Shrinkflation
There are three main reasons why I garden.
1. I enjoy the show that God puts on when you plant a tiny seed in the ground and watch it become food.
2. I gain satisfaction from knowing what or in many cases what is NOT in my food.
3. Food Security
Food security, yes, that's a thing. I looked it up.
food se·cu·ri·ty
noun
- the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
Lately, in the news, we have been hearing a lot about food INsecurity.
food in·se·cu·ri·ty
noun
- the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food."more than 800 million people live every day with hunger or food insecurity as their constant companion"
Lately, So let me make one thing clear. I am not proposing that you need to grow ALL of the food for you and your family. I am purposing that you augment or supplement your food by growing some of your own. My personal goal for me and my family is 50%. When the pandemic hit someone was selling a twenty-five-pound bag of bread flour for $75.00 That is an extreme example but have you noticed that you are paying more for your groceries and getting less? Here is a term that not many people are familiar with.
Shrinkflation
In economics, shrinkflation is the process of items shrinking in size or quantity, or even sometimes reformulating or reducing quality while their prices remain the same or increase. The word is a portmanteau of the words shrink and inflation.
What does this have to do with gardening? It's simple Unless you are going to stop eating you have to spend more on your food budget each year. In 1960 a loaf of bread cost $0.23, that's twenty-three cents. This is not a blog on economics, it is about offering a solution to the rising cost of food.
Each spring I plant green beans in these bins. This spring I planted extra and have frozen some. I actually did a video on the process. See link below.
By planting easy-to-grow vegetables or fruit you save money, it's that simple. Here are two of the watermelons I am currently growing. It's beginning to drizzle. I literally stopped writing this to run out and take a few shots of what's growing in my garden
The pumpkin is my nephew. Sweet potatoes are growing in the bins. I make pear honey. The cucumbers go in our salads or you could make relish.
I grow sweet potatoes for the holidays. We serve them for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.
Consider planting fruits like blueberries or strawberries. I have added to what I planted a few years ago. They are easy to maintain and best of all they come back year after year.
Whether it's inflation, deflation, stagnation or recession give yourself and your budget an advantage by starting a garden.
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