July 1, 2008 Canada: A Good Neighbor
Today
is Canada's Independence Day celebrated with much of the
same fanfare that will take place in the southern neighborhood only three days
from now. We North Americans share the longest unguarded border, and we join
in true fellowship in times of need. We have worked together for over a
century and a half, even though our past history took divergent paths. The United States was unsuccessful in getting Canada to forsake the British Empire, and
cultural and historical differences will most likely continue to divide us for
some time. Even though we see differently about constitutional issues, we can
remain good friends and respect each other's independence. However, with NAFTA
and the mixed fruits of interconnectedness, we wonder about what the future
economic benefits and stumbling blocks will be. But we must work together.
In truth, Canadian winters would be hard on many of us senior citizens, and
from the string of Canadian vehicles heading down I-75 to Florida
each autumn we can surmise Canadians think the same way. I don't blame people
who look for southern vacations or residences in our southland; but in spring
time when their caravans return north I envy their Canadian summer weather.
All things said, Canada is vast; it is blessed with grandeur; it is
scenic; it is open country; and it has friendly and hospitable people who
assist when neighbors are in trouble, which we learned at 9-11. These are
characteristics that assist us who also share the breadbasket in the world: the
Great Plains and Midwest.
With this impending world food crisis that is bound to get worse we North
Americans must work together in making use of our vast resources. Our crop
selections must not involve taking valuable land and energy resources to
produce wasteful biofuels to run inefficient vehicles while Africa
and other places suffer under inflated food prices. Our joint efforts must be
given to sharing surpluses with others who are in need and to using our land
gifts properly, for they are all part of the global commons.
As this harvest season comes to an end, many Canadians and some of the geese
will go south. Maybe there is a wisdom to it for they have avoided the air
conditioning needed in Florida during the summer and the extra heating costs of
the Canadian winters. We work together because for better or worse we are
together. In this sense of cooperative endeavor we need to forge a joint
policy of becoming the furnishers of extra grain, soybeans, edible oils and
other produce for a hungry world. Our crusade should not be focused on our two
nations; by working together we should soon extend our joint efforts to include
other food exporting nations throughout the world.
Prayer: Lord, help
us to be good neighbors, to be frank in expressing our disagreements and to be
quick to cooperate on matters that affect the lives of less fortunate people,
both those within our boundaries and those in other lands with hungry people to
feed.
Shoreline at Manistique, MI
(*photo
credit)
July 2, 2008 Examining Our Response to the Food Crisis
The
first half of 2008 experienced a new problem when global food surpluses ceased
and shortages appeared. The crisis has multiple causes: enhanced demand for
food by China, India and emerging middle class countries; higher fuel
and fertilizer costs discouraging farmers from food production; conversion of
grain-growing cropland to parking lots, roads, businesses and recreational
areas; conversion of corn and sugar to biofuels; and reluctance of grain
exporting lands to allow sales abroad. What can we do? Our soggy bowl of
breakfast cereal cannot be shipped to another land or hardly next door. But
can we take some constructive steps to alleviate the food shortages?
Home-grown and local:
Do I grow some of what I eat -- even a small amount if garden space is scarce?
Do I seek to meet my food needs from outlets closer to home, or do I purchase
foods originating in distant places? Do I patronize local small-time farmers?
Do I share food surpluses with those in need in the local or broader community?
Nutritious foods:
Do I eat excessive amounts of non-nutritious (often labeled "junk")
food that has excessive (animal) fats, empty refined sugar and food additives?
Are soft drinks too readily available? Do I challenge the non-nutritious food
habits of others within reasonable limits? Do I continue to read and reflect
on the need for more wholesome diets? Do I practice proper
cooking and baking habits in my own life?
Low-priced basic foods:
Do I find that I can be satisfied with lower priced foods such as beans, split
peas, cornmeal and rice -- items that can be prepared in a nutritious and
satisfying manner? Am I willing to reduce meat consumption, to forgo prepared
and overly packaged foods and to do more cooking on my own? Do I encourage
others to do the same through sharing of information and educational programs?
Have I cut down on and encouraged others to use foods that take far fewer
resources to develop and prepare than do basic grains and home-grown produce?
Food wastes: Do I
waste food in any way, taking more than I (or those under my charge) can
possibly eat? Am I willing to promote food-saving techniques in the
institutions with which I am associated?
Food supplies: Am
I willing to promote the availability of good food for those who find inflated
food (and fuel) prices cutting deeply into their budgets? Do I assist others
to obtain food stamps or WIC supplies when they deserve to have them, and do I
help them make correct selections when choosing their food?
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the gift of our daily bread. Help us to become mindful of
our fellow human beings and their needs by gradually reducing our dependence on
resource-intensive foods such as animal products and overly-packaged foods.
Robinia hispida, rose acacia
(*photo
credit)
July 3, 2008 Confrontation: Good or Bad?
Recently
someone in a rather heated manner charged me with being
"confrontational." His negative sounding remark left me confused
because I regard this quality to be a positive blessing (for which I pray), not
something negative. In an age that does not take global warming seriously, nor
sees anything wrong with making biofuels from our limited food and feed supply,
and has witnessed an economic savings rate of 11% in the 1980s become 0.5%
today, maybe, just maybe some confronting is necessary by all of us.
Perhaps we confrontationalists need distinctions. If we are always or
discriminately or uncompromisingly or sarcastically confrontational, we may be
excessive. By always we mean that every issue is addressed in a
confrontational manner, which can get tiresome and lacking in a sense of
humor; by discriminately we mean that we are selective about being
confrontational, frequently accosting some we do not like, but never
challenging those for whom we have a deeper respect; if we are uncompromising,
we lack the sensitivity to know when to soften the message and allow others to
present their different positions; and we ought to avoid sarcasm. To confront
current problems requires an ability to know when and where to use this
approach and when and where to omit it.
In
reading the Scriptures we find that first the prophets and then Jesus were
confrontational: "woe to you Scribes and Pharisees," "tell that
fox," "I come to bring fire..., to divide families... to hold one
steady to the plow." The confrontational issues involved in accepting our
mission, in focusing, in accepting opposition, and in holding a steady course
take a certain spirituality that realizes our limitations and still shows a
hope that things can change for the better. For us to be like Christ we need
to maintain an internal ecology, a balance in which we know when and how to
speak to others. And this takes constant interaction with the Holy Spirit in
our lives.
The
opposite of being confrontational is to hold back, to be silent, to refuse to
commit ourselves never to take risks, and to lose our focus on the spiritual
demands of our lives. For the confronting agent, sins of omission and failure
to see those who are hungry or thirsty or homeless stand out starkly. For them
living the good life involves confronting our failures to act, both our
individual failures and those of our circle of friends and relatives, and those
our wider political and economic circles. To confront is to bring to the fore
what is so often left unsaid and unchallenged. We look at how John the Baptist
challenged the habits of the king -- but this cost him his head. Confronting
others can be risky, can mean loss of position or credibility or advantage. We
must follow the spirit and that requires a deeper spirituality of
confrontation.
