Long ago Mr. Benjamin Franklin was quoted as saying "A penny saved is a penny earned."
If that's true, then gardening can be an easy way to "print your own money" for anyone with access to dirt. Technically, it is not that labor intensive and, to a degree, many plants can "take care of themselves." Just look outside, things are always growing, often without any human intervention, and sometimes even despite negative human intervention.
Anyway, as I was harvesting my garden this morning with my son (a job we got done even before Mom and the girls got up) I was contemplating what it was really worth. As you can tell from the picture, we harvested a large pile of green beans, another of cucumbers, a handful of ground cherries, some various tomatoes, and a couple pounds of chinese noodle beans. So, what's the current price on the street for those foods today? Did I mention that they are chemical and pesticide-free and those not certified as "organic" I can testify to the natural and clean way that these foods have been raised. No GMO seeds either. What's that worth these days?
Though I will not attempt to calculate exactly what you'd have to pay at a Natural Food Store, or Grocery Store, or Farmer's Market for the same amount of food, whatever amount it actually is, I never needed to earn. There was no money spent on the produce itself, just a little on the seeds. I can save the seeds from of these for next year as well (SINCE THEY ARE NOT COPYRIGHTED, LIKE MONSANTO SEEDS), so I will most likely never pay for another Ground Cherry seed in my life, though I'll probably eat hundreds more of the tasty garden treats.
Of course other things are growing that could be harvested soon...
Like the Kiwanos...
And the Peppers...
And the Spaghetti Squash...
Plus, I'll probably get a similar harvest tomorrow as I did today. That type of food supply is necessary to get one way or another. All of us will have to buy, trade for, or grow some food today. If we needed to, my family could survive off of what this garden provided alone, not to mention the wild edibles around (Check out my EDIBLE OUTDOORS posts for more examples.) Since we have other foods to eat as well, that is not necessary, so by dehydrating, canning, fermenting, and freezing, we will be able to enjoy today's harvest long into the winter, or maybe even sometime next year. Trust me, I doubt if I would have ever gardened if there was no edible return on my investment. But, thankfully, there is a return. A big one. If we needed to, we could even provide enough food for others. Not that we don't share, but I mean if things really got bad; long-term power failure, hyperinflation, massive food supply disruption....
I know that those things are catastrophic and sound apocalyptic, but they are still valid considerations and completely plausible. That's part of the reason that I am sharing this. It's not just to try to make a quick buck or brag about our harvest, but to give you some FOOD FOR THOUGHT. If you have any dirt at your disposal, and any free time at all, and if you need to ingest nutritious edibles on a daily basis, then I would strongly suggest that you consider growing.
Benjamin Franklin said "A penny saved is a penny earned."
Papa-Pepper says "Every food you grow is one less that you have to buy."
You may not even need a penny in the first place.