Hybrids, Heirlooms, and GMO's

I overheard a couple of ladies talking last week, while waiting for the mechanic to finish with my car, about sugar and whether or not it's bad for you. They had previously talked about how a doctor had told one of them to lower her salt intake, and start eating healthier. So she asked her doctor what foods, specifically what brands would be best, and they couldn't answer her. They had been talking about foods and healthier eating for a good 10 minutes at this point, so I kind of let my mouth get away from me. While they were talking about sugar substitutes and whether they were healthy or not, I said NO out loud and then immediately threw my hand over my mouth because I was eavesdropping. I also apologized for eavesdropping, but then they started asking me about why I said no. So I informed them of the research I've done.

Now, in case you're unaware, I'm from the South. I was born in Florida, but I don't claim it as home, and have lived the majority of my life in Southeastern North Carolina. Which as most of you know is a part of the "Bible Belt". I only mention this, because it makes it easier when saying that we openly talk about God and worshipping Him, and that when someone says they do things because they want to be closer to God, people just understand. No questions asked. No weird looks. Nothing. It just is, and we move on.

With that said, I told these 2 women that since moving to the country in December 2019, and the "Plandemic" in March of 2020, my whole life has changed. I have truly embraced the "country life" and have enjoyed every minute of it. I've also started trying to be closer to God and to live in a way that I think he would want. By saying this, I mean that I'm trying to cut out anything that is man made, and trying to eat more "organically". Or more appropriately if God didn't put it here for me to eat, then I'm not eating it.

Through my research, I've found that there are many things that we consume daily that just aren't good for us. In one of my posts I talked about all of the things in this life that are man-made, and are making us sick.( If you haven't read it you should. It explains a little more in detail what I mean) Basically, over the last 16 years I have learned that there are a ton of things that are making us sick. And all of this started because I suddenly couldn't eat carrots, apples, or strawberries any more. My husband commented maybe I'm not washing things well enough, which then threw me down the "rabbit hole" of research to find out how to wash your produce. Which in turn sent me down another spiral of looking into the chemicals that are sprayed on the fields, and how things are "preserved" for later use.

Have you ever noticed that those tomatoes you buy from the store, even with their fancy little "organic" label on them, don't taste like the ones grandpa used to grow? Well I did. Nothing tastes like I remember it. And after all of my research, I found the reason for it.

Everything is genetically modified, and it's almost entirely impossible to find anything that isn't anymore. And I know there are a ton of naysayers that will tell me it's because we had to find a way to get a better product without all of the problems so we started making hybrids. But that again pushed me into another hole. lol I've done more research than I can even tell you. And one thing has always led me to another, and another, and another. I've read medical journal articles, pharmaceutical research articles, and everything in between. I've read controversial articles and articles written by the main stream news. But I always do the same thing...I form my own opinion. I urge everyone to do the same thing; do your own research, and then form your own opinion.

Hybrid foods and plants are completely different from something that was genetically modified. Something that was genetically modified is exactly that, something that was messed with genetically. So what does that mean exactly? Wikipedia defines it as such, "A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with the most common being an organism altered in a way that "does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination"." Now I definitely don't follow Wikipedia, but every website I've found said pretty much that exact same thing. I feel that if God wanted us to have something that was different he would have created it. Making a hybrid is not a problem, I mean it's done in nature all of the time. Think about spiders for a minute, they're discovering new species all of the time. Why? Well, because even in nature things that are different mate. But, back to plants and food.

Apparently, when everyone started genetically modifying food, it messed with their nutritional value. The other problem is that everything is harvested way before it is completely ready. The reason for this is so that once it gets to you it is at its peak readiness. However, there's a problem with that. If you don't wait for something to ripen naturally then you lose some of the flavor and nutritional value. And this is true with all produce. So when the farmers are forced to harvest their crops before they're ready then we end up with produce that tastes like nothing. In nature things don't ripen or mature all at the same time. Honestly, I'm glad of it too. Because think for a moment. If everything on 1 plant grew and then ripened at the same time, the plant would then be done and die off. Now you have to start all over again, and that seems kind of senseless.

In my own garden I have Hybrids, and heirlooms. I have hybrid plants and produce because I like some of the benefits that have been achieved by interbreeding the different species together. Such as, I like a meatier tomato like a San Marzano or Roma, but don't particularly like eating those on a sandwich. I like the taste of a Big Boy Tomato, but I feel like it's all seeds. So why not get something that is in the middle of those two. I grow all sorts of different tomatoes, and am always trying a new variety. I still try to choose more Heirloom varieties of seeds, though, because I want something that hasn't been messed with. I also do it because you can save the seeds and be guaranteed to get the exact same plant the following year. With Hybrid plants/produce seed saving is like playing the lottery. You might get what you grew this year, but you could also get a completely different hybrid, or one of the varieties that was used to create that hybrid. So, it's a bit of a gamble saving seeds from hybrids.

Heirlooms, hybrids and GMO's are all around us, and it can be difficult to know exactly what you're getting. But doing a bit of research and figuring out what your end goal is, is best. My end goal is to provide more home grown produce for my family, and that means staying away from anything that has been genetically modified.