Prayer:
Lord give us the right attitude when it comes time to speak and to do without
regard to the costs.
Calypso bulbosa, Calypso orchid
(*photo
credit)
July 4, 2008 Declare Resource Interdependence
In the course of human events one nation and people become so affluent that
they can become a superpower, can overlook the poor of other parts of the
world, can consider only their own so-called umbrella of defense, can spend
more on the military than all other nations combined, and can consume
non-renewable resources at rates far exceeding anything ever conceived in the
history of the world (until a newly middle class China entered the picture).
But should that nation glory in its power and call it "independence"?
Today
is a perfect time to regard our desire to be self-sustaining and yet not
isolationist and removed from an interdependence that is needed by all people
of good will. Should the rest of the Earth be drained of resources to keep
affluent "independent" American (or other nations') affluent
lifestyles flourishing? If we depend on others to furnish our
"needs," which are often excessive, we are being deprived of our true
self-sufficiency. Dependence on foreign petroleum resources is to surrender
independence for the sake of our addictive behavior. In many ways current
energy conditions threaten us as much as the oppressive policies of George III
did our founding parents, who were taxed without their representation.
With respect to world resources we declare that ...
*
We must become self-sufficient in all bulk materials such as food and energy.
We will strive through the use of wind, solar, geothermal and other safe
renewable energy sources to reestablish our energy independence;
*
We will assist other poorer nations to improve their own infrastructure so that
at best they can become self-sustaining in food, fuel and other essential
resources;
* We will conserve our resources: insulate our homes, drive more
energy-efficient cars and trucks, stop the frivolous waste of energy on
everything from excessive air conditioning to ornamental lighting, find ways to
cut back still further on electric appliance wastes and reduce the need for
excessive space. We will conserve reserves of petroleum for future medicinal
and other vital petrochemical needs;
*
We will reinvest money now spent on foreign fuel to improve our own national
infrastructure and assist in alleviating world poverty that renders our country
more insecure; and
* We must become interdependent by encouraging all nations to become more
self-sufficient and by accepting a joint responsibility to share excess
resources with the needy in other lands.
Prayer: Lord teach
us the difference between an unhealthy dependence on others and a healthy
self-sustainability in use of local resources. At the same time help us see
our responsibility to become interdependent in the world community of nations.
Iris verna, dwarf iris
(*photo
credit)
July 5, 2008 Care for Our Heart
Certain
foods in excess affect our heart and some overlooked foods can become an
integral part of proper heart care. The word is already out -- no smoking, no
drugs, no extra stress, plenty of exercise, weight reduction and no excessive
drinking. Fine, but if we did all these things, we could still have heart
trouble because of stressful circumstances, or weak genes, or some other
combination of reasons we have never fathomed. We know that we must take care,
but there are factors in this cluttered, fat- filled, busy world that are
almost beyond our control.
Four years ago I had an angiogram, the first such hospital test in my life,
and I followed on the TV screen the probing tube up the artery to the heart. A
nurse asked (after the doctor had left the room) whether I had ever smoked. In
surprise I said "yes," but I quit eighteen years ago.
"Well," she said, "I have seen many hearts, and know the heart
of a smoker." Such a comment made me pause. Yes, the smoking habit had
left an imprint on this imperfect heart of mine. I had complications and chest
pains but maybe medication and great care of diet could help. Doing all the
right things includes the right foods -- the fresh fruit and vegetables, the
fat-free milk products, the right kind of cooking oil, and the elimination of
greasy fast foods.
Certainly
in this twenty-first century we have become more concerned about heart disease
and its relationship to food as well as to increased physical activity and
reduced weight. We are told that certain foods and supplements help influence
the total cholesterol in the blood, in which there are a bad component (LDL)
and a good one (HDL); the former can be reduced by certain
medicines; the latter should have a number higher than 40. Boosting HDL
cholesterol can be achieved by eating such foods as macadamia nuts and English
walnuts, barley, avocados and rice-bran oil not all of which are easily
obtainable. Also doctors may recommend the supplement niacin though it can
have unpleasant side effects (an apparent over-heating situation). Another
food approach involves balancing the types of ingested fats. The spread Smart
Balance and similar mixes contain a balanced portion of certain vegetable oils
(palm fruit, soybean, canola and olive oil), but no hydrogenated oil or trans
fatty acids
A
healthy beating heart is essential to life. We can speak of a bleeding heart
or hearts that are hard or soft, aching, loving, tender, or searching. How about
our beating heart? The heart has been known as the seat of emotions. When
that heart, which so defines who we are, fails or sputters for even a brief
moment, the emergency people come running. Their care is certainly heart-felt.
Prayer: Lord, make
us aware of the condition of the heart within us, for this organ is essential
to our mortal life, our mobility, our service, and our way of living in this
world as instruments of your love.
Squaw root, Conopholis americana
(*photo
credit)
July 6, 2008 Overcoming Terrorism through Loving Service
Come to me for I am meek and humble of Heart. (Matthew)
Many people have difficulty sleeping at night; this can be due to a number of
factors, including worry, stress or even a certain sense of insecurity. Fear
stalks many long after they have experienced some traumatic event -- an attack,
a theft, a sudden death, a flood, a fire, and on and on. When will another
episode occur? Will it involve me or some of my loved ones? How can we live
in fidelity to our calling when we have to face the realities of what President
Bush calls the "War on Terrorism?" Do we wait the next terrorist shoe
to fall? Is it possible to go beyond these immediate dangers and help reduce
terrorism by bringing peace and justice to our world? Can we find security in
a spiritual outlook?
Among memorable events, 9-11 stands out, and many of us Americans remember
exactly where we were when we found out about the event. We could not believe
our ears and eyes as those unsuspected terrorists successfully brought down the
twin World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001 -- and succeeded in attacking the Pentagon as well. Yes, some people
really did hate America and its military power and other things typical
of our culture. The 9-11 attacks surprised us Americans who have regarded our
culture as enlightened, blessed, democratically-controlled and a model that the
rest of the world wants to imitate.
Granted,
we consume a quarter of the world's resources with 6% of the world's
population, but until 9-11 that was regarded as our privilege. We had come to
expect others to use the English language, THE global language. We considered
ourselves leaders in everything from medicine to high technology. We thought
the whole world loved us as much as we did ourselves, our democratic
traditions, and our place in a globalized world. But we were unprepared for
the rude awakening. Moslem extreme fundamentalists expressed profound dislike
for us and what we stand for, perceiving us as materialistic and godless -- and
as successfully spreading our message to others. The 9-11 event proved this
dislike.
We
need now to focus on something else -- a gospel of love, a sensitivity to the
meek and humble -- and we can only do this by being in solidarity with others,
and that is expressed through an attitude of loving meekness. St. Paul speaks about us being patient, kind, not jealous nor pompous, not
inflated nor rude; this love seeks the public interest; it rejoices in the
truth; it is both radical and gentle, that is, getting to the roots of problems
and acting gently. We are committed to witnessing to the ultimate victory of
love over hate. A message of love is not the loudest, the most militaristic or
the most economically successful.
