Opting Out of the Corporate Food System With My Own Garden

2011 wasn’t as bad as it was because PC’s everywhere, especially mine, were crashing.  It was bad because of the way people came to disregard others, evidenced most obviously by the growing rift between the rich and the poor, by outsourcing and the record number of foreclosures.  Fifty percent of American households live in poverty now.  I find that statistic alarming, to say the least.  In addition, food prices are going up across the board, though retailers are passing along those increases very slowly so as not to shock consumers.  In response to those factors, as well as the general distrust of the “Have’s” that has arisen on the part of the “Have Not’s”, people like me are looking for alternatives to buying their food from big corporations.

The last few weeks of 2011 found me pouring over garden books and seed catalogs.  I am determined to become more self-sufficient rather than continue to rely on those who have proven themselves only reliable in serving their own self-interests (corporations).  On the first day of 2012 I took the plunge and ordered my first round of seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, the largest non-government seed preservation organization in the United States (http://www.seedsavers.org).  In all things I do, I use a strategic approach, even in what appear to be my more impulsive moves.  The strategy behind my garden choices is multi-faceted: 

1. I chose foods that I love to eat but are heavily sprayed with pesticides when commercially grown, so that I can have the organic version at home without paying exorbitant prices at Whole Foods (it’s like food extortion, that place, I refuse to pay $4 for a pear, unless I am directly related to it and it's being held hostage).
2. I ordered the bulk of my seeds from The Seed Savers Exchange, which offers only seeds that are heirloom or open-pollinated.  This means that the plants grown from these seeds will have the same characteristics as the parent plants.  I only have to buy these seeds once.  After my first growing season I can save the seeds from the fruits and vegetables I’ve grown, and use them to grow the following year’s crops, as well as share with others who wish to grow their own, so that after my initial investment, I will save money on my grocery bills every year for as long as I continue to garden.
3. This year’s seed choices are also based on foods that I like to eat fresh in abundant quantities or that I can preserve for use throughout the winter:  beans that are dried on the vine; tomatoes and other fruits for canning; root vegetables that will keep well for a long while; melons that my kids love but I can’t afford to buy in the store anymore, and other produce that freezes well.
4. Several of the crops I chose can be grown in containers, some can be grown vertically (climbing vines and the like), and others in raised beds, preventing me from having to double dig the hard, heavy, clay soil in my backyard.  Last year, we broke the shaft of a spade because the soil was harder than the wood.  Call me lazy, but I’m not crazy.  I still need time to write every day!  And I don’t want to buy new tools every week.
5. Planting by the moon.  It sounds like woo-woo to some, but it’s an ancient practice used by native cultures the world over.  I’ve heard from many different people that their grandmothers swore by it and that their crops always did well while others’ failed.  I’m using a calendar and information I found at Gardening By The Moon (http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/index.html) to learn the system.  The idea behind it is that the moon’s gravitational pull affects not only the oceans’ tides but more subtle bodies of water as well, including the water in the soil, and that this dictates the optimal time to put a seed in the ground or when to harvest crops or cut plants back.  As a newbie to gardening, I'll take every advantage I can get.

Here is a rundown of what I am growing this year, including seeds that have made their way to this country from other parts of the world, maybe even from your country, dear Reader:

Beans:

Black Valentine--an excellent source of Vitamin B12, which prevents the graying of hair, something we all need in this wildly changing world!  This is why Latin Americans keep their dark hair color so much longer than the rest of us, black beans are a dietary staple in that part of the world.  (fresh or dry; bush habit)  

Bumble Bee--high in vitamin and mineral content (dry; bush habit)

Calypso--originally from the Caribbean; great for baking and soups (dry; bush habit) 

Ireland Creek Annie--an English heirloom, named after Ireland Creek Farm in British Colombia where it was grown before it was brought to the U.S.  (bush habit; dry)

Kentucky Wonder Pole--American heirloom originally from Texas; prolific; wonderful fresh eating. (fresh, vine habit)

Carrots:

Paris Market (you guessed it, originally from France) they are small and round, about one to two inches in diameter, and can be grown in containers rather than in a garden bed.  Handy in case I decide to move before the season is over!

Ground Cherries:

Before I saw these in the Seed Savers catalog, I never knew such a thing existed!  Supposedly they are very sweet and make wonderful preserves as well as fresh eating.  They do in fact grow on the ground, which will be interesting.  I may not get any if the local wildlife has anything to say about it.  The fruits are yellow, the plant is sprawling.  

Corn:

Blue Jade--kind of a dwarf corn that can be grown in containers, it’s sweet and has steel blue kernels until boiled and then the color turns to a “blue jade”.  

Cucumbers:

Early Fortune--a slicing cucumber to be eaten fresh

Russian Pickling--Originally from Perm, Russia, they are sweet and have good crunch, meant to be pickled.

