During WWI and WWII, a food crisis emerged and people were encouraged to begin planting their own gardens to relieve stress on commercial farmers. They were called Victory Gardens, also known as “war gardens” and “food gardens for defense”.

In 1917, the National War Garden Commission was created and put into effect. Propaganda pressured everyone to participate and pushed any vacant land to be utilized and farmed. In 1942, food rationing was introduced and Victory Gardens reemerged. We read that in 1942, around 20 million gardens were planted, but when the war disappeared, so did the Victory Gardens.

We love the idea of everybody having the desire to plant, harvest, store and cook more of their own food. If families, friends, couples and individuals all began their own gardens today, we would all not have to rely so heavily upon big brand grocery stores, who all offer a bunch of GMO (genetically modified organism) and conventionally grown produce and not enough organic. Plus, organic (non-processed and untreated) is oddly more expensive than processed.

While we were in Colorado, we teamed up with a new friend and began planting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in a geothermal dome. It’s a simple structure and incredibly self-sufficient. The dome is outfitted with solar power, a large tank filled with Tilapia fish, which fertilizes the hydroponic veggies above and the ground-planted crops below, as well as regulates temperature in the dome.

We all spent less time shopping and spending money and more time building a relationship with our food. Eating live food and whole ingredients continued to clean our systems and brighten our energy. We hope there is a Victory Garden revival and that people begin to see the beauty of self-sufficiency and healing through food.