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swingbolder
06-28-2006, 12:50 PM
I am a believer in the "peak oil" theory. Basically, this is the theory that there is a finite amount of fossil fuels in the earth and that we have just reached -- or will soon reach -- the half-way point in terms of using that supply up.

Stay with me here, it does relate to raw food. :)

Peak Oil scientists/economists believe that the second half of the oil supply, that's still in the ground, will be a lot more scarce and expensive than our current supply, for a number of reasons, among them: 1) for geological reasons it's harder and more expensive to extract and 2) diminishing supply and increased demand -- from India and China mostly -- as well as the other industrial nations will drive prices up. Geopolitical wars among the superpowers and/or oil-producing nations (US, Russia, China, Iran. etc.) will be fought for the remaining supply (this is already happening).

What this means for our food supply is that people may be forced to eat more seasonally again, as it becomes more and more expensive to ship food to supermarkets thousands of miles away. Bananas and avocados for instance which are mainstays of many a raw fooder's diet may become out of reach, for those who live in colder climates.

Where I live (northeast), the growing season is from spring to fall. Kale can grow through the first coupla frosts I believe but not much longer. After that if you wanted to keep eating fresh it'd be apples and pears from the fall harvest and root stuff, like carrots and winter squashes. You could grow sprouts indoors all year round, of course, and nuts can store all winter.

But things like mangoes around Christmas might become history.

What do you think? And what would you do? Move someplace warmer, with a longer growing season? Add blanched veggies that you maybe froze yourself during the summer?

elian
06-28-2006, 01:16 PM
Hi swingbolder,
I do think about this quite frequently. There is a 100 mile initative right now which fits into this topic too.

There is a wonderful website call the Path to Freedom http://www.pathtofreedom.com that talks about this. The are urban homesteaders (they are also in the sunny south) that have a wonderful journal and wonderful ideas.

Aside from that... my plans are to garden more, network with gardeners locally here, dry and freeze what I can. I try to think what I can eat that I can grow in the future. (btw I'm not a good gardener)

Yes, it would be sad to give up my staples of bananas, pineapples, avacados and other wonderful foods from far away. What what will happen is when we can have these treats, they will be so much sweeter and more savored. But no, I don't plan to move anywhere.

sport
06-28-2006, 02:05 PM
Maybe electricity will be rationed so you will not be able to use your dehydrator. We will have to live as our ancestors and I am afraid that for the irish that is milk and potatoes.
I will be one of the ones moving.

sport
06-28-2006, 02:07 PM
I think that Global Warming is a far greater threat than running out of oil. Even if you live like a hermit in a cave you will not be able to escape.