“Remember, too, that at a time when people are very concerned with their health and its relationship to what they eat, we have handed over the responsibility for our nourishment to faceless corporations,” says Lynne Rossetto Kasper, food writer, cooking teacher and host of Vermont Public Radio’s The Splendid Table.

The National Gardening association estimates that, “Forty-three million American households planned to grow at least some of their own food in 2009, a 19 percent increase from the estimated 36 million who did the year before,” begins a June 20 CNS News article.

Colleges and grade schools, even kindergarten children grow some of the food they serve in their own cafeterias. Children at a very young age have a heightened awareness of the difference between produce they grow and produce they see on display at the grocery store.

You might think that at a time when families juggle with multiple career paths and children who are very active with extra-curricular activities, there is little time left for canning, let alone grow one’s own tomatoes. But for many, time is not a significant deterrent anymore; quality of nutrition and personal health outweigh time restrictions. Simply, we like to know that what we eat is safe and nutrient, not chemical rich.

Family farms are not exactly what they used to be. As they change, inevitably, along with new lifestyles, a new economy and new technologies, so do individual philosophies about food. From harvesting their own little patch of carrots and tomatoes, to sharing a patch at a community garden, to porch and roof gardening, canning and composting, many are taking the time to be fully involved with several aspects of their personal nutrition.

Welcome to Granny’s Parlour. I am so glad you stopped by. Here, Granny will step away from the shop for a while, at All Seasons Homestead Helpers, to talk about trends and philosophies in individual practices and in the food industry; the personal experience of homesteaders, city-dwelling gardeners and farmers; innovations in food preparation equipment and processes; and all manners of related discoveries and topics.

Until next time… Better watch out… those potatoes have eyes and can see you.