There is a free-range, "organic" chicken roasting away

in my oven right now. It is stuffed with corn bread dressing with apples and walnuts.

When I started to open the package, it suddenly struck me - I was raised on mostly organic chickens (and eggs) as chicken was one of the few things I would eat and my uncle had an egg farm. The chickens weren't exactly free-range, but they were not caged. (I can still remember my mother complaining about chicken plucking.) They lived in huge chicken coops, which were cleaned daily. I remember nibbling the chicken feed myself on occasion. It consisted of cracked oats, corn, millet, barley, and other grains. Cats were trained to keep the area free of rats and mice and to not touch the chickens. The chickens probably caught an occasional insect to supplement their diets. My uncle also grew asparagus fertilized with only chicken manure. Big, fat, healthy asparagus, it was, and close to an inch in diameter.

We also had a "Victory Garden" where my father grew various vegetables, strawberries, and other stuff, also fertilized with my uncle's chicken manure. In those days, living in the country, most small farmers couldn't afford to buy commercial grade fertilizers and many used manure. I guess this all gave me a good start in life, and perhaps the reason my parents lived to ripe old ages. My favorite meal was fresh corn on the cob, chicken, and strawberry shortcake for desert - with homemade shortcake and freshly whipped cream (poured off the top of the milk bottle and delivered daily from a local dairy). Deer and pheasant were also occasionally on the menu in the fall, but I wouldn't eat them.

We lost a lot in this country when agribusiness took over. We lost the small local farmers, humane animal raising, and locally grown fresh produce, which was "put up" every fall by every mom and grandmom in town. We did gain efficiency in food production and delivery, but somehow I believe we lost a lot more than we gained.

End of nostalgic journey into the past. Thanks for reading.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERONE.