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We don't necessarily have to scale this. I think a better approach is to build decentralized food systems using these practices. At the neighborhood or househol

by hosh 6y ago

We don't necessarily have to scale this. I think a better approach is to build decentralized food systems using these practices. At the neighborhood or household level, these practices are very practical. It does not require rebooting the whole system. It does not require venture capital, because you're not trying to make a big return. It does not require waiting for conventional farmers to change their practice.

mikepurvis 6y ago
That process is under way, somewhat— I have several CSAs serving my city, and two major farmers markets. But relevant to note: all of those outfits are focused on fruits and vegetables, where the impact of "fresh" is the greatest. All of the corn being grown around me is sweet corn for immediate consumption, or for animal feed. No one is growing wheat on a small scale, much less in the kind of quantities that would allow me to have several dozen kg with which to bake through the winter. Same with legumes, as far as I know. In any case, I'm not trying to impose a solution here. Quite the opposite; the food system is a large problem that requires multiple irons in the fire, and that may well look like reinventing large-scale cropping to be less destructive and chemical-intense, while simultaneously moving fruit and veg production closer to home with smaller scale operations.
- hosh 6y ago
  Legumes are interesting in that there are many crops that can be companion planted. Can they get to quantities that can sustain a family? I don’t know. But pole beans are known to grow better as a companion plant to corn than by themselves. There are many other types of legumes — the Mesquite tree here in my neck of the woods (lower Sonoran) is a nitrogen fixer, with some varieties producing bean like pods that can be harvested. (They require a mill to get the full use pf them). My point is that there is a lot more options out there, and what is possible is a lot greater than people think. As far as wheat goes, I have not heard much from permaculturists doing that. I hear more about cultivating amaranth and quinoa as nutritionally dense pseudo grains. Generally, I also hear a lot more about winter squashes. That follows the design principle of “Catch and Store Energy”, with squashes being a very durable store of sunlight and nutrients. Speghetti squashes can be made into pasta-like noodles. Not so much with bread. Cauliflower can be processed to make a kind of flour that can be used in a lot of baking. Again, I don’t know the yields that can sustain a family. Depending on where you are, they are a fall crop. (They are a winter crop for the lower Sonoran, zone 9b/10). Probably grown in succession so that they can be had for a while. Maybe the flour can be stored over winter. There are also sunchokes. These are in the sunflower family, and are considered invasive. They are very hardy, and their tubers can be harvested during a time when few other plants can be harvested. Their flowers open late season, and also nourish pollinators at a time when they don’t have a whole lot of options. They will grow in poor, depleted soil, and will probably edge out other pioneer plants. So not bread for the winter, but a good source of calories nonetheless. Maybe that will the challenge my wife presents to me: finding the a good set of crops that would allow her to bake.

by hosh 6y ago

mikepurvis 6y ago

That process is under way, somewhat— I have several CSAs serving my city, and two major farmers markets. But relevant to note: all of those outfits are focused on fruits and vegetables, where the impact of "fresh" is the greatest. All of the corn being grown around me is sweet corn for immediate consumption, or for animal feed. No one is growing wheat on a small scale, much less in the kind of quantities that would allow me to have several dozen kg with which to bake through the winter. Same with legumes, as far as I know. In any case, I'm not trying to impose a solution here. Quite the opposite; the food system is a large problem that requires multiple irons in the fire, and that may well look like reinventing large-scale cropping to be less destructive and chemical-intense, while simultaneously moving fruit and veg production closer to home with smaller scale operations.

hosh 6y ago
Legumes are interesting in that there are many crops that can be companion planted. Can they get to quantities that can sustain a family? I don’t know. But pole beans are known to grow better as a companion plant to corn than by themselves. There are many other types of legumes — the Mesquite tree here in my neck of the woods (lower Sonoran) is a nitrogen fixer, with some varieties producing bean like pods that can be harvested. (They require a mill to get the full use pf them). My point is that there is a lot more options out there, and what is possible is a lot greater than people think. As far as wheat goes, I have not heard much from permaculturists doing that. I hear more about cultivating amaranth and quinoa as nutritionally dense pseudo grains. Generally, I also hear a lot more about winter squashes. That follows the design principle of “Catch and Store Energy”, with squashes being a very durable store of sunlight and nutrients. Speghetti squashes can be made into pasta-like noodles. Not so much with bread. Cauliflower can be processed to make a kind of flour that can be used in a lot of baking. Again, I don’t know the yields that can sustain a family. Depending on where you are, they are a fall crop. (They are a winter crop for the lower Sonoran, zone 9b/10). Probably grown in succession so that they can be had for a while. Maybe the flour can be stored over winter. There are also sunchokes. These are in the sunflower family, and are considered invasive. They are very hardy, and their tubers can be harvested during a time when few other plants can be harvested. Their flowers open late season, and also nourish pollinators at a time when they don’t have a whole lot of options. They will grow in poor, depleted soil, and will probably edge out other pioneer plants. So not bread for the winter, but a good source of calories nonetheless. Maybe that will the challenge my wife presents to me: finding the a good set of crops that would allow her to bake.