Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Phil Bunch" <pbunch@cox.net>]

Mitch:

I agree with Paul that we have developed methods to get past the limited
ability of our food production to supply "real time" availability of all
products. We need to store food unless we live in the tropics and even then
it has substantial benefits. Anyone who is serious about sustainability and
independence needs to study food storage.

In terms of what is seasonable, observation is the best tool. Asking
yourself if you can harvest it locally at the time in question may be the
key. The locally grown foods that are available are a good indicator. There
are however ways to expand the time some crops are available. Cold frames,
hotbeds and appropriately managed greenhouses can provide both early and
late crops.

Taking advantage of microclimatic differences can extend seasons for weeks
to a month or more in favorable situations. Farmers have long taken
advantage of their ability to get a particular crop to market early to
increase their income. The price of locally grown foods is an indicator of
how close the producer's situation is to the average for the area. Supply
and demand affect the price of food. Most people relish the first fresh
tomatoes and strawberries of the season.

Slopes where cold air is drained away are often capable of sustaining both
early and late crops. Variations in soils also can be taken advantage of.
Those which warm up quickly can provide early crops.

Phil Bunch
San Diego, California
In a few months, Piedras Blancas, Colombia...


-----Original Message-----
From: livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
TradingPostPaul
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 9:17 PM
To: emitch@att.net; livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Eating Seasonally


I'm going to stick my neck out and say seasonal is overrated. Seasonal is
good - eating what's produced when it's fresh picked and all - but we've
long ago learned to preserve certain foods for winter when fresh food in
simply unavailable.  Societies have traditionally used root cellars,
storing root crops in the ground or damp sand, salting or drying meats,
pickling, fermenting, and so on. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 10/5/2007 at 2:54 PM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>I keep reading that a component of local sustainability is to eat
>seasonally, and that most don't know what that means.  Well, I'm one of
>them.  Other than what I grow in my garden, which is the same few
>vegetables that they have in the Farmers' Markets, I don't know what's "in
>season".  Apparently, there is a seasonality to animals, too, but since
>I've never grown or studied animals, I know nothing.
>
>Are there regional guides to food seasons?  We can't do the right thing if
>we don't know what is right.
>
>E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
>www.hillcountrynatives.biz
>



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