Homegrown Eating

Rob Hawk tells how to plant and care for this evergreen seedling.

In May, Cheryl presented a program on homegrown eating. Not only did she provide homemade biscuits and jam, along with pickled beans, she gave us valuable information about the importance of growing one's own food and purchasing locally grown foods. In today's economy, shipping costs are ever-increasing. If you purchase produce from local growers, you are not only supporting your community, but saving yourself the shipping costs. There have been many food recalls in recent times. If you know who grows the food you eat and how it is grown, you don't have to worry about food-borne illnesses. It is also very rewarding to commune with the earth and to reap the benefits of your work. Even if you're limited in space, you can grow salad items such as tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers in containers. You can grow fresh herbs year-round in a sunny windowsill. As a special treat, Rob Hawk came with Cheryl and brought us all fresh Norway Spruce seedlings. He spoke about the planting and care of evergreens, as well as the importance of teaching young people to care about their environment. He encouraged us to make the tree planting a family project. He really liked Cheryl's biscuits, too. I could tell.

All of us got several seedlings to take home and plant with family members.