I just don’t trust nature. I see people eating vegetables that they’ve grown. I saw a couple harvesting apples from a tree in the neighbourhood. I’m fascinated by a YouTuber who makes cleaning products from natural items. But, I can’t do it. I can’t even pop a wild blueberry into my mouth. I wish I could.
Grocery Store Mentality
Growing up in an urban community without gardeners or people that I knew who understood plants, I only know how to trust stores and commercial items. I’m more likely to eat calcium silicate than to munch an apple from our tree.
“…product assurance builds consumer trust through food packaging labels communicating food attribute claims, certifications, country or region of origin, and food traceability information.”*
I know that there are food recalls and problems with chemical additives but I’ve managed so far. I trust the established food system more than I trust my ability to determine whether something is safe to consume.
Farming Ignorance
I don’t have the knowledge or experience with plants to feel comfortable with them. Articles about the complexity of food production, certainly don’t help me to develop confidence about others’ home-grown produce.
Surveys have shown that home gardeners don’t understand that soil, compost, human and animal manure, and water are potential sources of disease-causing bacteria that can contaminate produce.**
I can’t grill my neighbours on their understanding of irrigation, and whether their soil came into contact with run-off from their driveway. There are no assurances that the wild blueberries didn’t come into contact with racoon poop.
I wonder if this stops others from starting gardens and eating food that they produce?
A Reason To Change
In this era of food insecurity and high food prices, it makes sense to grow your own produce if you can. It also makes sense to make and use natural, earth-friendly cleaning products. But I can’t do it. I’m locked into consumer culture, putting more faith in the grocery store than my garden.
How did you learn to trust home-grown foods and natural products? Comment below.
*https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8536093/
**https://apnews.com/article/health-food-safety-gardening-archive-12960c218be441c8a2c95d7ea59fc75f
Retired, And Now What 
Even though I grew up in a suburb of Detroit, my mother always had a garden. My grandmother spent part of her childhood on a farm. Now I live in a semi-rural area. We just put up a greenhouse. Right now it’s mainly herbs and tomatoes. Maybe you could start small?
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It’s so important to have those gardening role models in your life. It builds confidence and comfort with growing your own food.
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