Putting By the Harvest
October 3, 2008
We tend to think of canning and freezing as traditional ways of preserving the gardens bounty, but our great, great grandparents and all of their forebears would not recognize either system as a means of preserving food. The short 100+ years that canning and freezing have been used is a mere blink of time compared to the previous 10,000+ year old system used by our forebears. The ramifications of this major dietary change become clear when one realizes that the rise of modern diseases (diabetes, allergies, heart and brain diseases) correlates with the rise of canning and freezing and other industrialized, processed foods.
The 2008 Mesquite Harvest
September 1, 2008
Containing up to 17% protein, high in the important amino acid lysine, rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc and water soluble fibers, mesquite pods are a powerhouse of nutrition. Because they produce copious amounts of pods without the need for irrigation, fertilizer, pruning or any other human input, there are few food sources more sustainable than our native mesquite trees. Having said that, it should be pointed out that the reason we now have such a large population of mesquite trees is due to human input - more specifically - white mans input.
Are You A Locavore?
August 1, 2008
A little known aspect of the Patriot Act and one of the few good things to come from it was a section on making our food supply more secure by emphasizing local food production. The thinking was that locally produced food is less susceptible to being interrupted by terrorists between the field and the table. As usual the government was behind the learning curve. The exploding farmers’ market phenomenon has long been promoting locally grown food as not only better for local economies, but fresher, healthier and more secure. The last being a side benefit that comes with decreasing our dependency on imported oil. With food traveling an average of 1,500 miles to get to our tables - long before terrorists and the price of gas and food became an issue - many people realized the stabilizing aspects of acquiring food locally. About the time the Farmers Market phenomenon began getting traction in the early ‘90’s, those of us in the natural building movement were raising similar concerns about where the materials we use to build our houses comes from. Now everything is coming under the scrutiny of the “local” magnifying glass and I predict clothing will be the next major topic to be examined.
BIOCHAR! What’s Old Is New Again
July 1, 2008
Population growth and the ensuing worldwide decline of resources are causing the cost of everything to spiral out of sight while the value of our properties plummets. Today’s “sticker shock” has become a catalyst for many to get serious about making lifestyle changes that will not only ease financial burdens, but will aid in slowing the rapid consumption of planetary resources. In this column I will present information on ways to do both. Growing up in a farming/ranching family and working in agriculture all my life will translate into a column dealing primarily with food production. But living sustainably covers much territory so I will occasionally veer from agriculture into topics such as; the positive economic benefits of supporting locally produced goods and services, alternative transportation, natural building, nutrition, energy and clothing issues.