Sam and I have always been Do-It-Yourself-ers. Growing up during
the 50’s and 60’s, and part of the Green Revolution that rose out of the Hippie
movement, it felt entirely normal to us: I grew up on a 160-acre ranch backed
up by thousands of acres of BLM land up on the mountain, and Sam’s parents
owned a small acreage in town, at least half of which was planted in food and
flower gardens. Both of us were only two generations off the homestead, so
going back to it was easy. As a kid, I had my own horse and learned how to care
for chickens, cows, and a garden first hand, by doing it. It was what was
expected, since all the womenfolk in my family had gardens and usually at least
a few chickens out back, unless they lived in town. Cooking, canning, and
caring for animals was what women did; and it’s no joke that I’ve probably
forgotten more than most people ever know about raising goats. In fact, the
local veterinarian used to tell people to call me when they had a problem,
saying that I knew more about goats than he did, though personally, I just
don’t think he wanted to be bothered with them. (Photo above is from Willow Bird Baking's Blog Site).
One basic life lesson I learned as a child was that I could
easily make things for myself, rather than buying them in stores. My Grandma
Rose taught me nearly everything I know about cooking; and being a professional
seamstress, she also taught me to sew, knit, crochet, and do embroidery. I made
most of the clothes I wore to school during high school and college. I’m
embarrassed to say that I haven’t done that for a while, though I’ve made some
unusual items through the years, including quarter sheets for my horses and my
own riding breeches. I’ve knitted sweaters and shawls, crocheted ponchos, and
made felted bags. This year I bought a small loom and am learning to weave.
Now Sam and I are planning a return to that lifestyle, with
retirement slightly more than a year away. We just bought land in Northeastern
Oregon with plenty of space for chickens, goats, and horses. If we want fish
for dinner, there is a river full of hungry trout half a mile from our front
doorstep. We will not only enjoy eating them, but we will have the fun of catching
them as well—loads better than going to the supermarket and fresher too. Of
course, you have to take the time to do it, and it won’t be so easy to run to
the store, since the closest grocery is 30 miles away. I will need to accustom
myself to running to the pantry or the root cellar instead and making staple
items for myself. I will need to figure out how much of any one thing we need
to have on hand for a year: My own tomato sauce, homemade butter and cheese,
fresh greens, and maybe even my own catsup. Sounds like a challenge, but fun.
Then again, it may not BE so fun when I’m pitting the 20th quart of
cherries and my fingers are all stained brown (tsk, tsk, so much for my
manicure) or milking the goats during a howling blizzard (we must face
reality), but it will be healthier and immensely more satisfying. I distinctly
remember my Mom leading me to her pantry one year and proudly displaying all
the preserves, pickles, and sauerkraut she’d laid by for the winter, and I look
forward to doing something like that myself.
Since I’ve baked my own sourdough bread for many years,
rather than buying it, I became curious about making some other things I
routinely buy, such as bran flakes or pasta. Yes, you CAN make them yourself,
and I’m excited about giving it a try. And, have you noticed the sky high price
of food lately? Well, DUH! All that processing and packaging, not to mention
hauling the bags and packages of everything thousands of miles all over the
country (or the world) costs a fortune, especially since the price of gasoline
and diesel fuel is going through the roof. And I’m not going to get into the
use of additives and preservatives in food other than to say that they probably
aren’t good for you, so why not leave them out unless they need to be there?
I’m talking things such as salt, sugar, or Vitamin C here. Yes, salt and sugar
are used to preserve food, not just to flavor it, but you can probably do
without the sodium glutamate and benzoate. If it’s a chemical, and you don’t
know what it is, it’s suspect.
Fortunately, if you have a connection to the Internet, you
can easily find recipes and learn how to do or make nearly anything imaginable,
so learning how to make flake cereal was literally only a click away. I also found
a cookbook called The Homemade Pantry
by Alana Cernita, that I saw advertised on Green Peace’s On Earth Website ( http://www.onearth.org/blog/everything-tastes-better-homemade
). In it are recipes for 101 things you buy at the store, including such things
as toaster pastries and marshmallows. It’s available in soft cover and on
Kindle (I downloaded the Kindle one for $13.99; the paperback is available from
Amazon for $16.49: http://www.amazon.com/The-Homemade-Pantry-Buying-ebook/dp/B007EEJCX6/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2 ). While you’re at it, watch her video on
YouTube.com for making toaster pastries, and no, I will not make any money from
mentioning her book or videos!
