Tuesday, November 11, 2008

FDA, Monsanto, and Why We're Raising Our Kids on a Farm

According to Natural News the FDA is set to approve genetically engineered animals. You know what pisses me off about this article? The fact that a German court apparently ordered Monsanto (the biggest seed distributor in the country, genetically modified seeds that is. Prior to becoming a seed company they were a chemical producer -- Round Up, anyone? Don't get me started on them) to release a 90 study on rats that showed that the rats feed genetically engineered corn (what most of us buy in the store in cereals and flours) developed allergies, infections, and cancer. Excuse me?!?! Not only that, but people have reported to the FDA allergies that they developed in relation to eating cereal with GE corn.



Does anybody question this?? Does anybody care??



It's a sad day when we can't really trust the food we buy in stores. Yet one more reason we're going to grow our own. If ya'll want we can grow some for you too.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Nuts as Value-Add

Apparently chestnuts are growing in popularity and make a good addition to a small farm. I didn't know this, but we're one of the few countries that doesn't consume chestnuts as a main staple in their diet. Other places eat them the way we do potatoes, even going so far as to make flour with them (I did know that).

It's interesting to me that there are sooo many crops farmers can add, with just a little imagination.

The article that I found that info on was on Hobby Farm.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

City Farming

Read an interesting article in Grit called Farming in the City about a guy, Ken Dunn who founded the Resource Center which operates a mini "farm" in an urban Chicago lot. Amazingly, City Farm grows over 80 varieties of produce on 1 acre and employs 4 full time people -- not to mention selling to numerous area restaurants and operating an on-site produce stand!

His vision is to turn more (if not all) of Chicago's vacant lots into farms. This is very very cool to me -- for not only is it employing low-income people who might otherwise not have a job at all, but also helping to provide one of the country's hugest urban areas with some of the freshest food available. That's what I call progress!

City Farm even takes some of the local restaurants kitchen "wastes" for their compost pile.

They provide education on food production to visiting schools, too.

I'm impressed.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

The Front Yard


We had a visitor when we were exploring the farm property the other day -- just walked right up to us! It was so cool, and the first deer I've seen since being back in the Midwest. I really love this place . . . so much that we're both considering staying in the area for 5-10 years. Shocking!