Book shows importance of home gardening in proper nutrition

April 6, 2021 | Peter Currier
peter@thewestfieldnews group.com

WESTFIELD –  A Westfield resident just released his first book on the importance of restoring soil and the true nutritional value of vegetables in the 21st century.

Dan Allie, a local graphic designer, internet sales manager for TigerPress, and Westfield City Councilor just released the “Spring and Fall Planting Guide, Growing with Minerals,” and the book is now available in local businesses such as Blue Umbrella Books, Westfield Feed, Easthampton Feed and The Southwick Florist.

Allie’s book started out a few years ago simply as his own personal notes that he used to keep track of dates to start his seedlings or to plant vegetables at his home spring and fall vegetable garden. His notes slowly turned into a guide on sustainable home gardening and restoring soil to a more nutrient-rich state.

“You begin to categorize plants to keep on track without wasting a ton of time looking it up,” said Allie, “I soak seeds because of their dry environment. Some for 15 minutes, others for 24 hours. Who can keep track of that?”

Allie also addresses what he calls a deficiency of vitamins and minerals in modern vegetables. He said that farming practices focused on mass production and catering to the supermarket has led to plants and vegetables containing fewer minerals than they did in the 1940s.

He explained that cheaper commercial fertilizers contain far too few minerals for vegetables, which in turn means fewer minerals are absorbed by the people who eat the vegetables.

“After World War II, the American kitchen changed. People – stopped growing their own food and started going to supermarkets,” said Allie. “Farmers started relying on inorganic fertilizer, which only has three minerals.”

Allie said that humans have depleted much of the world’s soil, and that between 30 and 40 percent of vital farmlands are simply gone.

Allie also argues in his book that many health problems that are prevalent today could be at least partially explained by this widespread lack of nutrients in our food. He draws on research by Dr. Elaine Ingham, a soil biologist who discovered what is called the “soil food web,” which is the symbiotic relationship between plants, animals, microorganisms, and soil.

“There are 80 autoimmune disorders, which is the body not functioning properly. If health issues can be caused by – or treated as – mineral deficiencies, and dirt has all the minerals plants require, I wanted to ensure the food I grow and feed my family has all the nutrients it should, and I was determined to connect the dots in between,” said Allie.

He said he hopes that his guide can encourage people to think about their health and the food they eat in a different way and to experience the joys of a home garden.

Copies of the “Spring and Fall Planting Guide, Growing with Minerals” can also be ordered for $18.95 at growingwithminerals @gmail.com.

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