For example, the Tightwad Gazette advises that we purchase non-fat dry milk, mix it with water, and add it to our fluid milk to stretch it out.  This is one piece of advice I will never follow.  Not only is the taste still inferior, but the health consequences of dry milk are extremely negative.  This is because dry milk contains oxidized cholesterol.  Oxidized cholesterol is the only kind of dietary cholesterol that will have a negative impact on your arteries. 

Rather than being a penny pincher across the board, I prefer to put my money into things that I value.  I value the good health that I have achieved with healthy food.  Sometimes healthy food costs money.  I don’t have a ton of money.  This means that I have to compromise with other things in my life.  I tend to not put much money into electronics.  I have a nice laptop.  Other than that, I’ve gotten various things for free and make good use of what I have and what my friends can share.  The laptop works fine for watching movies.  The sound is not the greatest.  The screen is not the biggest.  If I want to watch something on a bigger screen, I can walk four blocks to my friend’s house.  I then get the benefit of good company as well.

Back to food, I am fortunate to have plenty of opportunities to get healthy food at a reasonable cost and even sometimes free.  My job at a local co-op has been an especially big help in this department.  I am often able to bring home expired organic dairy products and produce.  With a small input of time and creativity, I can eat very well.  This morning, for example, I woke up to a gallon of 24-hour yogurt fermenting in a small cooler in my kitchen.  I made the yogurt from expired organic whole milk that would otherwise have been thrown away.  I was even lucky enough to snag some plain yogurt that expired a few days ago. 

24 Hour Yogurt

1 gallon organic milk

4 Tablespoons plain yogurt with live cultures

Heat the milk on the stove until it is 180 degrees.  This kills any bacteria in the milk.  Allow the milk to cool to about 110 degrees.  Put the milk into two half gallon canning jars, leaving about two inches of space at the top.  Stir 2 Tablespoons of yogurt into each jar. 

Everybody has different methods for fermenting their yogurt.  I’ve tried yogurt makers, heating pads, dehydrators, the back of a gas stove with pilot lights, and my current cooler method.  The stove was probably the most energy efficient method, but sometimes got the yogurt too hot.  This created a chunky yogurt that just wasn’t my favorite.  Next in line for energy saving is my cooler method.   Having a new stove that stays cool when not in use, I now favor the cooler for yogurt production.  I simply place my jars of yogurt in my medium plastic cooler and fill the cooler about half way full with hot tap water.  Every eight hours, I carefully lift out the jars, empty the water, and refill the cooler with more hot tap water.  If you just want regular yogurt, it is done after eight hours.  Fermenting it for 24 hours gives the bacteria time to consume nearly all of the lactose.

If you like a fruit-sweetened yogurt, stir some fruit-only preserves into the finished yogurt.

Chill and enjoy!

I had always admired some friends of mine who lived in a house with no running water or electricity.  They had a solar panel or two to provide just enough power for a laptop computer.  They were off the grid and living minimally.  It was my idea of financial independence.  Of course, when I expressed a desire to live in a similar style, my friend replied, “Stephanie, there is a big difference between roughing it and hardship.” 

That was fourteen years ago.  Since that time, I have walked the fine line between roughing it and hardship.  My various choices in my money and my life have made for a very interesting life that has fortunately been filled with rich friendships and extraordinary blessings.  I have also survived hardships and losses that might have left some people devastated.  In fact, I was devastated and depressed when my Northeast Minneapolis room-mate died unexpectedly.  The next two years were filled with unusual choices and much therapy and self exploration, both good and bad.  I survived it all through the love of my friends and family.  Some might say that I became a stronger person, a better person.  I’ve said it myself.  Though, I see now that the strength was always mine.  I’ve always been the best person I could be.  The struggles have shaped me, and surviving them has improved my self esteem.

I read Your Money or Your Life on the tail end of those two difficult years.  Zach, a college friend, had recently come back into my life in a very wonderful way.  We were both on paths of self exploration and growth.  He was a tremendous support to me.  Hopefully I supported him in good ways as well.  We were in very different places financially.  He was working a very good paying job and owned his condo.  I was working more than one lower wage job and just breaking into the field of environmental education.  Over the next several years, we both turned our chosen lives upside down.  He left his high paying job and moved back to Minnesota to study psychology.  I continued to work two jobs that I loved, but eventually sold my car, paid off my credit card and moved to an intentional community in Central Minnesota where I was a full time volunteer.

