If you are a regular here at all you will have heard that we are feeling very blessed with all the produce we are getting from our place. Since things are growing well I have challenged myself to not buy any fruits or veggies this month but rather eat stuff that we have been able to get out of our own garden and also what we have been blessed to have others give us (Like cabbage, garlic and now apples from my parents and Beets from a friend). It has gone quite well. We have eaten more vegetables than ever. Most meals we have at least two types of veggies and often many more. There has been some adjusting as we got used to not having apples or other fruits (my parents just gave us apples today and they sure tasted yummy after going without for the month) to snack on and learning to just appreciate what we did have in plenty.
There is something so fun about fixing a meal and realizing that we knew exactly where basically everything came from. Take for example our Sunday Dinner that consisted of: Steak (Hormone free, grass fed and raised by a man in our area), Baked Potatoes (Gleaned by us last year- we will be going again soon Lord willing), Corn on the Cob (from our garden) and Cabbage Salad (With cabbage from my parents garden and cucumbers and onions from ours). Most meals have been like that lately and it has been so much fun!
I don't think we will ever eat totally just local foods as I do enjoy chocolate, coconut, some bananas and other things that we simply cannot grow here (though I do have a banana tree in my house- maybe someday it will produce a few). I do have a goal however of having the majority of our diet made up of food that we either produce or get from somebody that we know around here who raises it naturally. Step by step we are making progress and I am enjoying the journey. There are thinking adjustments that have to be made along the way. Recipes that might need tweaking, new favorite foods discovered and enjoyed.
Here are some photos of some other Local food fun that has happened around here lately:
Today we went to my parents for lunch and enjoyed another homegrown meal. Above my nephew Lars is helping grandma to make applesauce which was sweetened with our honey.
Aaron and Mara went out and picked chokecherries which we are making jelly from.
Our garden isn't picture perfect (in fact it is pretty weedy!) but that isn't stopping it from growing food!
Do you try to raise a lot of your own food? What is one of your favorite homegrown foods?
Your homegrown meal sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteI am growing berries, tomatoes and rutabagas in our garden. I included some rutabaga and tomato in the stew I made today.
I buy additional fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market. The abundance, the variety of fruits and vegetables in the summer is truly a blessing.
Hi Abbi,
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and you have really inspired me. I am 21 years old and I really need advice. I feel sad and unfulfilled because I want to learn a musical instrument but I feel too old, and I have no time because of university. University is very stressful for me because I cannot learn what I want in order to serve my future household. If you could talk more about how you achieved your purpose, please email me at scros012@odu.edu
thank you so much
I like seeing all the pictures! My favourite home grown has to be tomatoes and cucumbers. They simply taste much better! Also beans. So fresh.
ReplyDeleteWhat else is in your cabbage salad? how do you make it?
Thanks everybody!
ReplyDeleteNola, My cabbage salad is pretty simple: Chopped Cabbage, onions and sometimes cucumbers or carrots. Then I put mayo on top and stir in Spike a herb/salt mixture. Or sometimes I use ranch dressing instead of mayo and spike. It is simple but I like it.