Eggplant:

Listada de Gandia--From Southern France (1850), lovely white oval fruits with purple stripes, they are heat tolerant, an important quality here for Missouri summers.

Lettuce:

Forellenschluss--Austrian heirloom Romaine, great flavor, heat tolerant

Winter Density--Bred in England, both cold-tolerant and slow to bolt in hot weather.  A sweet, crisp Bibb-Romaine.

Melon:

Charentais--French, from the Poitou-Charentes region, renowned as the most flavorful melon in the world.  I hope that is still true when they are grown outside of France.

Petit Gris de Rennes--Another French heirloom, this one documented almost 400 years ago in the garden of the Bishop of Rennes, probably lasted this long because it’s orange flesh is rumored to taste much like brown sugar.  I can’t wait to find out if that’s true!

Pepper:

Bull-Nose Bell--Grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.  If it was good enough for Jefferson at Monticello, it’s good enough for my Dad’s garden, too!  Goes from green to red, can be eaten at either stage.

Golden Treasure--Italian heirloom variety (finally!  I’m representing) Sweet, can be fried, roasted, or eaten fresh.  I bet I try all three.

Tomatoes:

I am American of Irish and Sicilian Italian descent, so my tomato list may look overwhelming to a non-Italian.  It’s a genetic as well as a social/cultural need, tomatoes.  I will grow two kinds for my father, and three more for myself.  It’s a bit much, but I’ll list them here in case you’re interested.  Feel free to skip to the end if you get bored.

Italian Heirloom--the fruits weigh over a pound and are great for slicing or canning, excellent flavor.

Large Red Cherry--fruits are almost two inches in diameter.  I chose these for myself, but how much do you want to bet my father will stand there and eat them off the vine when he visits?  

Martino’s Roma--Italian heirloom for Dad to make his slow-cook sauce.  For that, I will grow tomatoes all summer!

Riesentraube--from Germany, the name translates into English as “little bunches of grapes” which is what they look like, except tomato red.  A yummy snack, I hope they grow well in hanging baskets.

Rosso Sicilian--A Sicilian brought these seeds to the U.S. in the late 80’s, according to the story, and I can’t resist the name or the fact that they are Italian heirlooms.  They have an unusual shape, more wide and flat with multiple lobes.  Another tomato for making sauce.

The End

  

I’ll keep you posted on how my personal version of the “opting out revolution” goes.  Meanwhile, I’d like to hear from you if you are doing anything to opt out yourself.  There are readers of this blog from all over the world, some of whom are curious about what day to day life looks like from inside the United States.  We are equally curious about what goes on in your neck of the woods!   Does anyone else feel like it’s in their best interest to grow some of your own food or take up hunting and fishing as as supplement like my friends and family?  

Yearly Goals for 2012

2011 is over, and I for one, am relieved.  2012 may be the end of the world according to the Mayan Calendar, or it may not, but if it is, it will still be an improvement over 2011.  

Normally I would post a new blog entry every day, but in the last few months of 2011, my PC had increasing numbers of fits and viruses, crashing, running slow, even with 3 separate anti-virus, anti-malware programs on my machine.  In one of the most generous gestures I have ever seen, a friend of mine surprised me, and I mean really surprised me, with a brand new MacBookPro.  In all honesty, it doesn’t feel yet like it is truly mine, as though he will either change his mind (he won’t) or I will wake up and find I dreamt it all, or something to that effect.  It’s just surreal.  The best thing about Mac is that they are far less prone to viruses.  The other best thing (I can’t bring myself to say “the second best” thing because I love everything about this computer equally) is that the keyboard is so easy to type with.  No more missed keys, I backspace almost never.  It’s lightning fast on the internet, and has tons of storage left over even after transferring my massive iTunes library.  I’m glad to be back, having been without either notebook computer for a few days while date was being transferred and then needing a few more days to get used to the new Mac.  I am at least confident enough now that I can get back into the business of writing, just in time to kick off the New Year.  

For 2012, I made a list of general goals, professional, personal, spiritual, mental, and physical.  If you care to share yours here as well, please feel free to post them in the comments space after this posting.  I’m curious to know what my readers feel inspired to do this year.  Mine are as follows:

Professional goals:

Write 6000 words per day Monday through Friday

Write 3000 words per day Saturday and Sunday

Finish WIP’s:  

A guide for loved ones of Rape Trauma Syndrome sufferers, publish as an e-book and make available as a downloadable PDF. 

A series of short guides dealing with persons with certain psychological disorders, non-pharmaceutical coping strategies proven to improve quality of life, and coping strategies that might make life better for the caregiver or person living with the afflicted.  Publish as e-books and as downloadable PDF’s. 

A locked room mystery; then publish as an e-book.

Write the thriller based on two ideas that collided with a third while I was driving the other day.  Publish as an e-book.  (This one may take longer than a year.  It is the largest undertaking, with the most characters, plot twists and subplots, but it is also the one I may enjoy most!)

