Mike Taylor of Camarillo, CA Wow. A very interesting and powerful editorial. It sounds like it hit a raw nerve with 'Auntie Liberal', though...

I'm a UCCE Certified Master Gardener, and the opinions expressed are what has made me become a gardening coach - to teach the city-folks how to grow their own food. Even though I am one of those 60-something kids, I do know about pulling weeds and cleaning chicken coops, as well as having University training in agriculture.

You can check with your local land grant college (I think it is http://www.mac.umaine.edu/) for information on their Master Gardener program...report abuse

DJ of South Gardiner, ME I'll just point out that the tomato variety is "Mortgage Lifter", not "Mortgage Buster". I grow 40-45 different heirloom tomato plants a year, and my spouse and I are gen-X-ers too. Canning is my favorite hobby - we'll be enjoying produce all winter. The work isn't hard as long as you can enjoy it.

We spent our stimulus check on wood, and installed a wood stove in our house this year. We don't have a big enough lot to process our own wood (someday I hope), but we can both stack it for future use. :)

Wish I could have chickens in my neighborhood...

Also, I'd like to point out that, back in the 1940's, the processed food people actually lobbied against Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden campaign. She ignored them and planted one on the White House lawn anyway. Hopefully that bit of history will repeat itself. Food not lawns!report abuse

DJ of South Gardiner, ME I'll just point out that the tomato variety is "Mortgage Lifter", not "Mortgage Buster". I grow 40-45 different heirloom tomato plants a year, and my spouse and I are gen-X-ers too. Canning is my favorite hobby - we'll be enjoying produce all winter. The work isn't hard as long as you can enjoy it.

We spent our stimulus check on wood, and installed a wood stove in our house this year. We don't have a big enough lot to process our own wood (someday I hope), but we can both stack it for future use. :)

Wish I could have chickens in my neighborhood...

Also, I'd like to point out that, back in the 1940's, the processed food people actually lobbied against Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden campaign. She ignored them and planted one on the White House lawn anyway. Hopefully that bit of history will repeat itself. Food not lawns!report abuse

Timberdoodle of T3R11, ME Anti-

As a member of Generation X we never asked for your help nor advice. So take your own advice...

My wife and I invested our "Stimulate China's economy" by borrowing money from them to give to us Americans, check into a new rototiller motor (from a local small engine mechanic) and firewood (from a local dealer).

We tripled the size of our garden and are still feeding ourselves and child from it's bountiful harvest. We gave food to our family and neighbors. We also traded crops with others who grew what we did not. Our grocery bill was way down, we spent quality time in the garden w/friends and family.

Our wood supply will reduce our oil bill by almost 2/3 this winter.

I was grew up tending our garden, weeding it, harvesting and then preserving it for the winter. I also grew up sawing, splitting, stacking and hauling firewood.

It was my job to slop the hogs, feed the chickens, help kill and clean them, then package them up for consumption.

These are all skills we practice today and intend to pass along to our child.report abuse