WHY CUBA - INTERESTING ARTICLE AND VIDEO FROM A SURVIVAL GROUP

Marjory Wildcraft went to Cuba and has a new video out about the trip.

Why Cuba? You'll be surprised...

Read on.

Cindy

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Economic collapse is nothing new, it's happened many times throughout
history. As I've written before (remember my earlier email titled How
Close Is The US Gov't To Bankruptcy? - gosh, so many of you wrote in
with "high fives" and "thumbs up") the US Gov't is way past bankrupt and
it is only a matter of when we collapse, not if.

So I am keenly interested in the stories of people who have lived
through collapse. Getting to visit a collapsed country is even more real.

That is why I went to Cuba.

Here is one small taste. Think about your car or truck parked outside
right now. Can you imagine the collapse hitting and that car you have
right now will be the only car you have for the next sixty years? There
won't be any new cars in your life ever again. And it will be a wonder
when you get fuel for it. You'll figure out how to patch it up, jimmy
rig it, or do whatever it takes to keep it operating. But this is it.

There just isn't any more coming.

Ever.

That was what it is in like in Cuba. Cars from the 50's, 40's, and even
the 30's - still running. Because they have to.

It is both inspiring - and shocking.

So here is the link to this first video from Cuba. Check out some of the
things that are day-to-day scars of economic collapse.

http://youtu.be/dq5le3ZT9y4

Oh, BTW, I am going to be in Lebanon, Missouri April 6th & 7th with my
beautiful daughter at the USA Prepares Expo. Vince (the organizer) told
me to tell you I'll be there to personally autograph videos. He says he
treasures the one I signed for him.

I'll be doing a presentation in the 700+seat theater on Sunday
afternoon. I'll have a ton more images from Cuba and I'll convey to you
the extreme impact of economic collapse.

Check your inbox next Tuesday!

Marjory

PS: Here is the link to the video on YouTube again - and I hope to see
you in Lebanon Missouri April 6th & 7th.

http://youtu.be/dq5le3ZT9y4

PPS: I'll be making a major announcement in a few weeks and people on
my email list will be the first to know. Go to the Grow Your Own
Groceries website where I have a free sign up right there on the home
page.www.GrowYourOwnGroceries.com <http://www.GrowYourOwnGroceries.com>

BACKYARD FLOWER FARMERS PERSISTENCE LEADS TO PASSAGE OF FOOD AND FLOWERS FREEDOM ACT

http://www.prisonplanet.com/backyard-flower-farmers-persistence-leads-to-passage-of-food-and-flowers-freedom-act.html

What raises my ire is that this is unnecessary legislation. We paid for the time to be awarded this right from our pocketbooks. And those rogues in Congress thought this was necessary?

We don't need a law to ALLOW us to garden. If we want flowers and vegetables, it's our right, to feed our souls and feed our bellies.

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO GET AWAY WITH THIS CRAP! IT STARTS LOCALLY - THINK ABOUT IT.

A LITTLE GARDENING INFO FROM OFF-THE-GRID NEWS

The year 2011 is finally winding down. As we look back, I think the only thing that can be said is that it has been a whopper of a ride! Fuel has gone up and it's come down and it's back on the rise. The job market is bleaker than ever. We've had regimes topple across the world, new ones rise up, and now we live in even more fear than before because of the hardline extremists that are taking over.

The jobs market is still a dismal affair, and no matter how the government skews the numbers or the data to make rosy predictions completely unsupported by fact, the American people are not stupid. They know how things really are.

They live those realities every single day.

However, I don't want to harp on this picture of doom and gloom but rather, as 2011 winds down, I want to focus on the hope of the coming New Year. You see, for too long we've bought into the paradigm that it's the actions of others that control us--the bankers, the corporations, the schools, society, the government, fate, or whatever--and we allow that paradigm to suck the hope of a bright future away from us. To an extent these entities do influence the quality and direction of our lives... but they are obstacles to be worked around, not barriers that should stop us.

Will our future look like our parents' did? Probably not. But I'm here to tell you that our future can be just as rewarding, significant, and full of hope as any generation before us. We just have to quit believing that it's someone else's responsibility to provide that future for us. The future is ours, if we're willing to reach out, do the hard work, and take hold of it.
For instance, food prices are crazy. You may feel that you're captive to whatever the grocery stores want to charge you, but I'm here to tell you that you have options you don't even know about. Whether you live in the country or live in the city--you have options!