Prayer: Lord help
us to return to a culture of loving concern for others, to abandon any form of
arrogance and materialistic "progress;" help us discern truth, not
false propaganda, to depend on You for security, and to strive to help all who
are in need.
Windlas Hill, sod house - pioneer homestead in Nebraska
(*photo
credit)
July 7, 2008 Local Food Distribution Systems
People
are coming to know that higher food prices and growing scarcity mean that some
have the resources to purchase the more costly food commodities and others do
not -- thus the riots in poorer countries. America is not in such
dire circumstances at this time, but scarcity is being felt here as well as
elsewhere. I serve an Appalachian county with a 23% of population poverty rate
and high drug use and overdosing. As one might expect, some of our residents
run low on food, especially at the end of each month. The conventional food
sources often run short of food supplies.
American
government's (federal, state and local) food sources are generally available.
Our greatest source is food stamps that those with low income can
receive. The use of a personal coded card has reduced abuse of this program.
One of the difficulties is that these stamps can be used for a wide variety of
food and even soft drinks by people unfamiliar with the dangers of excessive
junk food. A more specific government program is WIC (Women, Infants
and Children), which provides food, health care referrals and nutrition
education to low income pregnant, breast-feeding and post-partem women as well
as infants and children up to age five who are found to be in nutritional
need. A third government distribution program (when more food surpluses are
available) is the federal commodities program that has dispensed peanut
butter, cheese and other nutritious commodities to those who qualified; this
program is now hard pressed due to lack of food surpluses.
Non-profit
organizations have sought to fill in the cracks. Direct
money handouts have been discouraged and are not now a popular means due
to misuse by those who suffer from substance abuse. A better direct approach
is the retail card that is sold by various food supermarkets; these can
be used by the recipient in a more or less unrestricted manner depending on
buyers' choices (and include gasoline at associated fuel stations). Cards are
open to misuse.
Garden
produce and other food surpluses such as wildlife from hunts are
available at various times of the year. Sharing these with people who are in
immediate need or who can preserve the surplus in some fashion is ideal for
reducing hunger. Unfortunately, this is quite seasonal and does not
necessarily mean that the surplus reaches those in greatest need. Second
Harvest programs are available in some places; these groups identify
outlets for slightly outdated and unsold perishable foods and collect and
distribute these materials to the homeless and lower income people. Again, the
program depends on hit-and-miss conditions. Meals-on-wheels distribute,
prepared dinners to the sick and elderly. Churches and other institutions give
food baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Finally, some organizations and
networks gather basic commodity surpluses for the needy.
Prayer: Lord,
allow us to be sensitive enough to see the hungry and support methods of
getting food to those who need it.
Prairie dog, North Dakota
(*photo
credit)
July 8, 2008 Lakes and Aquaculture
Lakes
are major assets to property and can be excellent examples of land/water
harmony and environmental balance. They can be quite productive food sources
as they provide fresh fish for domestic consumption or sale; they can furnish
water for irrigation, boating and other recreational activities, provide fire
protection for nearby buildings, and replenish the water table. Lakes may increase
the economic value of land. New lakes require planning and consultation with
soil conservation people, in regard to the size and best site on which to build
and the type of lake floor liner to apply. Former requirements for clay lining
are not as urgent today when builders can add heavy-duty plastic liners that
appear to work quite well when properly installed.
Aquaculture: Fresh fish is generally considered superior in nutrition
to more expensive and resource-intensive red meat. Some lake holders who find
it difficult to actually care for fish can find neighbors who will accept the
opportunity, even in return for sharing the produce on a percentage basis.
This important food source demands far less attention than other comparable
protein sources. In fact, bounty may become a problem as owners may be
overwhelmed with fresh fish. Overabundance allows for sharing with the needy
and to preserve the surplus by freezing. Aquaculture has proven to be an
excellent way to increase a community's self-sufficiency and yield supplemental
income.
Watershed control:
Owners of existing or proposed lakes need to understand the limits of their
watershed. If the property holder controls all of the watershed of the
particular lake, there are no major worries. If the water is fed from urban,
suburban, or rural landscapes where the input of chemicals into the water is
not controlled, then the lake obviously has limited value as a producer of fish
for food. For fish production, it is best to have either complete control of
the watershed or a formal compact with others within the watershed to refrain
from using on their land pesticides and other chemicals that could contaminate
the lake.
Recreational assets:
Lakes are very inviting and enticing. All
like to boat or swim in a nearby beautiful body of water in summer or to skate
on a frozen lake in winter. But through mishaps, lakes can easily become
liabilities for owners. The uninvited often grasp the recreational benefits
faster than property holders. Controlling access and protection soon becomes a
challenge. Thus the best suggestion is to place a lake close to a residence in
order to dissuade the uninvited.
Vegetation: A wide variety of plants can enhance a lake's beauty and
supplement fish feeding needs. Wetland plants are well suited for lake shores,
and trees such as willow and mulberry can add beauty as well.
Prayer: Much of
Jesus' teaching was given near or on the Lake of Galilee.
Help us to teach the benefits of lakes today.
Violet wood-sorrel, Oxalis violacea
(*photo
credit)
July 9, 2008 Vacation Time and Eating
When
we travel, we often relax our eating habits. We consume more fatty food by
eating out, and especially by frequenting fast food restaurants for breakfasts,
lunches and even dinners. When we move about these places, we forget that we
were going easy on the deep fried stuff, the meat dishes and hamburgers and all
the potato chips and sweet snacks that we carry along for the trip. And there
is the excuse that we need to be moving and so we frequent the drive-through or
we need the extra caffeine from the rather expensive and over-sized soft drinks
available at rest stops.
Perhaps
the real test comes when hunger builds up after an active day and the "all
you can eat" smorgasbord looms before us. The usual nagging feeling is
suppressed and the nagging person is absent, and so eat your heart out -- for
we have already paid for it and we deserve to get our money's worth. The first
plate does not cover all the delicacies, and so the second involves all the
"sin" foods that are so tempting at this time. So much for the
resolutions that are suspect at vacation time. Before starting the trip let's
consider some suggestions:
*
When travelling by auto take along lunch food in a cooler;
*
Prepare for the travel hunger pangs by bringing along snacks that are more
healthy and lower priced: fruit of all varieties, cut veggies (e.g., celery and
carrots, nuts of various sorts, plain taco chips, popcorn with your own herbal
flavoring, etc.);
*
Frequent a respectable "mom and pop" restaurant on occasion. The
food prices will be reasonable and the selections of home-cooked meals will
allow things that are quite nutritious.
