by John Murphy, Founder, Make 100 Healthy
Each year on Nov. 11, Americans from coast to coast, honor those who served our country. Many made the ultimate sacrifice to allow us the freedom we enjoy.
As we commemorate the fallen heroes and those who have served our country, it’s an opportune time to reflect on history.
During World War I and II, U.S. citizens were called to grow backyard victory gardens. Not only was this a way to take the burden off the food supply to feed our troops, but it also protected against an interruption in our food supply in case we were attacked.
Americans took great pride in their victory gardens, and they became popular in Great Britain, too.
Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves facing empty shelves and rumors of coming food shortages. We have an epidemic of diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases.
Because of the pandemic, victory gardens have flourished again. There’s no better way to ensure you provide healthy and nutritious food for you and your family than growing it yourself — no pesticides, worry about transportation or the degradation of fruits and vegetables; just home grown delicious food.
Here are a few things to know about victory gardens.
- In 1943, more than 40% of Americans grew their own victory gardens.
- The victory garden program began during WWI with a proclamation from President Woodrow Wilson, making it a patriotic duty to have a victory garden.
- They were also called “food gardens for defense” and “war gardens.”
With a deep debt of gratitude, I thank all the brave and valiant service members that fought so hard for our country. Having a victory garden is not only a way to honor their memory but to learn from the past and grow your own food as much as possible.
This time the victory is for our health. Let’s get growing!