Pollan called food the “Shadow Issue” as it influences our health, climate change, energy security and environmental pollution.
We tend to only think of food in an isolated way. 

You can watch the two-part interview here. 

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Sign the petition from Eat the View to replace part of the White Lawn with an organic veggie garden… really fresh Arugula and more.

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We’ve been using a citrus based spray and were fairly pleased with it. Recently I was contacted by the manufacturer of a new line of organic insecticides for home use: EcoSmart. They offer an Ant & Roach spray, a Flying Insect spray, a Wasp & Hornet spray and an Insect Repellent application.

Their products use natural oils like peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon, and rosemary and are safe to use around kids and pets.

I tried the ant spray inside. It definitely worked… quickly. While the smell was pleasant rather then chemical, it was a bit strong.

They also have a blog with an extraordinary amount of insect information.

If you’re looking for a safe insecticide solution you may want to try out their products. The website will give you a list of retailers in/near your zip code.

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The proposition passed (63% in favor) enacting the “Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act”

What does the law prohibit?
Simply it prohibits confining farm animals in a way that does not allow them to freely turn around, lie down, stand up and fully extend their limbs. (My cats do most of that to me when I sleep… but then I’m not a farm animal )

Basically this outlaws “veal crates”, “battery cages” and “sow gestation crates”.

The law becomes effective on 1.January.2015 so farmers using these methods have 6 years to change.

The folks who put the proposition on the ballot want to end what they consider cruel practices. They also contend that these practices allow more disease and encourage greater use of anti-biotics.

The folks opposed to the proposition cite that it will dramatically increase the price of food.

Those in favor do not deny that it will increase the cost of certain food (eggs, veal, pork products). Tho, how much of an increase is debatable.

My sense was that most people understood voting yes would increase their food costs. And they still voted yes. It could be they were convinced by the couple of commercials that showed some of the conditions.

What about the rest of our “cheap” food. Those “efficient” farm practices that put cheap food on the grocery store shelves require heavy doses of pesticides and insecticides… not good for the person eating it, or for the environment being polluted by it, or for the workers on the front line with it.

So the question is: are we willing to spend more for more “humanely” farmed food?

It’s doubtful you could create an advertising campaign featuring an in-humanely treated bunch or broccoli to “gross us out” into to voting against the current factory farming practices. So what kind of campaign would it take to convince us to adapt more humane crop farming practices?

What other states and countries have done

There were bills in 2004 and 2007 to curb some of the cruel animal farming methods that never got through the California Senate.

In 2002 Florida passed a state Constitutional Amendment (Amendment 10) banning pig gestation crates.

In 2006 Arizona passed Proposition 2004 banning veal crates and pig gestation crates.

In 2007 Oregon Governor Kulongoski signed a measure prohibiting pig gestation crates.

In 2008 Colorado Governor Ritter signed a State law phasing out veal crates and pig gestation crates.

Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Austria have all banned battery cages for egg-laying hens.

The entire European Union is phasing out battery cages by 2012.

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I’d like to mention a few small-scale farm programs that are working with veterans.

Nadia McCaffrey is the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq. She recognized that many folks returning from Iraq and Afganistan were struggling. In 2007 she created Veterans’ Village. An organization that acquires farmland where veterans can work, rehabilitate and learn new skills.

The first location is in Sonoma County California with plans with additional locations in upstate New York and North Carolina.

Farms Not Arms is an organization that helps connect vets with seasonal jobs and internships on farms.

Farmer-Veteran Coalition is helping to match up vets and farmers.

Veteran Homestead built “Victory Farm” – a housing work program for vets on an 80-acre New Hampshire organic farm.

A person can find a lot of peace and fulfilment working the land.

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Will the nation’s food policy change?

Most of the campaign talk circled around the economy, health care and homeland security. In reality, our relationship with the food we eat is intertwined with all three of those areas.

With the commoditization of much of our food, we do spend less as a percentage of household income. Even with less expensive food, the rising costs this year has forced more people into a position where they can’t afford the weekly grocery bill.

A few generations ago before agri-biz was big biz and food was commoditized, we were closer to our food source and we valued the nutrition it provided. What we now eat – on average – is not as nutritious. The cost of that: poorer health, higher health care costs.

The food supply chain controlled by fewer and larger corporations. Food travels farther. Food security is more vulnerable.

Commodity or source of life

Obama has spoken out against the dominance of agribusiness. He has recognized that we need to develop and train a new generation of farmers. And he has also promised to boost support for organic farming.
But will he dig up part of the White House lawn and plant a garden?