All these changes from a simple book?  Well, yes and no.  The book gets you to really think about your life and work toward financial independence.  You go through several important steps like calculating your real hourly wage and your net worth.  What do I mean by real hourly wage?  Well, most of us trade our life energy for money.  We then use this money to buy things.  We may think that we are making good wages at our jobs.  We work forty hours a week, but we spend ten hours a week commuting to and from work.  We spend four hours a week putting on make-up and getting ready for our jobs.  This means that the job really takes 54 hours of our life energy every week.  Then add up the money you spend on things that you only purchase because of your job.  This could be money spent on gas and auto maintenance, convenience foods, clothing, make-up, and even mindless entertainment or vacation (which you now need to get away from the stress of your job).  Add up these expenses and subtract them from your wage.  Then divide the adjusted weekly wages by your new number of hours worked.  Not quite as impressive, is it? 

I chose to move to Camphill Village MN because I wanted my daily work to be the work of living.  I wanted to cook and clean and grow my own food.  In return, the village gave me housing, medical care, clothing and transportation.  It is a very beautiful model if you are the kind of person who can avoid taking on more than her own fair share of responsibility.  I am not that kind of person.  Certainly, it is something I work on.  I would sit on my hands during meetings at Camphill in order to avoid taking on more responsibility.  Leaving Camphill to be a stay-at-home mom, I continued to trade my life energy for room and board.  I believe in putting value on the work of home-makers.  I won’t put numbers on it today, but I will come back to it in the future as I discuss the cost of childcare, house cleaners and convenience foods as well as the benefits to a wage-earning partner to have that stability at home. 

Of course, there is a fine line between roughing it and hardship.  Voluntary simplicity is great when you can choose where to spend your money.  Situational poverty, however, means that you may be choosing between several things that are really needed.  (Situational poverty is very different from generational poverty.  My family has money and property even though I currently do not have much.  Generational poverty is more challenging, because entire families lack resources.)  I have been living in situational poverty for five years.  I will not go into too many details about it.  It has been a combination of my choosing and forces that were outside of my choosing.  I am ready to be done with it.  Still, though I am perfectly capable and well-educated, I am not ready to move across the country to take a high paying job and join what they call the rat race.

I once saw Judy Wicks speak in Saint Paul about the successes of her business, The White Dog Cafe.  I found her to be very inspirational and jotted down several quotes in my notebook.  I always come back to, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you know.” 

Start where you are. I am starting out in Janesville, WI.  It is not the best part of the country to find a job right now.  (It is also freezing cold and covered in snow at the moment!)  On the other hand, I have family and friends here.  My daughter is especially close to her Nana Carla.  She spends one day a week with her Nana instead of in daycare.  She also spends two days and one evening every week with her daddy.  These relationships are important to my daughter.  These are also three days that I get to work without paying for child care.  Going back to the book, my hourly wage just improved.

Use what you have.  I will be blogging about ways that I use my resources to get back on my feet this year.  My family has land, which I will use to grow some berries and herbs this year.  One of the benefits of my job at Basics is free food.  Sometimes I get produce with a few blemishes and slightly expired dairy products.  I plan to make the most of these resources. 

Do what you know.  I am a cook.  I’ve been cooking for most of my life.  How lucky that I now get paid to cook all day! 

How does my hourly wage look in light of all of these things?  It is not as bad as it might seem at first.  I don’t have big expenses for work clothes or make-up.  I have to have a good pair of shoes.  I have to wash my own aprons.  Transportation is not too bad and will improve when I find an apartment in Janesville.  I can add free food into my wages almost every day.  I only pay for day care twice a week.  I get to do something that I know and love.  Sure, cooking and being on my feet all day take their toll.  I will need to have vacations from this job.  I will need the occasional mindless entertainment and glass of wine.  I will need convenience foods because I don’t always want to cook at home after a day of cooking.  Hopefully, it works out to be more positive than negative.  As I move forward, I hope to continually examine my money and my life.  I hope to find a balance so that I am both enjoying my life and making a living.  I welcome comments and advice as I move forward. 

My Makeshift Kitchen

Thanks for reading and sharing this exciting journey with me.

In my most recent post, I analyzed my success on the Eat Local Challenge with the realization of how often I eat my grandmother’s wonderful cooking.  I commented that even though I know some of the casseroles and other foods contain ingredients that I would not normally choose to buy at the store, I eat them without question and derive great enjoyment from the lovingly prepared foods. 

If I am just going to “cheat” on my diet, why bother to purchase quality food at all?  I once made a similar statement to my husband.  I told him that it didn’t make sense for me to be spending the extra money on expensive, gluten free foods if he was going to eat gluten several times a week anyway.  When it comes to food allergies and medical diets, I still believe in those words.  In fact, for someone who needs to eat gluten free due to a known food allergy or medical problem, even traces of gluten in the diet can have a detrimental effect and set the person back several months in their healing. 

