Woman Could Go To Jail Over Fresh Vegetables

Julie Bass, a resident of Oak Park, Mich., could potentially go to jail for planting a vegetable garden in her front yard. Why? Because according to city officials her garden violates a code stating that a yard must have "suitable, live, plant material."

After being charged with a misdemeanor for her produce-based offense, Bass must now prove at a pre-trial hearing on July 26th that her garden is in fact suitable according to city guidelines. Bass came up with the idea to plant the garden in May after a broken sewage pipe left her front yard in shambles. Instead of planting a new lawn, she decided to hire landscapers to build her a series of garden beds. 

Oak Park law enforcement officials claim to have served Bass with a warning and subsequent ticket before issuing the current charges. 

It's hard to imagine that a jury would send someone to jail over a yard full of homegrown crops it's not like she's growing a crop of Frankenstein-looking vegetables.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.