Here is a better plan: put a chicken coop in your backyard. The hens in our backyard have a coop that sits atop a fenced run which they reach with a ladder, saving horizontal space. Whenever I am home, I let them into a free range area as well, which includes letting them till one of my raised beds at a time (a few portable dog fences go a long way to protect the rest of the veggie garden). These birds eat kitchen and garden scraps, bugs and grubs, grass, clover, and weed seeds (in addition to some organic feed and scratch grains).

In return, they provide us with more eggs than we can eat each week, while fertilizing and tilling the garden soil. As anyone who enjoys homegrown eggs will tell you, REAL eggs are nothing like the commercial ones. Something like 1/3 of what you feed your chickens goes into the eggs. We have clover growing everywhere, plus plenty of extra kale, chard, lettuce, and broccoli greens that grow pretty much year-round. Give the chickens a pile of any of these greens (and I mean an ARMLOAD, not a handful) and each hen will eat at least a human-sized salad per day. This is just one example of what we feed them, but just imagine how nutritious those eggs are. In fact, the yolks come out so dark they are nearly orange with all those vitamins and minerals. At the end of the day, my kids are getting the benefits of a lot more vegetables than the vegetables they actually eat, along with plenty of omega-3s.

The government has done a very poor job looking out for us in the area of food safety. Commercial meats, eggs, and dairy products are chock full of harmful stuff. The poor animals lead tortured lives, are pumped full of imbalanced and toxic foods and supplements, and produce imbalanced and toxic meat, eggs, and dairy products. These products result in unhealthy omega balances, which lead to high cholesterol (the bad kind) and who knows what kinds of ailments, from attention deficit disorders to cancers. We'll never know the full extent of the health problems, but I do know that if you eat high quality, homegrown food at least some of the time, your health is likely to be better. There are a lot of "free range" eggs in grocery stores these days and I applaud the movement, but notice they do not have to say how large the free range area is, nor do they have to tell you if that area is covered in concrete. Don't trust the government to look out for your food safety. Take charge of your own food production, or even 5% of it.

We could save the government a ton of money on health care if people learned how to grow a little of their own food at home. Even in a small home, this is possible (check out my book, Fresh Food From Small Spaces, if you doubt that you can grow some food from an apartment/condo/townhouse/etc.). And in addition to a salad garden or a couple of tomato plants, please consider adding a small chicken coop and a couple of hens.

The time has come to be more self-sufficient, not only with veggies and fruits, but also with eggs. Now is a great time to get started!

News article Link: http://news.yahoo.com/usda-let-industry-self-inspect-chicken-191142649–abc-news-topstories.html

Link: http://www.fox8.com/news/petplace/wjw-dairy-farmer-spoils-cows-with-waterbeds-txt,0,2493141.story

And to complete the sustainable cycle, chickens will really go to town on the inside pumpkin/squash scoopings, all that hairy wet stuff, and the peels. I chop the seeds in half first and they are a great source of nutrition for the birds. Putting them in a food processor for about 10 seconds would make them easier for the birds to eat also. If you have extra cooked squash, chickens will eat it right up to the peel every time. Their egg yolks come out the same color, full of vitamins and minerals.

In looking at online squash recipes, I came across a great article on the CNN Eatocracy page. I couldn't agree more with their encouragement for more people to cook and consume this veggie, which is a nutritional and culinary miracle.

Squash is the answer to all your problems

Original article source: http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/11/08/how-to-cook-squash/

How fantastic are fall and winter squash? They're packed to the gills with antioxidants, dietary fiber, Vitamin A and carotenes, fill you up for just a few calories, and can be prepared in approximately seventy billion ways, from sweet to savory. Plus they're in season right this very second, generally cheap as the dickens, and add glorious color and fabulous flavor to your holiday feasts.

But how do you tackle the beast? Butternut squash can be unwieldy to butcher, some varieties like turban, hubbard and kabocha look all gnarled and knobbly and scary, and how the heck do you cook them?

Let's quash all those worries right this second, starting with selection.