When I speak of my own “cheating”, however, I am talking about self-imposed food rules that are based on values rather than health.  While it is true that eating local, grassfed meat and organic produce will also improve my health, I fortunately do not suffer from health problems that make these foods a necessity rather than a choice.  What I am saying is that I value good food that was raised with care.  I want to eat foods that improve the environment rather than destroy the rainforests and contribute to global warming.  I want to vote with my hard-earned dollars every time I shop.  If I am offered free food that is not completely in line with these values, I will sometimes still choose to eat it. 

As someone who spent the last four years living below the poverty line, I know how hard it is to eat within one’s values on a meager budget.  I’ve relied on the kindness of friends and family.  I’ve used food stamps and WIC vouchers.  I’ve even been to the food pantry.  With the exception of a few nasty things from the food pantry (expired donuts and a tub of partially hydrogenated soybean margarine), whenever I have received these free foods, I’ve made the most of them.  I selected the best possible foods with my WIC vouchers, turning the milk into yogurt and making pasta sauce with the tomato juice.  I used what money we did have to supplement our diet with the all-important organic butter, cod liver oil, and coconut oil.

Yes, most of the free foods have been conventionally raised.  I consumed my share of factory farmed animal products (not easy for this former vegetarian) and non-organic produce.  I still tried my best to keep processed foods to a minimum, preferring to cook my own foods from raw ingredients.  When I picked up the can of beef stew from the food shelf, I decided that it would dishonor both the poor, factory farmed animals and the people who donated the food if I just discarded the can.  I’m still not sure if I made the best choice, but I did not go hungry for that meal.

When I enjoy a meal, I like to take a moment to give thanks for all of the animals and farmers who gave their lives so that I can eat.  The prayer is true for vegetarian meals as well.  Hundreds of mice, moles, voles, insects and other critters must be “controlled” in order for us to have vegetables, grains and beans.  Mono-crops of grains and beans do not occur in nature.  They must be planted, cared for and harvested, usually by tractor.  As I walk through my own garden, I see the little frogs hopping away from me as fast as they can hop.  I know, sadly, that they cannot out-run a tractor.  I know that the mice and frogs who do make it out of the field become prey for hawks and raccoons.  Living takes life, and no matter what I eat, I cannot remove myself from the natural cycles of life.

Still, whenever possible, I choose not to support factory farming.  I know that raising animals in confinement is in conflict with the natural cycles of life and the natural order of things.  I know it is cruel.  Do I turn down my grandmother’s beef stew?  Not anymore.  Do I make choices within my values for my own beef stew?  Absolutely!  One of the reasons that I am so excited to have a steady income is that I now have dollars with which to vote.  Someone asked me if I was going to buy anything special with my first paycheck.  I had to think about it for a few minutes.  I thought that perhaps I could buy myself some symbol or token to mark the occasion.  I considered a piece of jewelry or technological gadget.  I calculated that I could spend about ten percent of my first paycheck on such an item.  Ultimately, however, I realized that those items would not bring the most value to my life.  Instead of running to the Mall or Best Buy, I drove to an organic, pasture based farm (Trautman Family Farm) and purchesed some of the best pasture raised chicken and beef available.  When I served that first roasted chicken to my family, my heart (and my taste buds) wept for joy.  I know it was the right choice for me.  

I chose to further honor the chicken and my own health by turning the bones into a delicious chicken stock, which I will make into soup today.   The stock is amazing!  I’ve made plenty of stock in the last few years with bones from all types of animals.  There really is a difference between pasture raised and factory animals.  The difference shows up in the stock.

Home - Made Chicken Stock

One of the best things about my job is that I have some of the best ingredients at my disposal.  I get to cook real food that is in line with my values most of the time.  It is definitely a balancing act to make the deli profitable while still providing the highest quality food that is organic and local whenever possible.  I also have to balance the various dietary needs and choices of my customers.  I sometimes make things in the deli that I wouldn’t choose to purchase, for various reasons.  Other times I make some of my favorite foods and find that nobody else buys them.  I know I will learn a good balance.

