{"id":8794,"date":"2025-04-09T01:37:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T15:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/?p=8794"},"modified":"2025-04-09T01:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T15:37:10","slug":"growing-your-own-food-central-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/growing-your-own-food-central-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Give Away Plants: The Joy and Power of Growing Your Own Food"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When I went to my first Permaculture Central Coast gathering I was introduced to the concept of a seed bank and swapping edible plants.  Ever since then, I have been giving plants, cuttings and seeds to as many people as I can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main reason I do this is that I believe our food system has become broken and so has our relationship with food.  Despite so much information at our fngertips, we have lost so much food knowledge, and with that, a connection, appreciation, love and value for fresh, nutritious food.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of us now rely on people we do not know, to grow our food, at a place not close to where we live. We don\u2019t know what the plant looks like through its life cycle, let alone how to care for it, harvest or check when it is ripe (before or after harvest?). We have lost the knowledge of how to cook the harvest in many ways with a bumper crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today fresh fruit and vegetables come pre-prepared and packaged; we do not even need to touch them when we cook. It is common to open a packet and dump some veggies in the pot or just reheat a pre-prepared meal in a rush to get food on the table. Eating this way often means the types of fresh foods like vegetables offered at the family meal table are limited. Kids do not learn about their food and therefore do not enjoy eating a wide variety of foods to pass healthy habits onto the next generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second reason I give seeds and edible plants is that there are so many benefits of growing your own food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improving health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From almost every room of my house I can see some kind of food growing, and this inspires me to cook the foods I see, eat and share them.  When you grow your own food, you increase the availability of these foods in your diet and in the diets of those people around you.  This benefits everyone\u2019s physical and mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reduce waste and save money<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home food gardening greatly reduces our food miles, carbon footprint and food waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you grow your own food you are less likely to waste it and the other foods you buy as you have experienced how much time, energy and effort it requires to grow food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you compost your food waste, and use this garden gold on your edible garden, it also reduces overall food cost as well as wastage.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical activity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a garden is a bit like having a home gym, as long as you use the correct manual handling procedures: bend your knees, keep your chest upright and squeeze your tummy muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connect with Nature<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world of screens, so many social connections and things to do. Simply getting out and connecting with our natural world can be so valuable for our mental health and spiritual well-being.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of my favourite edible plants:<\/p>\n\n\n\n