West Brookfield Farmers Market

Gardening, to some, is a therapeutic and deeply satisfying pastime.To others it is a full-time job.But during WWII it was a way to show your support for the war effort while providing healthy food for your family and friends.Planting a garden and sharing or preserving your harvest was downright patriotic.Unfortunately, many wars have been waged since the end of WWII but our citizens have never been asked to “Dig on For Victory” or “Sow the Seeds of Victory” again.

The concept of a Victory Garden, also called a war garden or food garden for defense, first appeared in 1917 when Charles Lathrop Pack organized the National War Garden Commission and launched the war garden campaign.With many of the country’s resources going towards the war effort, the citizens of the U.S were asked to help in any and every way they could.They purchased war bonds, conserved raw materials, recycled and planted victory gardens.A popular U.S slogan during war time was “Our food is fighting” and during the height of the campaign, more than 20 million victory gardens were planted.

War gardens were planted everywhere…backyards, abandoned lots, city rooftops...and came in many different shapes and sizes.Even Eleanor Roosevelt planted one on the White House grounds.Plots were cultivated in Golden Gate Park, in the Riverside District of NYC and in Boston at the Back Bay Fens(one of the last original victory gardens still in operation).These gardens produced an estimated 9-10 million tons of fresh fruit and vegetables which equaled approximately40% of all the vegetables consumed nationally.With the citizens taking charge of their food production, more supplies were able to be shipped to troops around the world.Food really was helping to fight the war!

Victory gardens were promoted in magazines and newspapers on a regular basis.Women’s magazines were filled with instructions on how to grow and preserve garden produce.Families were encouraged to can their own produce so that more canned goods could be sent to the troops.Pressure cookers/canners were in great demand and in 1943, 315,000 canners were sold vs. 66,000 the year before.Gardening and canning was touted as a fun, patriotic family event.

When the war ended, so did the government’s promotion of victory gardens.Many people chose to not plant a garden during the spring of 1946 in expectation of greater produce availability.That did not occur, however, because the agricultural industry had not yet returned to full production.By the summer of 1946, food shortages plagued many communities across the nation.

Victory gardens are now a thing of the past.Agricultural practices have changed dramatically since WWII with small family farms being replaced by large corporate farms and time proven tillage methods being overshadowed by mechanization and petrochemicals.Today though, more people are taking an interest in the quality of the food they eat and even more are embracing the concept of self-reliance.Who knows?Maybe in the future folks will come together once again to plant gardens, produce food and do what they can to create a strong sustainable economy right in their own backyard.

Info taken from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden

http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/crops_02.html

http://www.vintageveggies.com/TheVictoryGarden/page2.html

When the cold winds of January blow and freshly picked greens aren’t as readily available as you would like, growing your own sprouts is an easy, tasty and satisfying way to keep a steady supply of healthy greens in your house.All you need is a wide mouth canning jar, some seeds (types of seeds will be discussed below) and water.

There are so many benefits of growing your own sprouts; the most important being that they are incredibly good for you.Sprouts are a powerhouse of nutrients and contain lots of Vitamin C and protein.Another great benefit (as mentioned above) is that for very little effort, you and your family can eat fresh greens all winter long.Sprouting is also a fun gardening experiment for young and old alike.Kids can get the satisfaction of caring for seeds, watching them grow and eating the rewards while adults can experiment with sprouting different seeds until they find which ones they like best.It’s a win, win!

Normally, when people think of sprouts, they envision the clear plastic boxes of alfalfa sprouts we commonly see in a grocery store.Alfalfa is only one of about 40 kinds of seeds that can be sprouted.Others include barley, cabbage, clover, corn, lettuce, lentils, mung bean, pea, pumpkin, quinoa, radish, sesame, soybean, spinach, sunflower (hulled) and turnip.There are also others that are not so common like almond, corn, garbanzo, kidney and pinto beans, and wheat. All these varieties mentioned can be grown in a jar and will provide tasty sprouts within 2-5 days depending on the seed.Experts contend that virtually 99 percent of all vegetation is edible in the sprout stage, the only seed varieties that shouldn’t be sprouted are tomato and potato as they are poisonous.

For beginning sprouters, start with some of the easier varieties like alfalfa, cabbage, lettuce, lentils, mung bean, pea, or spinach.Turnip, spinach, radish, pea and lettuce can also be grown in soil in a shallow tray for those who miss having their hands in the dirt.If you have any leftover untreated/organic seed from your garden, use that first and then buy new seed when needed.Don’t use treated seeds because they’ve probably been sprayed with fungicides.

The easiest way to sprout is by using a quart-sized wide-mouthed Mason jar with a mesh, nylon or cheesecloth lid held on with the metal jar band.For alfalfa seeds, start with 2 Tbsp. seed in the jar.Cover with cool water and soak for a few hours (this softens the hull for easier sprouting).When done soaking, rinse the seeds and drain well.Lay the jar on its side, out of direct sun and rinse the seeds a couple times a day.Rotating the jar is also helpful because it spreads the seeds/sprouts and improves circulation of air and moisture.Within 4-6 days you should have a nice jar of sprouts between ½ inch and 2 in. long.They are best eaten raw.

Different kinds of seeds require different soaking times and may take longer to reach the desired “harvest” size.Some of the hardier sprouts may also need to be lightly cooked to increase tenderness.There is plenty of sprouting information available on the internet so check it out and start sprouting.It’s another great way to eat local in winter….

Info taken from:The Encyclopedia of Country Living, Carla Emery