Buying and storing

Don't try it 'til you've knocked it. A prime candidate will feel heavy and firm, with no visible nicks or soft spots. A fully grown squash will have slightly matte skin, rather than glossy; the flesh will be a bit sweeter. Look for deep, rich color on the exterior and a dry, rounded stem still attached, if possible.

A winter squash will keep from one to three months if it's stored in a cool, dark place (and not near apples which will cause accelerated decay), but if you know you'll be consuming it sooner, a brightly-colored or curiously shaped squash can make a fabulous table decoration.

Preparing

Butternut squash presents a particular challenge because of its oblong shape. To halve it, slice off the top and the bottom so it sits flat on a secured cutting board. Rest it on the widest end, and using a heavy knife, slice down vertically. If you face resistance, use a mallet – ideally rubber – to tap gently on the tops of both sides of the blade. Work as slowly as you need to.

For more spherical squash, depending on the variety and how you're going to cook it, you can either cut a circle around the stem, angling inward with a paring knife and scooping out the seeds, cut the top off like a lid, or cut in half along the meridian or equator. Many winter squash have very thick skins and flesh, so again, use a sharp, heavy knife and take your time to avoid accidents.

In any case, you'll need to scoop out the seeds and guts as cleanly as you can, using the edge of a spoon. For an extra treat, rinse the seeds clean in a colander, shake them dry and discard the guts. Then spread the seeds on a sheet pan, spray or drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and roast in a 300° oven for 10-20 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn, and once they've cooled, eat them as-is or sprinkle with paprika, cumin or your favorite spices.

To peel or not to peel?

Peeling squash is, frankly, a pain, but for some preparations, it's key. If you're going to be roasting cubes of squash, nothing beats the caramelized flavor of browned, irregular edges. So take the time to smooth down knobs and delve into divots with a vegetable peeler or cheese slicer while the squash is still whole.

If you're going to be working with the squash in a method that's less texture-dependent, leave the skin on and bake the squash, halved at 300°, with the cut side down until it's soft enough to peel off. Pouring boiling water over squash in a baking dish also aids removal.

Plenty of squash varieties have perfectly edible and delicious skins that actually add extra flavor and texture, while some are simply too thick to be pleasant. Roast it up, take a nibble, see what you think, and either scoop or savor.

Cooking methods

There's really no wrong way to cook a squash, making it one of the versatile vegetables around. They're great grilled, pureed, steamed, broiled, boiled, baked, fried, mashed and more. Here are a few of our favorite preparations to grace a holiday table.

Halved, roasted squash on the savory side
This works especially well with butternut and delicata squash.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

2. On a cutting board, carefully cut the squash in half. Make sure to trim off any hard stem parts and scrape out innards.

3. Prick the flesh with a fork, brush or spray all surfaces lightly with oil, sprinkle the cut side with a little salt and place face-down on a cookie sheet.

4. Roast for 40-50 minutes until you can easily pierce the squash with a fork.

5. Once it's cook enough to handle, peel off the skin, then chop, cube, mash, stuff or leave whole and serve.

It's smashing with a little bit of melted butter, Kosher salt, and coriander or paprika. Add grated Parmesan if you're feeling especially wacky, or stuff with your favorite rice pilaf or seasoned breadcrumbs. Spherical, thick-skinned varieties like acorn or hubbard can be used as bowls for your favorite cream soup.

Halved, roasted squash on the sweet side
This is aces for smaller acorn or sweet dumpling squash as well as sweet pumpkins and makes a dramatic, stand alone serving vessel.

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F

2. Slice acorn squash in half vertically and scoop out the seeds. Score the insides of the squash a few times on each side and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle some brown sugar and a pinch of salt on the cut sides, along with a drizzle of maple syrup if you'd like it a bit sweeter.

3. Place the halves, cut side up in a baking dish with 1/4 cup of water at the bottom of it. Bake for 1 hour, then check for tenderness; the flesh should be quite soft and the tops browned. Check again at 10 minute intervals until they reach desired doneness.