Often
these places prove very reasonable for breakfasts, America's
meal with the best bargain prices;
*
Regulate the day by eating only two regular meals and some wholesome snacks in
between. Rising later and lacking the stress of everyday life, means that a
brunch and evening supper could prove economical, or maybe a big bargain
breakfast and one other meal. Plan on fewer of those gigantic meals for you
will appreciate doing so after vacation;
*
Carry along water and healthy drinks so that you can regulate what is consumed
without giving in to the expensive soft drinks that are quite costly and harder
on you; and
*
Have your own picnic/cook-out in a scenic location when time allows. This
could prove more enjoyable than a crowded restaurant with the waiting time that
causes some to endure the pains of hunger before being seated.
Prayer: Lord show me how to relax and enjoy myself during this rest
time and still do so in ways that I will not regret later. Help us live our
resolutions and enjoy doing so.
A young American chestnut, Castanea dentata
(*photo
credit)
July 10, 2008 Chestnut Memories: A Wake and Reawakening
The
American chestnut forest, a principal source of mast for wildlife and
supplement for pioneers, was devastated in the early twentieth century by an
unexpected blight; now it awaits a new life as a natural food source for
humans and wildlife alike.
My
siblings and I have vivid memories of the large American chestnut snag, over
three feet in diameter and ten feet tall, which stood as a gray white monument
on our family farm's boundary line with our Uncle Pete's place in Mason County,
Kentucky. Although both my dad and uncle were very tidy farmers, throughout
the 1930s and 1940s they deliberately allowed that large tree trunk to stand as
a memorial. Even more mysterious to us as youth was that it was surrounded by
littered ashen gray branches and tree parts, which simply did not rot. We were
too young to comprehend what species the "Big Tree" was, only that
our grieving forbearers never cleaned up the littered pieces of wood, which
seemed never to decay. Once we brought a chunk of that wood into the tobacco
stripping room and Daddy told us to take it back, as though it was a family
heirloom; he liked trees and carved with wood in retirement.
The "Big Tree" was several hundred years old and was most likely seen
and its shade used as a resting place by the pioneer Simon Kenton, a friend of
Daniel Boone (who claimed 10,000 acres, which most likely included this
particular tract of land). Kenton spoke of staying at the "cane
brakes" in the headwaters of Limestone Creek near Old Washington,
Kentucky, and in our immediate neighborhood. He mentioned a strong spring of
water, and that spring remains flowing today in good times and through drought.
A likely place for his visit was near the "Big Tree."
During the 1880s my maternal great-grandparents, the Louis Schumacher family,
lived on part of the original General Henry Lee Estate, on which "The Big
Tree" stood. As a youth I recall my grandfather telling us kids how he
had to go get a cow having a calf and found both animals under "The Big
Tree," a half mile from his home. Again, the tree fitted into events in
our family history, but the type of tree was outside of our experience as
youth, for all the chestnuts had died. Only years later, when hiking in the
newly established Blanton Forest Reserve in Harlan County, Kentucky, an
experienced forester pointed out the unrotted stump and parts of an old
American chestnut grove. This debris had the same color, texture and weight as
the unrotted pieces we knew as youngsters in Mason County.
Then the insight! That was why the dead snag was tolerated at our family
farm. The unrotted pieces were parts of a respected dead but not yet cremated
American chestnut. Today, through selective propagation and regeneration
techniques, the American chestnut is ready to make a comeback both in
unreclaimed strip mine lands and through its traditional growing area. Visit
the American Chestnut Foundation <acf.org>
Prayer: Lord,
teach us to help resurrect what has been gravely damaged and to give new life
to what is threatened.
Cooling it!
(*photo
credit)
July 11, 2008 Eleven Reasons for Locally Grown Food
1. Spirituality: Natural growth processes generate rhythms of the
soul. We are spiritually uplifted in growing our own food.
2. Resources: Energy savings result from raising home-grown produce in
contrast to factory farming and transporting of food.
3. Personal Control: Gardening allows control of contaminants on the
produce and to understand that home-grown food is wholesome and safe. It
becomes an opportunity to grow organic produce.
4. Environment: Reduces dependence on factory farming or other harmful
growing practices in the production of the community's food. Eating local
produce helps avoid damaging land fertility and the environment, provided good
cultivation practices are used.
5. Labor Practices: Home growers have better control of labor practices
at all stages of food production and preparation. Consider the exploitation of
migrant farm workers, who are often expected to work without adequate
protection against agricultural poisons and without proper housing conditions.
6. Aesthetics: Beautify the countryside and make it a better place to
live for all residents. One is able to construct the garden landscape
artistically through the choice of plants, the timing of maturation and the
specific placement of each vegetable.
7. Eco-justice: Make a powerful political statement of social
justice/eco‑justice through gardening. We will not buy products unless
we are sure that workers receive a just wage.
8. Health: Obvious health benefits occur to all including older people
who get outside exercise and fresh air when gardening. A sense of well-being
and control over one's life comes from self-sustenance and the resulting
improved health.
9. Savings: Economic benefits result from growing one's own nutritious
foods and sharing them with others in the vicinity. We are experiencing
rapidly inflating food prices. At a time of inflated food prices savings
accrue by growing one's own food.
10. Psychology: In growing our own food we can take control over our own
lives and gain an added measure of self-respect. We provide for ourselves and
break the total dependence on others for our food needs -- and this encourages
us to take other actions.
11. Model: We show others in the local area what they likewise can do
to become self-sustaining through gardening. People tend to imitate those who
are neighbors and find that learning about gardening are less threatening if
teachers are familiar to them.
Prayer: Lord,
teach us to value what we can do when touching the soil and growing our foods;
help us see this as a valuable way to heal our wounded Earth.
Ft. McPherson, Nebraska, old mobile home reused as office for
tent campground, decorated with neatly potted flowers
(*photo
credit)
July 12, 2008 Championing Quality Amid Food Shortages
High summer is quality time, and we know what that means with its pleasant
scents and sights and tastes. It is the time to stop at mid-year and reflect
on the tripod of good gardening, i.e., local taste and fresh quality,
nutritional content and productive yields. Through choice of specific cultivars
within the vegetable groups (along with proper harvesting, preserving and
cooking) we can preserve tastes that please the palate; through careful
selection of crops good nutritional content can be secured; and through raised
beds, interplanting and other intensive techniques the quality-minded gardener
can obtain plentiful yields.
Current
mass produced vegetables involve picking hybridized unripe produce, shipping
for long distances in refrigerated units, using artificial ripening agents, and
selling in a supermarket chain. The nutritional value of such commercial
produce is limited when it is harvested before ripening, for vitamins and other
components do not have time to develop. Commercial producers desire products
that are perfect in appearance, that is, free from blemishes, without regard to
chemical pesticide presence or nutritional content loss. Chemical-free
commercial produce is not easily found under such conditions and is higher
priced. A wormy apple may be unappetizing but it may indicate the absence of
pesticides. One of my finicky aunts accepted worms on or in produce, calling
them signs of chemically-free conditions and, if accidentally cooked, a source
of protein.
