So many good challenges here! I want to sit down and reevaluate where we are now and see what we are still buying that could move from normal to special.
Ground beef....I am smiling over here. How many nights a few pounds of that hit the cast iron and I pull ferments from the fridge and call it dinner. I will no longer feel a pang of guilt when my day goes awry and that it the solution to dinner!
I'm glad to hear this might inspire some reevaluation. It's so sneaky how these things go from something special to every day just because it's so normalized in our culture.
Yes! Ground beef is wonderful. It's my fast food, no guilt required :)
We are eating exclusively from within 35 miles of our farm, partly inspired by your challenge. Also admittedly not much of a change from how we would normally eat, but made much more challenging by our current living situation in a power and plumbing less hut on the hill with our fridge and freezers plugged in to the only power outlet we have access to three miles away - quick fix conveniences and the incredible cheese and cake shop down the road were threatening to become staples. We’re lucky to have access to excellent seafood, meats, dairy, and we don’t eat exotic fruits, grains etc anyway so there’s nothing we really miss, but It’s really made us stay on track health wise, and also think and appreciate really deeply about where, how, by whom all of our food is produced, like you say what is need and what is want, and how much we really need to produce on our own farm going forward.
Carly, you're my new go-to for "Look, if X can do it and she lives in Alaska, you can do it, too!" Only now, it's much cooler, "Look, if Carly can do it and she's an Irish Shepherdess living in a hut with her nearest power outlet three miles away, you can do it, too!" Thanks for the upgrade! 😉 Very inspiring, indeed.
Oh, how I enjoyed reading your summary. I had been wondering, you see, and now I can begin to dissect your thoughts and juxtapose them to my reality for comparison and thoughtful evaluation. These living choices are not popular and, therefore difficult to discuss and debate with folks within my circle. It's a rather lonely place, if truth be told, and so these weekly essays become extra special- sort of like my own "Friday night oysters".
What an interesting experiment, Tara, and beautiful summary of it all. Thank you for sharing it for the rest of us to garner an edge from. It's especially of value during this time of confusion, where it seems the general public turns to every outlet possible for the answer... instead of looking down at their own two hands. The blessed ways in which we are capable of providing what we truly need/want is being contorted and disguised by an ever growing drive for frivolity/folly. It reminds me of the quote, "Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability" by Ardous Huxley.
Ever since you mentioned oysters in your Q and A recently, I've been working on my husband to figure out where we can loosen up the budget for a box! I'd never thought about it, and I threw up tooooooo many smoked ones while pregnant!
Thank you for all of this food for thought, Tara. My whole family is healthier for my following along here, we've got amazing relationships with a few farmers, and have fuelled and found a trajectory for our lives and ways of working toward it. This will be our first winter of eschewing fruit and veg that are from a store/not seasonal. I've canned organic local stuff all summer, and requested a family gift of a used fridge for ferments for Xmas from in-laws that like to be extravagant.
We're figuring ourselves out slowly and putting lots of new thought into ourselves as we raise these tiny boys. Your shared thoughts ripple through them, and sing a long since forgotten song to the stories living in my bones :)
Ground beef and simple meals for the win! I love the phrases you used for processed foods: static, interruptions, exaggerated flavors. I work with the under 6 population and the food situation is BONKERS with RDs and nutritionists fighting for kids to BE ABLE TO EAT CRAP because that's how you avoid eating disorders and have a good relationship with food...it's super scary what's happening with kids.
It must be challenging to work with young kids when they're off the rails because of these fake foods quite literally changing who they are. Kudos to you, sister. I wrote an essay awhile back about when our daughter was misdiagnosed with an eating disorder but it turned out to be PANDAS. Anyway, the thing that amazed me the most about our time spent with the eating disorder clinic was that if we didn't eat donuts and chips and muffins, we were somehow "eating disordered". Amazing. Absolute shills for big food industry and they don't even know it.
