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John Walker Male Lexington KY: 1nfhq3jnxt6ey; Share

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What's happening to my Zucchini?

Added a post 1 day ago

Oil and food - the crucial link

Added a reply Jun 30

Oil and food - the crucial link

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Latest Activity

John Walker left a comment for lizshropshire 1 day ago

John Walker replied to the discussion What's happening to my Zucchini? 1 day ago

John Walker commented on the blog post Reflections on my garden Jul 2

John Walker added the blog post 'Introduction to Summitry' Jul 2

Ian left a comment for John Walker Jul 1

John Walker left a comment for Ian Jul 1

John Walker added the blog post 'Say it ain't so!' Jun 30

John Walker replied to the discussion Oil and food - the crucial link Jun 30

Profile

Where do you live and garden?: my almost 1/2 acre

How long have you been growing food?: 10-20 years

Dream garden travel destination:: outside my back door

John Walker's Blog

Introduction to Summitry

This from Raj Patel's 'Stuffed and Starved' page http://stuffedandstarved.org/drupal/node/360 I have pasted the text (apologies to Raj) The excellent ETC Group has just come up with a fine bit of social science that cuts through the guff of the recent FAO Food Summit in Rome. As part of their 'translator' series, in which they parse the meaning of UN documents for the general public, they've come out with their latest report, Another "Failure-as-usual" Food Summit. Alongside the fine analysis… Continue

Posted on July 2nd, 2008 at 10:59am — No Comments (Add)

Say it ain't so!

I have copied this from the commondreams website via the Grauniad/Observer here is the original link http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture Home-Grown Veg Ruined by Toxic Fertiliser by Caroline Davies Gardeners have been warned not to eat home-grown vegetables contaminated by a powerful new herbicide that is destroying gardens and allotments across the UK.0629 03 1 The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been inundated with calls from concerned gardeners who hav… Continue

Posted on June 30th, 2008 at 9:30am — 2 Comments (Add)

London's Gardens: Allotments for the People

Today on NPR's Morning edition, there was this segment on allotments. This link may work http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91805611 Sad the price paid for a footpath Also check out the contrary articles in the grauniad For meat http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2286173,00.html Against meat http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2286172,00.html The three articles say a lot about the debate. release the hounds.. oops not an appropriate metaphor for… Continue

Posted on June 26th, 2008 at 8:28am — 3 Comments (Add)

My Dog, I'm a maroon!

Dear All. A while ago I posted a forum talking about quertiles, part of the milpa system in Mexico. Two days ago I took the book out of the library again and to my embarrassment say that it was quelites. Many apologies for my dyslexia and to my Spanish speaking friends who wondered what the *&^$ I was talking about. Anyway quelites are weeds, such as amaranth, purslane and lamb's quarters that are used as spring greens and as a weed cover. Very interesting to see the beneficial effects of po… Continue

Posted on June 25th, 2008 at 9:47am — 2 Comments (Add)

Protein paradox

I came across this phrase reading Paul Roberts' book "The End of Food" and it stimulated a few firing of synapses in remote regions of my brain. This is my interpretation of the paradox. We need a certain amount of protein in our diet to develop properly during childhood and to keep healthy throughout our lives. However we are not clear just how much protein is needed. What is also unclear is what are the relative benefits of animal vs plant proteins. Animal proteins are known as complete prote… Continue

Posted on June 20th, 2008 at 1:20pm — 10 Comments (Add)

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At 2:37pm on July 1st, 2008, Ian said…: Hi John,
I've been thinking about notes too.
It seems to me that it is a useful feature if we use it as a kind of one off information base.
Maybe we could have "how to" articles or Roger has even suggested some sort of members' T & C.
The good thing about notes is that they sit there without getting too cluttered with comments etc. This is only good of course if the subject is something that you don't particularly want to discuss!!!
I'd be very grateful of any suggestions you might come up with. I think it has it's place, but we just need to find where that place is!!!!

At 9:41pm on June 22nd, 2008, Maya said…: Yes, but then they couldn't say 'leek-green'. Poetic license.

At 4:09pm on June 20th, 2008, Ian said…: Hi John, it was good to see that you have wandered into the world of blogging.
You'll be pleased to hear that I have selected it to feature on the sites main page.
Thank you for your contributions.

At 6:31pm on June 5th, 2008, Maya said…: Sorry no succession planting tried-and-trues. We do hit-or-miss. Eliot Coleman has charts and rules that work here under cover except for summer. They may well work for KY for much of the year without. Was thinking of you as my son is subjecting me to Danger Mouse re-runs and we came across the one with the leek-green Cymru Dragon, who is hilarious. Cheers!

At 10:02am on May 19th, 2008, Maya said…: Slowly. We are all so busy. When school gets out and sports end, there will be more time (she said to herself, with a naive, hopeful look in her eye). Thanks so much for your input. That link with the questionnaire would be very nice to see. Cheers!

At 11:45am on May 14th, 2008, Penelope said…: And then there was the poem I published in my literary magazine years ago that ended:

"And this is what makes us human
I hold the cup
You pour the tea."

At 8:26am on May 14th, 2008, Penelope said…: The Mad Hatter's Tea Party?

At 1:53pm on May 6th, 2008, Penelope said…: Coldly, the earth doesn't give a hoot whether we live or die; we give our lives meaning with stories, dreams, illusions, fantasies, desires, hopes, myths, metaphors ... all words describing phenomena that probably aren't "real" in one way, yet are very real in another because we respond within their realms and even have words for them.

Happy spring.

At 8:44am on May 6th, 2008, Penelope said…: I know the forum got "out there" but it was interesting to me to realize how little pure logic affects real life, and just how much we live in myth, story, interpretation of experience -- reality really has very little to do with pure logic and when we try to force our minds there, we could easily starve to death.

It seems there's something in the air that's taking minds to wild places. Another site I visit has had extreme postings going over an edge, albeit a different one.

I read somewhere that Rabbis are supposed to have a hobby or business that requires they use their hands in order to keep them grounded. I like the word "grounded" - soil - gardening does that for me.

Thanks John.

--Penelope sitting at her loom this morning

At 8:29am on May 1st, 2008, Penelope said…: I awakened to 3 inches of fresh snow and it's still coming down. This is not a usual May 1, not even for high prairie Idaho.

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