Today,
many engage in higher-quality lifestyle practices such as smaller vehicles,
less spacious homes, less fashionable clothing, more time with family
(down-sizing job expectations), growing and purchasing locally-grown organic
foods (nutritional quality), and more time given to the arts and music. In a
world of shortages of all types we emphasize obtaining bulk products (materials
that are needed in large quantity) -- food, water, building materials and
energy supplies -- from sources close at hand where quality is controlled and
transportation costs reduced.
Higher
quality grains, fruits, vegetables, and herbs allow for a more balanced and
wholesome diet that uses less resource- intensive food. This quality diet
means less use of resource- intensive domestic animal products by everyone.
Unit-for-unit, the meat-, milk- and egg-producing domestic animal is a
consuming agent, requiring considerable feed to stay alive, reproduce and
furnish animal products for human consumption. Much grain is required for
conversion to the final animal product that is ultimately consumed. Grain-fed
beef is at the highest end of this intensity scale, with pork middling and
poultry and fish at the lower end of the scale. Animal feed (corn, other
grains, hay, soybean byproducts, and even pastures) takes up prime farmland that
could be used for basic food staples for export.
Prayer: Lord,
teach us to champion quality while sharing with others; help us to become
conscious of the need for low-cost, nutritious, and locally-grown food for all
in this hungry world.
Abraham Lincoln's
Springfield home.
(Photo by Mark Spencer)
July 13, 2008 Sowing Good Seed
Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down
And do not return there till they have watered the
earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to those who sow and bread to those who eat,
So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will
achieving the end for which I sent it.
(Isaiah
56: 10-11)
We
need to see the connection between the fruitfulness of Earth and the
fruitfulness of word. Jesus likens sowing and the falling of seed on various
places with the fruitfulness of word.
This
word (Good News) is spoken by us as a people, the Body of Christ. How does
spreading Good News enter into our emerging sense of the news of increasing
hunger in the world especially among an estimated one hundred million including
many vulnerable infants and pregnant women. The Good News is of several types:
the fact that the commons belongs to all and not just to the privileged few;
the news that we must help share the gifts given; and the news that we can
solve the food crisis.
1.
Food is not an option that can be stored or used by a chosen and fortunate
few. With proper and available technological facilities we can gather, store,
ship and redistribute the food that could be easily wasted or misused -- and
the power of the moral dimension of word is that resources belong to all --
especially those who hunger.
2.
We Christians believe in the power of the word. Jesus shows this power
emerging in the long story of the Old Testament, the power of the prophets of
old, the force that moved John the Baptist to go into the wilderness in order
to call people to correcting their ways, the announcement of the Kingdom and
the teaching of it in the Gospels by Jesus, the coming of the Holy Spirit and
the touching of fearful individuals making them the proclaimers of the Good
News. Those good words were summarized in quite succinct and emphatic form and
touched the ears of recipients who rose up to follow the prompting of the
Spirit in their own lives. The word has power.
3.
We can do it. If we believe in the continuity of the Good News today, we have
taken on the role of sower of seed as Jesus tells us (Matthew 13: 1-23). Today
this word needs to be spoken out of justice for our individual and collective
salvation. Our faith extends beyond belief that God will do miracles; our
faith includes the power for us to act as a confirming sign of the Spirit
empowering us here and now. Yes, we are empowered to speak the truth and allow
that word to fall on fertile ground and can transform barrenness into
fertility.
Prayer: Lord help
us to understand the power of the word we can speak, the deeds we can incite,
and the success we can achieve when we inspire and encourage others to share
your bounty.
Bog habitat, Wyoming
(*photo
credit)
July 14, 2008
Agribusiness
We need only look back fifty years when many family farms flourished in our
country and entire families were engaged in keeping the local economy going.
Today, a comparatively small number of homesteaders and sustainable farmers are
able to continue these practices even amid economic roadblocks. These barriers
could be overcome if governmental benefits and support were more equally
divided in the agricultural sector that has for too long been dominated by the
politically powerful. We are currently beset by the demand for high quality
food in sufficient quantity to feed the world's hungry. Quo Vadis? Will we
take the agribusiness route or can individual small-time farmers contribute?
Citizens are aware of, but have not yet addressed, the cruel manner of
large-scale livestock production ranging from massive cattle and hog feedlots
to crowded buildings for raising chickens and turkeys. While major portions of
the farm economy such as bulk commodities production are dominated by
agribusiness, still there are expanding horizons for the entrepreneur,
especially in specialty, organic and local crop production. Such farmers could
produce animal products in more humane ways.
Today,
increasing portions of American livestock farming involve contracts with food-related
corporations. The problems related to contract agriculture were explained in Update,
the bulletin for the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture (June,
2001). Each year a higher percentage of agricultural commodities are produced
through contract with vertically integrated agribusiness (35% in 1998, and
increasing at about 1% per year) starting with poultry in the 1950s and
expanding to many major commodities -- beef, hogs, fruit, vegetables, and
tobacco. Unless reversed by such methods as local Freedom Gardens and community growing practices, small-time
farming, confronted by corporate giants, has a bleak outlook . The result is a
growing inequality between producers and marketers/processors. Can contract
farmers regain control over their lives?
Coalitions
of public interest groups advocate policies to help small farmers achieve
fairness and establish minimum standards for agricultural contracts and
reasonable government oversight. For example, the Agricultural Fair Practices
Act must protect the ability of farmers to negotiate fair contracts with
processors. Furthermore, the federal government must have authority to halt
unfair trade practices. Turning from independent to contract farming bodes
badly for a traditional family-based agriculture, especially when competing in
the production and sales of major agricultural commodities. Regaining control
over our people's lives means getting a proper method for handling contracts so
as to benefit all. Finally, farm subsidies to American corporate farmers
should be halted so as to benefit farmers in developing countries.
Prayer: Lord, give
us the strength to confront unfair agricultural policy so that the hungry of
the world may benefit from more plentiful and lower-cost food.
Tulip poplar flower and leaf, Liriodendron tulipifera
(*photo
credit)
July 15, 2008
Freedom Gardens: Individual Actions
During
the Second World War, Americans were encouraged to enter the "war"
effort by growing their own produce. This practice was promoted to free
laborer-short farmers to produce surplus materials that could be sent overseas
to feed highly stressed Great
Britain and for the service
personnel that were engaged in the war effort. "Victory Gardens" became the rage and before the war ended
there were some thirty million of them -- some highly productive and some
heroic ventures by urban folks with small amounts of space to grow vegetables.
The effort became a national crusade and along with home canning at converted
school cafeteria and kitchens during vacation months, it resulted in public
participation by many.
Today,
we have good reasons to strive for Freedom Gardens: we would supply plentiful,
nutritious, low-cost food so that we could free up produce that would otherwise
be consumed in America to be exported (in the form of root crops, grain and
edible oil-bearing materials); our people could become more conscious of the
effort it takes to produce food and could have an opportunity to touch and come
close to the soil. Much of the land is now in lawn, which consumes about
one-seventh of our energy-intensive fertilizer plus the fuel needed by
motorized lawn-care instruments (it takes less non-renewable energy to
cultivate gardens than to manicure lawns); the locally grown produce would mean
that energy for transporting food an average of 600 miles away could be saved;
neighbors could be encouraged to do similar things and through community
give-and-take learn how to garden under less stressful conditions
(embarrassment is often a stumbling block); and the beauty of variety gardens
over monolithic landscape could be actualized.