As long as I stay at this job, my own food dilemmas will be greatly relieved.  I still have choices between food that I buy and food that I can get for free.  Much of the food that I can get for free now includes expired items from Basics and organic produce that has a few blemishes.  How wonderful to make use of these “unwanted” foods!  I rejoice that I don’t have to worry so much about these free opportunities.  Many of the options are free of GMO’s and grown and raised in the best possible ways.  It is true that there are still plenty of processed foods in the natural food industry.  I am learning that I no longer have to take everything that is offered.  In fact, I notice that some of the more processed items stay on the employee free shelf for quite a while before someone mercifully discards them.  In the beginning, I was so excited about all the free food that I admit I overdid it a little.  For example, I munched a few gluten free crackers without even checking the ingredients.  I paid for my choice the next day with stomach distress similar to the difficulties I experienced in college.  It turns out that one of the main ingredients in the crackers was soy flour, which is difficult to digest for even the strongest of people.  Needless to say, I’m learning to be more of a chooser now that I have the freedom of being able to pay for much of my food.  The free shelf still has several boxes of the gluten free crackers, so I am not the only one.

Basics has had several requests for pesto.  I would absolutely love to make pesto and sell it in the deli.  This week I experimented with a recipe and techniques for keeping it fresh.  Pesto tends to turn brown in the presence of air.  I found that I could diminish the problem by filling the container very full and pouring a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto.  Unfortunately, my food processor is worn out.  The pesto was delicious but the texture was not the greatest.  Being both frugal and creative, I opted to use the pesto in recipes.  I had already put Pasta al Pesto and Pesto Soup on my menu for this month.  I also added Mushroom Pesto Quiche and Herbie the Goat Wraps.  The rich flavor of the pesto did not come through in the quiche as well as I had hoped.  It was tasty, but not distinctly pesto flavored.  The Herbie the Goat Wraps, however, were a success.

Herbie the Goat Wrap

• Whole Wheat Pita Bread (I used Giorgio’s, which is a local company)
• Montchevre or other soft goat cheese
• 1-2 Tablespoons Pesto
• Sundried Tomato Tapenade
• Spring Mix or other Lettuce
• Sunflower Sprouts
• Sliced Tomatoes (optional)

Starting at one edge of the pita, pull the two halves apart.  Put one half on the counter with the inside facing up.  Place the other half on top of the first half, with the inside also facing up.  Mix together the goat cheese and pesto.  Spread a thin layer of the goat cheese mixture on the bread.  Spread a thin layer of the tapenade on top of the goat cheese.  Generously pile the remaining ingredients in the center of the pita bread.  Grasp the edge of the pita pieces and roll it over the filling, tucking it under slightly and continuing to roll until you have a neat wrap. 

Deli Case at Basics, Showing the Wraps and Sandwiches

This has been quite a month for me.  After four years of being a wife and stay-at-home mom, I started a full time job.  Needless to say, blogging has been on the back burner.  In fact, it has been squeezed off the edge of the stove because I am always cooking on all four burners these days, both literally and figuratively.  My work days are filled with food prep and cooking in the Deli at Basics Co-op.  There I am responsible for the salad bar, soups, sandwiches and various offerings in the deli case.  I’ve been having a blast creating and learning, always learning.  I hope to offer good, local food whenever possible.  I also hope to help educate people about their food choices while continuing to accomodate various special diets and food intolerances.

What about the Eat Local Challenge?  I have to confess I stopped keeping track.  It just wasn’t a priority to write down all of my foods.  Still, I did not let go of the constant awareness.  What I learned about myself and my eating habits could probably fill a (very boring) book.  Here are a few observations.

1. I eat out far more often than I would like to believe.  Even though I try to choose local restaurants, such as Lukes, I am spending a large portion of my meager food budget on prepared foods.  This was an unusual month because of my new job and visits from no less than fourteen out-of-state family members.  Because I value time with family, I frequently chose to scrap the challenge and join them in eating out, no matter where they chose to go. 

2. I found that I tend to eat at least two meals a week at my grandma’s house.  Having such a close relationship to my grandparents is a blessing that I count several times a day.  I have kept my grandma supplied with zucchinis and other good vegetables throughout the summer.  She seems to enjoy turning my produce into home-cooked food for her kids and grand kids.  We definitely enjoy eating the food.  When it comes to home-cooked food, I make several exceptions to my usual rules.  In fact, I believe that connecting with others can be as important and even more important sometimes than what we eat.  I do make healthy choices at the grocery store.  I read labels and avoid corn syrup, white flour, etc.  Often I avoid the store altogether and purchase high quality foods from local farms.  Still, if Grandma offers me a casserole or my family has a potluck, I load up my plate and don’t worry about ingredients.

3. If I have learned anything this month, it is that I don’t want to be so strict about my eating that it prevents me from enjoying a meal with others.  I’ve been there, done that.  I’ve avoided certain foods due to health issues or personal beliefs over the years.  I was even a vegetarian for twelve years.  The changes I have made in my dietary choices have allowed me a level of health and happiness that never ceases to amaze me.  Now that I have better digestion and more ability to “cheat” on my chosen diet, I am enjoying a new connection to my loved ones as we can all sit down together around a table.  I have to add that food allergies and certain health issues need to be taken seriously.  Sometimes it is necessary to avoid certain foods for periods of time or even for life.  Hopefully loved ones can understand these needs. 

