What Will You Be Eating When The Revolution Comes?

[chlamor]

The Cuba Diet: What will you be eating when the revolution comes?

by Bill McKibben

The American model of agriculture is pretty much what people mean when they talk about the Green Revolution: high-yielding crop varieties, planted in large monocultures, bathed in the nurturing flow of petrochemicals, often supported by government subsidy, designed to offer low-priced food in sufficient quantity to feed billions. Despite its friendly moniker, many environmentalists and development activists around the planet have grown to despair about everything the Green Revolution stands for. Like Pretty, they propose a lowercase greener counterrevolution: endlessly diverse, employing the insights of ecology instead of the brute force of chemistry, designed to feed people but also keep them on the land. And they have some allies even in the rich countries - that's who fills the stalls at the farmers' markets blooming across North America. ....

<snip>

Not everyone is happy with the set of possibilities that the multinational corporate world provides. People are beginning to feel around for other choices. The world isn't going to look like Cuba - Cuba won't look like Cuba once Cubans have some say in the matter. But it may not necessarily look like Nebraska either. "The choices are about values", Pretty said. Which is true, at least for us, at least for the moment. And when the choices are about values, we generally pick the easiest and cheapest way, the one that requires thinking the least. Inertia is our value above all others. Inertia was the one option the Cubans didn't have; they needed that meal a day back, and given that Castro was unwilling to let loose the reins, they had a limited number of choices about how to get it.

"In some ways the special period was a gift to us", said Funes, the forage expert, the guy who lost twenty pounds, the guy who went from thinking about White Udder to thinking about oxen teams. "It made it easier because we had no choice. Or we did, but the choice was will we cry or will we work. There was a strong desire to lie down and cry, but we decided to do things instead."

In so doing they have created what may be the world's largest working model of a semi-sustainable agriculture, one that doesn't rely nearly as heavily as the rest of the world does on oil, on chemicals, on shipping vast quantities of food back and forth. They import some of their food from abroad - a certain amount of rice from Vietnam, even some apples and beef and such from the United States. But mostly they grow their own, and with less ecological disruption than in most places. In recent years organic farmers have visited the island in increasing numbers and celebrated its accomplishment. ....

http://www.energybulletin.net/5225.html

[mr_hat]

1. Cake, of course.

[Placebo]

2. FREE CUBA

I wish.

[Swamp Rat]

3. republicans

After they start Armageddon and all the plants and animals die, I plan on cannibalizing republicans, and take rides in their Hummers while chewing on dead freep jerky. :9

[chlamor]

4. I'm Stealing That Pic

Sacred Harvest

[Swamp Rat]

7. Here's a better version

I updated it jus' fer U. :)

[chlamor]

10. That one's goin'

in the window of my low budge auto for others to gaze upon. Your work is a de-light in de-dark. Up north they will now bear witness to the Swamp Rat gallery.

:toast:

[Swamp Rat]

11. Thank you... here's my latest:

[lonestarnot]

17. Oh this tooooooo cute baby....pooor little thing, hope nothing rubbed off!

[Mika]

5. Here's more links for ya

Cuba Organic Support Group
http://www.cosg.org.uk/

-Cuba Verde-
Cuba offers the world lessons in organic food production
http://www.acfnewsource.org/environment/cuba_verde.html


Think Tank Releases New Report
on Cuba's Successful Organic Farms
http://64.233.161.104/custom?q=cache:EdHhv6SlzjQJ:www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/cuba/sustainable/foodFirst012802.html+cuba+organic&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


Global Exchange Eco Cuba Tour for 2004
http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/1455.html.pf

[chlamor]

6. Food First

Local food systems.

Thanks

[Eloriel]

8. I personally feel a real urge/need to get my garden going again

After a couple of years, it's been hell reclaiming it, but I just feel it's important that I do so. I also feel I need to expand it and be able to grow perhaps twice as much food next year as this, and this year I'm hoping to do quite a bit of canning/freezing.

Abnd yes, organic gardening of course. There is no other way that makes ANY sense whatsoever. Open pollinated and heirloom seed varieties and saving my own seeds. I have a nice bunch of heirloom tomato seedlings doin' their thing out in the garage under grow lights right now, along with some peppers and squash and zucchini and a few herbs. Very proud of them, and can't wait to see how they do through the season, and how much I can can/freeze this year (so I can plan better for next year).

I'll be interested in taking a look at the links posted to the thread.

[Lindacooks]

9. Probably Oatmeal Carmelitas.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

There are many versions of this spectacular layered bar floating around. This one is the best.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, melted
14 oz. pkg. light caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup light cream
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9-inch pan and set aside. In large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, soda and salt and blend. Add melted butter and mix until crumbly. Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan.

In a small bowl, combine caramels and cream. Heat in microwave oven for 4-6 minutes on 50% power, stirring twice during cooking, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.

Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over reserved crust. Drizzle evenly with melted caramel mixture and sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Cut into bars.

[lonestarnot]

19. mmmm....yuuuuuuummm! n/t

[Silverhair]

12. Stew probably, mostly veggies w/ some meat too.

That's because I LOVE stews, as long as I make the stew. I sometimes think that I should open a restaurant and specialize in stews.

[Silverhair]

13. Revolution? Ain't gonna happen.

I have been hearing that yap from young ivory tower idealists about "the revolution" ever since the sixties. All the revolutionaries from then either got co-opted or went to jail. Jerry Rubin became a stockbroker.

[chlamor]

16. Never gonna get coopted

Idealist? You betcha. Ivory tower academic-no, real knowledge not dead words on dead paper. Go to jail-quite possibly. Hope you'll bring me stew.


Food First!

[Silverhair]

21. My stew would definately be better than jail house fare.

Warning about my stew: I sometimes put beans, turnips, and cabbage in it. Has been known to cause breathing problems for those near to or around someone who has consumed it.

[Bake]

14. Probably Soylent Green

IT'S PEOPLE!!! IT'S PEOPLE!!!

Although I'd bet the Pukes taste like shit.

Bake

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. Beat me to it, dbaker!

As soon as I saw the question, I exclaimed..."It's people..."

[Must_B_Free]

15. Ice cream, of course!

[lonestarnot]

20. Well I think I'd skip the rice from Vietnam...