The
major advantage of more food, especially grown on once prime
farmland-turned-suburban-residence, should not be overlooked. Many concerned
environmentally conscious people talk about "farming on the edge" and
mean the encroachment of development on otherwise large tracts of farmland in
every state of our country. For them the future of the world's bread basket
looks somewhat dire. But there can be a reversal of roles, not just the
infrequent and somewhat expensive turning of roofs into gardens (it can be
done) but the use of space around buildings and the vacant lands now in need of
restoration. Freedom gardens may not only produce a multitude of harvest
crops; they may require adapting creative ways to preserve the surplus (see
next section). The freedom garden may spawn the need to extend seasonal growth
methods (cold frames, berming, greenhouses) to enhance production into the late
part of the year; they may encourage the construction of freedom lakes (July
8) to grow fish; and they may inspire the conversion of cultivated land into
edible landscapes through use of perennials.
Prayer: Lord, you
placed our first parents into a garden and gave to all of us the love of
cultivated space. When the human race became numerous, we learned to sustain
ourselves through our human toil. Inspire us to turn unused landscape into
food-producing areas and to work on the individual level to grow our needed
food so that we can share more with those who hunger.
Lily's Pond. Daniel Boone National Forest, near Stanton, KY
(*photo
credit)
July
16, 2008
Community Gardens:
Group Activities
A Freedom Garden can go beyond being an individual enterprise
involving a backyard. Some people lack individual surplus land or prefer to
garden with others in a community. Fine. Their gardening could take on a
community character and generally involve a piece of land divided into
designated plots that are distributed to various individual gardeners. A less
popular approach that could work well with a school class or similar group is
to garden collectively on an undesignated plot. The advantages of Community Freedom Gardens are obvious: people can work and get to know
others; they can more easily learn gardening techniques in a non-threatening
manner; and they can exchange and share produce with other producers as well
as the needy in the vicinity.
Communities gardens could include such unused land as:
* institutional surplus lands and lawns;
* unused portions of cemeteries;
* development areas prior to construction;
* flood plains and some conservation lands;
* refurbished and resurfaced brown fields;
* agricultural lands not presently being farmed;
* areas adjacent to parks and roadways; and
* vacant lots adjacent to homes and housing developments.
Community garden success depends on how the community garden is organized. It
takes some up-front planning and careful laying down of ground rules, which can
both encourage the serious gardener and discourage the one who will quickly
abandon the project as hot weather sets in. Abandoned community garden plots
can litter the countryside, when they are not properly supervised. A strong
supervisor separates the real gardeners from dreamers and encourages the
wayward to continue. Once the right supervisor or coordinator is found, ground
rules can be established. "Don't grow mole beans, because children may be
tempted to eat the poisonous beans." "Don't overly shade a neighbor's
plot." "Don't expect your vines to trespass without permission and
sharing of the produce." "Share
water sources."
One
approach to community gardens is to plow or cultivate the entire tract each
year and then allot the plots afterwards. The other method is to lease
individual plots, which may contain perennials (e.g., raspberries, horseradish,
Jerusalem artichokes, or comfrey) from a previous year's
planting. These perennials permit gardeners to plan their work for a longer
time and to acquire a sense of ownership of a plot. A community garden does
not necessarily have to be chemical pesticide-free, but it is virtually
impossible to keep some adjacent plots "organic" when others are
not. The wind blows, and water run-off cannot be easily controlled. One
solution is to declare the entire plot as organic and distribute information
for keeping it that way.
Prayer: Lord,
teach us to see gardens as a community enterprise for it demonstrates the
community of all being. Then we will begin to share resources within a global
community.
After a cooling rain
(*photo
credit)
July 17, 2008
Food
Preserving Techniques
With growing food shortages, during July we ought to think about preserving
food surpluses for the non-growing parts of the year. How do we preserve
high-quality leftover produce such as beans, brassicas, cucumbers, zucchini and
tomatoes? Can we go beyond stuffing ourselves with vegetables in plentiful
supply and sharing with immediate neighbors? From the times of our distant
ancestors, foresighted folks thought ahead to the non-growing colder season.
They dried, stored in the ground (less susceptible to theft and confiscation)
or preserved foods through salting, canning or by other ingenious means. We
admire and seek to imitate their foresightedness and ingenuity. Their goal was
the same as ours today: save the flavor and quality while retaining produce,
which will satisfy hunger in times of want. Can we resuscitate and improve on
some of these past practices?
Root Cellars are a tried and true manner of preserving many vegetables
and fruits. These storage places are partly or totally submerged outer
buildings or interior space. They are dark and cool places at constant
temperature and controlled humidity where produce could be preserved for at
least six months in order to meet the needs of the winter months. Besides
potatoes and virtually all the root crops, such places are perfect for storing
winter squash, pumpkins, brassicas, apples, pears, and even wrapped tomatoes.
Canning of fruit,
berries and vegetables takes great effort in the heat of summer but the
products taste great in winter. What sacrifices were made for materials and
flavor in the past! I can recall my mother making such great sacrifices and
being so proud of the materials she canned. She would take visitors to view
the fruit of her labor and to enjoy the colorful and tasty food.
Solar drying (see
tomorrow's reflection)
Pickling has been
around as long as common salt has been accessible. The curing of hams and
other meats through the salting process dates back to Celtic hams being
transported to Roman overlords almost two millennia ago. Besides meat and
fish, the salting or "pickling" process extends to cabbage
(sauerkraut), cucumbers, turnips, watermelon rinds, and many others vegetables.
Freezing produce is a convenient food preserving method, but generally
uses non-renewable energy to operate. Some products such as beans do not fare
well through freezing, but the method works well for corn, peas, tomatoes,
cherries, berries and many fruits.
Leaving root crops and other vegetables in the garden is the simplest
preservation method in temperate areas. The time left in the garden depends on
winter severity and on the protective cover. In
Kentucky, carrots,
Japanese radishes, Jerusalem artichokes and turnips can be left in the
ground. Likewise, mustard, kale, and collards will stay fresh, if protected
from wind and intense cold.
Prayer: Lord, help
us preserve surplus food for future needs.
Soaking up the sun
(*photo
credit)
July 18, 2008 Solar Food Drying
Solar food drying is not new, for we are familiar with dried raisins, apricots
and prunes. Solar food drying does not have to be reinvented, only
rediscovered as a major food preserving technique for apples and other
low-moisture content fruits and vegetables -- even if dried an in an old
automobile or attic.
