Newsletter - September 1, 2021

Dear brothers and sisters,

Here in Berkeley, one of the greatest universities has been home to 110 noble laureates. Yet, at the same time, the  sidewalks, all around are filled with the tents of the homeless. Could there be a more graphic illustration of the isolation and loneliness that is making us sick? Then there is obesity. Apparently, some feel they have to revert to a fetal condition for the  love and attention  they so desperately need. Think of it! 140 million Americans are obese.   

Then there is the insatiable appetite for ultra processed food. It seems that what they crave is the hit of calories that creates a high. The next stop, tragically enough, is diabetes.Then there is cardio vascular and cancer.                                                                           

Why not emulate “the greatest generation”. Plant a victory garden as they did after Pearl Harbor.

By May 1943, there were 18 million victory gardens in the United States – 12 million in cities and 6 million on farms. In that year these backyard gardens produced 40% of all vegetables consumed in the U.S.

Eleanor Roosevelt instituted a  victory garden on the White House lawn.

Why not start with friends and neighbors together in community gardens. Then go on to edible schoolyards. In almost every municipality there is  vacant land. What  edible landscapes it can make.

We need not continue down the road to Zimbabwe. Just as the greatest generation brought us out of the depression and won the war, so too, this generation can reverse the downward spiral. Together , we can achieve the "new birth of freedom" Abraham Lincoln prophesied.

Jesse Schwartz
President
Living Tree Community Foods

Take us on a tour!

We'd love to visit your garden now that harvest time is approaching. Your garden could be in your backyard, your front yard, your community garden or edible schoolyard. It  could even be in your kitchen if you’re doing sprouts and wheat grass.

We invite you to do a  video. Take us with you as you walk down the rows of lettuce, spinach and kale. Maybe there's even a pumpkin patch. You could even be in your kitchen if you’re doing sprouts and wheat grass.Why not play Mozart or Mendelssohn in the background?

Furthermore, we’ll share your video with brothers and sisters everywhere, featuring it in our newsletter.   

We will award a $300 gift certificate for the most beguiling entry.

Please send your recipe video here

Contest ends Sunday September 19th.