Knowing Where Your Food Comes From

One of the most e-mailed articles from The New York Times website this week has been the story “Keeping Their Eggs in Their Backyard Nests,” which focuses on the growing trend of raising chickens in one’s backyard.

It’s been a banner year, as “hatcheries that supply baby chicks say they can barely keep up with demand.”

While some raise chickens because of economic reasons and a desire for self-sufficiency, others do it for food safety issues and the better flavor of the meat and eggs.

Personally, I grow my own vegetables for the second set of reasons. Also, I try to avoid eating vegetables sprayed with pesticides whenever possible. I want to know where my food comes from, and growing vegetables and raising chickens represents the ultimate in control. Count me among those who have a “fear, after several prominent recalls, that the food in the supermarket is no longer safe."