Food. Security. Food Security.

So last night, I had my first encounter with a hungry thief. It's fairly common knowledge that we have a self sufficient garden at our home, it takes up the whole dam yard and the empty lot on the hill behind besides. That lot is technically a community garden, my little Brother's eagle scout project, but in reality we're the only ones who work it. We've always told our neighbors to help themselves, and with rising food prices they've been very greatful for the excess we share. But I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone else decided to help themselves.

Just after my mother decided to turn in for the night, she used the intercom from her cabin in the back to call me. She said she heard a noise in the back lot that sounded like raccoons or something. It's not the first time, and I like the occasional possum stew, so I grabbed the pellet gun and went out back. I caught a guy with a plastic grocery bag grabbing tomatoes. As soon as he saw me, he ran off.

We've been producing most of our food ourselves for a while now. It was an Ideological choice on our part: we believe that people should control the means to produce the necessities of their life. We've had a garden for over a decade now, and we're on our second year of total food production. But we're really, really rare people. I know of 2 urban farming co-ops, a few community gardens with large followings, and one other friend who may reach total food production next year if his soil improves a bit with this years compost. Lots of other people have a garden, but it only suppliments their diets. Most people still believe that supermarkets are where food comes from. I know fresh vegetables are worth a lot right now, the local grocer has offered us a lot of money for some of our crops, which after much discussion we turned down because growing food to sell depletes the soil. (I may get into why that is in a later post).

Today I surveyed the damage: He got most of the tomatoes off a few vines. Probably half of what he got wasn't even ripe. I'm sad about that-I'm certain he just threw those away and I know how to make a really great green tomato soup. Yes, I'm sad someone is wasting what they stole from me. The plants probably won't survive either, but they are annuals anyway and I gathered my seed for tomatoes already. I trimmed them back, and I'll think of something else to plant there in case they don't make it. When I looked out over the hill, I saw a group of boys hanging out on a corner looking in my direction. I can't be sure, but I think one of them was the boy from last night. I'm certain they intend to raid my garden tonight.

This type of thing is only going to get worse, I realize. It's not enough for me, personally, to be producing all the food my family needs. Not when the world is going hungry. Those boys are looking at my crop, thinking "Hey, we can eat some good food instead of the foodbank shit" or "Dude, I know someone who will pay cash money for those tomatoes." Now I could fence off my garden so that people don't see what I have, but it's kind of too late to keep this a secret. I could get some razor wire and motion sensor lights. I could patrol my garden at night, get a real self defense gun, and basically keep improving my defenses as the situation gets worse to try to keep the hungry hoards away from my garden of eden. But, to quote some movie I can't remember, that thought wearies me.

It comes down to numbers. There are more hungry people than prepared people. And when they decide that they have a right to my food, I'll either share or be crushed by them. It may be theives constantly stealing from me. It may be that a collection commitee will accuse me or hoarding and demand I share the stored food I created. And you know what, I would do the same in their shoes. I mean, I know I only really produce enough to feed my own family. But it still looks like a lot of food when it's all stacked up there, and it would pain me not to share it with people who seem to need it. Physically it is probably impossible to stop people from taking my food, and emotionally I'm not willing to go to the lengths it would take.

So how am I going to aviod starving in the coming years, just like everyone else?

Tonight I am posting from my mother's cabin: she's sleeping in the main house and I'm on watch. My brother is out hiding in the gardens, he's a pretty good sneak and has me on speed dial. If he sees anything he's going to text me and keep an eye out, but not engage until I join him. Next to me sits the pellet gun, but also 4 baskets. These baskets contain vegetables already picked, some preserved for long term storage, but only really a small taste. Most of each basket is taken up by seed packets and photocopies of "How to grow more vegetables." When those boys show up, I'm going to give each of them a basket, and promise them that if they come back during the daylight, I'll teach them how to grow the food. It is, after all, a community garden, and I could use the extra hands right now. It's harvest season, where you enjoy the bounty of a years hard work, and start planning for next year.