Write the humorous romance novel that’s been in my head and in my notes for the last 3 months.  Publish as an e-book.

10,000 followers on Twitter

Build and launch my author website

Mental Goals:

Increase my Spanish vocabulary

Read one classic book each month.  My list includes:

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Paradise Lost by Milton

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner

The French Revolution by Alexis De Tocqueville

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

I also have a Chaucer book that tempts me, but I would like to get some of the above titles off of my “to read” shelf.  I have an actual bookshelf, four shelves high and five feet wide, filled mostly with books I have not yet read, though some favorites I can’t bear to part with, and some reference books.  

The rest of my reading in 2012 will consist of works by my friends as well as my favorite authors, including what I call “brain candy books”.  You can only be serious so much of the time before your head threatens to explode.  Sometimes a good cozy mystery or paperback romance, anything that doesn’t require me to have a dictionary at hand (that rules out P.D. James) and can be read in an afternoon qualifies.  

To not lose my mind while writing this year.  Or if I do, to at least lose it in some way that makes me sound like a genius on paper.

Be more Zen, and just focus on the task in front of me, to do the thing that most needs doing in this moment, and not let my ADD mind bounce around like a kernel of corn in an air popper; to be less of a butterfly chaser and further develop my ability to focus and finish what I start.

Personal goals:

Prepare my household for a natural disaster, starting with a 72-hour emergency supply of food, water and fuel (I live in tornado country and live near the New Madrid fault line, where an earthquake would be devastating, though rare).

Plant a vegetable and flower garden.

Share the extra vegetables with my elderly family members on a fixed income, as well as with my relatives with small children.  Anything leftover beyond that I will share with my local food bank.

Cooking: I want to try a new recipe every week, and cook more from scratch in general.

De-clutter my house.

Organize the garage and basement.

Botanical Illustration classes at the local community college 

Visit a family member each week that I haven’t seen in a while

A road trip to visit my cousins whom are scattered across the U.S.

Take up nature and travel photography as a hobby

Travel as often as possible, and make it possible more often.

Spiritual Goals:

Meditate a little every day

Spend time with the teachers I find soothing, like Thich Naht Hanh, via books and podcasts

To live heartfully and practice awareness in every moment of each day

To let go of the past, those that hurt me and forgive those upon whom I would visit vengeance upon.  Except on the page.  It’s all fair game in my writing.

Physical goals:

Get outside more.  It’s a hazard of my profession, but I sit too much these days.  

Walk to the store when I only need a few things.

Ride my bike.

Hike a few miles of the Pacific Coast Trail (in San Diego)

Kayak or canoe during the summer

Be strong enough to garden (that will be my biggest physical challenge of 2012, to consistently garden).

That’s it for now.  I have other small things here and there but you have the gist of it here, and it’s got to be boring to read someone else’s goals for the year, so I’ll stop now.

This week I’ll share with you the method behind my madness.  

Holiday Generosity: A Beautiful Story At Christmas Time

Yesterday I wrote about the domino effect of thoughts that led me to wonder what I might do if I won the MO lottery jackpot, which was over $100 million.  What I left out was the fact that I saw this jackpot on a billboard as I drove to a discount grocery store, where I witnessed a situation that has sadly become commonplace.

I went mainly for oranges, but the way the store is designed, you have to go through each aisle in order to get to anything.  As I passed the non-food section, I saw two men quietly but intensely discussing a possible purchase, and from their tone as well as their faded, dirty clothes and their worn out boots and jackets, I could tell that if the money was available, the purchase would simply be a done deal.  It wasn't. 

Not five feet from them stood a boy of around 8 years old.  While they discussed, the boy stared at a boxed toy set that couldn’t have been more than $6.  I knew he wouldn’t go home with it.  I felt so bad for him.  He wasn’t throwing a tantrum, or whining for it, he was just fixated on it, his body rigid with the tension of wanting it yet keeping himself from reaching for it.  A two year old blond boy less than two years old kept reaching from his seat in the cart, saying the boy's name and reaching for him, but not fussing or crying.  That told me the older boy was kind to the little one, not mean or the little one wouldn't reach for him without fear.

If I could have, I would have bought the toy for him and left it at the cashier’s register with a description of the boy, they were the only kids in the store.  As it is, my ex-husband lost his job and then I lost mine.  I can’t even get my own kids anything this year.  They’ll get plenty from my family, so it’s not like they will go without, but this little guy, I wasn’t so sure.  He was clean and looked healthy, well-fed, neither fat nor too lean.  It was obvious that his father took the best care of him he could.  It just killed me to look around at situations like this and know that half of American households are currently living in poverty, for no reason anyone can think of. 

The antidote to this toxic topic for me has been the wonderful stories like the Kmart layaway payoffs, where generous but anonymous persons went into Kmart stores around the country and asked the layaway clerks if there were any accounts that were about to be lost due to late payments, especially those with toys or clothing for little kids.  People in line to pay were surprised by a total stranger behind them in line who said, “I’ve got this.”  Out of nowhere, this lovely and generous gesture has been extended to families in need.  I find this such a beautiful thing, it gives me hope about our future as a country.

