Coming to grips with food insecurity
It’s been a trying summer for gardening. Between the drought, a thriving crop of tomato worms, the dogs in the raised beds, and a few hungry bunnies, things still turned out rather well in terms of produce. The neighbors are refusing to answer their door as we drop off even more cucumbers and zucchini squash. The peppers did remarkably well thinly sliced and dried to be placed in their corresponding jars. The canning tomatoes came as a bit of a shock. A hundred pounds or more remain on the vines, waiting their turn as ingredients for salsa and puree, something especially wonderful when used for a base in crockpot soups and stews. The cherry tomatoes were collected in 2-gallon pails.
The most fun in the garden, however, stems from an early fascination with the vining plants and what they reveal in late season. It was always a thrill to go hunting beneath the leaves for gourds, melons, carrots, summer squash, and watermelons. The cantaloupes were especially on the mark this year as hail generously left them alone. The biggest disappointment came with the giant pumpkins that split open when we overwatered them. Who knew? Dreams of a 700-lb. monster are still alive, just on hold for another year. And if you’d like to talk about milk-fed pumpkins, I’m your man.
To say the amount of produce raised was a surprise would be an understatement. The question always is to determine the best combination of vegetables and pollinizers. Plants that draw bees, birds, butterflies, and moths are welcome anytime in these gardens. This year’s abundant produce is also a reminder that not everyone has the opportunity to grow a garden.
That is where we must also step up by making sure that little is wasted. Days of food insecurity are seldom a concern for us, yet we know that inequities worldwide demand that we pay attention to needs and that we understand our role in food security concerns. It’s been said that water law is a lifelong full employment opportunity for attorneys. Who controls water eventually controls food… who controls food controls the populace. An econ professor specializing in foreign aid development some years ago remarked that one of the fastest, easiest, cheapest ways to subjugate a population is through hunger. Explore the news and you will likely draw a similar conclusion.
We should worry for the future of international politics and the dark places food insecurity plays a contributing part. Many have said that there is plenty enough that no one should go hungry for lack of food. Are we listening and understanding that it takes more than a farmer or two to make it happen? It’s moments like these in history where the rubber hits the road. In what manner shall we respond? Contact your local food bank and ask about the numbers they serve. On a per capita basis, there is little distinction between metro and rural communities. A certain percentage of the population will always need assistance.
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” (Matt 25:44-45, NIV). Clear enough.
Ken Frantz is a non-salaried ordained pastor serving the Haxtun Church of the Brethren.