4. I can still make better choices and set a good example when I eat out and eat with others.  I do go easy on the desserts and avoid the Cool Whip.  As for my daughter, I give her as many healthy foods as possible when we are at home.  She gets treats, often home-made, at regular intervals.  At family gatherings, I offer no restrictions.  Thankfully, this approach has served me well.  I happen to have a daughter who loves protein and doesn’t care much for cookies.  I’m not sure if this is because I started her out on quality meats and eggs or because I don’t make sweets into forbidden foods.  Spending time with my extended family, I noticed that we all have different approaches when it comes to kids and sweets.  One family insists that their kids finish the meal before having dessert.  Another family limits sweets and snacks to once per day.  Both approaches succeed in making sure kids don’t overload on unhealthy foods.  Still, at family gatherings, these are the kids hanging out next to the cake and licking the frosting.  I don’t follow either approach with my daughter.  Instead I offer her plenty of choices, including sweets.  Desserts are given no more value than other foods.  Am I just lucky that my daughter has an appetite for good food or is she making good choices because sweets aren’t a big deal to her?  Either way, I am thankful.

5. I love my local, farm-fresh foods and will continue to go out of my way to buy them.  For example, I regularly drive half an hour each way to buy the creamy milk I mentioned at the beginning of this article.  I drink at least a gallon of it every week.  If I have no time for breakfast as I head to work at 5:30 AM, I still have time to grab a glass of fresh Jersey milk on my way out the door.  It is not unusual for people to comment on my glowing skin and hair.  I blame it on the milk.  I can also credit local butter, local pastured meats, local eggs and fresh or fermented fruits and vegetables.

6.  I think the Eat Local Challenge is a great way to bring more awareness to our food choices.  In the future, I hope to spend even more of my food budget on local, raw ingredients.  I also hope to offer more local foods in the Deli at Basics.  My style of food advocacy has changed over the years.  Though I still sometimes slip up and put information ahead of relationships, I am learning to teach by example. For now I want to simply cook and share good food.  Hopefully I will also make time to write about the food I cook, maybe even with more recipes and photos.

Mommy's Helper

The last few days have been busy in a good way.  First of all, I have been very present with my daughter.  She is a beautiful, sweet girl who sometimes needs my full attention.  I try to balance the attention she needs and deserves with the work I do to grow and preserve food.  Sometimes that means that she becomes my helper in the garden and kitchen.  Other times, when she is not wanting to have anything to do with the garden or the kitchen, I either find myself playing with her for several hours (I especially enjoy coloring!) or finding something to amuse her while I get my work done.

Lately I have also been looking for work off the farm.  I’m not sure what life has in store for me in this department.  I am hoping to find work in at least one of my areas of interest.  While it looks like meaningful, paid employment is in my immediate future, there is definitely a part of me that mourns the loss of my stay-at-home mom days.  These few years have been absolutely precious.  I don’t think our culture values mothers and housework for what it really is. 

While we don’t call it making a living, stay-at-home moms are responsible for the work of living.  Not only are we giving most of our energy and attention to our children, but we are also responsible for feeding, educating, entertaining, driving, shopping, growing, putting up, maintaining, organizing, cleaning and more!  I enjoy the diversity of house and farm work.  My own mother returned to the “work force” when my sister and I were both in school.  Before that time, we always had a big garden, home cooked everything, home-made clothes and a full time mother in our home.  Though our culture often devalues the work that mothers do, I think my mom and other stay-at-home moms consider it to be a worthy investment.

With all of my job applications, interviews, networking and various preparations for work, it is easy to let my local eating slack off a bit.  I have tried to balance my busy schedule with time in the kitchen and garden.  What will I do when I get a job?  I will most likely use some of the money to buy more local “convenience” foods.  This is a cost of employment that many of us overlook.  (I will write more later on making a living rather than making a dying.)  While I have time right now to make my own sauerkraut, I may find that as a working mom, I am more likely to buy something pre-made.  I definitely have my favorite quick snacks.  Hopefully I will find a new balance between time in the kitchen, time with my daughter,  and time at my job.  Here are my meals from the last few busy days:

Day 7 (Sunday) 

Local cheese

Eggs, oatmeal, coffee at Kealy’s Cafe (local restaurant, not necessarily local food)

Local Pheasant snack stick (Basics), tapioca pudding made with local milk and duck eggs

Pizza from the Red Zone (another local restaurant – my dad’s favorite!)

