One of the best things you can do for your health is to grow your own food. There are so many reasons that growing your own is good for you, here are just a few.
Homegrown food tastes so much better. In Ayurveda, the taste of the food is important. The word taste is called the rasa in Sanskrit and it means "juice, essence or taste". It is used to describe the flavour of anything, not just food, especially when it evokes an emotion or feeling. The more we enjoy the taste of the food that we eat, the better it is for us.
Knowing that we have grown the food, we will appreciate it so much more. My kids always roll their eyes when I tell them “everything on your plate has come from the garden” or when I point out the things that have or have not been grown in the garden! But, there is immense satisfaction from raising food from seeds, seedlings, plants or trees. Tending to it and waiting for it to ripen and grow is all part of a wonderful and satisfying process. And there is always more than enough, so it is lovely to share the abundance. The gratitude and appreciation that is part of that whole dynamic is beautiful, and in Ayurveda gratitude is part of the digestive process.
In addition to improved taste and the benefits of deep gratitude, food that is organic, home grown and freshly picked is B U R S T I N G with prana. Prana is the life-giving force or energy which flows in currents in and around all living things. If you have ever grown your own, or visited the garden of someone who grows organically, you will know and understand what I am talking about. You can feel it! Western scientists will also tell you that this kind of food is highest in nutrients such as vitamins, mineral and antioxidants.
Growing your own is also so much better for the environment. Eating food that has not travelled for miles and miles means reducing the carbon footprint so much. It also means that you will be eating food that is in season and learning how to eat food that grows well in your area. In Ayurveda, eating seasonally and in tune with your environment is a big part of eating for health. Learning about the native plants and herbs that grow in your area is a wonderful way of boosting your immune system and discovering a whole medicine kit.
So now we’ve looked at why it’s a good idea to grow your own, here’s how to start. It’s the same way that you start eating an elephant!
One bite at a time.
Start small, just start with one plant, or one small vegetable plot, box or bed.
You can grow in containers, tubs, sacks and bags.
You can grow on balconies, in the house, up the side of the house or on rooftops.
It is the nature of nature to want to grow.
Start by thinking of what it is that you most want to grow and what is good for you and your dosha. I can help you with this during a consultation both in terms of how and what to grow in your situation. As there is a lot of information out there about how to grow things, the main thing to do is to start. You can either start things from seed, or get hold of some small plug plants or seedlings. Read the instructions on the packet, in the book or on the label and then just do it!
Buy a plant, read up on how to care for it and do it!
I suggest looking into permaculture if you are just starting to develop some land, there is a lot of information available online now. Permaculture and Ayurveda share many principles because they both honour the cycles and systems of nature. I love permaculture because it is about helping all of the systems in nature to find balance, not just finding our own personal balance. If you don’t have your own land, look for local initiatives and growing schemes. Even if you don’t have a garden, there are lots of ways to find space to grow on including helping someone who has land but no time, or finding someone with disabilities and helping them to care for their outdoor space and benefit from sharing crops, renting some space, joining a gardening club or helping a local farmer.
You will find that growing your own food is great fun, good exercise and will save you money once you get going. It is so good for the soul and wonderfully therapeutic.
And of course since fresh produce makes up nearly all of the vegan Ayurvedic diet, you can have so much more food security!