the electoral college a middle ground

[Hans Blaster]

99% of all farmers buy their seeds each year. Over 90% have never used seeds from one year to start next year's crop.

You are probably overestimating the number of farmers that have used their own seed. (And unlike them, I actually have experiece with hybrid seed corn.)

Most likely a greater percentage of urban gardeners have saved seeds than modern farmers.

I have, but just for cucumbers. Nasty little problem is that the process can be very different for different crops.

I had some onions I didn't harvest in the fall that went to seed in the spring before I dug the garden. I saved the seeds, but I don't think I ever planted them. (I barely had luck growing anything but bigger than scallions from set onions.)

How many of those self sufficient hunters could bag anything once they run out of ammunition? Not many. Sme of my second cousins could as they also bow hunted. But even retrieved arrows eventually get ruined and I have yet to meet anyone who can make arrows from scratch.

There are those who load their own, but then they still need lead (or lead shot), gun powder, and caps. If you roll back to flintlocks then you only need gunpowder and lead and you can potentially make black powder and have a supply of lead.

 

[KCfromNC]

It seems to me that the cities have too much control

I see the vague talking point a lot, but never any specifics. What exactly are the issues where the majority is inflicting their will on the rural minority? Please tell me it is something real and not a bunch of culture war manufactured outrage.

 

[KCfromNC]

You mean everyone thinks rural life is better?

If they did, we wouldn't be having this discussion about the majority of people who choose live in urban areas having too much control over the lives of a minority of rural voters.

Instead, it would be about how everyone thinks rural life is better and chose to abandon the cities.

 

[dogs4thewin]

Preparing food *does* mean cooking.

The term you are looking for is growing (plants) or raising (animals) their own food. Lots of people of "city folks" have grown a garden (I do) and increasingly keep chickens (for eggs, not so much meat).

what I meant was things like shelling. You cannot just pick something from the garden (a lot of things anyway and cook it.

 

[Desk trauma]

what I meant was things like shelling. You cannot just pick something from the garden (a lot of things anyway and cook it.

Yes, shelling beans/peas and shucking corn are mysteries to us city folk. Half the time I bite right into ears of corn husk and all when my county cousins are not in town to help me out. Eat taters dirt and all sometime too. Not to mention all the times I use the wrong end of a shovel trying to dig.

 

[Hans Blaster]

what I meant was things like shelling. You cannot just pick something from the garden (a lot of things anyway and cook it.

At this point I'm beginning to wonder if *you* have any experience with gardens or farms, despite what you say. Eating things straight from the garden is one of the great joys of gardening. The rest of it comes in the same form from grocery stores (sweet corn in the husk, peas in the pod, etc.).

 

[keith99]

At this point I'm beginning to wonder if *you* have any experience with gardens or farms, despite what you say. Eating things straight from the garden is one of the great joys of gardening. The rest of it comes in the same form from grocery stores (sweet corn in the husk, peas in the pod, etc.).

Yup. The only thing that comes to mind that is different in a grocery store is olives.

 

[dogs4thewin]

At this point I'm beginning to wonder if *you* have any experience with gardens or farms, despite what you say. Eating things straight from the garden is one of the great joys of gardening. The rest of it comes in the same form from grocery stores (sweet corn in the husk, peas in the pod, etc.).

yes, I whether actually enjoyed shelling peas more than anyone my grandma had even seen.

My grandparents will not allow me to shuck corn much to my dismay and my mother's shock that I want to do so so darn badly.