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Category Archives: Vegetables

So far, Church Community Services’ ‘Seed to Feed” program has harvested 17,500 lbs. of food for Elkhart’s food pantries

08 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by HattieBelle in 2013, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community, Community Services, Elkhart County, Elkhart Indiana, Farming, Food Pantries, Food Pantry, Fresh Garden Produce, Gardening, Indiana, National Hunger Day, Neighbors, People helping Neighbors, Seeds, Vegetables

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Caring, Church Community Services, Community, Community Services, Donations, Donors, Farmers, Food, Food bank, Food Pantry, Fresh Garden Vegetables, Gardening, Helping Neighbors, Hunger, Seed to Feed, Volunteers

‘Seed to feed’ is a program through Church Community Services where fresh produce is provided to local food pantries. The idea started two years ago and last year, 55 acres of corn and beans were planted to help fund the project and a one acre vegetable garden was planted. Shortly after its start, another garden was donated and a farmer donated 3 acres of potatoes.

Volunteers at Goshen's garden work hard to harvest the last of summer produce. Volunteers are always needed to help pick vegetables from the programs many gardens. Donations of extra food from individual gardens are also accepted.

Volunteers at Goshen’s garden work hard to harvest the last of summer produce. Volunteers are always needed to help pick vegetables from the programs many gardens. Donations of extra food from individual gardens are also accepted.

In its first year, 25,941 pounds of fresh produce was donated. This year the goal is the same and community involvement has increased. This summer six gardens were planted and so far, 17,000 pounds of produce has been harvested. Money from the cash crops has been used to go to the Wakarusa Produce Auction to purchase additional produce.

There are two fields of income crops being grown and this year a livestock component has been added as well.

More about ‘Seed to Feed’ HERE and HERE.

Jeremy Shue, Director of  the Goshen Garden, with volunteers stand proudly behind vegetables they just harvested.

Jeremy Shue, Director of the Goshen Garden, with volunteers stand proudly behind vegetables they just harvested.

‘Seed to Feed’ thanks all the volunteers who give generously of their time and their muscles to help in the gardens. Listed below are all the gardens and scheduled work days.

PLEASE CALL IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE!

Goshen Garden: 14723 CR 36, Goshen. Mondays @ 5:30pm. Coordinator: Jeremy Shue: jeremyshue@gmail.com. 574-536-2010

Bullard Garden: 22104 CR 14, Elkhart. Tuesdays @ 5:30pm. Coordinator: Kurt Bullard: Kurtbullard4444@gmail.com. 574-298-9059

CCS Garden: 902 Thomas St, Elkhart. Wed & Thurs @ 8:00am. Coordinator: Katie Jantzen: mailto:Kurtbullard4444@gmail.com. 574-295-3673 ext 122

Northwest Goshen: 538 S. Indiana Ave, Goshen. Wednesdays @ 5:30pm. Coordinator: Andrea Milne andreajillmilne@gmail.com. 574-400-5858

Heart’s Desire Garden: 3030 Old US 20, Elkhart. Thursdays @ 5:30pm. Coordinator: Dave Hochstetler Dhhooch@aol.com. 574-349-4905

See you at the gardens!

CHECK OUT: Church Community Service’s New Food Pantry

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by HattieBelle in American, Caring, Civic Benefit, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Civil Rights, Community, Community Service Event, Community Services, economy, Elkhart, Elkhart County, Elkhart Indiana, Emergency Measures, Food, Food Aid, Food Pantries, Food Prices, Gardening, Health, Health Care, Indiana, Labor of Love Plans, Neighbors, News, Philanthropic, Vegetables, Volunteer

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Church, Church Community Service, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community Service, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Business Donations, Elkhart County Indiana, Food, Food bank, Friends, Good Deeds, Goshen Indiana, Helping, Helping Friends, Helping Hand, Labor of Love, Michiana Tea Party Coalition, Neighbors, Volunteering, We the People 912

Labor of Love, which included businesses from St. Joseph and Elkhart counties, as well as “We the People” 912 and  the Michiana Tea Party Coalition distributed 80 bins and were among the first contributors to the new pantry.

More and more Elkhart County families are struggling on a daily basis to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. It isn’t just the unemployed either. Parents are working multiple jobs and skipping meals just so they can make sure their children are fed.  They have tough decisions to make every day: whether to fill up the car or put food on the table; whether to pay the utilities or put food on the table; whether to pay the rent or put food on the table. All it takes is one illness, one dead car battery or one rent hike and they can no longer take care of their family without help.

