Fall 2013 Magazine

Fall 2013 COVERED IN THIS ISSUE: •

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

•

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR IRON DEFECIENCY

•

SUSTAINABLE vs GREEN

•

FABULOUS FALL RECIPES

HELPING OTHERS HELP THEMSELVES

Update from MSF Director Phil Reasons

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO I really feel compelled to write this quarter to explain the reasons why we do what we do. We are busy here every day researching and developing new methods of sustainable food production and ways to implement these practices around the world. We have a saying here at Morning Star “At the end of the day we must be growing food�. Our mission is not about the methods but about the food (Gods provision). We believe that Gods provision to meet the needs in this world has already been provided. We need to introduce others to the methods so they can benefit from Gods provision. The problem of hunger and malnutrition is a problem that we all need to be involved with solving.

Children are the most visible victims of malnutrition. Children who are poorly nourished suffer up to 160 days of illness each year. Imagine a child being sick nearly half of their life. Malnutrition magnifies the effect of every disease, including diarrhea, pneumonia, measles and malaria.

According to the most recent estimate, malnutrition, as measured by stunting development, affects 33 percent of children in developing countries, more than 70 percent of malnourished children live in Asia, 26 percent in Africa and 4 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In many cases, their plight began even before birth with a malnourished mother. This causes learning disabilities, mental retardation, poor health, blindness and premature death.

Does the world produce enough food to feed everyone?

Yes. The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17 percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day according to the most recent estimate that we could find (FAO 2002, p.9). The problem is a large portion of this food gets wasted and never ends up on the plate of a hungry person.

What are the causes of hunger?

What are the causes of hunger is a fundamental question, with varied answers. Poverty is the principal cause of hunger. The causes of poverty include poor people's lack of resources, an extremely unequal income distribution in the world and within specific countries, conflict, and hunger itself. As of 2008 the World Bank has estimated that there were an estimated 1,345 million poor people in developing countries who live on $1.25 a day or less. In SubSaharan Africa, the number of people in extreme poverty has increased primarily because of US Government subsidized food crops being sent to their countries and putting farmers out of work. The statement that 'poverty is the principal cause of hunger' is, though correct, unsatisfying.

It’s not enough to give food!

We must understand that to combat poverty we must empower the people. We must introduce them to Gods provision. We must educate them and demonstrate sustainable methods of producing their own food supply and at the same time creating their own commerce.

Teaching them to teach others!

Hang this poster in your pantry to help you breeze through all your aches and pains!

Coughing? Add Rosemary The eucalyptol in this aromatic herb is study proven to loose chest congestion, making phlegm easier to expel. Plus, rosemary is rich in anti-inflammatory tannins, which soothe a sore throat.

Menstrual Cramps? Add Oregano Enjoying 2 tsp of fresh oregano daily during menstruation reduces or eliminates cramps.

That’s because this herbs thymol and carvacrol, relax uterine muscles to prevent painful contractions.

Congested? Add Cayenne The fiery capsaicin in cayenne deactivates substance P, a neurotransmitter linked to inflammation. The result; less sinus congestion and pressure.

Tired? Add Cilantro The carboxylic acid in cilantro binds to heavy metals such as mercury in the blood and carries it out of the body. Their removal reverses the toxin buildup that cause fatigue, joint pain and depression

Crampy Tummy? Add Mint Peppermint contains menthol, a natural plant compound that relaxes pain-inducing intestinal spasms.

This reduces belly discomfort by 40 percent.

Bloated? Add Parsley Thanks to its stores of apiol and myristicin, parsley is a natural diuretic that relives bloat-inducing water retention by preventing salt from being reabsorbed into the bodily tissue.

Feeling Down? Add Basil The eugenol and rosmarinic acid in basil boost the brain’s production of dopamine and serotonin. According to Indian researchers, you could feel better as soon as three days.

Nauseous? Add Ginger Ginger’s gingerol and shogaol calm digestive-tract spasms to reduce nausea better than motion-sickness drugs.

According to a study at Brigham Young University.

Information brought to you by superherbalfoods.com

AQUAPONIC SYTEM IN TOGO IS

WITH FOOD

While vertical gardening isn’t really a new idea, there are lots of creative new ways to join in the fun and grow plenty of food for your family. Here are some really cool ideas by some really creative gardeners

PVC pipe allows you to get very creative‌ have fun, go tall, go wide, go any direction you wish!

For this venture, you will require the pallet you discovered, two big baggage of potting soil, a little roll of landscape material, a staple gun, staples, and sand paper and of course seeds or plants of your choice.

Vertical Veggie Wall. The stacking options of cinder blocks are endless, it can be random or full of patterns and what if you painted or concrete-stained the blocks.

Gutter Garden. Affix rain gutters to a fence, slope them for drainage, and hello salad!

Re-purposed Spice Rack Garden. You can find these at any garage sale or thrift store.

WHAT There seems to be a common misconception in the ideas of green vs sustainable. The two terms are often used interchangeably when they actually mean two different things.

It's sustainable (and green) to support local farms and to buy goods and services from a locally owned business.

It's green (and sustainable) to bring your own reusable shopping bags. However, green doesn't always mean something is sustainable and sustainable doesn't mean self-sufficient; but that's entirely different discussion.

“living a more sustainable life is a journey, not a destination.”

Green living is a lifestyle that seeks to bring into balance the preservation of the Earth's natural resources with human culture. But...green doesn’t always mean something is sustainable. Sustainability is the practice in which your use does not degrade future use. While a product can be made in an environmentally friendly way, there is no way to know if the process is sustainable right away.