For example, we're just now coming into winter. In fact, as I write this, it's the first day of winter. It's raining and cold outside where I live. In the North, the ground is frozen and hard, the trees lifeless. Gardening is something far off, something that comes with warmth and sunshine, with harvests of tomatoes, peppers, corn, beans, and squash in August and September, right?

Sure, if that's all you're looking at. But I wanted you to look with hope, and a new paradigm, remember?

And that new paradigm includes cool weather crops.

We're talking crops like peas, radishes, spinach, carrots, arugula, lettuce, beets, and Swiss chard that actually THRIVE when temperatures are between 32° and 60°F. Peas can even be frozen solid and will display no ill effects, and when they thaw, they simply continue growing!

But even better than the temperature range, is the time factor. Most "cool-season" vegetables produce in 60 days or less, some in as little as 25 days. When the soil warms and their production slows or ceases, we can then replace our cool-season vegetables with peppers or tomatoes, or any other warm-season crop, making efficient use of garden space or containers.

The feeling of actually being in control of a part of my life that I had traditionally turned over to others (Big Ag, the grocery store) is one reason I am so excited about this newest product from Heirloom Solutions. It's called their Cool Weather Food-In-A-Flash kit, and it is awesome! This wonderful kit contains seed for:

• Arugula--Grown for both its sharp nutty-flavored leaves and seeds, first noted during Roman times. The leaves are used as edible salad or sandwich greens, and the seeds can be used for flavoring oils. Best picked when young and tender. Does well in early spring or fall, prefers cool weather. Make successive sowings for a continuous supply. Will produce 3-5 cuttings if kept well picked. Very low in calories, high in vitamins A & C. Ready to pick in as few as 25 days from sowing. Packet (5000 seeds).
  
• Black Valentine Bean--Straight, slender, dark green, nearly round pods, stringless at all stages. Strong vigor, good for early spring plantings. Plants are 16-18" tall. First introduced by seedsman Peter Henderson in 1897, used extensively for canning and shipping. For an extended supply of beans, plant successive sowings every 2-3 weeks. Can also be used as a dry bean. 48 to 70 days. Packet (100 seeds).
  
• Detroit Dark Red Beet--The standard for beets, originally developed in 1892 from Early Blood Turnip beet. Excellent choice as a main-crop canner, reliable yields of 3" round, blood red roots. Good keeper. Make successive sowing for a continuous supply. It is possible to have fresh beets from May through November, even in the upper Midwest. 45-70 days. Packet (500 seeds).
  
• Little Fingers Carrot--A great mini carrot from France, great for children. Very early, roots are 3-4" long and can be pulled easily. Smooth skin, deep orange color, little to no core. Very sweet and crisp. Once you taste these, it will be hard to go back to store bought imitations! Can also be grown well in containers. Sow in early spring and also in late summer for a fall crop. 50-60 days from transplant. Packet (1,000 seeds).
  
• Buttercrunch Lettuce--All-American Selections winner from 1966, bred by Dr. Raleigh at Cornell. Well known with growers and consumers. Small heads weigh 12-14 oz. each. Very tender, nice flavor, does well in the Midwest heat. 50-60 days. Packet (1,000 seeds)
  
• Green Oakleaf Lettuce--French variety that has been grown since the 1700s. This strain is very tolerant of hot weather and bolting. Long standing and never bitter. Good cutting variety, plants will grow back time after time when cut back. Start eating as a baby leaf at 25 days or as a full sized, loose-leaf head at 50 days. Packet (1,000 seeds).
  
• Green Arrow Pea--This strain has set the standard for home and market production. Medium-size vines grow 24-28" tall and require minimal support. Trellising can be as simple as some tree branches. Slim pointed pods are 4-5" long and contain 8-11 small deep-green peas. Pods are almost always borne in doubles. Great for canning, freezing, and for dehydrating. Very heavy, reliable production. Plant in early spring or late summer, does best in the cooler seasons. 62-70 days. Packet (250 seeds).
  
• French Breakfast Radish--Oblong shaped, rose-scarlet on the top with a white tip. White, crisp flesh, mildly pungent flavor, top quality. Sow in the spring or fall, harvest when small. A garden standard since the 1880s. Let a few plants go to seed so that you can enjoy the seedpods raw in salads or stir-fry. 30 days from planting. Packet (500 seeds).
  
• America Spinach--A long standing Bloomsdale-type spinach, fine quality, heavy yields. All-American Selections winner in 1952. Excellent for fresh use, canning, or freezing. Slow to bolt, tolerant to heat and drought. 40-50 days from transplant. Packet (500 seeds).
  