Tara...9 hours ago, the Washington Post released an expose on how RDs and nutritionists are busted for getting paid by Big Food to shill crap food. Now, that's not a news source I rely on but this is an amazing piece. They not only know it...they're getting paid to do it.
They are definitely bought out. I have a friend with Lupus. She’s been working for years to control flare ups. You should see the abhorrent “nutrition” advice that a registered dietitian handed out to her at her consultation. It was all low fat, no fat everything. Eat high fiber cereal every day. Only choose lean cuts of meat. Drink lots of calorie free drinks INCLUDING diet soda. Do not cook with fats/butter; instead use non-stick cooking spray. The list goes on and on. This document was straight from the academy of nutrition and dietetics. And people wonder why 1) they can’t stick to that depleted toxic diet. 2) why even if they do follow it, they don’t heal. The dietetics industry is an absolute racket.
Jamie, this reminds me of the quote going around IG these days- "Our society eats so much processed/junk food, that eating real whole foods is considered dieting."...and apparently an eating disorder?! Oy vey!
Oh you brilliant thing you! We are still so far away from this... but I hope over the next few years, especially as my kids get older and can participate and help, that we can do this “experiment” too. You are amazing.
In the meantime I think 2024 is going to be my year of barter and trade :)
Thanks, Syrani :) Oh, I love me a good barter and trade. We outta' do a little chat on the goodies we've bartered as of late. That's a good theme for a year, too!
Ground beef is by far our favorite food these days. 😆
Something I hope more people will get to experience as our society continues to shift towards more local/traditional foods is the peaceful pleasure of simple real foods.
I used to be kind of a maniac. Around "food" and otherwise. All of that magically disappeared when I came home to what real food actually is. I see (as I'm sure everyone here does) that mania all around me and just think "man, if only you knew".
I wholeheartedly agree. Good food needs little more than a light seasoning, really. But I think the palate has to be returned to such things. I think this is why recipes are fun and special, but also a bit of a crutch to keep wowing our tastebuds in explosive ways. Like you, I have more peace around food when things are simple.
And my oh my, how did I not know there's an oyster emoji!? Thanks, Jess!!
You make such a great point here Tara! I’ve been working much more towards eating seasonally and locally, thanks to your inspiration - sometimes I just need that kick in the rear 😉😂😂 we’ve been working through the 1/2 cow we have in the freezer. I’ve been trying to mix things up because I feel self-conscious that my family is going to get bored. I think I’m just worrying for no reason though.
"The answer is relationships now." Thank you for inviting us in to be in relationship with you.
Am looking forward to more commentary on local.
Since we have never raised our food, our local relationships (can i say that here lol) have always been essential to sourcing what I consider that we 'need' for our family.
I love this! We are on a very limited budget right now and are having to go through this ourselves-wants vs. needs. It’s eye opening for sure. How did your body feel without all the extra supplements? Are there any you missed? Because of budget right now I can only afford the minimum as well, but looking forward to seeing if I still feel the same since I can get caught up in flashy new supplements quickly. Also, how do you make your margaritas? I miss those but they are often so full of sugar!
We had some shilajit when we started but we ran out and I've already ordered more. It's one that I won't be without again. Also creatine monohydrate is essential for us both. I order the Creapure brand which is the only one third party tested. Also, will be ordering Rosita cod liver oil and bee balm. And I like to have some powdered glycine around. If organic gelatin is a supplement, then that too. That's it. If I had to narrow it right down, it would be magnesium, shilajit, minerals, iodine and Rosita in the winter.
Oh! Margaritas: frozen summer strawberries, limes freshly juiced, honey, ice, a splash of mezcal. The end. Fantabulous!! Anytime I make them people say, "These are the best I've ever had." :)
Tara, I use mezcal, too, when a margarita is in order! I mix in any of my fermented "champagnes" and the etc. and it's divine! definitely will add some frozen strawberries.most folks use standard tequilas so the unfamiliar taste of mezcal will give them a special new flavor!