For those without family or friends nearby, Church Community Services provides hope , in the form of food and education and finanacial assistance to families going through hard times in Elkhart County.  When families are living in poverty, they have to do without a lot of things – food should not be one of them.

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012 was a huge day for Church Community Services.

It was the grand opening of Church Community Services’ long awaited renovated food pantry and warehouse.  Church Community Services has been working towards making this transition for 4 years.  The new building will give them the resources, space, and opportunity to better serve needs in our growing community.  It will allow them to store and distribute more food. It  will be cleaner and more welcoming, and will give space to be more volunteer- and client- friendly. They will also be able to put more focus on education, such as providing handy recipes and nutritional facts.

The new pantry is 1,225 sq. ft. compared to the former 494 sq. ft.  The new warehouse is 2,910 sq. ft. compared to the current 1,680 sq. ft.  There is also a 864 sq. ft. welcome center complete with a children’s area, and a prayer room for anyone who feels a need to pray. Lots of love and labor was put into this project, and IT SHOWS!

This nutrician video, full of advice on meal planning, preparation and nutrition runs 24/7 in the waiting room.

Amazing things happen when we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer. Church Community Service’s new pantry facility includes a chapel to assist client’s needs.

Here is part of the children’s play area where volunteers watch the children while their parents shop at the pantry.

The ‘Seed to Feed’ vegetables look so good! Fresh garden vegetables are ALWAYS so appreciated.

Mary Kneller, Food Director for Church Community Services, generously used up some of her very valuable time to show me the new facilities. It was a real pleasure.

‘Strong Woman’ from Soup of Success…because we need to hear MORE good news

23 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by HattieBelle in Achievement, Activism, Civic Benefit, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Education, Elkhart, Elkhart County, Elkhart County 4-H Fair, Faith-base, Farm, Farming, Food, Food Aid, Food Pantries, Food Prices, FUN, Fundraisers, Gardening, Goshen, Hard Work, Independence, People helping Neighbors, Principles, Vegetables, Volunteer

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Challenge, Church Community Services, Civic Engagement, Community, Community Service, Constitution, Education, Education Empowers, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Ensuring Success, Family Fun, Food, Food Pantry, Freedom, Goshen, Indiana, Life Skills, Need, Soup of Success, Volunteer, Volunteering, Women, Work

Need some inspiration?

WEEKLY ‘SEED TO FEED’ UPDATE…IT IS ALL GOOD!

Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2012 7:45 AM
Subject: Seed to Feed Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

This past week we had two great harvests at both of our gardens. There
were 29 volunteers who showed up at the Bullard Garden on Monday and 25
volunteers at the Goshen Garden on Tuesday. Thank You all.

We are moving the time of the Bullard Garden picking to 6:00 p.m. We are moving the time of the Bullard Garden picking on Monday evenings. We still need 30 volunteers to pick green beans and sweet corn. Although we will pick on Monday evenings, if anyone wants to pull weeds between the rows, please do so at your own time schedule. If more weeds are pulled,that means more beans get picked. The Bullard Garden is
directly across from Sorg Jewelers, C.R. 17. With 30 volunteers, weeds pulled and fast pickers, we could pick a 1000# of green beans in 3 hrs—-we have lots of beans!!!!!

The Goshen Garden has tons of green tomatoes that should be ready
soon. We will pick every Tuesday at 6:00pm and it is located at 14723
C.R. 36. Last week with 25 volunteers, we picked 11 boxes of beans, tomatoes
and peppers in 1 1/2 hours.

This was a great week and thanks to ALL the volunteers that came and
helped pick. See you Monday and Tuesday at the gardens.

Blessings
Dave Hochstetler

Have a LOT of tomatoes? Garden tomato sauce with basil and homemade meatballs

17 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by HattieBelle in Elkhart County, Hoosier, How to make tomato sauce from garden tomatoes, Indiana, Vegetables

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Basil, Cooking, Cooking Basics, Dinner, Food, Fresh Vegetables, Garlic, How to make tomato sauce from garden tomatoes, Olive oil, Recipe, Tablespoon, Tomato sauce, Tomatoes

How to make tomato sauce from your garden tomatoes…

If you’ve got a LOT of tomatoes try this spaghetti sauce. Everybody LOVES spaghetti and meatballs. This is a recipe that I’ve been making for years.

Browning the meatballs and simmering the tomato/basil sauce.

