Jen Mayer

April is here. Hooray!

I grew up on an alfalfa sprout and vegetable farm in upstate NY. Every spring signaled for my father and I to spend a few weekends in the basement sowing seeds into plastic “6-pack” trays. We worked on a deteriorating work bench which was stained by oil, grease and silver paint from many generations of use. The basement felt humid in contrast to the dry dehydrated potting soil we mixed with water to nurture tiny seeds. We stacked these plastic flats covered with opaque coverings on top of one another to germinate. Eventually with time and water these trays would house small plant sprouts. We then transported these new plants from the basement across the lawn and driveway to our large greenhouse where they would continue to grow in the warm protected environment. Eventually these plants became large enough to transplant into my garden. I would tend to sunflowers, zinnias and various vegetables through the summer. But every year, it all begins now. In April!

What now?

Today I live in Colorado, and I am fortunate to have lots of space to construct a garden. This is my fourth summer at 101 Pearl (wow, really?). Every year the neighbors and I plant a vegetable garden in our front yard, and every year this garden has grown bigger and bigger. This year we have become very ambitious, as we begin to connect our various gardens together. I recently placed my seed order, which will be it’s own post. Pictures soon… I wonder how much FOOD we can GROW this year.

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KOMBUCHA!
It really is a great word. Kom-bu-cha. I just started brewing another batch today. Last fall my neighbor gave me a SCOBY and I was brewing a new batch every other week. Then I took a break over the holidays by ending all the batches I had going. Now I am back, thank you craigslist.org. Within 24 hours of posting a WANTED: kombucha scoby I had two in my hands.

BTW: a SCOBY is a “symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast” and it is what ferments the sweetened tea to make kombucha

How to Make Kombucha- simplified

1. use a glass container 1/2 to 2 gallons large
2. wash hands with hot soap and water, clean workspace
3. clean glass container well
4. boil water to make enough tea to fill your container
5. add sugar, 1 cup per every 3 quarts
6. use only pure green or black tea with caffeine and brew tea
7. allow sweet tea to cool to room temperature (70 °)
8. add SCOBY and cover with a lint-free cloth (dishtowel) and secure with rubber band
9. allow to brew undisturbed
10. check on kombucha brew. it could take 7-14 days to ferment

A good link with more intensive directions and a video can be found here: Wikihow page on making kombucha

I’ll let you know how these new batches turn out!

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thank you Michael Pollan

What are externalities in regards to food production?

Externalities are external effects, often unforeseen or unintended, that accompany economic transactions. These may be positive or negative. In terms of food production, specifically the production of meat, what we pay for food at the supermarket does not reflect it’s true cost.

For one, the United State’s agricultural subsidy program encourages large farms to overproduce supply. These large farms are able to offer their food at a much lower cost than non subsidized farms. This is why cheap food (usually constructed of corn and high fructose corn syrup) is so cheap on the shelves. In theory, consumers have already paid for part of this food with their tax dollars. So this is the “it appears cheaper than it really is effect.”

Other externalities of industrial food production include:

1. soil pollution- from petroleum based fertilizers
2. water pollution- from excess animal manure
3. air pollution
4. use of fossil fuels
5. food born illness
6. antibiotic resistance in humans- due to high use of antibiotics in meat, egg and dairy production
7. respiratory illness- for workers and animals
8. overweight & obesity (still debated)
9. animal welfare issues
10. loss of wildlife habitat
11. loss of rural communities- due to large farms driving out smaller ones
12. foreign economics- because of our subsidy program

What are some alternatives to big Ag and industrial agriculture? Without being too simplistic and realizing there are few easy answers, some solutions include organic and/or sustainable farming practices and supporting diversified farms in your local economy.

Check out local food purveyors for Boulder, CO on the Slow Food website.

Check out the Low Carbon Diet

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