4. Let the halves cool slightly and serve as-is, cut-side up, with a fork to scoop out the deliciousness.

Cubed or sliced roasted squash
This is simply divine with pumpkin, turban, butternut, speckled pup or kabotcha varieties.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

2. Peel the squash using a vegetable peeler. For stubborn spots, stabilize the squash on a cutting board and carefully remove with a paring knife.

3. Cut the squash into 1" thick rounds, remove guts and seeds with a spoon, and then slice into even thickness or stack slices to cut into cubes evenly.

4. Brush or spray cubes or slices with oil, or toss in a bag with oil to evenly coat all sides.

5. Place slices or cubes on a cookie sheet, sprinkle lightly with salt and roast 20-25 minutes until fork-tender and the edges are brown, then serve immediately.

To really punch up the flavor, finely chop rosemary or your other favorite herbs and sprinkle them over the squash before cooking. It's also a divine topping for pizzas or flatbreads, atop salad greens with goat cheese, or stuffed into a sandwich with leftover turkey.

Mashed or pureed squash
1. Follow the instructions for Halved, roasted squash on the savory side.

2. When the squash is cool enough to peel, simply place the flesh it in a bowl, mash it with butter and salt and serve.

It's also delicious mashed with maple syrup, orange juice, smoked paprika, salt and butter to taste, or pureed with a standard or immersion blender (make sure it's cooled first!) with milk, butter and a little bit of ginger.

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"We can either have a democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”–U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

Separately, let's not forget that the world is running out of affordable oil and gas at an alarming rate, and that we need to develop alternative sources of energy as quickly as possible (20 or 30 years ago would have been nice). This would help our economy tremendously and could provide the impetus we need to transform our financial system to a more sustainable base. Without prompt action, our economy is about to drop off a cliff much steeper than anything we have seen yet.

Statements from Obama administration officials continue to leave me with the impression that they understand this urgency, and yet we have not seen them take a meaningful lead on this. If the peak oil (and various other peak resources) situation is as urgent as everyone seems to think, verging on a crisis, then where is the vision and where is the action to transform our system of energy and economics? Here's the latest quote from Hillary Clinton on this, delivered in conjunction with the creation of a new State Department agency geared toward energy diplomacy. Hopefully, they're planning to do more than just talk, talk, talk:

"You can't talk about our economy or foreign policy without talking about energy. With a growing global population and a finite supply of fossil fuels, the need to diversify our supply is urgent." –U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton

A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program “Up w/ Chris Hayes.”

The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC’s clients, the American Bankers Association.

CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead.

According to the memo, if Democrats embrace OWS, “This would mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall Street. … It has the potential to have very long-lasting political, policy and financial impacts on the companies in the center of the bullseye.”

The memo also suggests that Democratic victories in 2012 should not be the ABA’s biggest concern. “… (T)he bigger concern,” the memo says, “should be that Republicans will no longer defend Wall Street companies.”

Two of the memo’s authors, partners Sam Geduldig and Jay Cranford, previously worked for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Geduldig joined CLGC before Boehner became speaker;  Cranford joined CLGC this year after serving as the speaker’s assistant for policy. A third partner, Steve Clark, is reportedly “tight” with Boehner, according to a story by Roll Call that CLGC features on its website.

Jeff Sigmund, an ABA spokesperson, confirmed that the association got the memo. “Our Government Relations staff did receive the proposal – it was unsolicited and we chose not to act on it in any way,” he said in a statement to "Up."

CLGC did not return calls seeking comment.

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel declined to comment on the memo. But he responded to its characterization of Republicans as defenders of Wall Street by saying, “My understanding is that President Obama is the single largest recipient of donations from Wall Street.”

On “Up” Saturday, Obama campaign adviser Anita Dunn responded by saying that the majority of the president’s re-election campaign is fueled by small donors. She rejected the suggestion that the president himself is too close to Wall Street, saying “If that’s the case, why were tough financial reforms passed over party line Republican opposition?”

