Thursday, December 20, 2007

Food for the Solstice

With the solstice, and the darkest night of the year, comes final evaluations of the year's food production. The data are mostly in, the news is quite bad. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a74e1668-ac42-11dc-82f0-0000779fd2ac.html

"The US Department of Agriculture has predicted that global corn stocks will fall to a 33-year low of just 7.5 weeks of consumption, while global wheat stocks will plunge to their lowest level in at least 47 years at 9.3 weeks."

And there's this:http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2221372,00.html#article_continue

"The risks of food riots and malnutrition will surge in the next two years as the global supply of grain comes under more pressure than at any time in 50 years, according to one of the world's leading agricultural researchers.

Recent pasta protests in Italy, tortilla rallies in Mexico and onion demonstrations in India are just the start of the social instability to come unless there is a fundamental shift to boost production of staple foods, Joachim von Braun, the head of the International Food Policy Research Institute, warned in an interview with the Guardian."

This blog will be quiet for a bit, while we enjoy the rebirth of the cycle of light and darkness, and relax in the quiet time of the winter. For those of you celebrating Christmas and Yule and the Solstice, I wish you a good holiday. And as we go into this time of feasting, pleasure and joy, I hope each of us will think hard about what our role in averting hunger can be in the new year.

Some of us will plant gardens, or expand the ones we have. Some of us might start selling a little more food. Some of us may volunteer with local food security programs or poverty abatement groups. Perhaps we'll give talks at our local church, synagogue, mosque, temple, community center or farmer's market about local food and food security. Perhaps we'll bring food to a neighbor and let them taste the lush glory of local eating.

Maybe we'll start a farmer's market or a coop. Maybe we'll talk to a neighbor or three about the importance of local food systems. Maybe we'll run for zoning board and change that rule about backyard chickens. Maybe we'll get some chickens this year, or rabbits or worms or bees. Maybe we'll work on preserving open space for the animals already here on the planet.

Maybe we'll join Seed Savers, pick out a single variety, and commit to maintaining it in perpetuity so that it doesn't disappear from the earth. Maybe we'll grow a new crop, or more of it, and donate to our food pantry or a local low income family. Maybe we'll make a donation to the Heifer fund or another charity that supports local food systems. Maybe we'll give a little more, and live with a little less and be happy.

Maybe we'll buy more local food, and less from the supermarket. Maybe we'll encourage our local schools or restaurants to buy from local farmers. Maybe someone will start a seed company, microbrewery or a CSA. Maybe we'll get our town to plant fruit and nut trees instead of regular street trees, or start a permaculture forest garden. Maybe we'll start a Victory Garden campaign in our town, city, state... Maybe we'll start thinking of "Victory" as not something you get from war, but from a world where no one goes hungry.

Maybe we'll learn to cook something new from scratch, or teach someone else how to cook staple foods. Maybe we'll do something to promulgate the joys of a really local diet, or explain the problems of CAFO meat and industrial agriculture to someone who doesn't understand. Maybe someone will run for office, and change agricultural policy in your region. Maybe we'll feast gloriously, and eat a little lower on the food chain the rest of the time.

Maybe we'll can or dehydrate something this year, ferment or preserve something we've never tried. Maybe we'll teach a neighbor, a friend, a school class how to put up food, or how to forage. Maybe we'll get our kids to eat the kale this year,
even if we have to disguise it somehow. Maybe we'll get our spouse to eat it too.

Maybe we'll build soil, add organic matter, and sequester some carbon this year. Maybe this year will be the one we give up the chemicals, or the gas powered tools. Maybe this year we'll stop treating the earth like dirt.

Maybe we'll do what we've been doing all along, only more and harder, because we understand what is at stake. Maybe we'll take on a new project, marshall our time and energy a little better. Maybe we'll start tentatively and gain confidence, or take courage and go further with this than we ever have. Maybe one of us will make a difference, or all of us will.

Remember, there are moments that are dark - it isn't just seeming. But the light comes back every year, and it can come back in the face of any darkness. Be the light.

Sharon

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll take on the kale challenge!

