and June Bug just wanted to get out....
Yesterday I was really bothered by a thought. I present it to you so that you too might be bothered by it.
For millions of years we scavenged for food. We hunted, we grazed the forrests. Eventually we figured out how to plant and cultivate our own food. It gave us some control over what we ate, and with some luck kept our bellys full. This was truly hard won knowledge, that had to be passed on from person to person or risk failure of the species. The end of humandom. Everyone was involved, in fact it was the ONLY thing you had to do.
Today with all of the people I know and knew. All of the friends and aquantainces, the people I worked with, partied with....people I met on the Internet, I can only think of ONE person who has the knowledge, experience and land to grow his own food in a real way.(Two months ass deep in tomato and basil wont cut it) ONE PERSON out of what must be over 1,000.
Isnt that kind of dangerous?
For millions of years we scavenged for food. We hunted, we grazed the forrests. Eventually we figured out how to plant and cultivate our own food. It gave us some control over what we ate, and with some luck kept our bellys full. This was truly hard won knowledge, that had to be passed on from person to person or risk failure of the species. The end of humandom. Everyone was involved, in fact it was the ONLY thing you had to do.
Today with all of the people I know and knew. All of the friends and aquantainces, the people I worked with, partied with....people I met on the Internet, I can only think of ONE person who has the knowledge, experience and land to grow his own food in a real way.(Two months ass deep in tomato and basil wont cut it) ONE PERSON out of what must be over 1,000.
Isnt that kind of dangerous?
13 comments:
Have you ever read any Heinlein? Many of his stories have a similar theme...
"How To Cook a Rabbit: First - catch the rabbit..." I know how to start a fire, thanks to the Boy Scouts, but I'm kind of doubtful that I'd be able to catch a rabbit, kill it, clean it, recognize whether or not it has tumelaria (or whatever that disease is), and cook it. And once I DID accomplish that task, what is my reward? A couple mouthfuls of stringy meat... How would I find shelter if I didn't have a house? It's COLD out there! I'm sure I would survive (I've had a lot of survival training) but it sure wouldn't be fun or graceful.
We are only a few generations removed from living off the land, yet have no clue how to take care of ourselves. We've forgotten how hungry we're supposed to be.
I could rant on this for quite some time, but I shall refrain.
Yeah you get it.
I spent the morning trying to figure out how I'd use what little land I had to grow a years worth of food for 5 people, 2 Dogs, 1 Cat and 3 Lizards.
I'd have to knock down my garage, dig up my driveway, and fully plant every inch of my back and front yards....assuming I could get seeds.
It might be smarter to grow mostly one needed crop and perfect that and trade with neighbors. If I were really smart I'd grow hops and barely...beer will ALWAYS be in demand.
Thought provoking.
When I take my family & move to Galt's Gulch, the Steakbellies are welcome to join us...
My mother grew up on a dairy farm with gardens and apple orchards,etc., where they produced 90% of what they ate, storing canned fruits and vegetables in a large "root" cellar. But you have a good point they had 1,000 acres of land to make that possible...
That's an interesting thought... How much land does it take to support one person?
I read on bbc.com yesterday that we're now in debt to the earth. They have one of those fictional calendars, I guess, like when they say "everything you earn goes towards taxes until June 2nd" or whatever. I guess the world's population went through an entire year's worth of resources in ten months this year.
Living in Iowa, I guess I've always taken it for granted that there would be land available. It's people and money we lack...
Think of the effort that goes into making a noodle. Find the land, till the soil, plant the grain, fertilize, weed, finally harvest - then grind (how?), mix with whatever noodles are made of... I couldn't make a noodle. A fine lot of good that fancy education did me!
Wendy: I've been meaning to read that book for awhile, I'm gonna have to put it on next years list of 2 in 52.
DK: Look around where you are now...you'd have to start planting around the Washington Monument, and keep all the crops in the archives for winter.
Chris: I think noodles are just flour pressed into shapes, but what if I'm wrong? We'll just have to make pizza instead..thats a crowd pleaser...(anybody know what goes into pizza?)
Pasta is made from wheat, you heathens. Semolina.
Yeah yeah yeah. Wheat and... what? There's gotta be something else there. Noodles can't just be ground up wheat... Can they?
well sure, semolina pasta is. They make it from all types of flower.
uhhhh..I mean flour.
I think you make the flour into a dough and then press it through a machine to make the shapes. I guess I could google it, but then this conversation would be over.
You also need eggs and water to make pasta. I make my own sometimes, and it's not difficult, just time consuming (but the taste is worth it).
I will devote my plot of land to sugar cane and beetroots, because when the world ends, sugar will become the New Crack. Of course I'll need most of it to make rum, but what I got left I'll send to the Steakbellies in return for vegetables and freeze dried lizard meat.
See! I TOLD you there was more to noodles than just wheat chunks.
I shall devote my chunk of land to growing corn (grows well in Iowa, is tasty indeed, and you can make booze out of it), potatos and spam.
well, I'm not gonna be the only one growing food, when you guys are just gonna get loaded and steal my tomatos after midnight!!!
Post a Comment