Over at The Jew and Carrot — a really wonderful blog about Jewish food issues and ethical, local, organic food in general — guest blogger Sarah Newman brought up an interesting documentary called Food Stamped about food stamps and whether you can really eat healthily on our government’s food program for the poor. In the movie, the documentarians try to live off of $50 for food a week, and supplement their diet with some vegetables and herbs that grow along their driveway.
It seems as though Sarah generally liked the film but had a few critiques, one of which involved the driveway herb garden:
And, what if they don’t have tidy herb gardens lining their driveway, like Shira and Yuval, to add nutritious and tasty ingredients to spice up their somewhat bland foods?
The implication being (I think) that it isn’t possible for poor, urban food stamp users to grow their own herbs, or even better, their own fruits and vegetables. And certainly not on a serious budget. I have to say, I heartily disagree! I thought I would round up some of the posts I written about growing your own food without access to an in-ground garden or even very much room. Even a windowbox provides enough room to produce tomatoes, blueberries, herbs, and more.
Growing Your Own Food:
- A Cucumber Plant Made for Container Gardening
- A Great Guide for Growing Carrots in Pots
- Grow Your Own Food So Your Kids Will Eat Healthily
- Vegetables and Herbs You Can Plant in Late Fall
- Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs That a Beginner Can Grow Organically in a Container Garden
- Creating a Hanging Salad Bowl
- Dwarf Blueberry Varieties for Container Gardening
- Tiny Tomato Plants Great for Small Gardens
Frugal Gardening:
- Use Less Soil, Recycle Plastic Bottles and Get Lighter Pots
- How to Get More Plants for Free
- Free Seeds!
- Great Looking Pots for Pennies
- 10 Dirt Cheap Ways to Have a Rockin’ Balcony Garden
- Make Your Own Vegetable Wash
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I can see how people living in the inner city projects don’t have space for an herb garden or other food growing (I personally haven’t had any luck with herbs indoors), but the majority of poor people around the country definitely can be empowered to grow and make their own.
A lot of documentaries and pundits make much of the idea that the poor are helpless and that junk food is cheaper than real food. That’s only true if you live so far from a grocery store that you can’t go every couple weeks, which for the majority of people – including inner-city people who can use the bus for a buck – simply is not so.
Beans, eggs, potatoes, and carrots are nutritious and feed you fine for very cheap. If you look carefully at the store sales flyers (available free) you can find some amazing deals fairly often on veggies, meat, and starches that only need a bit of work. Even without a working freezer people can do quite well.
And your frugal gardening posts cover a lot so I won’t go there. But I really believe that how people feel about themselves dictates what’s possible for them to achieve. Most people are capable of eating well on very, very little.
MoneySavingMom.com feeds her pregnant self, two daughters, and her husband on $40 a week, using nutritious, homemade food.
The biggest problem an inner city gardener would have, would be people stealing the food when it is on the plant! We even have that problem here…
People strip our orange trees, our lemongrass and keffir lime leaves, and our avacados! (Not mine, but collectively in the neighborhood).
I agree, if the garden is hidden, anyone can have a healthy, and very inexpensive addition to their food supply!!!
I base most of my veggie purchases (I’m not fond of fruit) on what is on sale. Like a bandit I’ve been able to make it out of the super having spent $20.00.
Everyone has sales, from Henry’s to Whole Foods, to the Farmer’s Markets. It’s about shopping smart and yes, cooking!
And don’t get me started on growing your own (GYO). Whether big or small, GYO ensures certainty and enables our independence!
Well said Genevieve and of course great post Fern!