Is the U.S. headed for a food shortage?

[caseydog]

I seriously doubt that the US will experience a REAL food crisis -- nothing like some poor nations already face.

We may need to adapt and change our eating habits if corn, or some other staple of the American diet were to become scarce or too expensive. Adapting is not something we Mercans particularly like to do, but we can, if we need too.

If there were some kind of catastrophic event where there were rumors of shortages, I worry that Americans, with the help of the entertainment-news channels like FOX and CNN, will create a food shortage and runaway pricing by hoarding.

And while some will use their guns to hunt game, I worry that gun owners in urban and suburban areas would arm themselves to "protect" their family's hoard.

And, it goes without saying, if we do have a food "crisis" here, big corporations and wealthy commodity traders will get richer off of it.

Anyway, like FDR said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." We stand to be hurt more by rumors of shortages than by shortages themselves.

CD

[swissarmygirl]

I can't wait to hear everyone complain that Oreos have gone up to $10 a pack!

[S. Heisley]

I've had spring dandelion salad. It's very good. Haven't had the wine, though.

[Eddielbs]

By the way, real Dandelions are very nutritious, easy to grow (too easy!), and all parts are edible.

I knew an old woman when I lived in Pennsylvania who used to rave about the wine she made from dandelions. I always saw her out in the yard picking them. I never did get to try any of that wine though.

I would like to try a wine from dandelions that would be something new.. I had a friend from Newfoundland. she use to make some blueberry wine that was REALLY good.. She gave my wife a bottle and it was pretty powerful stuff..

[Bodyman]

If I remember correctly, the federal government used to pay farmers by the acre NOT to plant corn. I'm not certain, but I think that practice is still in play. If it is, it's time to stop doing that.

Very few productive acres are held out of production in the corn belt.
I could be wrong, but as far as I know the only government programs of this sort are for poor/marginal ground and due to demand of crops most farmers do not participate.
Randy

[S. Heisley]

Okay. Here's a recipe for Dandelion wine.

I haven't made it and it freaked me when I read about using rye bread in it. But, it's from an old Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery book I have. I've shortened the words slightly for this post:

Place 1 gal. dandelion flowers in a 2 gal. crock and pour 1 gal. boiling water over them. Cover and let stand 3 days. Then, strain the liquid through a cloth, squeezing the liquid out of the flowers. Place the liquid in a kettle and add 3 lbs. sugar plus the juice of 1 lemon and 3 oranges. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 20 minutes. Return liquid to the crock pot. Allow the liquid to cool to lukewarm. Sprinke the top a toasted piece of rye bread with 1/2 package dry yeast or 1/2 cake compressed yeast. Float the yeast-topped bread on top of the dandelion liquid in the crock. Cover with a cloth & keep at 70 to 75 degrees F. for 6 days. Then, strain the wine into a gallon jug and plug the jug loosely with a wad of cotton. Keep it in a dark place for 3 weeks. At the end of 3 weeks, place the liquid in a loosely capped bottle and allow it to sit for at least 3 months before drinking.

...Bet you never thought you'd get a dandelion wine recipe on a trailer-building forum!

[swissarmygirl]

Okay. Here's a recipe for Dandelion wine.

I haven't made it and it freaked me when I read about using rye bread in it. But, it's from an old Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery book I have. I've shortened the words slightly for this post:

Place 1 gal. dandelion flowers in a 2 gal. crock and pour 1 gal. boiling water over them. Cover and let stand 3 days. Then, strain the liquid through a cloth, squeezing the liquid out of the flowers. Place the liquid in a kettle and add 3 lbs. sugar plus the juice of 1 lemon and 3 oranges. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 20 minutes. Return liquid to the crock pot. Allow the liquid to cool to lukewarm. Sprinke the top a toasted piece of rye bread with 1/2 package dry yeast or 1/2 cake compressed yeast. Float the yeast-topped bread on top of the dandelion liquid in the crock. Cover with a cloth & keep at 70 to 75 degrees F. for 6 days. Then, strain the wine into a gallon jug and plug the jug loosely with a wad of cotton. Keep it in a dark place for 3 weeks. At the end of 3 weeks, place the liquid in a loosely capped bottle and allow it to sit for at least 3 months before drinking.

...Bet you never thought you'd get a dandelion wine recipe on a trailer-building forum!

Are you kidding? This is exactly the place I would look for something like this.

[S. Heisley]

If you make the wine, please let me know how it turns out!

[Bodyman]

I usually have a great dandelion crop. It's too wet even for that this year. Lots of white clover, though. Any recipes for white clover wine?
Randy

[cs_whypt2]

If I remember correctly, the federal government used to pay farmers by the acre NOT to plant corn. I'm not certain, but I think that practice is still in play. If it is, it's time to stop doing that.

Very few productive acres are held out of production in the corn belt.
I could be wrong, but as far as I know the only government programs of this sort are for poor/marginal ground and due to demand of crops most farmers do not participate.
Randy

They do that here all the time.

Dianne

[Eddielbs]

Okay. Here's a recipe for Dandelion wine.

I haven't made it and it freaked me when I read about using rye bread in it. But, it's from an old Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery book I have. I've shortened the words slightly for this post:

Place 1 gal. dandelion flowers in a 2 gal. crock and pour 1 gal. boiling water over them. Cover and let stand 3 days. Then, strain the liquid through a cloth, squeezing the liquid out of the flowers. Place the liquid in a kettle and add 3 lbs. sugar plus the juice of 1 lemon and 3 oranges. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 20 minutes. Return liquid to the crock pot. Allow the liquid to cool to lukewarm. Sprinke the top a toasted piece of rye bread with 1/2 package dry yeast or 1/2 cake compressed yeast. Float the yeast-topped bread on top of the dandelion liquid in the crock. Cover with a cloth & keep at 70 to 75 degrees F. for 6 days. Then, strain the wine into a gallon jug and plug the jug loosely with a wad of cotton. Keep it in a dark place for 3 weeks. At the end of 3 weeks, place the liquid in a loosely capped bottle and allow it to sit for at least 3 months before drinking.

...Bet you never thought you'd get a dandelion wine recipe on a trailer-building forum!

I will be trying this one its going In my files of Recipes to try before I Die.. Thanks

[swissarmygirl]

If I remember correctly, the federal government used to pay farmers by the acre NOT to plant corn. I'm not certain, but I think that practice is still in play. If it is, it's time to stop doing that.

Very few productive acres are held out of production in the corn belt.
I could be wrong, but as far as I know the only government programs of this sort are for poor/marginal ground and due to demand of crops most farmers do not participate.
Randy

They do that here all the time.

Dianne

If I remember correctly, it was a frequent occurance in PA too. And I thin "participate" is not so much the correct term, as it was more like, "Take advantage"

Sorry...I'm sure I just PO'ed a farmer somewhere.

[mandy]

I read something that said that corn and soybeans were made to be grown only once, meaning the farmer could not grow crops from seed that they saved from the crops the year before. They had to buy new seed every year causeing lots of farms to go into enormous debt.

I remembered which magazine I read it from.

Mandy

[madjack]

Mandy, most feed crops are grown from hybridized seed...this hybridization must occur every year for the seed to be viable, so must be bought special every year...non-hybridized crops yield significantly less, so it's an either or situation....
madjack

[Eddielbs]

I read something that said that corn and soybeans were made to be grown only once, meaning the farmer could not grow crops from seed that they saved from the crops the year before. They had to buy new seed every year causeing lots of farms to go into enormous debt.

I remembered which magazine I read it from.

Mandy

I think the only seeds that you can plant and reseed from its crop are called heirloom seeds.