It's Fun Grocery Shopping In My Backyard!

I had fun today "grocery shopping" in my backyard. Most of the stuff in the garden is not ready yet but I did get some zucchini, lettuce, one small serrano pepper, and one small red potato. The best part is, I don't have to pay for it! I still have to wash the dirt off, but at least I don't have to worry about e-coli or salmonella recalls on my own homegrown food.

For dinner tonight we had lasagna (nothing from the garden in it), fried zucchini with Nature's Seasoning on it, and a small salad with the lettuce I picked (the carrots are from the store). I planted carrots this year but I don't think they came up at all. I'm not 100% sure, but I think there are only weeds in that area. Once the tomatoes are ripe, I'll add them to the sauce next time I make lasagna.

Another E. Coli Lettuce Recall

It seems to be happening more and more often these days, recalls on some type of produce for e. coli. This time it is shredded romaine lettuce manufactured by Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio. So far it is linked to 19 cases of e. coli, of which 12 people were hospitalized.

This is why I recommend, if at all possible, growing your own food. Even if you live in an apartment, you can grow a little garden in a window box or in pots inside. If it is absolutely impossible to grow your own fruit and vegetables, try shopping at a local farmer's market or a grocery store that sells local produce. This reduces the chance of infection.

If you're someone like me and do not have a "green thumb," try it anyway. I had my first ever garden last summer. I know very little about plants. I bought some seeds for fruit & vegetables that we like and planted them in the backyard. Some of the plants did very well and others didn't. I planted watermelon and they didn't come up at all. That's okay, I'm going to try again. I was glad to get whatever survived my inexperienced gardening. It's all about trial and error. I'm planning to plant another garden this year if it will ever stop snowing!