Day 8:

Chef’s Mess – see recipe below (local duck eggs, home grown potatoes, local butter, local beef franks, home-grown zucchini), fermented veggies

local roast beef and home-grown cabbage, home-grown zucchini

home grown veggies, hummus from Basics, chips from Basics (not local) – eaten at the Board meeting

Carribean Style Soup – local, farm-raised trout from Rushing Waters, home-grown okra, home-grown tomatoes, home-grown corn, WI wine

local Chocolate Mint cookies

Day 9 (Tuesday)

non-local yogurt, MI peach

non-local pb&j sandwich, cheese sandwich and cupcake at birthday party

local hamburger from Amazing Grace, home-grown sauerkraut

home-grown musk melon

local hamburger, home-made pickles, home-grown sweet corn, local butter, home-grown beets

local chocolate mint cookies, local fresh milk!

Day 10:

McCann’s Irish oats, local milk, local maple syrup, local butter, non-local vanilla yogurt

Grilled Pecan Butter Sandwich (non-local bread, local JoshEWEa’s Garden Pecan Butter, local butter), home-made pickles, non-local tea

soup and sandwich from Luke’s local restaurant – I am totally addicted to their turkey artichoke sandwich!

local milk, local mint chocolate cookies from Back to Nature

Chef’s Mess

2 Medium Potatoes (baked or boiled)

2-4 Tablespoons Butter

4 large Eggs

1-2 beef franks or sausage links (sliced into disks)

1 small zucchini (sliced or chunked)

Salt to taste

Over medium flame, melt two tablespoons of butter in a cast iron pan.  Grate the potatoes into the pan.  When the potatoes are warm and just beginning to brown, push them to the side of the pan.  Add more butter to the empty side of the pan, if necessary.  Crack all four eggs into the pan and gently scramble them.  When the eggs are cooked but still slightly wet-looking, add the precooked sausage disks and raw zucchini.  Mix everything together in the pan.  Cover the pan to steam the zucchini and heat everything through.  When the zucchini is soft but not mushy, it is ready.  Salt to taste and serve with fermented veggies.

Friday morning I picked a few bushels of corn and put them in cold water to soak.  This makes the corn perfect for roasting in the husks.  You just throw the whole thing on the grill and it steams nicely in its own protective husk.  Then you peel the husk back, butter, and enjoy.  Fortunately some friends did get to come join me Friday night on very short notice.  Unfortunately, we had a violent wind storm blow through and take out our power shortly after they arrived.  Not to be deterred from my planned corn fest, we fired up the grill and feasted on hot dogs, corn, cole slaw and fresh tomatoes. 

Being without power for almost six hours made me really appreciate the various forms of food preservation that don’t involved refrigeration.  Food drying, canning and fermentation are very handy when you can’t rely on a steady supply of electricity.  I also appreciated living in an old farm house with tall windows and a bright, three season porch.  Even though the house was very comfortable during the power outage, I was relieved when the lights came back on.  For one thing, I was concerned about all the food that I have been freezing.  What a lot of work it is to freeze tomatoes and corn.  I would be very sad to lose my frozen treasures.  The power was out long enough to get me thinking about emergencies and food security in general.  Even though it seems like our grocery stores are very full, there is really not enough food in any given city to last for more than a few days if there were ever a long term emergency.  Many people are learning the old ways of food preservation for this reason.  I would love to have shelves and root cellars full of food that is not dependent on electricity.  I would also love to have solar power or some other sustainable way to run my refrigerator and freezers. 

Hoop House - Where I hope to grow some food year round.

Saturday night I got to have another friend over to enjoy the leftover corn with a lovely grass fed beef roast.  I had overpicked corn the previous day and did not give them the experience of super fresh sweet corn.  Still, it was all very good.  I had fun cooking for other people for a change.  Meals around here are usually very simple.  This spontaneous dinner party was no exception.  I put the roast in a covered stoneware pan with cabbage and carrots and then basically ignored it in a 300 degree oven for the entire afternoon.  The result was beef that could be cut with a fork and barely had to be chewed.  A little sea salt was all it needed.  Here are my meals for the last two days. 

Day 6:

Home-grown raspberries, McCann’s Irish Oats, local butter, non-local maple syrup – using it up before I buy local

Local chicken, non-local tortilla, local cheese, home-grown herbs, home-grown fermented veggies

Home-grown watermelon

Local beef hot dogs, home-grown corn, local butter, non-local sea salt, cole slaw made with home-grown cabbage and onions, home grown tomatoes, non-local bread

Local ice cream with Grandma’s peach cobbler (MI peaches)

Day 7:

McCann’s Irish Oatmeal (again!), local butter, local milk, non-local maple syrup (the last of it!)