MY MEATBALLS

Soak in milk, water or stock;

1 slice of bread, 1 inch thick

Beat:

2 eggs

Add eggs to:

1 1/2 lb. ground meat/Martin’s ground sirloin is the best

Saute until golden brown:

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Add to the meat. Wring the liquid from the bread. Add the bread to the meat and then add:

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/2 chopped clove garlic

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. fresh oregano or basil/I’ve used mixed dried Italian herbs when I didn’t have fresh herbs

Mix and form into balls. Brown lightly in:

2 tablespoons butter

Cover your frying pan and simmer on low until the meatballs for 1/2 hour or until the meatballs are firm and no longer pink in the middle.

Cooking down the sauce.

SPAGHETTI SAUCE WITH FRESH TOMATOES AND BASIL

6 peeled, seeded and cut up tomatoes (2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce)

garlic, minced to taste or pinch of garlic powder

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 tablespoons fresh basil (more or less to taste)

DIRECTIONS In a large skillet or saucepan combine the tomatoes,  tomato sauce, garlic, sugar and basil. (Other herbs may be added. I really like basil and prefer just that with tomatoes.) Stir all together and simmer over low heat until thickened. More sugar and a tablespoon of butter may be added if the sauce is too acidic. Flour (1 to 2 tablespoons) may be added if you prefer a thicker sauce. Stir frequently to prevent burning.

HOW TO PEEL TOMATOES

Put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 – 45 seconds is usually enough)

This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes!  If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce…not very pleasant.

After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half.

Now you need to remove the seeds and excess water. Wash your hands then squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds. You don’t need to get fanatical about it; removing just most will do.

You reward for all that work…homemade spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and basil over meatballs and spaghetti. I promise your family will be smiling.

We ARE our brother’s keeper: Elkhart County works together to assist neighbors in need

15 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by HattieBelle in Caring, Civic Benefit, Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community, Community Service Event, Community Services, Compassion, Crops, Drought, Elkhart County, Enterprise, Event, Events, Farm, Farming, Food, Food Aid, FUN, Fundraisers, Goshen, Indiana, Journalism, Meeting, Meetings, People helping Neighbors, Philanthropic, Vegetables, Volunteer

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Benefit, Civic Engagement, Community, Community Service, Depression, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Indiana, Food Banks, Food Pantry, Gardens, Indiana, Need, Recession, United States, Vegetables

Helping hands come in all shapes and sizes.

Elkhart County’s community gardens bring people together of all ages and from every walk of life. You DON’T have to be an experienced gardener to be of assistance. One woman who picked beans last night told me that she had never before picked a bean in her life. But, she said she likes how working in the garden makes her feel. “This feeds people here in our community,” she explains. “We can get a little sweaty and dirty for someone else. Giving back is a good thing.”

Despite this summer’s earlier drought, I do not think it possible for the bean crop to have been MORE prolific. I have NEVER seen bean bushes so laden.

As the economic recession keeps demand at food banks running high, the “big need” and “big hearts” keep “Seed to Feed” volunteers motivated.

Hi, it’s me. I cheated and brought a garden cart to wheel around on.

Get involved! We believe God will continue to bring people and resources together to produce a harvest of vegetables as well as fruit in the lives of those giving and receiving.

Wow! Look at the results. According to Dave Hochstetler, Seed to Feed Coordinator, yesterday volunteers picked 210 pounds of beans and 94 pounds of cucumbers and tomatoes. All from the Goshen farm!

These tomatoes will be SO appreciated by Church Community Service’s food pantry clients!

‘Seed to Feed’s’ coordinator, Dave Hochstetler, says that the vegetables are coming in so plentifully that “Seed to Feed” needs 30 pickers each time: Mondays at 9 a.m., Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Tell your churches, tell your clubs, tell your families. Great group project. Call Dave for details: 574-349-4905 or dhhooch@aol.com .

Related articles
  • How to get emergency assistance in Elkhart County for utility bills (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
  • A Network of Community Gardens – Now Online (greenvilleforwardthinking.com)
  • Grant awarded to West End Community Garden (salisbury.wbtv.com)
  • Community Gardens ribbon-cutting Wednesday in Schenectady (timesunion.com)
  • Field Notes: Las Monjas Community Garden (enterprisecommunity.typepad.com)
  • Community Gardens 101 (theurbn.com)

HOLY COW: The war on milk…

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by HattieBelle in Amish, Bill of Rights, Business, Elkhart, Elkhart County, Elkhart Indiana, Farm, Farming, Food, Freedom, Health, Indiana, Mennonite, Neighbors, USDA, Vegetables

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Amish, Co-ops, Dairy, Dairy Industry, Farming, FBI, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, Food Industry, Fundamental Right, Health, Healthy Food, Illegal Substances, Milk, Milk Wars, Monsanto, Organic Farms, Pasteurization, Pasteurized Milk, Raw milk, The Constitution, United States

Illegal substance “partakers”???