Specific
solar dryers can be made from scratch or purchased, and permit a current of
solar-warmed air to flow over porous screened trays of cut fruit or vegetables,
protected from direct sunlight. Different lengths of time are required
depending on moisture content and on the local humidity. Efficient devices
ensure good air-flow, moisture removal and sufficient warmth (about 110 degrees
Fahrenheit) during the process. This is especially important in areas with
relative humidity of 70% or higher on an annual average. A variety of
commercial and low-cost build-your-own food dryers are available. For solar
drying the sun should not shine directly on the produce, otherwise it will
reduce the nutrient content. The solar dryer's flow of heated air will carry
off the moisture; heated air passes through a duct over a dark- colored
collector surface with greater efficiency when the surface is exposed to
maximum sunlight. Some operators prefer to swivel the dryer and follow the
sun. Screens should be installed over the air openings and exhausts to exclude
insects.
Solar dried foods retain their nutritional content better than some cooked and
preserved foods because the temperature range for the drying is less than
temperatures used for canning. Solar drying uses renewable energy from the sun
and the fuel is free; with some basic familiarity the process is quite straight
forward; drying reduces volume and allows for easy storage (no deep freeze
costs) and transport, especially for backpackers; it is readily available for
consuming and has few spoilage problems.
With a good food dryer and with the proper weather conditions, one can dry
almost any type of food. It is easier to dry an apple than a tomato with all
its juice, but tomato "leathers" can be prepared under special
conditions though best in desert climates. For more humid climates, limit food
drying to low moisture-content produce -- apples, pears, onions, carrots,
rhubarb, turnips, pumpkins, cauliflower, beans, broccoli, corn, squash, mint,
bay leaves, dill, garlic, peppers, ginseng root or leaves, basil, parsley, and
many other herbs. Select good produce which is not overripe but rather just
ready to eat. Start drying it the day it is picked. Some people blanch (hot
water or steam) food for a short time before drying to preserve color and
texture. Place the food in the solar dryer on a natural or artificial fiber
(not metallic) shelf mat and, if not thoroughly dried by sunset, close it off,
so that night moisture will not penetrate the drying produce. When dried to
the desired degree, remove and store in a cool, dark, dry place. The dried
material is prepared by reconstituting with water.
Prayer: Lord,
inspire us to preserve the gift of our food.
Thimbleberry pie, a vacationer's treat
(*photo
credit)
July 19, 2008 Food Marketing and Cooperatives
Some small-time gardeners want to make a living by producing food commodities,
and others want to supplement their income by the sale of surplus produce. The
target market is quite important for them as well as the hope that they can
grow something that has a demand. Some as members of my farm family would peddle
butter, strawberries, plums and other surpluses. Some individual producers
prefer to bring a quantity of the fruit of their labor to a farmers' market;
this does not require the responsibility of providing set amounts of produce to
individual customers or retail marketers. However, this approach depends on
the hit and miss of individual marketing -- and often others have the same
surpluses.
Another
marketing approach is designed for those seeking to make a total living out of
gardening; this is the "CSA" or Community Supported Agriculture.
Usually this consists of receiving a determined sum of money from a customer
(some perhaps up front) with an understanding that a basket or fresh produce
will be delivered by the producer on a periodic (often weekly) basis. The
guarantee means that the grower needs to think ahead of a variety of vegetables
and herbs that will produce results on a regular basis for those who are
consumers. The success of CSAs depends on the weather, the planning and hard
work.
A
third approach is to deal with food wholesalers and processors. One approach
is through marketing cooperatives. Food marketing coops require
planning, standards, type of material, grading of the produce, and determined
sales destination. The agricultural commodity determines the nature of the
marketing coop. My folks were members of a tobacco coop; as prices rose, more
growers got into the act; when prices fell, some were hurt due to overproduction.
Therefore a tobacco marketing coop controlled production so all would benefit.
Annual vegetable crops can be the commodity of choice but overproduction can be
detrimental to the enterprise. However, a medicinal herb, wild ginseng, has a
market (now selling at over $800 a pound fresh); it grows slowly and takes
over a dozen years to mature but is subject to theft if the location is known.
Most vegetables and herbs are not of such high market value as tobacco or
ginseng; they are more subject to price fluctuations and uncertain marketing of
perishable produce. Creating a marketing cooperative takes a public organizing
effort, but this could be opposed by those, such as ginseng growers and
gatherers, who prefer secrecy for security purposes. Marketing of milk
products, grain and fruit can be used to minimize competition among producers.
Union and guild members testify to the power in organizing. Cooperative
success depends in part on the commodity; tobacco coops were healthy although
the product's use was not; this material accrued in value after harvest; on
the other hand, fresh produce is generally perishable and must move quickly to
market.
Prayer: Lord, help
each producer discover the best means to get materials from place of production
to those in need.
Unidentified mushrooms growing on stump, Cumberland Gap National
Historical Park
(*photo
credit)
July 20, 2008 Weeds, Tolerance and Permissiveness
And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are
just must be kind. (Wisdom
13:19)
We
continue today the agrarian motifs used by Jesus in his parables in Matthew
13. We need not be grain growers to understand the parables however, for we
know today to what extent weeds can choke the cultivated areas we have.
However, secret weed sowers seek to entice others to agree, to consume as they
do, and to succeed by going along with the crowd on whom they have considerable
influence. The weeds become the consumption habits that come to play in our
world and crowd out the essentials that are needed to keep all and especially
the poor alive. Weeds then become the luxuries that some have and others do
not, but for us to overly separate and root these out could create a major
disorder in our social system. In what way should we "tolerate" the
misspent luxuries in our midst, while five thousand kids die each day from lack
of proper nutrition to ward off opportunistic diseases?
Tolerance
may be used in different ways but it may be confused with permissiveness. A
parent who allows one child to beat up on another is not tolerant; that is
crass indifference or neglect. If the tolerance is to allow some secret
"weeds" to draw the attention and entice others, it raises
questions. To what extent must we have forbearance and be patient with our
fellow human beings, even when they are overly weedy in their lifestyle and
practices. To weed enticements out severely is a form of intolerance that has
proven quite cruel in past history and has no place in a modern democratic
society. Here tolerance is allowed provided the "weeds" do not
poison and choke the good seed.
What if the weed sower so overwhelms the farmer that weeds become the major
crop and the weed sower is not secret about sowing, but takes delight in
publicly overpowering the farmer? Where is tolerance now? Does tolerance
become our willingness to allow the weed sower to overcome the sower of good
seed, and to take over the resource that belongs to all the people who desire
an honest living from grain grown? Do weeds become the luxuries of life, the
enticements that choke out wholesome living practices. In order to respond for
the defense of those who need the grain for basic food we must -- recognize
that weeds are being sown; confront the public weed sower; and stop such
affluent practices for the sake of those in real need.
Silence
and permissiveness are not proper forms of tolerance when we can stop the weed
sower while in the act of sowing. Once sown is one matter; the act of sowing
is another. This may go beyond today's parable of patience and forbearance but
it is related. Tolerance allows some weeds that do not seriously threaten us
or others; saying "no" to certain "weedy" acts that hurt
other is to defend justice. We need to know the difference.