Perhaps to best understand the difference, lets consider a product like bamboo flooring. Without question, a lumber made from a renewable resource is green. But most bamboo flooring is made in China and transported to the U.S. on ships and trucks that burn fuel. That's not sustainable because our supply of fossil fuel is finite and because burning this fuel contributes to climate change.

Green is a step towards sustainability; but sustainability is ultimately THE goal – arriving at a point where a system, community, family can sustain themselves Indefinitely.

To be sustainable, you must take into consideration it's

IS

THE

DIFFERENCE?

three main pillars: environmental responsibility, social responsibility, and financial responsibility.

Creating a sustainable future means creating a life that's actually worth sustaining.

This means putting an emphasis not only on the environment; but on things that deeply fulfill us, such as our relationships, our passions and interests, our sense of peace or fun and most importantly our ability to enjoy and love one another.

Life isn't easy when you place a high value on sustainability. Popular or not, our society has evolved to consume resources (and that includes – time, funds, relationships, health and happiness) at an alarming rate with little thought to the long term consequences.

There are a number of “green” things that you can do to live a more sustainable life; just remember that living a more sustainable life is a journey, not a destination.

Written by: Ara McLeod Program Coordinator for MSF

“Green is a step towards sustainability; but sustainability is ultimately THE goal – arriving at a point where a system, community, family can sustain themselves Indefinitely.”

“The idea that some lives matter less, is the root of all that is wrong with the world” ― Dr Paul Farmer

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake • • • • •

2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt 1/4 cup milk 1/3 cup pumpkin puree 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• • • • •

1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/8 teaspoon cloves 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoon gingersnap cookies (crumbled, optional

Directions: 1. Blend everything other than the gingersnap cookies in a blender.

2. Serve garnished with the gingersnap cookies.

Simple Butternut Squash Soup • • • • • • •

1 small onion 1 large stalk celery 1 medium carrot 2 medium starchy potatoes, such as russet 1 medium butternut squash Water or stock just to cover the veggies, approximately 4 cups salt and pepper to taste, plus any optional herbs, spices or flavorings

Prepare all veggies by washing or peeling as needed, removing any bad spots and removing the seeds from the squash. Be careful while peeling the squash and use a large and very sharp knife for cutting as they can be rather difficult. Roughly chop the veggies and place in a large pot and cover with water or your favorite vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook until all the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Once all the veggies are tender blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor an blend until completely smooth. Transfer the soup back to the pot and season as desired, being sure to use enough salt as the potatoes in the recipe absorb a lot of it and all the different flavors will really come out once you use just enough salt.

Spicy-Sweet Roasted Fall Vegetables • • • • • • • • • • •

2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 garnet yam, cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved 1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the cut vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the ground peppers, brown sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the vegetables are evenly coated, then transfer to a 12-inch cookie sheet or shallow baking dish. Roast on the middle rack, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and browned.

Serve immediately.

Iron Deficiencies in Aquaponic Plants Iron ( Fe ) deficiency is a plant disorder also known as "lime -induced chlorosis". It can be confused with manganese deficiency. An iron deficiency in aquaponic systems is common and can be magnified if pH is over 7.0. A common problem is when the pH is too alkaline

( the pH is above 7.0 )

then

plants cannot take up Iron even if it is in the water. High pH is imeoften caused by lime in the water therefore the name “ l ime induced chlorosis � .

Symptoms include leaves turning yellow or brown in the margins between the veins which may remain green, while young leaves may appear to be bleached. Fruit would be of poor quality and quantity.

Iron deficiency can be avoided by introducing Iron into the water. Iron can be made available immediately to the plant by the use of iron sulphate or iron chelate compounds. Both of these can be purchased easily most anywhere in the United States BUT not in West Africa so we came up with an innovative solution to this very common problem.

1.

200 grams of waste steel from the local machine shop.

2.

1 liter of Sulfuric Acid ( b attery acid )

3.

2 liters of water

4.

Mix these together in a bucket and wait 24hrs

5.

The result are beautiful crystals ( iron sulfate crystals )

6.

Dissolve these in water and add solution to aquaponics water to 1ppm and iron deficiencies are no more!!

•

1 1/4 C boiling water

•

1/4 C (tightly packed) grated (homemade) soap 1/4 C castile soap 1-1.25 T super washing soda (adjust amount for thickness) 1010-30 drops essential oils (optional) My choices for this are always of the tea treetree-sweet orangeorange-lemongrasslemongrasslavenderlavender-eucalyptuseucalyptus-pinepine-rosemaryrosemary-peppermint varieties.

• • •

In a pint jar, (with a homemade dispenser top), combine soap flakes, (an oldold-fashioned lye soap works well), and boiling water. Stir with a fork until all flakes are dissolved. Add super washing soda and stir. Add castile soap. Stir. Allow to cool and add essential oils of your choice. I like to give it a shake or a stir every now and again. Over time it gels up a bit, (especially (especially if I add too much super washing soda), soda), and I like to shake things up a bit to keep it all incorporated. Also, we have noted that if our house gets too cold, the soap gets super thick, so if you keep your house cold you may want to use less super soda.

To read the full article and learn how to make the homemade soap dispenser visit sustaincreateandflow.com

Our Mission Give a man a fish and he eats for one day. Teach a man to raise fish and grow vegetables and the whole community eats for a lifetime.

Contact Us

About Morning Star Fishermen Ways To Support

•

Financial Donation • Sponsor a Student • Adopt a Tank • Help Support One of Our 3 Offsite Facilities • And Many More!

Keep Us in Your Prayers

•

Become a Volunteer or Intern

•

Take a Class

•

Become a Friend of MSF by Joining our Mailing List

•

(352) 523.2722 msfmail@morningstarfishermen.org www.morningstarfishermen.org

Address to MSF 33336 Old Saint Joe Road Dade City, Florida 33525