• Rhubarb Swiss Chard--Introduced in 1857 and has stood the test of time. Deep crimson-colored stalks and leaf veins contrast sharply with green crumpled leaves. Ornamental enough for the flower garden, but also very well-flavored for baby greens or cooked. Good vigor, can be sown early in the spring. ±1,700 seeds per ounce. 50-60 days. Packet (250 seeds).
  

Now what would you expect to pay for something like this Food-In-A-Flash kit? We're not talking about Big Ag-produced seed. We're talking heirlooms, those seeds that are just the way God made them, able to reproduce after their own kind. And right now, heirlooms are in great demand and short supply.

Well, I'm here to tell you that the folks at Heirlooms Solutions are bringing this special offer to their customers with all the giddiness of a teenage girl in love (and they are in love with this product!) for the very low price of $29.95, plus shipping and handling. We're talking that for less than the price of one bag of groceries at the grocery store (maybe two, if you're really thrifty!) you can have fresh produce before your friends are even thinking about tilling up their spring gardens. And even in the South, you can have those cool-weather crops producing even after the seed for your summer and fall harvest are in the ground.

This year, don't look back at what has been. Look forward, look at a future that you alone can shape. Give yourself and your family the gift of hope this year. Don't allow yourself to be bogged down in the paradigm that this world insists is the only reality, that you can't make it without Big Ag, corporations, or the government. Click here to order your Food-In-A-Flash kit and make your future reality whatever you want it to be.

All the hopes and best wishes for the coming year,

Hanne Moon
Editor
Off the Grid News

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FDA SAYS YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO FEED YOURSELVES NATURAL, HEALTHY FOOD - YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP, PEOPLE!

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1064/570/NL/

CRIMINAL GARDENING IN GEORGIA - WHY?

http://www.brasschecktv.com/videos/food/criminal-gardening.html

FRONT YARD GARDENER FACES NEW CHARGES

http://www.infowars.com/front-yard-gardener-faces-new-charges/

HERE'S A SOURCE FOR NON-GMO SEED

http://www.survivalistseeds.com/

CANCUN CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT - SCIENTISTS CALL FOR RATIONING IN DEVELOPED WORLD

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/8165769/Cancun-climate-change-summit-scientists-call-for-rationing-in-developed-world.html

And the US Senate passed the Health and Food Freedom Act yesterday, which included Lieberman on the hot mic saying everything is RIGGED.

Hot damn!

Are you putting the pieces together?

The UN wants rationing in our developed world. Big Agra, who wants to feed you gm food was behind the Health and Food Freedom Act - it sounded so NICE. But it destroys family farms, it destroys your ability to buy eggs from your neighbor, or tomatoes.

This is food nazism.

This is another blow to liberty and freedom.

And that damnable bill passed with a nearly unanimous vote. They are idiots. They need a reminder for YOU!

THE SUNFLOWER PROJECT - MONITORING THE BEES

http://www.greatsunflower.org/

This is something I want to try. I have seen...TWO (COUNT THEM - 2) HONEYBEES THIS YEAR.

There are no flower wasps, no moths, either nocturnal or diurnal, no micro moths, no orchard bees, few carpenter bees.

This is the time of migration for butterflies. In fact, by late October, most of the migrations are over for them. There was so much rain this year, we had growth but no flowers. The county mowers have scoured the roadsides. They should be at least knee deep to over my head and full of blooms. September should be a kaleidoscope in yellows, whites and orange. NOTHING is here for the butterflies or wasps.

The Monarchs should be coming. There is nothing for them. They had a bad time in Mexico last year.

The Gulf Fritillary should have arrived in late August to stay until late October, migrating in clouds.

The one shown above is the second one I've seen. And it is an older adult.

A friend who is a lifelong naturalist and ornithologist said there are simply NO pollinators this year.

How is it in your neck of the woods? Are they spraying? Do you have chem trails? Is your county mowing brutally? Got any theories? Do you have pollinators? Do you have GM crops near you?

Please leave some comments.

FROM SEAWATER TO GARDEN - THROUGH A TIRE STILL

Look at the map. What a lot of salt water surrounds us. Here's a still made of recycled tires that will bring you water for your garden.

http://seawatertogarden.com/index.html

Here's an excellent daily newsletter to keep you on your toes...

You might consider subscribing. It's great.

http://www.cnsnews.com/home


Don't tell Michele Obama - I'm on my way to the store to get white sugar. Is a lemon ok, Michele? Do they cancel out?

And if I can find them, canning lids.

I'm going to make jam. Georgia peach jam. Georgia has had a bumper crop of the most magically delicious peaches I've ever tasted. It could have been the colder than usual winter weather. Whatever it was, the peaches are absolutely grand.