The CLGC memo raises another issue that it says should be of concern to the financial industry — that OWS might find common cause with the Tea Party. “Well-known Wall Street companies stand at the nexus of where OWS protestors and the Tea Party overlap on angered populism,” the memo says. “…This combination has the potential to be explosive later in the year when media reports cover the next round of bonuses and contrast it with stories of millions of Americans making do with less this holiday season.”

The memo outlines a 60-day plan to conduct surveys and research on OWS and its supporters so that Wall Street companies will be prepared to conduct a media campaign in response to OWS. Wall Street companies “likely will not be the best spokespeople for their own cause,” according to the memo.  “A big challenge is to demonstrate that these companies still have political strength and that making them a political target will carry a severe political cost.”

Part of the plan CLGC proposes is to do “statewide surveys in at least eight states that are shaping up to be the most important of the 2012 cycle.”

Specific races listed in the memo are U.S. Senate races in Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Mexico and Nevada as well as the gubernatorial race in North Carolina.

The memo indicates that CLGC would research who has contributed financial backing to OWS, noting that, “Media reports have speculated about associations with George Soros and others.”

"It will be vital,” the memo says, “to understand who is funding it and what their backgrounds and motives are. If we can show that they have the same cynical motivation as a political opponent it will undermine their credibility in a profound way.”

If you have read my "Fresh Food From Small Spaces" book or some of my previous blog posts on this site, you will know that I strongly advocate keeping chickens for eggs. It is a small, simple, and rewarding step towards greater local food production and self-reliance. Plus, chickens are a lot of fun, they're great around small kids, they eat some of our compost scraps, and you can use not only their eggs (for eating) but their manure litter (as garden fertilizer). My chickens have a spacious, well-constructed coop and run, and are let out regularly for limited free-ranging (limited only because I don't let them into my raised veggie beds). It's code-complaint, the hens are fairly quiet (much quieter than the ravens in the tree behind their coop), and the neighbors don't mind.

There is little or no risk involved in keeping chickens. But like any natural pursuit (just ask the raw milk folks), the government and economic powers will do their best to make life as difficult as possible for anyone who tries to return to a simpler way of living. Cities and counties all around the country can sometimes be a barrier, but many of them have been getting on board with the backyard chicken thing these last few years. Recently, a record number of ordinances have been revised to allow people to keep a few chickens for egg-laying. But apparently, insurance companies have not caught up yet; backyard chickens do not factor into their actuarial formulas.

So we found another insurer who doesn't seem to care. But I'm half expecting to get another letter saying that my policy won't be renewed because I grow lettuce, because "lettuce makes the risk unacceptable." Instead, I'm supposed to pay 20 times as much to buy store-bought organic lettuce in a plastic bag that has been shipped for hundreds of miles. The next one will be denied for melons, because "melons make the risk unacceptable". No, I'm supposed to buy the listeria-laced ones at the supermarket and play Russian roulette like everyone else. And I sure hope the next surprise home inspection doesn't unearth my worm bin. Policy denied for earthworms? "Earthworms make the risk unacceptable"? It wouldn't surprise me one bit.

The military's clean-energy mission

Someday, in the not-too-distant future, our country will be getting more than half of its power from energy that is safe, secure, and sustainable. We’re not there now, and in fact we have a long way to go in many sectors of the economy. But it’s clear to anyone who is paying attention that the countries that lead in the race to implement clean-energy technologies will be more resilient and more prosperous in the years ahead.

When I studied history in school, and in learning about successful social movements of the 20th century, I’ve always been fascinated with turning points. What was it that finally helped women’s suffragists to prevail? When was it clear that apartheid would certainly crumble? What will finally “bend the arc of history” to help our country end its dependence on dirty energy?

The U.S. military is likely to play a key role. More than just about any other U.S. organization — public or private — the U.S. Armed Forces are pushing the envelope when it comes to clean-energy technologies. That’s thanks in part to the leadership of people like Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. His goals include cutting oil use by the Navy’s commercial vehicles in half by 2015 and procuring half of its energy from alternative sources by 2020. But it’s not just about goals. Results matter even more.

