How A Hobby Can Feed Us

 

Life as we know it has changed.

Now, I don’t mean to sound alarmist and pessimistic with that statement, but it’s true.

Our ‘normal’ has changed. Only time will tell if it reverts back to what it was before.

But whining about it does no one any good. What we have to do is remain calm and adapt.

How do we adapt if we have no idea how long this new global emergency will take to play out?

Look to the past.

Many people’s ‘normal’ was upended during WW2. They had to learn how to bake with less flour as factories were mandated to make less of their ‘normal’ product and help make MRE’s for the soldiers. People had to learn to mend, patch, darn and make clothing from sources they might not have previously thought of otherwise. Like floursack cloth. 

Much of our food is not made in our own countries. Here in Canada, quite a lot of it is imported, including fruit and vegetables. Our food supply chains are going to be impacted as borders are closed to all but freight, as panic shopping reveals empty meat, bread, pasta and produce sections. This has already happened. How do we adapt?

Learn to make, and enjoy more meatless meals. Learn to make our own bread, buns, rolls and the like. Those who already know how to make their own pasta are one step ahead of the rest of us. Grow our own lettuce and potatoes. But consider this for a moment…

If people are self-isolating by the thousands now, who will start the seeds and man the greenhouses? Who will care for the seedlings until they are big enough to ship out to landscape centers and grocery stores in the spring, where gardeners have been known to cart home flats and flats of the little seedlings?

I’ll give you a minute to ponder that…

Yes, even a gardener’s hobby has been touched by Covid-19. There have been fewer seedlings to run our palms over, to study the growing tips and roots, to spend time choosing the very best there is. So how do we adapt to this?

We grow our own.

We sit down and honestly look at why we garden. Perhaps the hobbyist who has always grown roses should consider planting things that can be used in a salad, thereby improving their diet, their immune system and their overall health. This simple change will also result in fewer things needed at the now-overtaxed grocery store.

Now is the time to honestly assess if our occasional treat of sweet corn is worth the big plot of garden that would be better used for a staple like potatoes. Perhaps you’re sick and tired of mowing the lawn and would love more tomatoes in your diet. Learn what you need to do to convert the lawn to a food garden. (Even if your neighbours object now, they won’t when you share some of your bounty of sweet, juicy tomatoes with them at harvest)

So, my advice for you today...your “homework” if you will, is to sit and honestly assess what you want out of a garden. How can you modify your current situation and adapt to an ever-changing food landscape? Feel free to share your thoughts or concerns in the comment section. We’re all in this together and I don’t think we’re going to see the other side of it for a few years yet.

Your Worms Want Coffee

 

I hope I’m not the only one who finds compost fascinating. After all, any process that can take organic waste and break it down into nutrients is an awe-inspiring thing! Tonight I found out that even my morning coffee is nutritious twice!

From The Rodale Book of Composting;
“The nutrient content of coffee residues varies according to the type of residue. Grounds have up to 2% nitrogen, 0.33 % phosphoric acid and varying amounts of potassium. Drip coffee grounds contain more nutrients than boiled grounds, though the potassium content is still below 1%. Other substances found include sugars, carbohydrates, some vitamins, trace elements and caffeine.
Coffee processing plants sell coffee chaff, a dark material containing over 2% nitrogen and potassium. Chaff is useful either as a mulch or as a compost. Apply your coffee grounds immediately, or mix them with other organic matter. They hold moisture extremely well. Left standing, they will quickly sour, inviting acetobacters (vinegar-producing microbes) and fruit flies.”

How cool is that! My coffee not only gives me a jolt of ambition but is healthy and helpful for my compost and plants too!

Used as fertilizer, the grounds add organic matter to your soil. This helps aerate the soil, feeds any worms and other tiny critters present (and attracts them if you don’t have them already), helps repel ants, improves drainage and increases water retention. I can tell you that adding used, cool coffee grounds definitely attracts worms. I’ve been adding grounds to our garden beds, formerly a mostly sandy mix of who-knows-what, and every year, I’m amazed to see worms happily twisting through the soil.

You want earthworms — their casings are full of micronutrients your plants need to thrive and resist stress. A plant that can resist stress is better equipped to repel harmful insects and short periods of drought.

There are dozens of other ways to make your morning cup help out in the garden, but that’s another post for another time. Do you garden? Let me know in the comments section!