And when Grandma makes the jam, Michele, I'm going to give a jar each to my grandkids.
I'm ruining their life, I know, Michele. At least, when you get your way and make them eat tasteless, calorie free cardboard, they can remember Grandma's peach jam.

If I don't come back here today, it's because I'm in the throes of jam making.

THE DIRTY DOZEN OF FRUITS AND VEGIES

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-12-toxic-fruits-and-vegetables.html

After reading this you might want to go on intravenous feeding. This is awful. I remember as a kid growing up in Staten Island, NY, the Saturday shopping usually included a trip out to Richmond Avenue where the farm stands were. We rivaled New Jersey in the quality of tomatoes, because the soil was sandy out there (and full of Indian arrowheads). They were near my Uncle Joe's kennel, where I was usually on Saturday - I had a thing about dogs and goats and elbow room even then.

The one we frequented most - there were 3 or 4 - had makeshift white stands and I think a roof for shade. Sometimes the produce was set out by the others with a jar for the honor system. Never a thought to cheat the farmer.

It smelled so fresh - everything was sprayed according to how hot the day was. But a little dirt settled into the hearts of the lettuce, clung to the beets, the scallions. The tomatoes were bought until my father's garden came in and we had our own. Then we didn't need to buy from others.

I doubt if there were any chemicals. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they were covered in ddt. Dad had a "Flit" gun. I think he used that for hornets and I think the chemical was ddt.

Chemicals are so harmful. I never minded a worm in an apple. You just cut it out.

I think if everyone was aware of the chemicals (and foreign produce is worse), on or in our food,
the genetics that go into the hybrids, the dangers to pollinators that the chemicals cause, we would be growing our own.

Gardening is wonderful. I am a terrible gardener - I need help. But with my neighbor we produced a fantastic garden without chemicals here for four years in a row. She is too ill to garden now. But every day I pass her place a few doors down, I see our garden patch which was about 50 by 75 feet, and remember standing with a spade on that first day and thinking that I'll never be able to turn all this.

But we did.

Want a garden? Grab a friend.

EVEN OBAMA'S VEGETABLE GARDEN LIES - TSK, TSK, CZARINA MICHELLE

http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/even-obamas-vegetables-lie/

You shouldn't lie to the kids.

You shouldn't lie to us "folks" about your garden.

The White House - white for purity.

And now, a hotbed of lies - from vegetables in the garden to your husband's eligibility to be president.

DIY gardening tip: A shoebag makes a fine hanging garden

http://www.instructables.com/id/VERTICAL-VEGETABLES-quotGrow-upquot-in-a-smal/

Jefferson's Monticello poppy garden erased from public memory

http://www.alternet.org/story/145872/how_the_dea_scrubbed_thomas_jefferson%27s_monticello_poppy_garden_from_public_memory

This is how they do it - scrub things from memory just like in George Orwell's "1984". If you haven't read it, or haven't read it in a long time, please find a copy and READ IT. I'm reading it now and just came across a spectacular passage I will enter here maybe tomorrow.

My mother's pride and joy was her flower garden. The flamboyant oriental poppies, always orange - for no other color would do - bloomed mightily under her hands. They bloomed with the quieter, sweeter peonies, after the tulips. Put those magnificent flowers in Grandma's cut glass vase, the one that sang like a fairy chime, and you just had to stand back and marvel.

We did not extract the juice. We were not poppy addicts. My mother explained that the sap was used to make heroine, and in Chinatown, in those dark allies, and curtainless windows there were ugly places where ugly dope addicts lived in squalor. They smoked opium pipes. It ate their brains. They died of their addiction.

But the seeds were harvested to decorate rolls.

And they were beautiful.

Did I want to end up in Chinatown, in the dirty, dark places, an addict?

HELL, NO!

And so, my mother divided her plants every year and gave them to friends, family, gardeners she barely knew who admired them, just like her grandmother from Cuba did.

It's a family thing.

Bright, brilliant, hot orange, we just love poppies. And so did old Tom Jefferson.

How sad the paranoia of the federal government, taking away our freedom even to enjoy a flower.

Do you buy compost by the bag? Gardeners - read this!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Grow-It/Contaminated-Compost-Clopyralid-Aminopyralid-Pyralid-Dow-Chemicals-Toxins.aspx

Gardeners - check with Big Brother BEFORE planting veggies and...

http://www.yourpoliticsareboring.org/2009/03/growing-your-own-food-check-with-big-brother-first/