One such story did not make the news, but since he is a friend of mine, I got to hear it.  I asked if I could tell this story here, and was given permission to repeat it.

My friend Alan Shelton lives in Oceanside, CA, just a few blocks from the beach.  Oceanside is becoming “gentrified”, but it still has its share of people living on the streets and others who work hard but who have no extras.

Every day Alan walks his two dogs through the transit station in Oceanside where a hot dog stand owned by Mike, The Hot Dog Guy (sorry, I don’t know Mike’s last name, just his occupation) is located.  They always exchange “hello’s” as Alan and the dogs pass by. 

A couple of days ago, this exchange took place:

“How much is it for a hot dog?” asked Alan.

Mike answered, “You can get a hot dog, a drink, and chips for four bucks.” 

Alan pulled a one-hundred dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Mike, saying, “Well here’s enough for 25 hot dog combos.  Hand ‘em out to whoever you think needs them.”

Mike went home that night and sat in his chair, the hundred dollar bill in his pocket, and waited for his girlfriend to finish telling him the highlights of her day.

When she stopped, she asked him, “What about your day?  Anything good or special happen?”

He pulled out the hundred dollar bill and said, “Wait until you hear this.”

He told her of Alan’s gift, and then of the first two receivers. 

The first, he said, was a young man who comes up from Mexico every year around this time to visit his family.  Mike said he always wonders how this guy manages since he lost both arms to a farm machinery accident when he was a child.  When he arrives, he likes to get a hot dog and then spends two dollars on the train ride to his family’s house.  This year, however, he couldn’t afford either the hot dog or the train ride.  The young man was overjoyed when Mike said something to the effect of “Have I got a deal for you.”  Mike was able not only to give the young man the hot dog combo, but also the two dollars for the train ride to get the rest of the way to see his family.  The young armless man from Mexico expressed his gratitude with a big smile, and caught the next train to his reunion.  I did not ask how he managed a hot dog combo with no arms, but I imagine he’s had a lifetime to figure these things out. 

The second recipient that first day was a man who lived in a nearby group home.  This guy loves Mike’s hot dogs, but it takes him an average of three weeks of scrimping and saving nickels, pennies, and dimes in order to come up with enough cheese to buy one of Mike’s dogs.  On this day when the now sober man walked past Mike’s stand to say “Hi”, Mike stopped him.

“Santa has a surprise for you.”  And he gave him one of the 25 hot dog combos.  The man was moved to tears when Mike told him that a beneficiary had provided funds enough for a few people in the neighborhood to get a hot dog, chips, and a drink.  It may seem like a very small or silly thing to you and me, but when you think about it, it is exactly as Alan said to me the week before when a similar situation arose for someone else.  Frugality fatigue is what we call it now, but this is how he explained it:

“It’s those little indulgences that we buy for ourselves that that make a desperate life more palatable.” 

What was nice about it was he got right to the heart of the psychology of the person without judging them to be irresponsible or bad.  That is something I can understand and relate to, small comforts in the face of big difficulties.

These hot dogs were a small gift in the grand scheme of things.  Alan points out that he by himself cannot eliminate poverty.  What his gesture did do, however, was very impactful in his immediate sphere of influence.  He made 25 people's day.

Most people, like Alan, are overwhelmed in the face of the staggering statistic of 50% of American households living in poverty.  We don’t know where to begin.  How do we fix what’s broken?  I don’t think we can right away, it’s too deep and too wide, this gap between rich and poor. 

 In the short term, all we can do is look around at what we have that we don’t need, whether that is money, household goods, extra food, blankets, clothing, toys, winter coats, whatever, and then look around to see who would most benefit from the receipt of these items. 

Those people that I know who can help someone else this Christmas are looking for a family to adopt in order to help one entire household thoroughly, rather than diffusely helping many by donating to an organization.  They scale the problem and the solution down to a manageable size.  So many people need help these days just to keep the lights and heat on and food on the table.  A little truly does go a long way right now. 

I hope you get what you need and give what you can.

Best wishes,

India Rivers

How Can The Very Rich Best Help Their Communities As Well As Themselves?

The 1% as we’ve come to call those that hold the majority of our country’s wealth, are largely oblivious to the plight of the average American, but what if they weren’t?  What if they recognized that with 50% of American households living in poverty, they are at risk of losing half their wealth due to their assets becoming devalued?  Are the very rich aware that most Americans want a job, not a handout?  And that these same people, once gainfully employed, are the very reason the 1% ARE the 1% in the first place?  Really, the Average Jane and Joe want jobs, and safe and decent housing.  But who is interested in making that happen?