Extending for four decades now, the war on drugs has ingrained a certain ideology into society. What was sold as an initiative to get dangerous drugs off the streets has conceived a totalitarian mindset that government has the authority to control everything you eat and drink and, if you disobey, the state can fine you, destroy your property, raid your home and throw you in jail. I’m not talking about cocaine or meth. I’m not even talking about marijuana. I’m talking about milk.

According to Time Magazine , “for some Americans, milk has become a test of their freedom. And they’re not paranoid kooks either; the government really is out to get them, authorizing seizures of bottles and jugs of unpasteurized milk and, in one recent case, a full-on, agents-brandishing-guns raid.”

There is indeed a war going on, and it’s threatening one of your most basic freedoms – the right to eat a wholly natural, healthful food!

The FDA has long banned the sale of raw milk across state lines, and in many states it’s illegal to sell raw milk entirely. (For more information about laws in various US states, please see this link. For information about raw milk in other countries go here.)

Why has a natural food source been banned for sale in so many areas?

Well, they claim raw milk is simply too dangerous to consume and by restricting its sale they are serving the public health and reducing the risk of illness….

Yet shockingly there’s no evidence backing up this claim.

According to CDC data, from 1993 to 2006, only about 116 illnesses a year were linked to raw milk. That amounts to less than .000002 percent of the 76 million people who contract a food-borne illness in the United States each year!

Looking at the evidence, or rather lack thereof, it is quite clear that raw milk has been unfairly singled out and targeted by the FDA, the USDA, and even the FBI, despite the fact that it’s so low on the food-borne illness risk scale it’s hardly measurable.

The recent enforcement efforts against raw milk sales is so disproportionate to the risk it poses to consumers that it defies all logic.

Is the Ban on Raw Milk Unconstitutional?

Raw milk enthusiasts and raw dairy suppliers began fighting back in early 2010, filing suit against the FDA, claiming that banning interstate sales is unconstitutional.

The rebuttal received from the FDA was shocking to say the least. It contained the following outrageous statements, which make it very clear they believe you have   no right  to natural, unadulterated food:

Live free, drink raw milk.

“There is no absolute right to consume or feed children any particular food.”

“There is no ‘deeply rooted’ historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds.”

“Plaintiffs’ assertion of a ‘fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health, which includes what foods they do and do not choose to consume for themselves and their families’ is similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish.”

The FDA’s brief goes on to state that “even if such a right did exist, it would not render the FDA’s regulations unconstitutional because prohibiting the interstate sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk promotes bodily and physical health.”

“There is no fundamental right to freedom of contract.”

With these assertions, the FDA essentially claims to have the authority to prohibit any food of their choosing, and make it a crime for you to seek it out.

This is simply unacceptable.

Raw Milk Safety Standards – Actually HIGHER than Those for Pasteurized Milk

It’s essential to understand the reasons why most dairy is pasteurized in the first place.

The dairy cows used to produce much of the pasteurized dairy sold in the United States are raised in such unsanitary conditions that it affects the cows’ health and hence the quality of their milk.

Factory farming conditions are the reason why the milk has to be pasteurized in the first place. If it wasn’t, it simply would not be safe to drink. This fact is also what prevents the conventional dairy industry from competing with smaller organic farms.

In terms of quality and nutritional content of the milk, you simply cannot compare the milk produced by factory farms to that of organic farm that raise their cattle on grasses and let them out to pasture. These cows are healthy, and produce high quality, uncontaminated milk that does not require pasteurization to kill off dangerous pathogens.

Still, despite the fact that grass-fed organically-raised cows are at a distinct advantage, from the get-go when it comes to the quality of their milk, organic dairy farms in most states still must meet or exceed pasteurized milk standards, without pasteurizing.

California, specifically, (where raw milk is legal) has its own special set of standards for raw milk for human consumption.

So, if it’s not really about food safety, what’s all the hubbub about?

In a word: money.

