You may have seen the millennials who have gone full-circle and are choosing to live like it’s the 1800’s. They’d rather be farming, gardening, baking from scratch, and practicing herbal medicine than be contributing to the “modernized” version of society. I stand by those choosing self-sustainable homes, because there is a reason we all need to grow produce and not buy it.

The food system is broken, and the U.S. government is allowing our food to be modified in ways that harm us. There is still so much to learn, but what  do know is that I will not shop at grocery stores for produce any longer. Let me tell you why.

We need to grow produce and not buy it

We can blame the wars, the government, or whatever else in connection to why produce prices sky rocketed, but what is the explanation in the sudden decrease of seeds in our foods, why our produce is being coated in harmful waxes, and why herbicides and pesticides are in a majority of your foods? And don’t even get me started on the bugs!

I’m no conspiracy theorist, but there is something going on. There is a reason why certain high-profile people (I won’t name names but we know who) are buying up lots of land, buying out the farmers, and investing in experimental foods.

via GIPHY

"organic" is not organic anymore

I’ve recently learned that produce is being sprayed with a wax to make it last longer. Unfortunately, it is being sprayed on both conventional and organic produce.

Perhaps it’s been around far longer than I realized, but a wax coating made up of monoglycerides and diglycerides is added to the outside of produce to help preserve its freshness. Limes, lemons, oranges, mandarins, avocados, English cucumbers, grapefruits, and mangoes (so far) are being sprayed with this “edible” wax. 

An edible wax, mind you, that cannot be fully removed. You can try soaking the produce in warm water or scrubbing it off, but there is no way to fully remove this wax. Although it’s advertised as edible, it is created with chemicals that are toxic. I don’t know about you, but toxic and edible have very different meanings to me. 

Similar to Pete, I believe these waxes were made with malicious intent. Is it population control? I have no idea, but it’s something and something is not nothing! Sounds dumb but you understand my point. 

This is just one reason why we need to grow produce and not buy it. When you grow your own produce, not only will you have fresher, more nutritious food, but you know it is 100% organic and safe to eat. In addition, the food you grow at home will always last longer than when you buy it from the grocery store. 

90% of produce is seedless

via GIPHY

Seedless fruit is nothing new. Bananas, grapes, and watermelons have had seedless options since I was a kid, but nowadays I can’t find a seeded version them at all. What’s more concerning is that lemons, limes, and oranges are suddenly seedless and aren’t even being advertised as such!

The intent behind the seedless fruit is questionable. Is it for us to enjoy eating fruits without having to spit out seeds, or is to manipulate us, our food, and agriculture as a whole? In my opinion, there has to be an ulterior motive. 

Let’s think about it. The average lemon contains enough seeds to regrow 8-12 new lemon trees. Without the seeds, we become reliant on grocery stores and seed companies to provide us with what we need, and we are no longer able to be self-sufficient. 

Like I said, I am not a conspiracy theorist, but what else can explain the correlation between an increase in controlled produce and an increase in wanting to live off the land? People are becoming tired of this controlled system.

potatoes are sprayed with chemicals

Potatoes are sprayed with chloropropham (also known as CIPC) so that they will not sprout. Currently, this is only being sprayed on conventional potatoes, but this “sprout inhibitor” is applied to the skin of the potato and can only be removed when peeled. Potatoes that sprout too soon are a loss to the farmer, so in order to maximize profits they control the sprouting. 

The use of CIPC is federally regulated in the U.S. but is being phased out in Europe due to health concerns. I wouldn’t doubt that someday soon all produce we buy is controlled and contaminated without most of us knowing. This is another reason why we need to grow produce and not buy it from the stores.

Potatoes are extremely easy to grow, even from a container, and can be stored for 6-8 months if done properly. It’s always best to buy “seed potatoes” from a reputable owner, rather than from the grocery store. This will ensure the potatoes you grow won’t have diseases, plus there’s a large variety of seed potatoes to choose from!

Herbicides in wheat products

I’ve been saying it for years – gluten allergies are man made. It’s our food that is poisoning our bodies. Humans have been eating wheat for centuries and only until the last few decades have gluten allergies become more prevalent.

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup weed killer, is an herbicide used to kill plants. More specifically, it is used to kill wheat plants for an easier harvest, but it does so much more than simply kill wheat. Once applied, glyphosate can be traced to all a large variety of wheat-based products, inluding flour, oats, cereal, bread, pasta, crackers, pizza, beans, lentils, beer, and wine. 

While the U.S. claims glyphosate “is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans”, Europe pushes to ban it (and all herbicides) entirely for its threat to human life and to biodiversity as a whole.

There are people who claim they have a gluten allergy in America but not in Europe because the herbicide-free wheat. U.S. scientists say it is unrelated to the use of herbicides and claim it is a “placebo” effect. They’re basically calling us crazy. 

we need to grow produce and not buy it

I urge people to learn about what’s happening behind the scenes. I only know very little, but I can see what’s happneing and it’s happening fast. Pay attention to your labels, if you can make it at home then make it! Don’t buy prepackaged foods and try to grow your own produce at home. 

start planning for a better future now

If you are in a situation where you want to grow but can’t, I feel you. I currently live in a Chicago neighborhood where my neighbors are 5-10 feet from my house with very little land to grow. Not to mention I only have 3 months of warm weather, which means growing outside is practically impossible.

I won’t accept that. Instead, I’m planning for a different future. I may not be living the dream of owning a self-sustainable home now, but I will. Every day I get a little bit closer to that dream. 

Don’t settle for grocery store poison. We all deserve quality food, but that can only happen when we grow produce and not buy it. Start looking at lots for sale, start saving money, check out owner financed properties, start a community garden. Whatever you do now is still a step in the right direction.

So are you ready to get back to basics and live life the way our ancestors did? Or are you content with the decline in quality and nutritional value in our produce? I, for one, will not be a slave to the system. 

From what I can tell, grocery store produce is bad and only getting worse. In order to fight the system, we need to grow produce and not buy it. Only then can you control what you’re eating and be sure it’s actually safe to eat. Not to mention – way cheaper!

Thanks for reading “Why You Need to Grow Produce and Not But It”, and I wish you well on your journey!