Today I passed a Missouri Lottery billboard, and both forms of the lottery, Powerball and whatever else we have here, had jackpots of over $100 million.  Of course, I see those numbers and start to wonder, “What would I do if I had that much money?”  I start listing all of the people in my family and in my community that would welcome a payout.  Then I imagine all the trouble money like that supposedly brings.  Most lottery winners file bankruptcy within 5 years of winning, if I remember correctly.  Why is that?  Just yesterday I was speaking with my friend Alan Shelton about that very thing.  I’d mentioned my disgust with the Kardashians and their vast money-making machines for doing absolutely nothing of value in our society, while everywhere I turn there are stories of real people with heart and abilities and good manners to boot, who are homeless and hungry or very nearly so.  The injustice of it all makes me ill. 

Alan’s response was thoughtful and measured as always, something to the effect of, “When you get to the level of money that the Kardashians are throwing around, Hollywood money, that money is just exchanged between people at that level.  It’s expected, it’s part of the dance.”  I hate that dance, then, but I get it.  If that’s the case, then this is why lottery winners often go broke:  There is a whole world of very wealthy people who know how very large sums of money are exchanged and moved around amongst themselves.  If you have the money but not the know-how, you’re going to spend and not invest, or give it to the people who will take it but not include you in the next round of exchange.  When you spend, that which goes out does not come back.  When you invest, you’re money not only comes back to you, it brings friends.

If this were true, then if I won the lottery and I wanted to make a difference with my winnings, I should invest in something that would create jobs and opportunities for people in my community, as well as brings me a return on my investment.  If my money keeps going out but coming back multiplied, even by a small margin, then I can continue to create opportunities for people, right?  This then begs a new set of questions:  What kind of company would I create?  I still don’t know the answer to that one.  Where would I create this company?  I don’t know that one, either, but it would probably be dependent on the answer to my first question.  My thoughts on this are to sit down with people who are smarter than I am in these areas, let them talk, ask tons of questions, listen to their answers, and then ask some more and so on until I feel I have an idea and a grasp of how to make it work.  Does anyone think Warren Buffett would throw in his two cents?  He would be the perfect go-to guy for this sort of brainstorming session.

Here are solutions I DID think of in the course of my musings:  I would build a community that lives and works in the same area.  The company must be ecologically responsible because it will be situated near the residential community where the employees will have the option of buying into at really low prices.  To accomplish the goal of a concentrated area of affordable housing near the company, I would sit down with developers and look for an area with a high number of foreclosures so that we can get a deal on enough homes at low enough prices, say an entire neighborhood in a bank’s foreclosure inventory.  Banks want to get these properties off their books which might make them more willing to deal, especially for a large cash offer.   This would make it possible to turn around and sell them to employees for a reasonable price.  A division of the company could hold the loan so that employees wouldn’t have to go through the hoops of being approved by a bank after they’ve been underemployed or unemployed for a time, etc.  The loans would be very low interest, taking the stress of paying the mortgage off of their shoulders, making it reasonable and manageable, and in theory it might make employees happier and more loyal to the company.

To increase the sense of community, part of the company’s mission statement would be “to give back or to take care of” in some way, each person at every level of the company.  Donations, volunteering, or just helping each other out as needed would be encouraged.  Ten percent of the company’s profits will be donated to causes deemed worthy, whether they are college scholarships for the employees’ kids, help in paying off catastrophic medical bills, or donating food to the local food bank, the money will be used in the most impactful and meaningful ways we can find at the time.

Community gardens, backyard gardens, local grocery store and gas station, coffee shop and bakery, movie theater, bookstore, walking paths and bike paths, efficient public transit, a library, everything a community needs in order to survive and thrive would be part of the development plan.  Once that smaller area is being developed and revitalized, and people flock there for jobs and housing, the shops will follow and the surrounding areas will also naturally transform, though perhaps more slowly, unless of course, the idea catches on.  It would need to remain open to the flow from outside of the community in order to remain relevant and healthy, and not become too insular.  Self-sufficiency is to be lauded and encouraged, but not to the exclusion of others.  Instead, the company and the community would more likely thrive if the idea of interdependency were illuminated alongside self-sufficiency.  To not be a burden is a wonderful thing, but to give and accept help as needed is to bring balance and fullness to one’s life.

Doesn’t it seem that if I can think of how I would use my imaginary lottery winnings to both benefit my community and profit personally, that those who already have that kind of money and know how to use it should be able to think of something similar? 

I can’t be alone in this line of thinking, but perhaps those of us who think this way are only be found in the 99% majority.  I hope not. 

I’m off to buy a lottery ticket.

How can the very rich help their communities as well as themselves?

Chickens in the City (and Willie Nelson writes an article titled "Occupy the Food Sector!")

