"Don't wait until the food crisis is upon us - knowing how to grow food is really important right now."
That's Carolyn Herriot's down to Earth advice for all, and how to do just that is the topic of Herriot's latest book, The Zero-Mile Diet.
Herriot shares this advice in person during two book readings in Squamish on Saturday, Sept. 25.
"I began to realize the food I was getting from the supermarket wasn't real food anymore," she said. "It was really compromised in its integrity in terms of what the actual nutrients and health giving benefits of the food were."
Herriot's first presentation takes place at the Squamish Farmer's Market, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Then she'll be at the Eagle Eye Theatre at 7 p.m.
Herriot will also be describing ways to grow produce for those without access to a garden.
"You don't even need a garden to grow food, you can grow food in a container," she said.
Farmers' Market manager Carolyn Morris said she's excited to host Herriot and hopes locals will be interested in heeding her advice and starting their own fruit and vegetable production.
"Carolyn's approach to backyard gardening includes a key level of consciousness upon the present state of the environment and our ever increasing dependence upon factory farming," said Morris.
"Her step-by-step guidance in year-round food production is inspiring and practical. She is a living example of sustainable gardening in British Columbia."
Ten years ago, Herriot's concerns about the planet's uncertainty caused her to start growing as much food as possible and within five years, she and her husband became self-sufficient in fruits and vegetables year round.
"It's really good to know that we have enough fruits and vegetables growing all year round that we can sustain ourselves," she said.
She also houses chickens and collects her own eggs.
Her concerns also launched her desire to share the simplicity and benefits of growing fruits and vegetables in one's own backyard, and she's since written two books: A Year on the Garden Path and The Zero-Mile Diet.
The Zero-Mile Diet is a year-round guide to growing organic food - everything from quinoa and beans to zucchini and broccoli. There are also mouth-watering recipes throughout the 250 pages.
She said growing your own food is key to maintaining health and avoiding the typical degenerative diseases that plague Canada's aging population.
"The extent to which our food has become processed inspired me to grow as much food as possible because that way I'm going to be able to enjoy my golden years," she said.
"All the degenerative diseases - inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, soft bones, rheumatism, osteoporosis and all the dementia - it's all diet related."
Herriot said when she found out some Canadian cancer statistics, that was the last straw.
"When I realized that one in four Canadian are going to die of cancer, I said 'That's enough, I can't accept this.'"
Five years later, she said she's very much enjoying her golden years and thanks to her garden, she'll have many more to come.
"Once you realize the disease fighting component of the fruits and vegetables is only present in enough quantity to actually be effective when the fruits and vegetables are grown in the soil and ripened under the sun, you think about how the produce at supermarkets is grown."
She said aside from the massive amount of pesticides and herbicides, most food is grown under glass and travels across the world before it even ripens.
There are certain foods she goes without, such as mangoes and avocadoes, but Herriot said it's not about restricting yourself and she hasn't completely given up bananas.
"I don't believe in suffering," she said, "I don't want to look back when there are no bananas and say 'Damn! I should have eaten them while they were there.'"
Herriot and her husband still need to buy some food at a regular supermarket, but they're working on producing as many different food groups of their own as possible.
Morris hopes locals will be interested in learning her techniques.
"My passion here is looking at where we get local food," she said. "We have a couple small scale farms here in Squamish, but until we get the more farmers coming along, why not grow it in your backyard?"
Suggested donation for the Eagle Eye Theatre presentation is $5 and the event is sponsored by The Squamish Farmers' Market and Squamish CAN.
For more information contact Carolyn Morris at [email protected].