As a recent Sierra magazine article noted, “The Air Force and the Navy are taking the lead in developing biofuels for aircraft (vehicles, ships, and generators are next in line) from nonfood crops such as the camelina seed and algae.” Ever wondered how we can get off oil and still fly jet airplanes? The military is already on it, with tough regulations that ban biofuel sources that would displace food crops. At the recent Blue Angels air show in Maryland, the jets were running on 50 percent biofuels.

And just last week, the Department of Energy announced that it was backing plans — with a loan guarantee — to put solar panels on as many as 160,000 military-housing rooftops. In the heat of the day, when air conditioners are on high, these solar arrays will collectively produce as much power as a small coal plant.

In August, Army Secretary John M. McHugh said, “We think we’ve made a great start,” referring to the 126 existing Army-led renewable projects. “But to meet our longer-term objectives,” he added, “we have to do better.” Part of doing better means working with private businesses in the clean-tech industry — and that means lots of good jobs for civilians.

The Air Force isn’t lagging either. The Los Angeles Air Force Base just announced that it will be “the first federal facility to replace 100 percent of its general purpose fleet with plug-in electric vehicles.” Where will the electricity for those vehicles come from? The base already uses solar power, and it’s expanding that infrastructure, too. So they’re not just cutting out oil, they’re also avoiding dirty energy from coal-fired power.

And in June, the Pentagon unveiled its comprehensive “Operational Energy Strategy,” which includes plans to reduce the military’s reliance on oil across the board. The strategy is a giant step forward for an organization that can push Americans toward a clean-energy future.

Are you surprised that the military is taking the lead in adopting clean and renewable energy technologies? I’m not. The military operates in a world where relying on dogma rather than facts can result in casualties. As the Sierra article noted, being forced to rely on dirty, 19th-century fuels like oil puts our soldiers in danger — and that’s something no one wants.

This isn’t the first time the military has been on the forefront of change. In 1948, President Truman’s Executive Order 9981 paved the way for a desegregated military, six years before the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Now, as then, the military is basing decisions on common sense, not ideology. It’s time for the rest of society to catch up.

Link: http://blog.sfgate.com/mbrune/2011/09/15/the-militarys-clean-energy-mission/

What we see happening is the beginning of a painful transition back toward a slow-growth (or zero growth) economy where people are learning to value what is real. Gone are the days when people could upgrade their SUVs and big screen TVs every six months, financing both on credit cards. Gone are the days when investors could expect dependable 5% growth in developed economies. It was all based on the exploitation of cheap, easily available resources, which fed rampant consumption and a spiraling pool of debt. Since the 2008 downturn, the only U.S. growth has come in the financial sector and is directly attributable to the additional money (more zeroes on computer screens) that the government has printed for the banks so they'll lend it to finance people' debts. But now we are realizing that debt is NOT a resource and the economy is contracting as the most egregious examples of this debt are devalued and squeezed out of the system.

There will be financial ups and downs as this economy transitions away from the meaningless wealth of stocks and bonds, and towards an economy where value is measured by resources. I am not naive enough to believe polar bears will become valuable commodities; this new economy still will be based on exploiting valuable hard assets. People still want to make money; it's capitalism. But the dollar itself is meaning less, and if it's measured against the Yen and the Euro, those will be even worse off at times. In coming years, we will see serious inflation, tempered by periods of deflation, where these pieces of paper and computer zeroes no longer hold their value. If you want to protect your money, convert as much as possible to useful equipment that will last for many years, hard assets, and anything you can use, sell, or barter now and into the future. If that means going on a buying spree, then maybe you can single-handedly help boost the pro-growth economy for one more precious spurt before oil prices rise and hit us over the head again!

Today, we harvested chicken eggs, zucchini squash, green beans, chard, potatoes, and plums. That's real. I saw the smiles on my kids' faces at dinner. There were more smiles as we used the hand grain mill to grind some grains for tomorrow morning's cereal. Those smiles are real, too. I enjoy my pro-growth living standard, financed by a day job. But even for the most fortunate among us, it's going to be a rough ride ahead. We all need to become better at living poor in an economy where chard grows faster than dollars. For me, that downsizing transition started at home, in the garden and in the kitchen. It continues, sometimes joyfully and sometimes painfully, into other parts of life. I hope you'll begin your transition as well. While I've always hated this expression…keep it real.

