Link and Planting Guide

Possibly a helpful link for gardeners would be Agrarian Urbanite Blog. There is a planting guide on the blog for putting in plants / seeding on page 4.

"It's the chemicals that are making you fat"

It's interesting that the mainstream media (see here) are increasingly carrying stories about the effects of our chemical-ridden food supply. I'm a bit skeptical of this one (which insists that it's the chemicals that have led, in part, to American obesity), but it's interesting all the same.

On _Eating Animals_

I have been a semi-vegetarian for years now (I rarely cook meat myself, but will occasionally order fish or chicken at restaurants and will eat whatever is served me by a host). I became a vegetarian when I was a teenager and remained one until well after college. When I first decided to avoid meat most of the people I knew thought it very odd (though my family was remarkably accommodating, especially my mother who found in my dietary choice an excuse for culinary experimentation). When I went on school and church trips we often stopped at fast food restaurants where the only items on the menu I could order were fries or a cheeseburger without the burger. I soon ceased to be surprised at the baffled looks I received from across the counter upon making this request.

Things have changed a bit in our culture since. Healthy, vegetarian fare is increasingly available, even at fast food chains, but we are still a carnivorous nation.

Since I moved to the Midwest nearly 10 years ago, I've begun to add meat back to my diet, mainly out of convenience - many parts of the country - including most of Indiana - remain set on a meat and carbohydrate diet. Yet, as I've started thinking about eating ethically, though, I find myself wondering if I can really justify my occasional meat habit - after all, most of the meat we consume is factory farmed, the animals treated as product from even before they are conceived, much of our vegetable agricultural system goes toward supporting meat production, the extraordinary waste from meat production is damaging the environment, and many of the workers in meat facilities seem to be mistreated and unpaid for the dangerous work that they do.

To be sure, there are ethical alternatives. But, free-range, grass-fed, hormone-free meat is very expensive, and perhaps rightfully so. We have grown too accustomed, I think, to cheap meat - so accustomed that we are unable to see the real human, animal, environmental, and heath costs that we are paying. I'm beginning to think that not eating meat at all may be the only alternative for someone on a limited budget. And would be interested in hearing others' thoughts on this.

Also, a book on my reading list that I believe takes up these issues is Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals. I'll post a review after I read it, but am curious if others' have already worked their way through it.

"Food Inc." and the corn industry

Thought this story might be of interest. Now that "Food Inc." is up for an Oscar, the Corn industry is protesting it (though they didn't want to participate or comment when the film was being made.)

Planting

The promise of warmer days and the necessity of starting certain seeds - for me, tomatoes and peppers - led to my finally getting some dirt and seeds and seeing if I could get things started. I had some Red Dragon peppers that I dried last fall and cracked one open to retrieve the seeds to plant in a styrofoam egg carton. I still paid the price for handling them as the oils transferred to my fingers which were quite spicy for the hours afterwards. After this batch, I next planted green pepper seeds from a pepper that probably came from Mexico or South America, just to see if it could be done. These went into another egg carton. And lastly, in a moderate sized tray that I divided into two sections, I planted randomly Brandywine tomato seeds and cherry tomato seeds. (We like to oven dry the cherry tomatoes with a little hot sauce added and use them throughout the winter months.) Afterwards, I realized that in my house, the temperature ranges from 55 to 65 degrees, and it would probably take months for the little seeds to hatch. Twenty plus years ago, I used to have some low grade heating wire to would help to warm things up, but I no longer had it. So, I was trying to think of another alternative and finally figured out that I might try an electric heating pad with a thermometer to monitor the temperature. Right now, the warmest part of the soil seems to be staying around 87 degrees, so this might work. My other problem is that I have three cats of my own and also have my daughter's two felines for the next 2 weeks and I had to plan to keep them from either eating any newborn plants or using my started gardens as litter boxes. So far things are under control, so while waiting for something to grow, my outdoor plans this weekend will be setting up some raised beds, moving around the truckloads of seasoned horse manure - that my family chided me about - and seeing if I can get some broccoli plants going and peas, lettuce, and spinach started. My spirit yearns for warmer temperatures and some new greenery.

Waste and Food

As I was trying to do a little preparation for my contribution to the Lenten Series on Everyday Justice - my focus being on waste - I began to perform a Google Search on the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch discussed in the book, wanting to see if I could find a satellite image of this so called dump in the Pacific Ocean, that measures somewhere between double the size of Texas to double the size of the continental United States. It turns out that there is no big image, but not because it isn't there. Most of it isn't visible because it stays on or slightly below the surface. Much of it is plastic fragments, plastic being a substance that does not degrade but does break down into smaller pieces as the light hardens it, leave what is called rather a soup in the middle of the ocean. Plastic repels water and absorbs chemicals like oil that often contain toxins. Unfortunately, the pieces become small enough where birds and other animals mistake it as food and after they ingest it, they are at risk of dying from obstructions within their systems or from absorbing the toxins that the plastic can absorb. It is estimated that this dump is the accumulation of 80% trash dumped on mainlands into the sea with the remaining 20% being dumped from sea vessels. Why is this a big deal?

Not only does this eventually come back to us as we are at the top of the food chain, but it reminds us that poor utilization of our resources eventually comes back to us. It's not like we don't have enough to worry about now, but if we are going to eat safely, even if we are growing our own food, we have to consider what is in the soil that we are planting our food. It ranges from bacteria and viruses to parasites to toxins. How we deal with our trash ultimately will affect those who come after us and potentially could even affect us now. When a christian is called to Love God and Love our Neighbor, we have a significant responsibility to care for the creation we have been given to manage (dominion) and care for the creation that our neighbor also has to use and live in. I think about all the different ways I fail in my daily obsession to appropriately manage waste and can only pray for grace and assistance.

Health

Reasons to garden? See http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/foodborne-illness-costs-us-152-billion-annually-landmark-report-estimates.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogrssfeed+%28Science+Blog%29

Gleaning Today

Yesterday, the Lenten Series at All Souls Church Knoxville had a brief presentation on food and its current relationship to justice issues. During the time, we discussed issues presented in media like Fast Food Nation, Food Inc., The Omnivores Dilemma and from the book Everyday Justice. During the discussion, the question of gleaning came up and I was wondering what that mean in today's culture. It would seem that many a man's business in biblical times was farming; however, there are few farmers today. So, as an attorney, as a doctor or nurse, as a teacher or as a clerk, what does that look like? Where do we leave something untouched in our lives for someone else to take for themselves, no questions asked? Certainly, we can have our own "farms" or rather gardens and contribute part of our produce to someone who might need and appreciate it. Perhaps, this is one way for us to look at everyday justice in a small, personal way.