Chickens in the City
No, I’m not talking about yellow-bellied cowards that run from a fight.  I mean the small clucking creatures covered in feathers that lay those ellipsoids we like to cook up and eat.  They are currently finding housing in cities and suburbs!  My city’s clerk was about as floored as I was to hear about it.  I called to ask about local ordinances regarding keeping chickens in my backyard, and she stammered through her answer after asking me to repeat my question.  She heard me the first time.  She just didn’t believe she’d heard me right.

*Note* This morning I took a break from creating my Seed Savers Exchange Catalog wish list to peruse the Huffington Post.  It was my turn to be floored.  Willie Nelson wrote the most intelligent article on the dangers of the corporate monopoly in the United States’ food sector and on behalf of the family farmer that I have seen to date.  His title is “Occupy the Food System”.  He makes the point that the food sector is bigger than the financial sector.  They told us the financial sector was too big to fail, and we all know how that turned out.  You can read his article here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/willie-nelson/occupy-food-system_b_1154212.html. 

Willie Nelson!  Seriously, I’m impressed.  See?  Everybody IS talking about this food supply issue.  Order your seed catalogs today!  Or buy from a local farmer if you can.  A monopoly can only exist when enough people support it through their participation, also known as “voting with their dollars”.  Once buyers (and by that I mean us) decide they want something better, or once they decide that they don’t trust that the biggest food processing corporations have our best interests at heart, then buyers go somewhere else, and the monopoly is left holding the bag and too small a market share to sell their goods to.  They’ll have to lower prices to move what they have left and move into buying something more in line with what consumers want.

And now, back to chickens.

Backyard chickens have been in vogue for years now.  Elaborate, designer chicken coops called “Chicken Chateaus” are sometimes prettier than the owner’s house, and are designed and built for the backyard brood.  Heirloom chicken breeds are thriving again, bred for their beautiful coloring and plumage as well as their egg-laying proclivities (how many, what size, are they brown, white, or speckled, that sort of thing).  These heirloom breeds sometimes represent a sort of fashion statement as they can be very ornamental.  For a while they were a hobby, mostly kept as pets, and for bragging rights.  Fresh eggs were more of a bonus than a necessity.

Attitudes towards backyard chickens are changing.  More people look at at backyard chickens as a viable food source for a small initial investment, so now we see more “city chickens”.  My brother still lives in the neighborhood we grew up in.  His apartment building is a brick multi-unit in the City of St. Louis.  He has no backyard, just a concrete patio, yet down the alley from him, and I never imagined a day when I would say this about anyone in my old neighborhood, his neighbor has a chicken coop and three chickens.  Now my brother is thinking of doing this, as am I, but I live in an older suburb of St. Louis on a half acre lot.  I have the room for chickens, and a garden.  I rent this little bungalow on this large plot of land, though, so I’m looking at container gardening and a chicken coop on wheels (they call them “tractors” when they are on wheels) in case I decide to move to a slightly larger house next summer. 

When you keep small numbers of chickens, you have what is known as a “micro flock”.  The advantages to keeping a micro-flock of chickens are many.  The chicken breeds available today are beautiful and ornamental.  When raised from chicks they are very personable and friendly, each one expressing a distinct personality and preferences.  Chickens are known to eat insects, a huge plus in my book, which in turn makes for great eggs (it’s a protein thing, try not to think about it too much or you will stop eating eggs altogether).  They also eat many kitchen scraps and weeds.  There is a book that describes how to organically care for your micro-flock, including making your own feed, called The Small Scale Poultry Flock: An All Natural Approach by Harvey Ussery , which includes advice on how to keep your flock healthy, and other practical advice you'll need should you embark on this aspect of the self-sufficient journey.  Another book specifically on city chickens is called City Chicks by Patricia Foreman.  I'll be getting these two this winter so that I can plan ahead for spring, the best time of year to buy chicks.  I so look forward to fresh eggs and fresh produce next year! 

For those who wish to learn more about keeping a micro-flock from those who already do so, there are online forums like www.citychickens.com, a site which lets readers contribute to a Google.doc listing chicken laws and ordinances in their own cities and municipalities, organized in alphabetical order by state.  Another popular website for micro-flock owners is www.backyardchickens.com.  There you can find a free forum for owners where they can share, compare, and brag about their chicken raising experiences.  The site covers the different breeds, includes photographs, plus support and advice if and when you need it.  There are chicken coop plans for sale on the Backyard Chickens website, as well. 

Urban Agriculture is a growing movement.  People don’t trust where their food is coming from when they buy it from large corporations and it’s wrapped in plastic.  They don’t know what hormones and chemicals have been added to their food anymore, and no longer do they trust that the food processor is telling them the whole truth about it in order to make a profit or to maintain their margins.  Consumers often don’t trust where their next paycheck is coming from anymore, either.  This lack of trust in these two most basic areas has motivated city dwellers and suburbanites alike to become less dependent on any system outside of their immediate sphere of influence.  Most people are just beginning, and far from completely self-reliant.  Most will never be totally off the grid.  More and more people are taking steps, however, to ensure their own short and long-term survival, whether through Urban Agriculture, or simply saving for their own retirement in lieu of counting on Social Security still being there when they need it.  The nicest outcome of all, so far, is the way people are sharing what they do have.  Already I know that I will plant more than my family can eat alone, and that my chickens will lay more eggs than I can eat or use in baking by myself.  I have a short list of relatives and friends hit hard by this recession with whom I plan to share my extras.  Anything left over after my family and theirs is taken care of will go to my local food bank, since they are always looking for fresh produce to give to families fallen on hard times. 

