Eating in the Cold

by | Feb 1, 2013 | The Public Humanist

Access to food or the land to grow it on has often been a weapon used to assure the poverty of a subjugated populace. Think of the Irish, the Native Americans, or the North Koreans. But we live in a time of immense surpluses of food in the developed world. We in the...

Aspirational Gardening

by | Mar 7, 2011 | Talk Dirt to Me

I used to live in Texas. Well, Austin. We didn’t have quite as many seasons as we do in the north. Up here, you’ve got spring, summer, fall and winter — generally in that order. In Austin there were essentially two seasons hell and bliss. Hell was...

Seeding Onions

by | Mar 11, 2011 | Talk Dirt to Me

It’s early March, the robbins in my part of Northampton never left, so I can’t say that they’re a sign of spring. This year, though, we’re getting a traditional New England mud season. We haven’t had one of those in a while. Good thing I...

Dungeon Surprise

by | Mar 14, 2011 | Talk Dirt to Me

This time of year I head down to the basement at least twice a day to check on my onions or other seedlings. This evening, I was greeted by a peculiar smell. I sniffed and stepped, then stepped again. I thought, “that smell is very familiar.” Not exactly...

Genetically Modified Fodder

by | Mar 18, 2011 | Talk Dirt to Me

I am no fan of big business and I certainly would like to see our country go in the direction of sustainable agriculture. At the same time, I’m not as rabidly against genetically modified crops as many in our not-exactly-humble valley. It’s partly the fact...