Mead and Holiday

One more note before Christmas begins.

I have set up two gallons of mead with a recipe that I got from these folks. Come by in February and we will try some.

Finally, our old friend Publius Vergilius Maro (Virgil)has this to say about this time of year:

"...winter is the farmer's holiday, and the husbandman feast on their stores all through the frozen time, and spread the banquet among themselves in mirthful round. Merry winter bids the guest and lightens the heart;..."

It has been written, so let it be...

SDG

Beer or a pill?

If one must keep a psychiatrist, you should keep the one in this video. Now, before you get all excited about why a psychiatrist is on a blog like this - please watch:



Two things should be noted.

First, starting at about 0:42, Dr. Szsaz says that, according to the learned, there are 294 diseases discovered by the psychiatric (read: pill developers) industry in the last 60 years. Dr. Szsaz is a skeptical about this as we all should be. He calls it an 'epidemic of psychiatry.' What a great line. He goes on to say that the entire industry is based upon 'a story, a mythology, a fable.'

Second, starting at about 1:50, Dr. Szsaz makes the brilliant observation that we 'advertise (the pill), but we can not advertise beer.’ Then he asks the critical question; which is more toxic (the pill) or beer? That is the question!!!!

Some years ago, Tom Hodgkinson made a similar observation when he wrote about the obscene profits that the pill industry drags in. Of course their employees, otherwise known as doctors, push these pills for everything. I admonished loved ones to convalesce after an illness or surgery.

Of course, for eight or ten thousand years or until 60 years ago people took a more Epicurean approach to their troubles. That was, as Hodgkinson observes, before our troubles became professionalized, commoditized and industrialized. Back then the cures were good company, good cheer and good beer. That’s correct the best solution was friends, food and drink.

So, open your house, grow vegetables and meat and brew beer because tomorrow…well, tomorrow will have it’s own troubles.

SDG

What to eat?

It seems that in the hollowed halls of learned that they have had a change of heart concerning your diet. You can read about it on the LA Times site. Of course history may make its fatal judgment known...it is too late. The industrial feed companies have 'only met a market need.' Since most people gave up their humanity to be employees lonely refueling with industrial feed is perfect for the Neolithic civilization that make up the undifferentiated ant mounds known as 'the city.' An acquaintance recently allowed that he never had to worry, because the shelves of his favorite grocery store are always full. A moment’s reflection would remind him that the same was said in Soviet Russia, Weimar Germany and Britain in the 70's and 80's. Still as much as one would like for things to be different - one can only look upon such creatures with compassion and let it go.

So, what should one be eating? I can not answer for others but at this time of year the garden here are very dry and in need of rain (forecast for the next couple of days). However, currently the gardens are producing beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, chard, several varieties of lettuce, potatoes, radish, spinach and turnips. One could do worse, say a manufactured and chlorinated carrots.

Given that last month was the month to fill the storage with meat, I would say that one should have a good stock of your favorite meats. It is still too early to enjoy the salted pork or a ham, but if you started early some of the bacon may be just right. Additionally, a few pullets or hens can always be recruited to fill the pot for the week. Also, should you be fortunate enough to have shot a deer or two or three, a few rabbits and a turkey then you are set.

Oh, I forgot all the vegetables that were canned or frozen during the summer. Heck, we are not missing a thing except bread. So, with the winter wheat only just now showing growth, one could dig into last springs wheat and oats. Here I mix both into bread that will keep you going all day.

That just about does it for all of the basic food groups - meat, roots, leaves, grains, vegetables. Did I mention that the only food pyramid we use is how high the food can be stacked on the plate?

Somewhere in the dim past, say eight to ten thousand years ago, a group of rather ‘unhandsome and inferior creatures’ began to plant seeds, tame animals and harvest both. Thus, this ‘exceedingly nasty tribe’ was able to spread throughout the earth. This Neolithic being, despite fashions, plumbing and other “camouflage of civilization”, remain constant, “just a repulsive type of animal, very inferior to pretty much all the rest of creation.” In the end, to manufacture its feed and collect it into herds seems to be best for this “unformed, unquickened, Neolithic matter.”

SDG