It's something to think about for next spring!

Fear of Economic Collapse Prompts More Americans Toward Home Grown Food Sources

Dear Readers,

I’m back after a frustrating week as malware, trojans, and viruses rendered my laptop into a very expensive nightlight.  It wasn’t good for much else these past several days.  There was a Windows 7 anti-virus product that bypassed my firewall (of course that’s an easy feat when the virus maker is also the firewall designer) and prevented me from getting on the internet.  The only cure for it was to pay them $59.95 for their anti-virus product, which was the very thing that seemed to cause the problem in the first place.  I flat refuse to participate in extortion.  By the end, I was so frustrated with Microsoft that I was on the verge of spray painting my next blog post on the side of their corporate building.  Luckily, the trip to Seattle would have provided a cooling off period.  Virus eliminated without purchase of software.  Time to move on.

Back to the subject of America’s trend toward opting out:  In my conversations with folks of all ages and income brackets, I see a definite break down into two broad groups:  Those making more than $100,000 per year, and those earning less than that.  Those that are making less are the focus of these recent posts.  Every last person I speak with mentions some cost-cutting or money-saving endeavor they’ve employed in the last year, from coupon clipping to driving less, even supplementing their family’s food supply by one or more of the following methods:  hunting for deer or fowl or small game; starting a garden at home; or raising chickens.  Spending less, recycling and reusing things, has become a new way of life out of necessity, even for those who are not “green at heart”.   However, it is the food supply issue that I find most interesting.

What makes this startling is that the people who tell me they hunt game, grow food, and raise chickens are city dwellers, most of whom have small yards and close neighbors.  If they hunt they have to drive at least two hours to an area where they can hunt whatever game is in season.  They are proud and pleased to fill the freezer with several months’ worth of meat when they are successful.  It’s wonderful to hear the pride they feel toward their own self-sufficiency, especially when they save even more by butchering their own game, rather than paying a butcher to do it for them.

Those with no green space in which to grow vegetables will at least grow herbs in containers.  One innovative Brooklyn woman has created what she calls “Window Farms”.  It’s a brilliant solution for apartment dwellers who wish to have fresh, organic produce year round.    She made the first ones from recycled plastic bottles, plastic tubing, and a small pump.  Her website, http://www.windowfarms.org, provides photographs, descriptions, downloadable instructions and materials lists, as well as the opportunity to buy the first manufactured versions of these hydroponic growing systems when they come off the line in March.  This idea is perfect for people with no ground of their own to garden.

Another grass roots organization that started in the 70’s is the largest non-profit, non-government seed saving and sharing organization in the U.S.:  Seed Savers Exchange.  Their focus is on food-producing plants that are heirloom or open-pollinated, as opposed to hybrid plants.  Heirloom and open-pollinated plants can be reproduced if you save their seeds properly and plant them the following year, or in some cases, if you let the seeds fall to the ground and grow where they may.  Hybrids, however, do not reproduce the same plants from which their seeds come.  Some are bred not to produce seeds at all.  Anyone looking toward a more self-sufficient life would be wise to invest in a garden that does not require one to buy new seeds every year, but rather one that can reproduce itself year after year.  You can read more about Heritage Farm by visiting:  http://www.seedsavers.org.  And here is the best book I’ve found thus far on seed saving, which is also recommended by the Seed Savers organization:  Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth.  Vegetable gardeners are the intended market for this book, as opposed to say flower gardeners.
On Facebook as well around town, I see more home-owners have taken old windows and leftover wood from home renovations and re-used them to fashion cold frames where they grow lettuce and other things they’d like to eat fresh.  Cold-frames extend the growing season by a few months in some areas, allowing the gardener to begin earlier and end later.  This trend is not limited to those making less, by the way.  I’ve seen cold frames in the yards of some very expensive homes in my area.

Edible Landscaping is another trend in the U.S. in which city dwellers and suburbanites alike turn their yards into esthetically pleasing produce gardens.  The yard can be filled with gorgeous, flourishing vegetable plants like kale and lettuces and tomatoes and peppers and herbs, instead of blue fescue.  There are a few good books on the topic, such as Edible Landscaping by Rosalind Creasy, or The Edible Front Yard by Ivette Soler.  Something I hope to do someday is covered in Landscaping With Fruit by Lee Reich.  Blueberry hedges and strawberry ground covers...yum!  Another garden style I want to try is Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway because it employs the permaculture approach and the result is a "forest garden", a natural habitat that is populated by birds and animals that balance it out and help it function.  This approach takes time but not more space than the average yard, and results in a mostly self-maintaining garden.  Any of these books will get you started, and there are myriad others to get lost in over the winter.  Let the garden planning begin!  It's so much more optimistic than paying attention to the things that we cannot control.

