The Future of Food

what is really disturbing is that they are questioning the industrial food machine. i mean, shit, what will they question next?

marriage norms?

god's republican plan?

the goodwill of our corporate masters?

(but, seriously, if this shit interests you, try reading the omnivore's dilemma and in defense of food. or try here. i have several disagreements with pollan, and he's a bit too activist-ey for me, but he has some interesting points.)
 
The main thing that should be addressed on the food front is the seed companies developing non-propagating species. It used to be that farmers set aside 10% of their crop for seed stock for next year. Now they can't for many crops unless they plant seeds from more expensive sources which are becoming scarcer.

Foods would last far longer and could be shipped more efficiently if there hadn't been a panic over irradiation. Irradiation kills bacteria and spores which cause the destruction of foods. The time frame for spoilage can be greatly extended by irradiation but those who opposed it claimed, falsely, that the food would be radioactive and unsafe to eat. Foods like milk would last weeks without spoilage instead of days. Vegetables would last long enough to actually be consumed rather than ending up in a landfill.

A lie can go a long way when the press grabs it and runs wild with it.
 
Irradiation, custom-gene seeds, vaccinated or steroided cattle....all of 'em...are bad. They change something, somewhere. It's not what we're intended to eat, it's not what we're evolved to digest. Shorter shelf life & faster spoilage is inconvenient, at worst. We have sufficient methods of transportation that nobody on planet Earth is going hungry due to lack of food.

We've started growing our own, using non-hybrid seeds. We aren't 100% self-sufficient but we're workign on it. We purchase whole animals - when possible, from known sources that don't inject the animal. We go to the butcher for smaller stocks & ask for the same type of cuts. Usually accomodated.

My only wish is that we could afford enough land to do it all ourself. Overpaying is not any better that bargain bin crap.

However, there's nothing wrong wiith eating some fast food/prepared foods. Like everythign else, all in moderation.
 
2minkey said:
what is really disturbing is that they are questioning the industrial food machine. i mean, shit, what will they question next?

marriage norms?

god's republican plan?

the goodwill of our corporate masters?

(but, seriously, if this shit interests you, try reading the omnivore's dilemma and in defense of food. or try here. i have several disagreements with pollan, and he's a bit too activist-ey for me, but he has some interesting points.)
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Thanks for the info.

Gonz said:
Irradiation, custom-gene seeds, vaccinated or steroided cattle....all of 'em...are bad. They change something, somewhere. It's not what we're intended to eat, it's not what we're evolved to digest. Shorter shelf life & faster spoilage is inconvenient, at worst. We have sufficient methods of transportation that nobody on planet Earth is going hungry due to lack of food.

We've started growing our own, using non-hybrid seeds. We aren't 100% self-sufficient but we're workign on it. We purchase whole animals - when possible, from known sources that don't inject the animal. We go to the butcher for smaller stocks & ask for the same type of cuts. Usually accomodated.

My only wish is that we could afford enough land to do it all ourself. Overpaying is not any better that bargain bin crap.

However, there's nothing wrong wiith eating some fast food/prepared foods. Like everythign else, all in moderation.
Click to expand...

Ever try using rock dust for your soil?
 
Outside of what I grind up with the tiller, no.

We have very heavy clay so I've put several tons of sand into it though.
 
Gonz said:
Irradiation, custom-gene seeds, vaccinated or steroided cattle....all of 'em...are bad. They change something, somewhere. It's not what we're intended to eat, it's not what we're evolved to digest. Shorter shelf life & faster spoilage is inconvenient, at worst. We have sufficient methods of transportation that nobody on planet Earth is going hungry due to lack of food.

We've started growing our own, using non-hybrid seeds. We aren't 100% self-sufficient but we're workign on it. We purchase whole animals - when possible, from known sources that don't inject the animal. We go to the butcher for smaller stocks & ask for the same type of cuts. Usually accomodated.

My only wish is that we could afford enough land to do it all ourself. Overpaying is not any better that bargain bin crap.

However, there's nothing wrong wiith eating some fast food/prepared foods. Like everythign else, all in moderation.
Click to expand...
Your efforts are a good start. Most people have enough space (1/4 acre or more) in their suburban back yards and (if the HOA-Nazis allow it) front yard to create a garden that can completely feed a family throughout the year. Vegetables in the back yard. Fruit trees, nut trees, herbs and even some non-visually-offensive looking vegetables or fruit bushes in the front yard. Most cities are allowing hens but no roosters (or limiting roosters to 1) within city limits. But eggs are so cheap (even free range, no cage) and chickens would take up some of the space in the back yard.

Don't forget to put in a compost bin. Some of them are designed to make soil quickly from your kitchen scraps and yard clippings.

Self-sufficiency... ever read a book by John Seymour called The Self-Sufficient Life And How To Life It? It's one of my favorite books. I just gave a copy to a friend who is going to by one of our 11 acre lots down the road from us. I highly recommend it. It's a great read, though this guy lives in England (I think) so you have to adjust the seasonal, weather and soil information to your own area.

We're planning to ambush some wild hogs after the holidays to stock our freezer.
 
I had some eco-friendly all na-chur-all food once.

It took a Pepsi & a couple chili dogs to revive me
 
now me, personally, i prefer to eat food that exceeds common pet food brands in quality, and i'm fine paying extra for it.
 
2minkey said:
now me, personally, i prefer to eat food that exceeds common pet food brands in quality, and i'm fine paying extra for it.
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Damn skippy!
I may not look like it (I'm not a big woman), but I loves me some fine eats! (I just can't eat all the junky foods, makes me feel sick.)
 
We the majority of our beef from my uncle who pays to have his own cows slaughtered. We have some good contacts we get good produce local produce from also, many at the farmers markets. During the summer we get wild berries and stuff that grows around the cabin.

Not that we don't buy things from the grockerey, but we prefer the personally grown fresh goodies. om nom nom.
 
Gonz said:
Outside of what I grind up with the tiller, no.

We have very heavy clay so I've put several tons of sand into it though.
Click to expand...

I have read rock dust does wonders for your fruits and vegetables. You might want to look into it.
 
either he’s a nutcase or you are being pwned
yeah you’d better be looking into that rock dust
and while yer at it pick me up a coupla pounds
of pixie dust too.
 
Gonz said:
When I get a chance, I will, although I have to wonder, if dirt isn't rock dust, what is?
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Dirt is both mineral and organic. It is not just rock dust. The organic part is decomposed shit, plant and animal matter. The mineral part is well... what rock is made of.
 
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