Panini (local chicken, local butter, non-local bread, local cheese, avocado), non-local carrots (using them up), home-grown fermented veggies

1/2 Michigan peach, tapioca pudding made with local milk (Castle Rock) and local duck eggs (Sashay Acres)

Local Beef Roast, home-grown cabbage, non-local carrots, local cucumbers, home-grown tomato slices, home-grown sweet corn

As you can see, the chicken from Sashay Acres (Rock County Farmer’s Market) lasted me for several meals.  I also made the bones into chicken stock on Friday.  I threw several veggies into the pot with the bones, skin, bits of meat, fresh water, and a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.  I let the whole thing cook for the entire afternoon (until the power went out).  I’m really happy with the stock that resulted.  I look forward to making a big pot of soup this week.  Of course, it will probably have to be corn chowder!   Now I am back to the garden and the kitchen.

Lacto-Fermented Pineapple Chutney, Sorghum Ale, Dill Pickles, and Mixed Veggies

The Eat Local Challenge asks us to eat four out of five meals locally.  For the most part, I think I have been able to eat four local ingredients out of every five since the challenge began.  When I do eat out, I am trying to make sure I eat at locally owned restaurants.  Why did I feel like I fell off the wagon?  I enjoyed an iced coffee from Starbucks!  Hey, at least I enjoyed it.  It had been a long day, even though it was only 4:00 in the afternoon, and I still had more chores on my to do list.  This is the time of year when most of us who try to grow and store much of our own food tend to burn the candle at both ends.  Whatever my excuses, I stopped at Target on Tuesday to buy cat food and found myself walking straight to the Starbucks counter.  Knowing that Starbucks coffee is neither locally grown nor locally distributed, I contemplated the purchase a bit more than usual.  If anything, the Eat Local Challenge gets us thinking about our choices.

As I enjoyed my coffee and headed to the cat food aisle, I thought about my choice of beverages throughout this challenge.  I’ve been doing very well with the food, but had put little thought into my morning cup of tea (non-local Celestial Seasonings) or even the occasional bottle of water (non-local and not sustainable).  I vowed to include beverages in my Eat Local diet as much as possible.  This means that I will be carrying my re-usable to-go cup with me when I leave the house.  I used to have a stainless steel tea cup that went everywhere with me.  A close friend used to joke that it was attached to my hand.  I can get back into this habit.  The benefits will be less use of plastic and less money spent on beverages.  The only drawbacks are one more thing to carry and the need to plan ahead.

All this thinking about beverages made me think about all of the other non-local items I rely on every day.  My shampoo, make-up, soap, etc.  Even my cat’s daily cans of food come from another state.  In fact, looking at the cat food label, I was shocked to find out that Friskies is made by Nestle, a company I had thought that I was boycotting due to their infant formula policies in third world countries.  I grabbed a few cans of Friskies to help transition my sensitive cat to a new food and several cans of a different brand.  Neither of the cat foods were locally made.  Most likely, the cat food ingredients came from all over the country and even other countries. 

If I had more money, cat food would be my first change.  I do wish that I could feed my cat the same quality of healthy food that I consume myself.  For a while, I did make him home-made food.  I was living on a beef farm at the time and had plenty of quality ingredients.  At that home, he also had the freedom to run outside and catch some of his own food to supplement his diet.  Now he is again an indoor cat and also a senior with poor teeth.  (Perhaps his teeth would be in better shape if he had a better diet throughout his life.)  For now, I will do the best I can afford and stop worrying about whether my cat food is local.  (I will still make sure that it isn’t made by Nestle Purina!)

Day 3:

Granola from JoshEWEa’s Garden, local milk

Home-grown zucchini, cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes with home-made Ranch Dressing (home-grown parsley and chives with non-local mayo and yogurt)

Turkey sandwiches and frozen custard from Luke’s (local restaurant, not sure if locally grown food)

Local, home-made Meat loaf, home grown potatoes and sweet corn, local butter, local milk

Day 4:

McCann’s Irish Oatmeal  (locally distributed, not locally grown), local butter, local honey

Home-grown raspberries and watermelon – yum!

