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Summary
On episode 591 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Marjory Wildcraft, an expert on sustainable living and the founder and CEO of the Grow Network, an online community dedicated to self-reliance, protecting the planet, and growing your own food.
Marjory’s argument: there are 5 true forms of wealth, in order, health, family, community, meaningful work, and purpose, and growing even a modest amount of your own food touches all 5 at once. She also pushes back on the idea that growing food is difficult, pointing out that high-level executives she’s interviewed consistently call gardening the most pleasurable part of their day.
The conversation covers why home-grown food matters given falling nutrition in commercial food and rising grocery prices, why animal protein sources like laying hens or rabbits are often easier and more calorie-dense than a garden alone, and why soil quality, not watering discipline, is the real secret to growing well.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com/grow
Key Takeaways
- There are 5 forms of true wealth, and money is the least significant one. Health comes first, followed by family, community, meaningful work, and living with purpose; none of the last 4 can be bought, and all of them show up in the practice of growing your own food.
- Growing food touches all 5 forms of wealth at once. The process itself builds health, shared harvests build family memories, surplus food builds community, tending it is meaningful work, and passing on a garden or a recipe becomes a legacy.
- “Too hard to grow food” is a myth Marjory says she’s tested repeatedly. High-powered executives and entrepreneurs she interviewed all grew some of their own food and called it the most pleasurable part of their day; a realistic goal for most households is producing about half their own food.
- Animal protein is often easier and more calorie-dense than gardening alone. A backyard flock of 6 laying hens produces about 1,500 eggs a year, roughly 95,000 calories, and can be set up in a couple of weeks.
- Rabbits beat chickens for resilience. Chickens are omnivores that need grain-based feed, while rabbits are pure herbivores that can be fed on grass, landscape trimmings, and forage, which matters if feed stores ever become unavailable.
- Soil quality, not watering discipline, is the real secret to growing well. Healthy soil is full of microorganisms that trade nutrients with plant roots, and plants grown in rich soil are naturally more resistant to pests and disease and more forgiving of an erratic watering schedule.
- Rising food prices make home-grown food a hedge, not just a hobby. Marjory points to household staples that have doubled in price and describes stockpiling and growing your own as an investment against continued inflation.
- Marjory’s three strategies to get and stay well: grow your own food, since it touches all 5 forms of wealth at once; stay physically fit and active; and always follow your heart on when it’s time to start or stop something, even if it looks unconventional to others.
“Growing your own food is like printing your own money.”
Marjory Wildcraft
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 598 – Everything you need to know about calories
Episode Notes
Podcast: 40+ Fitness
Episode: 591
Published: 2023-05-23
Host: Allan Misner (aka Coach Allan), author of The Wellness Roadmap
Guest(s): Marjory Wildcraft, an expert on sustainable living and the founder and CEO of the Grow Network, the online home for the global network of people dedicated to self-reliance, community, and protecting the planet through homegrown food, The Grow System
Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube (audio only)