From a Yahoo group that discusses _Nourishing Traditions_, Sally Fallon's book, someone posted a Crispy Kale recipe. While I don't remember all the details, take kale and chop into bite sized pieces. Toss with olive oil to coat, place on a baking sheet into a preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on your oven and check for browning around the edges. When you see that, it's done! Sprinkle salt and pepper or garlic powder or whatever flavoring you like. Boy, is it addictive! Better than popcorn or potato chips! I had to make myself not eat an entire bunch of kale I'd made that way one evening. The only word of warning is that if you bake until the kale is mostly brown, it tastes burnt and that's not very pleasant. It can be reheated but only very, very briefly in the oven.

I love kale but had settled into two or three recipes that had gotten rather blah. Crispy Kale is a welcome addition to my recipe collection!

Kerri

Unknown said...

any tips on cooking a squash on/in the woodstove?

Anonymous said...

Winter squash? Cut in half (or quarters for a really big squash) and de-seed, just like in an electric oven.

Put it in a covered metal dish, like a roasting pan or a dutch oven, for in the stove. If your fire is very hot, add a little water and be careful of the time.

It tastes better and uses less heat if you peel & cube it raw and steam it on the stovetop, but that is more than twice as much work.

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that you mention this because I spent most of the day today volunteering with the food co-op. It was a lot of fun!

Anonymous said...

The kale thing made me laugh, too.

You have a great talent for turning dire predictions into reasons to be excited and optimistic. I don't know how you do it, but your posts are always very encouraging.

Have a great holiday.

Anonymous said...

The kale thing made me laugh, too.

You have a great talent for turning dire predictions into reasons to be excited and optimistic. I don't know how you do it, but your posts are always very encouraging.

Have a great holiday.

David said...

Thank you, Sharon.

I'm certainly planning for 2008 to be a big year where I live (coastal British Columbia). I'm hoping to start a food buyers' club (co-op sounds too grandiose), a new farmers' market, and some kind of elite food-growing strike force. Like the Navy Seals but with leafy greens. :-)

See you in '08!

Anonymous said...

Sharon, do you have any New Years' resolutions for 2008? If so, I think you put this one at the top of your list: Learn to create hyperlinks :)

Happy holidays!

Unknown said...

Rosa, thanks for the tip, worked like a charm. i had an acorn squash which fit nicely (whole) in a dutch oven. i added a little water and just set the whole thing on top of the woodstove for the afternoon, lovely. a nice alternative to the pots of rice & beans i've been doing. best regards.

Anonymous said...

Sharon is mentioned with misspelled surname, Astyx, at http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3415#more

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this article - it was really inspiring.

BTW, I love Kale and mashed potatoes, yummy.

Green Bean said...

wonderful thoughts for the upcoming new year! i'll take on many of these challenges. we've so many changes this year but i personally think the biggest thing any of us can do is to influence as many people as possible to make as many changes as possible. it's great that i mow our lawn and rake the leaves instead of gardener's with their gas powered machines but what if i can convince a neighbor to do it too? and better yet, to borrow our mower. building community is one of my biggest goals for the upcoming year.

beautifully written as always, sharon. happy new year.

Unknown said...

better yet, park your mower and let your lawn go to meadow - or plant it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Jeff, once you're tired of plain baked squash (if that ever happens) check out the stuffed squash recipes in the original Moosewood cookbook.

They're more coherent than my instructions and you can basically put anything at all in the stuffing.

I love squash. Between kale and squash and white beans and bread I'm set for the whole winter, I don't understand why people act like they'd all curl up and die if they couldn't have food from New Zealand in the winter time. (though I will be very, very sad if we can't get chocolate some day.)

Thank you again for all the beautiful writing work and the life work behind it, Sharon. Happy solstice!

Elins trädgård said...

Chop kale, fry ligtly with a little butter, pour on some cream, a little salt, pepper and allspice, cook for 10-15 min. Really good! A must on our Christmas dinner table!

We will expand our garden this year and plant more fruit trees = more local food.

Unknown said...

to your list of staples (kale and squash and white beans and bread), Rosa, for myself i only add rice, and for bread i use a masa mix for makaing my own tortillas. maybe someday i'll grow enough corn to make my own masa. happy solstice all.

Lucy said...

We will be expanding the market garden again in 2008. We are thinking about doing a couple of farm tours open to the public this summer. Will continue to educate the public via my blog, at the farmers market and any other chance I get.

Hopefully the local food co-op that has been in the planning stages for the past 10 years will have enough members to finally open it's store front

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