Prayer: Lord, teach
us to act when needed and to be kind to all to the degree that tolerance
allows.
The Carp River, near St. Ignace, MI
(*photo
credit)
July 21, 2008 Domestic Potable Water Supplies
A
major problem facing the world's people is a sufficient amount of potable
water; an emerging problem once people talk about Freedom Gardens is the use
of municipal water for irrigation on a relatively small scale -- for most of us
are aware that most produce only subsists and does not thrive on chlorinated
water.
Can
we avoid chlorination or is this unrealistic given the need for safe drinking
water that so outweighs smaller-scale garden watering requirements and our
dislike of the taste?
Chlorination
is the most common way to purify municipal water, for it kills harmful bacteria
and has been credited with controlling the scourges of cholera, typhoid fever
and dysentery, which plagued our ancestors for centuries. Proponents of
chlorination realize its practicality and economy. Some municipal systems use
hypochlorite compounds and some other forms such as chlorine gas -- which is
quite toxic, if emitted accidentally into the atmosphere. Some chemical water
contaminants, which are present and have escaped previous purification, become
far more worrisome if chlorine is present; among by-products from the
chlorinated water medium are the trihalomethanes, which can prove harmful in
even small amounts. The federal government has ordered the removal of these
chemical contaminants to the greatest degree possible before chlorination.
Due to dislike of chlorinated water, Americans spend a billion dollars annually
on bottled water. Today, plastic water bottles are in vogue, even though
commercially bottled water is sometimes of questionable quality. State
regulations for "mineral" water vary from state to state; the
minerals are of questionable origin; the quality of water may not be better;
and "natural" may mean tap water that is repurified. The term
"sparkling" refers to water into which carbon dioxide gas has been
injected to make it bubbly.
A
relatively low-cost home water filter can improve water taste, reduce odor, and
remove the chemical contaminants just mentioned. Granular activated carbon
filters have been used as pour-through types, faucet filters, stationary
filters, line bypass filters and double filters. Water moves slowly through
the purifying material, and recent commercial porous filters allow more rapid
filtration. While good for removing bacterial contamination, they may allow
some impurities to be present. If impurities are few and the water is not
already chlorinated, these low-cost ultra-fine commercial filters work well.
Boiling water kills bacteria, but takes fuel unless a solar distilling device
is used. Ozone kills micro-organisms as do ultraviolet methods, but such
domestic devices are costly and work best with higher quality water.
One
domestic water compromise is to accept the municipal system but add a dual one
for water use in the garden, either a large water- containing cistern or a
simple fifty-five gallon rain barrel at the residence for direct watering
during drought.
Prayer: Lord, give
us the grace to provide for the thirsty.
Land Between the Lakes
(*photo
credit)
July 22, 2008 Use Food Storage Space Well
Quite
often domestic space for larger families or for accumulation of excess
equipment and materials is limited. While some of the items are seldom used or
out of fashion, they may take up quality space that could be used for other
more essential materials -- including our monthly food supplies. Making room
may mean using basement or attic space for food storage and drying or expanding
shelf space to hidden and forgotten places.
Providing
domestic storage space for food has advantages:
*
the food is convenient for a variety of menus and this adds to domestic
tranquility and homemaking creativity;
*
the proper storage of lower priced foods purchased in season can be a good food
budget strategy and investment for later in the year. All too often some
storage space may be ample but it may be too humid or too hot or too cold;
*
with escalating food prices, items that can be stored for longer periods of
time can be obtained as a hedge against food price inflation;
*
during an emergency (floods, violent storms, earthquakes) the local food
distribution system may be disrupted and your personal domestic food supply
will come in handy for residents and neighbors. Some people take delight and
comfort in having a month's supply of food on hand just in case;
*
canned food storage can be a mark of good housekeeping, and the products of
canning are really a beautiful sight to behold in a thrifty household. The
colorful array of food in clear jars can be quite decorative, and so some create
storage space by installing "open shelving" in various prominent
parts of the house/work areas;
*
storage space, especially roots cellars and canning shelves, encourages the
practice of preserving food for winter months and thus less produce is wasted;
and
*
ample food storage space can permit fewer trips to the grocery market,
especially if your own garden is furnishing your everyday need for fresh
produce.
We
are all reluctant to throw things away, to sort out what we have, and to store
goods properly and where they can be easily reached. A perfect remedy for
people with a shortage of storage space is the yard sale but such materials
might simply shift from one storage space to another. Many old-timers remember
a radio comedy featuring Molly Mcgee, a housewife who would open her closet, at
which utensils would fall out and thus precipitate a burst of laughter. Truly
a Molly McGee closet is an extreme.
Prayer: Lord, teach us to look ahead and prepare for the future with a
certain flare for creativity and resourcefulness.
Carolina buckthrown, Frangula caroliniana
(*photo
credit)
July 23, 2008 Food Stamps and Commodities
Local
food distribution problems affect two different sorts of people: those who are
reluctant to get the food even when they need it; and those who are takers when
they could earn their daily bread through other means. The first group often
have worked hard in life and through illness and old age must now overcome
their determined pride and take a hand-out. The second are those who clutter
the distribution system and give it a bad name.
The
first, once they have been persuaded to take from the food commons, will use
the handout wisely and not waste the materials given, nor choose junk food when
offered options. Just getting them into the food network is sometimes a chore
but is well worth the effort. This group is usually most happy to use the
basic staples (grain or prepared flour or cornmeal), cooking oil, canned or
dried milk, and beans or equivalents; they will not complain and they are
experienced in knowing how to prepare good meals from simple foods.
The
other category (the pushy takers) is far more difficult to address. The lazy
or the ill-budgeted find it hard to meet needs properly. This often more
able-bodied group is actually harmed by a world of easy handouts and can become
mere professional beggars; they crowd out those who are more in need of food.
Some of these will go so far as to trade food items, food cash donations or
unspecified food cards for drugs. Generally food distributors become
experienced enough to control and handle this second category of people.
Granting
that some younger inexperienced people are in need of food, we ought to
consider their nutritional education. A certain freedom as to what can be
purchased within a food stamp program is allowed; this was evident when early
on Coca Cola and others were the main proponents, even though some like this
writer spoke out against using food stamps for purchase of soft drinks. What
becomes evident in such programs is not so much the individuals' right to make
food choices, as the taxpayers' right to control what foods are distributed so
as to address authentic human food needs.
Food
education exists for WIC (Women, Infants and Children) federal programs
operated through local health departments. Such education ought to be mandatory
for food stamp recipients if a specifically restrictive food distribution
policy is not enforced. Such education should include making one's own baked
goods, herbal drinks, fixing bean and other non-meat protein materials using a
variety of spices and flavorings, preparing healthy snack foods, use of more
fruits and vegetables, and choices of meals using less meat. Far too often
people prefer buying expensive junk (excessive sugar and fat) foods and neglect
more wholesome alternatives.
Prayer: Lord,
allow us to give to the poor who are truly hungry and to have the discernment
to show tough love to those who should be able to earn
