I think it’s wrong for the message to be that frozen, microwaved, low in protein, high in sugar food is better for you because it’s more convenient than taking the time to grow and cook your own.

I just came in from the garden. I didn’t eat any dirt and I didn’t feel like a freak. And I will have delicious, juicy, sweet tomatoes for lunch today. I wonder what Michelle is having? Her foot?

Do you grow your own fruits, veggies or herbs?

*for the record, I don’t use any pesticides or chemicals on my gardens. They may not look perfect but at least my produce is free from poison.

fresh coriander and broccoli ©Jennifer Morton 2014

Growing your own vegetables is not an easy thing to do. Well, not for me anyway.

I love the idea of growing my own food. I love to just pop out to the herb patch and steal fresh snips of coriander, basil and parsley any time I’m in need.

Right now, my celery is flourishing – it obviously loves the Australia winter. The stalks are finer and thinner than the ones from the supermarket and a bit more chewy but it’s nice to know that there are no sprays or nasty stuff on it – maybe a few ants.

Gorgeously green celery. ©Jennifer Morton

I do struggle to keep the broccoli going. It seems to go to flower before the vegetable has time to grow much bigger than my thumb. It’s still edible and great for stir-frys.

The snails and caterpillars love my broccoli leaves. ©Jennifer Morton

I’m quite keen to pull my biggest leek and make a leek and potato soup before it gets too warm here in Western Australia. It’s beautiful with fresh or dried Thyme. Yum.

I want the goods but I don’t want the work involved.

This is a bone of contention between Mr M and I. He moans because I don’t spend any time in the garden (he does most weeding and maintaining).

I just don’t have a green thumb, which is shocking considering my mother and step-father were both professionals gardeners!!

I remember being a teenager and sulking because I had to help weed and pick vegetables. If I had only paid attention and soaked up that education (that I saw as punishment at the time)!! Regret is a bitch.

So, I don’t like weeding, pruning, watering, sun protecting, planting or getting my hands dirty.

But I LOVE picking, preparing and eating freshly grown, chemical-free herbs and vegetables (and it feels like it’s FREE cause you forget how much the boxes, seedlings, soil and gardening tools cost).

I think I’m getting better at it. I get out there, if only for 5 minutes, every few days to maintain my scattered gardens. And I reap the rewards at dinner time!

If I can do it, surely anyone can!!

Do you grow your own food? Why?