Leftover turkey from Luke’s, home-grown veggies, leftover Ranch dip, Wild Flour Bakery sourdough bread, home-grown sweet corn, local butter

Local Free Range Chicken (Sashay Acres), home-grown sweet corn, home-grown fermented veggies

home-made cookie made with Great Harvest Cookie mix (MN), local butter and home-grown zucchini,  local milk with local sorghum because it was starting to sour

Day 5:

JoshEWEa’s Garden Granola cooked with water to make a porridge

Leftover Local chicken sandwich made with non-local spelt tortilla and local cheese, home-grown veggies

Great Harvest Cookie (regional, MN)

Annie’s pasta with local beef and local veggies (snack at friend’s house)

Locally made Brown Rice Pasta, local grass fed beef, non-local tomato sauce, home-grown cucumbers, home-made pineapple chutney (home-grown cilantro and non-local pineapple), local beer (New Glarus Spotted Cow)

I will be adding lacto-fermented pineapple chutney to several meals over the next few because I have to finish it within the month.  Fruit ferments don’t keep as long as the veggies.  I made is a month ago when my mom had bought a pineapple and I had cilantro ready in my garden, two things that don’t happen very often.  The recipe came from Nourishing Traditions.  Though I don’t usually purchase pineapples (talk about food miles!), they are very high in enzymes and helpful for digestion.

I believe that fermenting vegetables is best learned by doing.  In fact, recipes often fail to capture the subtle nuances and skills involved in fermentation, which can vary greatly depending on the quality of your ingredients.  Don’t let these sentences scare you off.  Fermentation is easier done than said.  If you jump right in and start making your own ferments, you will have successes and failures.  You may have successes that are slightly different each time.  You will find that your veggies ferment faster in warm weather.  You may find that your veggies are more or less juicy depending on where you bought them.  In my class tonight, everything was freshly picked and everyone got to make their own jar of veggies to take home.

I washed everything and peeled the beets and turnips ahead of time.  I took along my food processor for quick chopping.  I also showed examples of other ways to chop the vegetables if they didn’t want them so pulverized.  I went ahead and chopped a large bowl of cabbage and two smaller bowls of carrots and turnips.  I also put out cutting boards and tools for using onions, beets and garlic.  I chopped kale to order in the food processor after we got started.  Each participant or each couple got a medium bowl.  I had them put three cups of veggies in the bowl and between 1 1/2 and 3 teaspoons of sea salt.  Then they got to pound their veggies with tools or by hand until everything was very juicy.  It was so fun to see everyone’s creations.  I wish I had taken a picture of all of the colorful jars.  I gave them instructions for completing the fermentation several times, so hopefully everybody’s veggies will turn out yummy.  I told them to take their jars home and make sure everything is pressed down and submerged beneath the liquid.  Put the jar on a plate on the kitchen counter.  Then turn the lid very slightly so that liquid can escape if necessary.  (The veggies were so fresh that I knew this would be important.)  Let the jar ferment for three days before tasting and transferring to the fridge.  Fermented vegetables can be stored in a cool place for six months and even up to a year.  They continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator and will change slightly over time.

Day 2 Meals

Breakfast: Local duck eggs, local toast, local butter, local cheese, home-grown lettuce

Lunch: Home-grown/ home-made beet kvass, brown rice pasta (non-local) with local butter and local cheese, home-grown artichoke, home-grown green beans, home-grown zucchini

Snack: Peach Cobbler from Grandma Betty, local ice cream

Supper: meatloaf made with local beef and veggies, home-grown potatoes, home-grown sweet corn, local butter, home-made lacto-fermented pickles and veggies

Snack: local milk, locally distributed graham crackers (Back to Nature)

Notes: I think I might have to have more local grains on hand so that I can make my own local snacks.  Back to Nature graham crackers are not the best example of local food.  Also, I could not turn down Grandma’s fresh-baked peach cobbler, even though peaches are not local at this time of year.  Still, the challenge has been fairly painless so far.  I’m definitely eating lots of veggies!  An added bonus today was the discovery that my daughter likes the taste of artichokes.  On a side note, artichokes contain a chemical that makes everything taste sweet.  If you drink water after eating a steamed artichoke, the water will taste sweet.  Try it!  Of course, not very many people are growing artichokes in Wisconsin.  I really lucked out that my artichoke plant survived the winter.  They are not usually perennials in this climate.

This hardy artichoke plant popped up in the middle of our corn this year! I hadn't expected it to survive the winter.

As I have said good bye to my rose-colored glasses and faced the realities of my life, I have often wanted to write about my experiences.  Still, I created this particular blog to be about food and local eating, two things that have taken a back seat in my life.  I’m not saying that I gave up the local food and healthy eating altogether.  In fact, if it hadn’t been for a reasonably good diet (and some very good friends), it would have been easy to lose my positive attitude.

That said, I will continue to focus on healthy and local food in this blog.   If you want the details about other aspects of my life, watch for my best selling novel in a few years.

Stephanie