Link to news story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43763096/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/

But whoa, not so fast. Our Nobel Prize-winning economist failed to fully grasp the implications of this simple supply-and-demand scenario. More likely, he's partly on his way towards realizing the full implications of this catastrophe, but is still partly in denial about what it will mean for humanity and our economics. Krugman's column in last week's Times began really well, but finished quite poorly. Here was somebody standing up at an addiction group meeting, saying "I have a problem" and then adding "but I don't need to do anything about it now" as he walked out the door.

Here is what he wrote. After recognizing that world commodity prices (oil, copper, cotton, wheat, corn) are up 25% in the last six months, he explained that finite supplies (and not price speculators) are the culprit. He cited growth and demand from China and other emerging economies, changing weather patterns from climate change, and flattening oil production (peak oil, anyone?) as major factors in driving up commodity prices. So far, so good. And then his big cop-out: "we’re living in a finite world, one in which resource constraints are becoming increasingly binding. This won’t bring an end to economic growth, let alone a descent into Mad Max-style collapse. It will require that we gradually change the way we live…But that’s for the future. Rising commodity prices… have no bearing, one way or another, on U.S. monetary policy. For this is a global story…it’s not about us."

The implication is that we should forget about this trouble and hope it goes away, even though he just finished explaining why it WAS a fundamental problem. If the peak and supply-demand imbalance in key global resources has "no bearing (on) monetary policy", then fine, tell the Federal Reserve to keep sleeping. But as far as I can tell, the impact on monetary policy wasn't the focus of this article until he mentioned it in that sentence. And when the United States economy, and the entire world, is clearly driving 90 miles per hour towards a cliff (as he's just told us, identifying both the severity and imminent nature of the problem), then the statements "but that (need to adapt) is in the future" and "it's not about us" are tantamount to ongoing denial of this problem that should eclipse all others on every policy-maker's agenda. Coming from someone with Krugman's intelligence and pedigree, this is irresponsible. But I'll give him credit for having one eye open and hopefully he'll join the party soon enough.

I don't have a Nobel, but here's my Econ 101 version: when something gets scarce (supply), it becomes more expensive. When someone badly needs it (demand), it also becomes more expensive. Put these two together and you have big trouble. Oil prices stand at $90/barrel right now, even when the economy is still mired in a deep recession with nearly 20% of the U.S. population either unemployed or severely underemployed. Last time there was a recession, oil prices hovered around $50/barrel, but look how high they are even in this time of supposedly lackluster demand. As Krugman pointed out, conventional oil supplies have not increased in four years and oil from less conventional sources (like oil sands or deepwater wells) are more expensive to produce. Many believe we simply cannot produce any more oil on any given day or in any future year than the world is producing now. But soon enough, this debate will be irrelevant; even if we can produce a little more, demand from developing countries is fast increasing and set to overtake the world's supply capacity. So as the economy begins to improve even a bit, those oil prices will shoot up again, and once oil hits about $120/barrel again (which is much closer now than it was before the Summer 2008 price spike) then it should have the same effect on the world economy as the 2008 price spike did: killing it, sparking this last big recession.

Simply put, our economic system is driven by affordable resources and with oil, copper, phosphorus and other elements of the industrial lifeblood, we have reached that point in history where the world's supplies are beginning to fade (they are "finite" as Krugman indicates) and where global supply is overtaken by global demand anyway. Our economies probably will never be able to grow at the same pace again without hitting the roadblock of insanely high prices that stifle demand. That is, of course, unless we adapt and develop some alternatives really quickly. This problem is here, is now, is ours, and we need to face it squarely. Anyone who suggests otherwise is still in denial, but hopefully those folks will wake up and become part of the solution. We're all in this together and we need to work on some alternatives and transitions in a big hurry. Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/opinion/27krugman.html