Monoculture VS. Diversification (Final Draft)

         What is the difference between monoculture and diversification? Monoculture is a company or farmer that only grows one type of food; for example, large fields of only cotton, or own hundreds of cows on little land, feeding them all corn. Most of those cows can only move a few steps at a time, or can’t move at all! Diversification is a farmer who grows multiple kinds of foods. For example, a vegetable garden full of different kinds of vegetables. Or that puts cows out on acres of land, and giving them the freedom and food they need.
         Monoculture has so many effects on nature. Bees are one of them. Did you know that bees not only pollinate flowers, but all sorts of plants, crops, etc.? Just like flowers, that is what keeps those crops alive and healthy. They go around to multiple kinds of plants and collect the pollen from each kind of plant/crop. This includes apples, almonds, oranges, pumpkins, etc. How would you feel if you had to live on only one kind of food? Say, apples. All you had to eat was apples. Apples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All day, every day. How would you feel? You’d probably get sick before long, and you’d get tired of eating apples. Why would you get sick? Because apples only have so many nutrients that your body needs before it says, enough, no more apples. That’s exactly how bees feel with monoculture. They go to pollinate this big field of crops, and what do they find? A huge field of the same food, for miles and miles. It isn’t before long that bees become sick from that crop and die.
         People claim that monoculture makes farming easier and cheaper. A couple farmers will own acres of apples, and a couple other farmers will grow cotton, etc. Since all plants normally need to be taken care of a different way, doing monoculture makes it easier. All they have to do is take care of one plant, but doing that affects the crop that the farmer is growing. When a farmer grows the same crop over and over again each year, the soil starts to lose all of its nutrients which makes that crop lose its nutrients, which makes us lose our nutrients when we eat it. When you plant a crop, it gives the soil some nutrients, and it takes some nutrients. But if you plant that same crop the next year, it gives the same nutrient and takes the same nutrient. Soon the soil loses all its nutrients that the crop is taking, leaving the crop and the soil unhealthy. Now you might be thinking, wait, but didn’t farmers plant potatoes in a field and only potatoes? Yes, but the next season they plant something different in that same field in order to balance the number of minerals. That’s the problem with monoculture. It plants the same plant over and over again in that field, never switching it out with another plant. 
         Diversification is basically the opposite of monoculture. The animals get the space and food they need to keep them healthy, plants are mixed in a garden, sharing minerals. People say it costs too much to own that much land for a couple cows or to feed cows something other than corn. They say it takes too much time to own a garden, but I think that it’s worth the time and money; to keep the animals and yourself healthy. 
         One of the ways you can support diversification instead of monoculture is to find a farm and visit the farm. Are the animals out on land? Or are they trapped in a little pen or stall? Are there acres and acres of land of the same crop? Or is it a garden of multiple kinds of food? If the farm looks like what it should, start buying products from that farm. It’s okay if you get your milk from a different place then you get your vegetables. I get my milk from a lady who leaves her cows out grazing 24/7, but I get my honey from somewhere different. Another way you can support it is you can go to a farmers market and ask to visit their farm. There are multiple ways you can stop supporting monoculture and start supporting diversification. Even making one little change at a time can make a big difference. Think about where you get your food, what can you do to make a difference?

Monoculture VS. Diversification (First Draft)

     What is the difference between mono-culture and diversification? Mono-culture is a company or farmer that that only grows one type of food; for example, large fields of cotton only. Or that own hundreds of cows on little land, feeding them all mostly corn. Most of those cows can only move a few steps at a time, or can’t move at all! Why? Because there is simply not enough space the farmers put them on. Diversification is a farmer who grows multiple kinds of foods. For example, a vegetable garden full of different kinds of vegetables. Or that puts cows out on acres of land. Giving them the freedom and food they need. The old fashion way is what some people call it.

     Monoculture has so many effects on nature. Bees are one of them. Did you know that bees not only pollinate flowers but all sorts of plants, crops, etc.? Just like flowers, that is what keeps those crops alive and healthy. They go around to multiple kinds of plants and collect the pollen from each kind of plant/crop. This includes apples, almonds, oranges, pumpkins, etc. How would you feel if you had to live on only one kind of food? Say, apples. All you had to eat was apples. Apples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All day every day. How would you feel? You’d probably get sick before long, and you’d get tired of eating apples. Why would you get sick? Because apples only have so many nutrients that your body needs before he says, enough; no more apples. That’s exactly how bees feel with monoculture. They go to pollinate this big field of crops, and what do they find? A huge field of the same food, for miles and miles. It isn’t before long that bees become sick from that crop and die. 

     People claim that monoculture makes farming easier and cheaper. A couple farmers will own acres of apples, and a couple other farmers will grow cotton, etc. Since all plants normally need to be taken care of a different way, doing monoculture makes it easier. All they have to do is take care of one plant. But doing that affects the crop that farmer is growing. When a farmer grows the same crop over and over again each year, the soil starts to loose all of its nutrients which makes that crop loose its nutrients, which makes us lose our nutrients when we eat it. When you plant a crop, it gives the soil some nutrients, and it takes some nutrients. But if you plant that same crop the next year, it gives the same nutrient and takes the same nutrient. Soon the soil loses all its nutrients that the crop is taking, leaving the crop and the soil unhealthy. But now you might be thinking, wait. But didn’t farmers plant potatoes in a field and only potatoes? Yes, but the next season they plant something different in that same field in order to balance a number of minerals. That’s the problem with monoculture. It plants the same plant over and over again in that field, never switching it out with another plant.

     Diversification is basically the opposite of monoculture. Some people call it the old fashion way. The animals get the space and food they need to keep them healthy, plants are mixed in a garden, sharing minerals. People say it costs too much to own that much land for a couple cows or to feed cows something other than corn. They say it takes to much time to own a garden, but I think that it’s worth the time and money; to keep the animals and yourself healthy.

     One of the ways you can support diversification instead of monoculture is to find a farm and visit the farm. Are the animals out on land? Or are they trapped in a little pen or stall? Are there acres and acres of land of the same crop? Or is it a garden of multiple kinds of food? If the farm looks like what it should, start buying from that farm. It’s okay if you get your milk from a different place then you get your vegetables. I get my milk from a lady who leaves her cows out grazing 24/7, but I get my honey from somewhere different. Something else you can do is go to a farmers market and ask to visit their farm. There are multiple ways you can stop supporting monoculture and start supporting diversification. Even making one little change at a time can make a big different. Think about where you get your food. What can you do to make a difference?

First Water Kefir!

I just recently started growing water kefir a few days ago and everyone is loving it! 

• I started by pouring my kifer grains into a quart size mason jar.
• Then, I add 1/4 cup organic sugar.
• I fill the rest of the space up with filtered water.
• I let it sit for 24-48 hours (depending on how fast your grains eat the sugar). 

• Once your kefir is ready, you strain the water into another jar and add your favorite flavors! (My favorite is 1/3 cup strawberry puree and 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice. Thank you Sister Scholes for recommending that!)  
• (As for the kefir grains that now should be in a jar by themselves, repeat same process as above)
• Once the flavors are incorporated, pour your drink into a sealed bottle. This will make it carbonated like soda.

• Let the drink sit for 8 hours or so.

                                                                            Enjoy!

P.S. I actually shared this with a friend and she liked it so much she asked for seconds! That's why I love water kefir. It has natural probiotics in it, yet it's not something you have to learn to love. You just love it!