The Politics of Living Life

In my last post, I wrote about my plan to begin mapping out the locations of edible, wild foods.  I have indeed begun working on my plan, albeit slowly.  So my suggestion to you, my faithful readers, is to follow my advise in this matter.  Perhaps, in the end, we could have a way to create a national database focused on just this subject?  Perhaps some savvy individual would be able and willing to work with me to create a google map with these locations on them, and we could slowly, but not too slowly, start filling in the map in our area, then the general region, then the country.

On the other topic which I introduced in my last blog entry, namely the seeding of the entire area with food-producing plants, whether trees or otherwise, I am working on that front as well.  If anyone has the ability to procure acorns from the species of white oak that is found in Idaho, which has low-tannin, edible acorns, please let me know, as I would like to introduce them in my area as well.  If they don't do well here, perhaps we could cross them with local species to produce a hybrid that WILL do well here, but still produces good nuts.  Oak trees produce huge quantities of high-quality nuts.  Unfortunately, they usually have to be processed extensively in order to remove the tannic acid which occurs in high concentrations to make them edible.  Red oaks normally have a much higher tannic acid content than their white cousins, rendering them somewhat useless, at least in my opinion.  Most white oak acorns ARE edible and useful, but it would be nice to have a variety that has little or no tannic acid content naturally, as it would save much time and effort in the preparation thereof.

Other nut trees native to our area are black walnut, which occur here in great numbers in certain areas, and white walnut, or butternut, which is somewhat more rare here, though they DO exist.  Beech trees are also fairly abundant, but I personally have never had great luck with finding a tree that produces large quantities of nuts with meat inside.  Most beechnuts I've found have turned out to be empty inside.  That bites!  There may be a cultivar of beech that consistently produces good nuts in large quantities.  I'll have to check that out.

I also need to check with our local cooperative extention agent to determine which apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry, and other rose-family fruit trees will work best for my area.  You do the same!

So, why did I opt for the title, "The Politics of Living Life"?  I feel that our country is undergoing a sort of squeeze at present, or an attempt to be subjugated by larger outside, and inside, forces.  I think that the idea of "food security" that is being espoused at present by a number of well intentioned groups and individuals, how ever well intentioned, is naive at least, foolish or deadly at the worst.  If, as I suspect, our nation falls under the control of the UN, or it's minions, the easiest way to control a people is to control it's food supply.  So, if our country is literally COVERED with food-producing plants, trees, etc., it will be very hard indeed to control us, let alone subjugate us.  These are the thought that I think...

Time for bed.

Cheers, my friends, and may God bless!

Panchito