Dear Mother: April/May 2009

(Page 5 of 8)

April/May 2009
Letters from our readers 
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Changing the way we eat will be as difficult as changing our agriculture and food policies, but there are signs of hope. President Barack Obama seems genuinely committed in both his politics and his own health habits to initiating a change in our food policies and taking on the giant agribusinesses that shape it. That and a strong grassroots commitment to local food could be the perfect ingredients in a recipe for change.

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Jeff Woodburn
Dalton, New Hampshire

Biochar for Better Soil

Garden Goldmine at Campgrounds

Re: Make Biochar: This Ancient Technique Will Improve Your Soil: Great article! I had never realized the connection. We have an open-burning law in my city, so it’s kind of frowned upon to make fires in town. But the idea of checking campgrounds is great. There actually are a couple of state camping grounds within driving distance! Nice article, great information with a huge impact for us all!

Norm Nyburg
Akron, Ohio

Grilling for Biochar

For those who don’t have open ground where they can make biochar — and those who live where open burning is prohibited — what about something as simple as using a stand-alone barbecue grill, the kind intended for Sunday grilling that’s allowed everywhere? Branches and other scrounged wood/weeds, even a bag of coarse “pine chip” mulch from the garden center, etc., could be control-burned in the grill. Barbecue grills have built-in devices for controlling the amount of oxygen that can get to the fire. It certainly seems like a viable way to create modest amounts of biochar.

Jim Beacon
Tallahassee, Florida

Biochar, Now in Mesquite

Interesting article, but I live in the city and open burning is illegal. I’m thinking lump charcoal might be a good alternative. It’s generally charred hardwood (molding cutoffs and other hardwood scraps), unlike charcoal briquettes which can contain coal, petroleum byproducts and starches that act as binders. I’m involved with competition barbecue. The cooks who don’t use wood pellets use either lump charcoal or wood chunks, so you might look into cleaning up behind a competition near you.

Fred Baginski
Hammond, Indiana
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