Diet and Health

 I believe everyone should have the right to healthy food.  Modern factory food is slowly killing us. Throughout the developed and developing world people are suffering from poor health from an unbalanced diet.

Factory food is full of fats and sugars, which are addictive and provide excessive energy but is lacking in the critical vitamins and minerals essential for our bodies to replace cells as they degenerate.  Colin Austin

The wicking basket system is recommended as plants are grown in a way that provides the minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals essential for health.

The basket has open sides and base and a wick in the bottom.

This is placed in a hole in a mother wicking bed so the wick is in the water reservoir. Minerals and nutrients are added to the soil in this mother bed which is growing a range of plants which help structure the soil and provide a refuge for the soil biology which is essential to break down the minerals and make them available to the plant.

The basket containing mature plants are can be taken home and placed in a water container to make the daughter wicking bed.

This can be at any convenient spot, such as a patio right outside the door, where the plants can be eaten fresh as any time.

The leaves of the plant can be harvested and eaten fresh. The plant will continue to put out young fresh shoots. (Chop and chew)

Some plants like cress make excellent snacks  and can be eaten straight from the plant.

The water reservoir just needs an occasional top up when indicated by the sight tube.

The basket (and soil) can be returned to the grower and replaced with a new basket with fresh plants on a swap and go system.

In the factory food system plants are genetically selected to be mechanically firm and have a long shelf life. 

 Nutrition plays a secondary role. In the wicking basket system specialist plants which are tender and have the highest nutrition can be selects as the plants are always consumed fresh.

Some people may prefer to buy young plants as seedlings while others with the skills, space and time may prefer to carry out the entire growing process themselves.

The big advantage of the system is that consumers with little space, time or skills can enjoy fresh vegetables while skilled gardeners can manage the entire process themselves.