Michael Pollan laid out some food policy suggestion in an open letter to the Farmer in Chief published in the New York Times.

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Yams – like potatoes – are a tuber.

Sweet potatoes are roots and part of the Morning Glory family that grow on trailing vines and root at the nodes.

Yams have less sugar and more starch than sweet potatoes. They’re native to Africa and Asia. And… Louisiana decided to call the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes they grow yams to distinguish them from white-fleshed variety grown elsewhere.

Sweet potatoes are native to the more tropical areas of South America. They were favored by the French and Spanish who brought them Louisiana.

Sweet potatoes are grown from “slips” or sprouts. Plant them about an inch apart and two inches deep. Maturation time is 90-120 days. They need warmth – preferring soil temperature between 70 and 80 degrees F.

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We’ve had rain 5 days going – a very good thing in this state (California) after a few drought years.

The garden is benefiting and especially the potatoes. I didn’t plant many but some green has bursted through.

This is the International year of the potato, so anointed by the United Nations.

The humble potato is a rather amazing food:

• Originally grown near the border of Peru and Bolivia 8,000 years ago
• Brought from Latin America to Europe in the 1500’s by Spaniards
• Grown all over the world in many different climates
• China is the largest grower, followed by India, the Russian Federation and the United States
• The worlds #4 food crop and #1 non-grain food
• Unlike the better known grains (wheat, corn/maise, rice) it’s NOT a globally traded commodity. Potatoes are not widely exported.

Potatoes don’t actually need dirt. Strange at that seems. You can grow them in virtually any pile of mulching type materials. Of course you can also grow them in dirt. Additionally, potatoes grow similarly to a (upside down) tree… vertical and horizontal. So you can continue to put material on top of the stem and leaves as they grow… leaving about 6″ visible.

I planted my potatoes in a small no dig bed and a recycle bin we weren’t using. I throw straw on top them as they sprout up. If I had planted them in dirt, I would mound the dirt up around them.

You’ll know the potatoes are ready when the above ground green plant turns brown.

Potatoes prefer cooler – but not cold – weather. Plan to harvest yours before frost. Germination takes 1-3 weeks. Depending on the variety, they take 3-4 months to mature. You can grow a spring and a fall crop.

potato eyes

A potato seed is an “eye” from a potato. The eye sprouts to form the tubor. You can buy “potato starts” or take a potato and cut it into pieces, each piece having 1-3 eyes. Plant each one about 6″ deep.

Keep them well moist until they sprout, then back off some on the water.

Potatoes have always been relatively inexpensive so folks tend to not grow them… the “cheaper to buy than grow” argument. However, potatoes are a fairly heavily sprayed crop and organic potatoes aren’t so inexpensive. As well, regular potatoes have seen a hefty price increase this year. Go for fresh, go for organic, grow your own.

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I’d venture to say most folks believe industrialized and large farms are capable of higher yields through greater technology and efficiency.

I’ve read a number of sources that argue organic farming can now produce yields equal to “chemical” farming. This in part because chemical farming has stripped the soil so much it’s having a harder time keeping production up. And in part because organic farming has improved.

I read an excerpt from a book due out in the Spring of 2009: A Nation of Farmers, by Aaron Newton and Sharon Astyk.

It poses the question:
Can We Feed the World? More Importantly Will We Choose To?

A very interesting read with excellent historical perspective. I highly recommend reading it.

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Don’t have much space but love really fresh salad…
here’s one of our boxes of lettuce.

Very simple. We got a banana box from a local grocer (actually, we’ve gotten many banana boxes). Typically it comes with a plastic liner bag with aeration holes. We double the box by putting the bottom half into the top half. Fill about 75% with good soil and you’re ready to go.

In this box I grew a couple varieties of leaf lettuce from seed – Red Sails and Rouge D’hiver from seed. Lettuce seeds shouldn’t be planted deep… only 1/8 inch.

Here’s how I planted this box:
– keep a little dry soil aside.
– water the soil in the box completely through.
– pinch some seeds between your index finger and thumb and sprinkle them into the box.
– then take the dry soil held aside and sprinkle it over the seeds.

Keep well moistened until they sprout, then back off the water some. Germination is generally 1-2 weeks.

You’ll notice this is densely planted. As it grows, thin by harvesting the leaves rather than entire plants. You can also space them out more if you have more room.

Leaf lettuce matures more quickly – around 45 days. Head lettuce – 60-75 days.

Lettuce prefers the cooler and moister weather of spring and fall. During the summer we plant it in shady areas. For now we’ve staggered out 4 boxes of lettuce to keep up eating very frash salad until at least the end of the year.

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