15 April 2008
Gardening for 2008 May Be Important
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: Emergency Preparation .
This may seem like a strange article for me to post with all of the important things happening in the country and around the world. My reasoning is this; I want to encourage everyone who is in a position to do so, to plant a garden and focus on things like potatoes, winter squash and corn. Those vegetables can be used as main dishes with other vegetables as sides. I believe the day will come when a garden like this will be very valuable in helping to feed our families. Even this year it will help ease the burden of our food budgets as prices continue to rise. Onions and garlic are easy to grow and stores well as does winter squash and potatoes.
As other staples soar, potatoes break new ground
LIMA (Reuters) - As wheat and rice prices surge, the humble potato — long derided as a boring tuber prone to making you fat — is being rediscovered as a nutritious crop that could cheaply feed an increasingly hungry world.
Potatoes, which are native to Peru, can be grown at almost any elevation or climate: from the barren, frigid slopes of the Andes Mountains to the tropical flatlands of Asia. They require very little water, mature in as little as 50 days, and can yield between two and four times more food per hectare than wheat or rice.
“The shocks to the food supply are very real and that means we could potentially be moving into a reality where there is not enough food to feed the world,” said Pamela Anderson, director of the International Potato Center in Lima (CIP), a non-profit scientific group researching the potato family to promote food security.
Like others, she says the potato is part of the solution.
The potato has potential as an antidote to hunger caused by higher food prices, a population that is growing by one billion people each decade, climbing costs for fertilizer and diesel, and more cropland being sown for biofuel production.
To focus attention on this, the United Nations named 2008 the International Year of the Potato, calling the vegetable a “hidden treasure”.
19 Comments so far...
Jesse Says:
15 April 2008 at 12:26 am.
Hey no fair. I was just waiting for Tuesday’s news and comments to come up to post that article on potatoes and then this popped up. I grabbed a little of another article instead though. Same subject almost.
Food Costs Rising at Fast Clip, Squeezing Poor, Forcing Food Vendors to Explain Higher Prices
The U.S. is wrestling with the worst food inflation in 17 years, and analysts expect new data due on Wednesday to show it’s getting worse. That’s putting the squeeze on poor families and forcing bakeries, bagel shops and delis to explain price increases to their customers.
Sharon Anderson Says:
15 April 2008 at 10:25 am.
When we figure how much food we have in our food supply, can we count couch potatoes?
Mac Says:
15 April 2008 at 10:25 am.
I usually plant a small garden in the back yard but I never thought of planting potatoes because they are so cheap. Do you think there cost will rise?
Matt Says:
15 April 2008 at 10:38 am.
haha good one Sharon. I’ve got a couple of those.
Mac, this article makes it sound like prices could rise. Potatoes could easily replace meat for some meals for poorer folks and let’s face it, with the way gas and other costs are going up, most of us are getting poorer.
jobob911 Says:
15 April 2008 at 10:43 am.
During our last stake conference our stake president told us that we should all plant a garden, not that we will need it right away but that we can practice and know how to do it.
Cameron Says:
15 April 2008 at 11:01 am.
Jobob, I think that is most important thing to remember. Whether or not we will need it this year, the main thing is to learn how to do it and not just our favorites like tomoatoes but things that will be more substantial like the blog says.
Sid Says:
15 April 2008 at 11:09 am.
Seems a little nuts that we would actually need to have potatoes to have a meal. Do you people really think things could get that bad?
E.E. Says:
15 April 2008 at 11:16 am.
The nice thing about this community is that we are knowingly come to a place with the title In God We Trust. So we can openly talk about the Bible and prophecy. As has been discussed here before, there are many prophecies about famine in the end times. Many of us feel that we are moving toward end times. There are an awful lot of prophecies that have to come to pass so I am not thinking that means the Second Coming is right around the corner but some of the events before that seem to be coming. None of us pretend to know when but like Terrie wrote on a blog a few days ago, we are supposed to be watching the fig tree when it leaves, in other words, the signs. There are signs things are getting harder so we would be foolish not to get prepared.
Sharon Anderson Says:
15 April 2008 at 2:30 pm.
I often like to think, “What if?” when it comes to preparing for the future. Yes, potatoes are cheap, and may remain relatively inexpensive, but what if there are no trucks running to take them from Idaho to Utah and other states. If that were to happen I think we’d be grateful to be able to dig up some in our own yards.
After World War II in Europe there was such a shortage of food and no bread that some of the Saints used potato peelings for the sacrament.
Stumpy Says:
15 April 2008 at 2:36 pm.
Ah hell. An I was hopin them ole Saints would be eatin ambrosia up in heaven an I was hopin if I was good I got up there that they would give me a bite. If its tater peels theyre eatin then maybe I shouldnt worry bout tryin to get there.
Matt Says:
15 April 2008 at 2:50 pm.
Good grief…AGAIN!
Carrie Says:
15 April 2008 at 2:54 pm.
No Stumpy, wrong kind of saints. Our church is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. See the last word? Just members is all.
Iffer Says:
15 April 2008 at 5:08 pm.
I love potatos and squash! Can’t get enough. I guess if thats all i was living on i would get sick of it pretty quick, but its a whole lot better than starving.
The Realist Says:
15 April 2008 at 5:17 pm.
Joy, aren’t you a little concerned about looking fanatical by the title of this specific blog? Do you really think things are going to fall apart this year?
Joy Bischoff Says:
15 April 2008 at 5:25 pm.
Realist, here is a copy of my two sentences from the above blog that should answer that question:
I believe the day will come when a garden like this will be very valuable in helping to feed our families. Even this year it will help ease the burden of our food budgets as prices continue to rise.
So do I expect everything to fall apart this year? Not at all, but it is possible. Will prices get higher? They are and already our food budget is getting out of hand. A garden will help a lot this year. What I said is that the day will come when a garden will be invaluable but I don’t pretend to know when that day will be. If we practice now and get an idea of what our family needs and what kinds of meals will fill little tummies, that will help. These skills will be important. City people can grow intensive gardens in boxes on patios or even indoors with special lighting. There are new technologies to get a lot of food out of just a few feet of garden.
If I am a fanatic to believe the things I read in the Bible, then guilty as charged.
Bryon Says:
15 April 2008 at 5:40 pm.
Realist do you ever try something new and difficult without practice? You could but if you messed up then you could be in trouble. Most people don’t even know how to garden. If they wait to find out how when it is going to be the difference between a full table and an empty one you don’t want to wing it. Having even a small practice garden at least will teach you a few things. You will even get fresh produce out of it.
The Realist Says:
15 April 2008 at 5:45 pm.
Good logic, Bryon.
Okay Joy, I just misunderstood. I’m glad you are saying to sky is falling.
Sharon Anderson Says:
15 April 2008 at 6:15 pm.
Re practicing gardening: I usually buy little tomato, peppers, and squash plants from the nursery for our garden. This year I am starting with seeds indoors. Most of those that have srouted have grown so spindly that I don’t think they will survive. Many haven’t even sprouted. I don’t know if they were too wet or too dry or the seed was bad. But I am determined to learn how to do this before we really need these skills. I HAVE learned in the last month or two how to grow sprouts for eating. Healthy and yummy.
T. Fan Says:
15 April 2008 at 7:20 pm.
Sharon, I have the same problem. I always blow the sprouting myself trick but I had better learn how to get it right.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.