Organic, fresh produce (from backyard to kitchen, it’s hard to get fresher than that) is now grown by more non-rural dwellers because they have decided that they don’t want to buy from the grocery store anymore, or wait for the weekly farmer’s market.  They want the satisfaction of knowing they are saving money and eating healthy, and that the quality meets their standards.  When we grow our own produce, we get our produce when we want it, in season, without having to rely on anyone else for the funds or the food, once the seeds are purchased.  There are plenty of local seed exchanges across the country, so once you start you will have something to trade and money will be even less of an obstacle. 

Those of us who enjoy digging in the dirt as well as the satisfaction of our own harvests would do this anyway, but the growth in this trend seems motivated by an underlying “What if…?” sentiment that pervades the majority of American minds now.  What if I lose my job?  What if the stock market crashes?  What if my assets lose their value?  And The Big Question:  What if the economy crashes?  The answer these hunters and gardeners give us is this:  “I can still eat.  No matter how silly the government gets, no matter how lame Congress becomes, even if I lose my job, I will be able to feed myself and my family.” 

Thanks for checking in!

Tomorrow’s topic:  Micro Flocks, better known as Backyard Chickens.

Opting Out, Part 2

We have become so accustomed to living life as we have been, whatever that may look like for each of us, that we have to varying degrees suffered a sense of shock since our economies have become depressed.  It is a built-in part of our economic cycle that there are periods of contraction followed by shorter periods of expansion.  Lately we have seen more expansion, and most of us grew up with easy credit, borrowing and spending were part of our economic system as we knew it.  We thought nothing of borrowing heavily, buying our way to happiness and a sense of “the good life”.  Lately though, our thinking has changed.  We now talk of saving, spending less on things we use every day, trying to need less in the first place, and some of us, whether we realize it or not, are really looking for ways to live off the grid.

As I started to say yesterday, the “opting out” revolution seems to come from the sense that in order to survive, we will have to find different people with whom we can play this game of life if we are to have a fair shot at it, a game in which dollars are not used as a means of exchange, or in which whatever means of exchange we use is not controlled by people whom we don’t even know.  Everyone I know and meet or read about who makes less than $100,000 USD per year is feeling the pain of America’s economic contraction. 

Today everyone not in the upper tax brackets is in freak out over their economic security.  Going cold-turkey from spending has been hard on those who used to be middle class or upper middle class, the strata of our society that really drove our economic expansion with their consumer spending, which has led to common use of new terms such as “frugality fatigue”.  Even that phenomenon is wearing off, though. 

The behavioral shift that has taken place in the aftermath of this consumer spending binge, our economic hangover if you will, is similar to the behavioral changes that followed the spike in gas prices.  Permanent changes in behavior and consumer spending took place because of the prolonged and unexpected period of high gas prices.  We are now entering a phase of acceptance that we can never trust again that if we work hard we will be rewarded with a good paying job that provides a nice home in a good neighborhood where our kids can go to good schools and we can drive decent cars that are well-maintained, and still have money for vacations and Christmas presents and college funds.  In place of that trust in the system we took for an impermeable reality, we now look more and more to self-reliance and to our local community for economic exchange.  Overwhelmed by the staggering and incomprehensible workings of our complex economy, the only thing about which we understand is that it is on the verge of collapse, we seek instead to make our immediate surroundings, our neighborhoods, our homes, safe and viable.

In this blog over the next week or two I will share with you, the reader, the steps people are taking to feel safe once again, to assure them that they can survive an economic collapse or a power outage due to a natural disaster, or the loss of income for an extended period of time.  These responses include but are not limited to:  Thrift store shopping; growing food at home; earning extra income; stocking up a supply of food and water; ways to stay healthy for those with no health insurance; and buying local and handmade items from people they can shake hands and talk with, local people, rather than from a nameless, faceless corporation, just as Faith Popcorn predicted we would after the banks were bailed out and people felt burned by Wall Street.  The undercurrent of this thread of topics will be the low-tech revolution, growing out of the grass roots response into what I believe will become varying degrees of practice and acceptance nationwide. 

*Note:  Sadly, one of the very things Americans are doing nowadays to protect themselves from economic collapse or to remain self-sufficient in the face of a Katrina-level natural disaster has potentially become illegal.  The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act last week, making America a battleground upon which our military can act as if in a war zone, detaining without due process or habeas corpus or even assassinate any citizen suspected of being a terrorist.  Unfortunately, part of their definition of a terrorist was a person who has more than 7 days worth of food stored.  Doesn’t that mean pretty much everyone who shops at Costco?