Local Eating

 I have just finished reading a book that I return to every year. It inspires me and it's a fascinating read that has me glued to the pages until I finish it. This is about the 5th time I have read this book in as many years and I still love it. I love it so much that I had to buy my own copy because I was worried that the only copy our library has would disappear!

It's called "Plenty - eating locally on the 100 mile diet". Written by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, a couple from Vancouver, Canada. The book starts out with them up in their rundown cabin in northern British Columbia. They have with them one large cabbage and whatever foods they can forage in the woods surrounding their 80 year old shack. They have friends visiting and wondering what on earth can they serve them. This introduction leads them to making a decision to only eat local foods from a 100 mile radius from their home back in Vancouver. It is an incredibly insightful look at how we eat globally and where our food comes from and the effects on the world and our health. It is a personal memoir of their year of discovery and also learning about food history around the Vancouver and Fraser Valley area of British Columbia. They are both writers & journalists so they write well with a open frankness about their journey and a good sense of humour.

I ask myself every year, why do I read this book. Or should I say, devour it? Sometimes I find myself quite bored and disillusioned with the modern way in which we eat and treat food and so reading this book annually inspires me to keep doing what we do and to try new ways of doing things. It always makes me laugh as well with some of the stories that they share.  I love to grow my own vegetables and fruit. I think at the heart of it I love simple food. I love trying new foods or ingredients but I do despair at buying foods that come from the other side of the world. Especially if it is something that we grow here in New Zealand. 

Our Sunday evening meal was nearly entirely from our garden.

It's a really tricky and complicated question to ask yourself because how far does one go? Do I stop drinking my beloved Yorkshire Tea from England? What about bananas and pineapple? Rice? Canned foods put aside for earthquake emergencies? See, it's not so easy is it? What about food grown at the other end of New Zealand? 

When I read this book it reminds me how far the modern food industry has come and I don't mean that in a positive light. I mean we have come to be so reliant on so much being made for us or grown for us. We would never be able to grow everything unless we either dug up our lawn or moved to the country. Neither of which my husband wants to do. I did tell him the other day that I am tired of living in the city but at the same time I know that this is where we are meant to be at the moment and our sons have their friends and activities that I couldn't take them away from.

I think this is my midlife crisis 'thing'. I am even watching a youtube channel of a couple who moved to Alaska and are living off the land. I love watching how other people live and survive in remote places and the skills that they learn along the way to take care of themselves and their families. I think on a whole, western society has forgotten so many things. Maybe instead of watching the lives of a couple in Alaska on youtube I should be out growing more vegetables in my garden or canning or freezing the excess. Which I generally do but nothing is ready for that yet. And I'm tired today. Hmm, maybe I wouldn't survive the Alaskan wilderness after all!  The dilemma! 

It is inspiring sometimes though to see what other people are doing and then we can ask ourselves, what can I do more of that I would enjoy doing or something new to learn? We don't have to do it all. It's not necessary to be extreme unless you really want to be. I am mostly content with what we do here in our backyard and every year as our sons get older and I have more time, I am able to spend more hours in the vegetable gardens. It does bring me joy and the fresh air, quietness and exercise is good for me. My family does enjoy and appreciate the freshly grown produce in our meals and it also saves money in our grocery shop every week. It is a good way to show our sons how to garden and the enjoyment of homegrown produce so that maybe one day they will have their own gardens.

The kale and spinach just keeps on growing!

Anyway in the meantime, I will continue growing what I can here in our backyard farm including having our hens which gives us a great protein source as well as the enjoyment that they bring to our lives.

Over the next couple of months our feijoa, pear and apple trees will be ready as well as some pumpkins and squash that I have found growing in amongst some weeds and long grass. It was quite exciting to see how much they have grown.

I encourage you to have a think about your relationship with food on a global scale and ponder on what you could do to make a change in your home or garden. It doesn't have to be big if you are new to this or if you don't have a lot of time or money. It has taken us years to get to where we are in our backyard 'farm' and we are a long way off what other people do I'm sure. Even if you start with the classic herbs or sprouts on your kitchen bench. Maybe changing out a few ingredients that are grown more closer to home or growing some easy vegetables in a pot. Whatever you do, everything makes a difference in your lives.

Have a wonderful week. I won't be posting a Frugal Friday post this week as my parents are visiting and we are preparing for a double birthday celebration for our eldest ( twins ) sons.

Blessings, Fiona 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:3