Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Do-It/Raise-It-Yourself: Healthier Food and Relief from High Prices


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!

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