The conventional dairy industry, realizing that consumers are flocking toward raw milk because of its health benefits, has redoubled their efforts to quench raw milk sales.

You might think that if raw dairy became attractive enough the dairy industry would simply follow suit and begin producing raw products to meet the demand. Alas… this is virtually impossible because of the way their overcrowded farms are run.

You simply CANNOT drink factory farmed milk raw. It would be extremely unsafe. Their business depends on pasteurization, and that is why their powerful lobbyists will stop at nothing to persuade government agencies to keep raw milk bans in full force.

Big Dairy simply cannot compete, so to maintain their market share, they’re employing dirty tactics to destroy the competition instead.

A yearlong sting operation, including aliases, a 5 a.m. surprise inspection and surreptitious purchases from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, culminated in the federal government announcing this week that it has gone to court to stop Rainbow Acres Farm from selling its contraband.

Related articles
  • Setbacks and Bizarre Turns in the Raw Milk Saga (libertycrier.com)
  • Baylen Linnekin on the Fight for the Right to Choose Raw Milk (reason.com)
  • Setbacks and Bizarre Turns in the Raw Milk Saga (txwclp.org)
  • Raw milk appeal breaking news in TO (thebovine.wordpress.com)
  • Sheriff Brad Rogers takes on the Feds in defense of Elkhart County Dairy Farmer

Volunteers needed this week to help Seed to Feed’s garden (part of Church Community Services)

04 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by HattieBelle in Cooking, Corn, Crops, Elkhart, Elkhart County, Faith-base, Food, Food Pantries, Food Prices, Gardening, Goshen, Hard Work, Hoosier, Incentive, Indiana, Neighbors, Vegetables, Volunteer

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Civic Engagement, Civic Service, Community, Community Church Service, Community Service, Fellowship, Fresh Air, Garden, Gardening, Good Exercise, Green bean, Helping, Helping Neighbors, Home, Philanthropic, Philanthropy, Volunteer

Our first Seed to Feed harvest — so beautiful. Much more to come!

There are some really IMPORTANT events coming up this next week. Volunteers are needed to pick green beans at the Bullard Farm on Monday, Aug 6th at 9:00 a.m.

The location is on CR17, just south of CR14 on the west side of the road. It is directly across from Sorg Jewelers. 8 to 10 volunteers are needed.

‘Seed to Feed’ also needs help picking produce and tying up tomato plants in the Goshen garden. The meet-up time is at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug 7th. The garden is located on CR 36, just east of CR 33 by about 4-5 blocks on the north side.  As they start to get good yields from the garden, ‘Seed to Feed’ wants to thank all the volunteers who come out to help and to welcome our newest volunteers who are joining our weekly updates.

Thanks to the Elkhart community for supporting the “Seed to Feed” program.

When the Seed to Feed program started, there were only two people and an idea. Now the group has 40 members and 70 acres of land. Dave Hochstetler is the coordinator for the Seed to Feed program, which is trying to grow fresh produce for Church Community Services, an Elkhart food pantry. The group held its first harvest on Tuesday with volunteers coming out to help pick.

The garden is one acre, full of peppers, onions, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes and green beans. They have 70 acres of land total, with some acres full of crops they can sell and use the proceeds to buy produce at auction.

Volunteers working in the garden in Goshen.

While the program only extends to Church Community Services, its organizers hope to expand it so they can help all of the 30-plus pantries in the Elkhart County area.

The Future Farmers of America chapters for both NorthWood and Fairfield high schools have also become involved in the project. Students from the Future Farmers of America from both Northwood and Fairfield came out to Tuesday’s harvest.

Director of Food Services Mary Kneller came out on Tuesday to pick vegetables. Since CCS feeds about 2,500 families a month, it would take a large project to be able to feed all of them fresh vegetables.

“This is self-sustaining,” she said. “It’s exciting.”

The group started last winter and planted the seeds in late May and will continue harvesting throughout the summer and will be looking for people to help. They are also looking for other people to donate land they can use for gardening.

Kneller said she didn’t know what to expect when they first started the program. Right now the group has 70 acres and hope to grow that number until they have enough land to be able to feed all the hungry families in the area.

“It’s Elkhart County taking care of Elkhart County,” she said.

More about ‘Seed to Feed’ HERE and HERE.

