An introduction to a small scale model of an integrated food systems for most city folk to consider.

Date:   7/2/2009 8:55:53 PM ( 15 y ago)

IMO - Human nutrition is more than a matter of you or I eating our "three square meals" a day. With the quality of our food in mind we must consider animal, plant and even soil nutrition as well!
http://www.naturalnews.com/020072.html


Virtually all of my work with food emphasizes it's nourishing quality. Enjoyment of food is also to be considered, however I personally find that my greatest enjoyment of food has consistently come from the nourishing capacity of nutrient-dense foods! (Some people may need to reconnect "delicious" with "nourishing" and it is possible to reprogram that in our minds so we can actually experience that what is truly nourishing is delicious!)

The importance of nutrient quality has led me where food comes from. All land-based foods come from the animal kingdom and/or the plant/vegetable kingdom. And all of these foods in turn (ultimately) depend on their nourishment from the soil. That gives us our soil-plant-animal-human connection! Virtually every organic gardener knows that to nourish the plant kingdom we have to build up the soil. Likewise, to nourish the ruminant animals (that are feeding on their proper diets from pasture) also requires building up the soil of the pastures. With understanding the interconnection between these kingdoms of life a more complete view on "human nutrition" becomes at least threefold involving: soil nutrition, animal nutrition as well as what we previously may have thought of simply as human nutrition. (I'm not saying "vegetables" are excluded here but only that plant nutrition is virtually automatically met through soil nutrition.)

One way that I see developing a relationship to this inter- connection of soil-plant-animal-human is through an integrated food system that historically was how farms worked. Polyface farm is a perfect example of this:
http://www.polyfacefarms.com/


Also Biodynamic Agriculture was founded on the idea of the farm as a self-contained integrated organism:
http://carrieanddanielle.com/biodynamic-wines-with-holiday-meals-balance-for-...


My objective is to introduce parts of this model on smaller scales for most city folk to consider. Here's one approach: start building compost, grow flats of wheat grass by planting the wheat with the compost; juice the grass for human consumption; after the first cutting continue growing the same flat of grass for animal consumption (even cats love wheat grass!) and after feeding the animals grow a third cycle before returning the mat of grass to the compost. Through doing that you will develop a direct connection with "Threefold Nutrition" for soil-animal and human!


Be Thrice Blessed!

Chef Jem

 

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