Hunting season closes today

The hunting season closes today. All hunters have until end of March to turn in mandatory forms to the Wildlife Division. Failure to do so can result in a fine or you may be hauled before a Magistrate.

CHICKEN PRICES REDUCED

Chicken prices have been temporarily reduced by 12.57% at the biggest dealers. This is at least until March 8^th. Stock up now. It can stay frozen until after the Lenten season.

Norris Deonarine found dead

The Research Officer of the National Foodcrop Farmers Association has been found dead.

Norris Deonarine was regarded as a farmers’ champion, taking up their cause and challenging governments on agricultural policies. An advocate of national food security, Deonarine he urged the nation to better understand the role food production -- especially farming – played in their daily lives.

He was recently appointed to the board of the Agricultural Development Bank.

“Food prices will definitely increase this year.”

“Food prices will definitely increase this year।”-Greig Laughlin, president of the T&T Manufactures’ Association (TTMA).

This morning I paid $120 for 30 lbs of food (fruit and veg) at the market.

So at $4/lb x 52 weeks, my family will eat 1,560 lbs of fruit and veg at a cost of $6240 in 2011. All things being equal. Since food is the most volatile of the consumables used to measure inflation, and 2007/8 saw food price increases of 25-40%, then that $6240 can increase to $7800 or even $8736!

Growing food is no longer an option, it is imperative। My goal is to grow and harvest 312 lbs (20% of 1560) of food from our garden this year. I’ll have to buy a kitchen scale and weigh all harvests. Tomatoes, cassava and pumpkin should provide the bulk, followed by corn, peas and melongene. Assorted fruit, veg and herbs will round it off.

After my first harvest of peas, I noticed the “$10/lb” sign at the market and silently chuckled।

A happy and health new year to all readers।

Food Gardening

"Humankind, despite its artistic abilities, sophistication and accomplishments, owes its existence to a six-inch layer of farmable soil—and the fact that it rains!"—Anonymous

For the past few months I have not been blogging much. The reason is simple. I have been learning new skills, and improving on old ones. Regular gardening has brought a new element of joy (and nutrients) into my life. I still shoot airguns, but less frequently.

With new activities comes an expanded vocabulary. I now toss around words and phrases such as biochar, open pollinated, organophosphates, community supported agriculture, locavore, food miles, terra preta, humus, beneficial soil organisms.

Growing more and more of the food my family eats has produced remarkable results. My children now love (homegrown) vegetables and would often eat tomatoes and corn right off the plant! But the taste. Incredible. I have been an enthusiastic supporter of the local farmers markets for years. My own homegrown fruit and veg has continuously outperformed the best of the farmers markets in the area of taste. All who’ve tasted have talked about the full flavoured taste of the garden’s produce.


I have started a new garden in tired, overworked, nutrient-depleted soil. This has given me the opportunity to learn how to ‘grow soil’. Utilising inputs such as seaweed, seawater, kitchen scraps, eggshells, spent coffee grounds, expired vitamin and mineral supplements among other things, I have actually created small quantities of the rich ‘black gold’. Twice. And now on my third set.

My family now consumes the bounty of this new garden, daily. I’ll try to post some pix in the coming weeks and months, as I share this journey of joy and learning.

The price of food is on the increase again, and I suspect our garden will play an increasingly more important role in our family’s health and wellness in the coming years.

Food storage issues

While rotating food out of the preps, it’s easy to notice any changes to appearance, smell and general condition. Recently, I’ve realized that bouillon cubes (Maggi) and cookies do not store well. The cookies are comfort food for children. It gives them energy, and keeps their spirits up in times of high-stress living. The bouillon is great for enhancing the flavour of most dishes, but especially game and ground provision (root vegetables).

Even though we have enough salt to last about a year, and even some extra, for barter and charity, bouillon cubes pack superior flavour. The mission now is to find alternatives to cookies and bouillon cubes. Not sure if my storage methods are incorrect, so perhaps I’ll start with that.


WATER STORAGE

Next to air, water is the most important requirement for life.
Increased our family water storage by three days. This may not appear to be much, but even one extra day’s water, means the family’s survival chances have been increased. Assurance. It’s better than insurance.

Charity begins at home

Read in a daily paper that the Rotary Club of Penal recently launched a "Feed The World Project". They leave food collection bins at various locations, and then the food is “distributed to underprivileged families locally and abroad.”

Feeding the poor is both admirable and necessary. It is our duty to help the less fortunate among us. Even when stockpiling our emergency supplies of food, water, medical supplies and a way to protect it, and our loved ones (beans, bullets and bandaids) we must also store enough to share with those who refused to prepare.

But the words “and abroad” caught my attention. Trinidad and Tobago does not produce enough food to feed all our citizens. As a net importer of food we import over $2 billion worth annually. We have hundreds of citizens that go hungry daily. Should we import food, then send it outside the country? Shouldn’t charity begin at home?

The Rotary club should be commended for it’s initiative, but may want to reconsider the ‘food export’ part of the plan, at least while we have so many hungry people here.
- Trini Funshooter

Food Sale at National Flour Mills

Bought some food at National Flour Mills sale last week. They had some really good prices: one dozen (1 litre) juices = $60, 1 dozen (250 ml) juices = $16, six tins sardines = $18, three boxes (340 gm) cereals = $35. The cost is about one third to half of average supermarket prices. My gratitude to National Flour Mills on this initiative, especially so close to the opening of the school year.

I suggest you buy as much as you can afford, putting some away for emergencies, and charity. Yes, give some to that poor, single-parent family in your neighbourhood. If you don’t know that family, then ask at the hairdressers, or the barbers. They’ll know.

- Trini Funshooter