Related articles
  • County farmers and ‘Church Community Services’ join forces to feed the hungry (elkhartcountygrassrootshub.wordpress.com)
  • Church gardens become a growing ministry (timesdispatch.com)

Is water the new gold? The drought’s economic impact…

24 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by HattieBelle in Department of Homeland Security, Drought, economy, Elkhart County, Emergency Measures, Energy, Food, Food Prices, Indiana, Indiana Department Natural Resources, Lawn, Planning Commission, Property Rights, United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, Vegetables, Washington, water, Zoning

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Drinking water, Drought, Elkhart County, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuel, Indiana, Irrigation, New York Times, United Nations, Water, Water Resources, Water Shortage

Think about it…just for a minute. How many bottles of water do you drink a week? How much do you use for a shower? When you flush a toilet? Wash your car? Cooking? Lattes? And my guess is your city water bill’s gone up in recent years.

The amount of water used to produce items you USE EVERY day…

Illustration is from CNNmoney

In 2010 global water generated over a half trillion dollars of revenue. Global world population will explode from 7 billion today to 10 billion by 2050, predicts the United Nations. And over one billion “lack access to clean drinking water.”

What happens in the next 40 years when another three billion people come into the world? Imagine adding 75 million people every year, six million a month, 200,000 every day, all demanding more and more water to drink, to shower, to cook, to everything. All guzzling down the New Gold that’s getting ever scarcer.

But, individuals DON’T consume the most water.

Agriculture accounts for 71%, and industry another 16% for a total 86% of all water use in the world. It takes 71 gallons to produce a single cup of coffee, due to processing the beans.

Here’s CNN/Money’s summary of the global market for all water users: Total worldwide revenues of $508 billion in 2010 … the bottled water market generated $58 billion of that total and growing fast … industry needs $28 billion for water equipment and services to all kinds of businesses … another $10 billion covers agricultural irrigation … another $15 billion in retail products like filters and various heating and cooling systems …waste water, sewage systems, waste-water treatment and water recycling systems cost $170 billion … and $226 billion for water utilities, treatment plants and distribution systems.

But, that isn’t the worst of it…

Drought puts electrical production at risk.

As illustrated above, coal is burned to heat water, which becomes steam. The pressure of the steam is used to rotate a turbine, which spins a magnet that creates electricity. The steam is then cooled back into water and pumped back out to the source. Without water, there’s no steam. With no steam, there’s no power. (Image courtesy of Tennessee Valley Authority.)

According to Philip Bump at Grist, about half of the nation’s water withdrawals every day for industry are to cool power plants. In addition, the oil and gas industries use tens of millions of gallons a day, injecting water into aging oil fields to improve production, and to free natural gas in shale formations through hydraulic fracturing. Those numbers are not large from a national perspective, but they can be significant locally. Michael Webber, associate director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Texas, finds that worrisome, given our recent water-access difficulties. (Yes, we’re talking about the drought again. Get used to it.) He wrote an editorial for The New York Times titled, “Will Drought Cause the Next Blackout?“

More from Philip Bump about how the drought could affect energy availability and costs HERE.

OTHER Related articles
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Free enterprise in Elkhart County & a red and black raspberry pie

07 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by HattieBelle in Amish, Cooking, Dessert, Elkhart County, Food, Heat, Hoosier, Indiana, Mennonite, Pie, Raspberry, Recipe, Vegetables

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Amish, Berry, Black raspberry, Cook, Cooking, Entrepeneur, Food, Free Market, Mennonite, Recipe, Shopping, United States, Vegetable

Mrs. Weaver’s Produce Stand Sign

One of the best things about living in Elkhart County are the Amish and Mennonite entrepreneurs. My neighbors sell eggs, vegetables, fruit, quilts, vitamins, bread, home baked food, dried noodles, handmade furniture and flowers from their homes.

Saturday, Mrs. Weaver had one last pint of red raspberries. I had already gathered two cups of black raspberries from the wild bushes in our woods and put them in my freezer last summer. It was so dry this year there were NO wild berries to be found. With the red raspberries from the vegetable stand I had “just enough” berries.

Dot raspberries with butter

Red & Black Raspberry Pie

4 cups fresh berries

1 cup or more sugar (you will need more)

¼ cup flour

2 teaspoons tapioca

1 tablespoon lemon juice

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter

Mix all of the ingredients except for the berries & butter.

Sprinkle sugar and flour mixture over berries and stir gently. Let stand for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Turn the fruit into a pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover the pie with top crust. Prick holes and design in crust. Bake the pie at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350. Bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes or until the pie is golden brown.

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