Thanks for the details you shared with Mae.
I found your list of foods that you did not consume very compelling and noteworthy that they are foods you could do with out, but foods you nutritionally value. I recently had some PEIsland oysters. the mouthful of oyster and brine was almost intoxicating!
Thank you for sharing your synopsis of the year living on the farm harvests.
I can’t believe it’s been a year already, wow!! When was the official date?
After seeing the hundreds of pounds of purchased fruit you recently processed, I’m wondering how you handled it last year... just did without? Foraged more, or did more with what you had? Also was the buying club able to make it without your large quantity?
We just went season to season. I wasn't counting down a certain day. That feels a little artificial to me. Still had our fruit, from both our farm and our fruit farmers, that I processed in all the ways I always do for keeping. Our buying club does over $10,000 in fruit orders for each order in the summer and there's usually four. I'm definitely not the biggest buyer. All good and we're very proud to now be in a place, for quite a few years now, where we can joyfully live off the fat of the land, with or without any extras from our local friends and farmers. It all started with garden plots over twenty years ago and here we are today - me processing apples like a maniac and Troy cutting up meat, waiting for me to get out there to help butcher the first steer of the year. Blessings from hard work. :)
So many good challenges here! I want to sit down and reevaluate where we are now and see what we are still buying that could move from normal to special.
Ground beef....I am smiling over here. How many nights a few pounds of that hit the cast iron and I pull ferments from the fridge and call it dinner. I will no longer feel a pang of guilt when my day goes awry and that it the solution to dinner!
I'm glad to hear this might inspire some reevaluation. It's so sneaky how these things go from something special to every day just because it's so normalized in our culture.
Yes! Ground beef is wonderful. It's my fast food, no guilt required :)
We are eating exclusively from within 35 miles of our farm, partly inspired by your challenge. Also admittedly not much of a change from how we would normally eat, but made much more challenging by our current living situation in a power and plumbing less hut on the hill with our fridge and freezers plugged in to the only power outlet we have access to three miles away - quick fix conveniences and the incredible cheese and cake shop down the road were threatening to become staples. We’re lucky to have access to excellent seafood, meats, dairy, and we don’t eat exotic fruits, grains etc anyway so there’s nothing we really miss, but It’s really made us stay on track health wise, and also think and appreciate really deeply about where, how, by whom all of our food is produced, like you say what is need and what is want, and how much we really need to produce on our own farm going forward.
Carly, you're my new go-to for "Look, if X can do it and she lives in Alaska, you can do it, too!" Only now, it's much cooler, "Look, if Carly can do it and she's an Irish Shepherdess living in a hut with her nearest power outlet three miles away, you can do it, too!" Thanks for the upgrade! 😉 Very inspiring, indeed.
Haha I love it! You’re welcome!
Oh, how I enjoyed reading your summary. I had been wondering, you see, and now I can begin to dissect your thoughts and juxtapose them to my reality for comparison and thoughtful evaluation. These living choices are not popular and, therefore difficult to discuss and debate with folks within my circle. It's a rather lonely place, if truth be told, and so these weekly essays become extra special- sort of like my own "Friday night oysters".
It can be a rather lonely place. I'm so glad to be your oyster. 😁❤️🦪
What an interesting experiment, Tara, and beautiful summary of it all. Thank you for sharing it for the rest of us to garner an edge from. It's especially of value during this time of confusion, where it seems the general public turns to every outlet possible for the answer... instead of looking down at their own two hands. The blessed ways in which we are capable of providing what we truly need/want is being contorted and disguised by an ever growing drive for frivolity/folly. It reminds me of the quote, "Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability" by Ardous Huxley.
What a brilliant quote. Thank you for sharing that with me. I'm keeping it.
And thank you for the kind words, Megan. I'm always so thrilled when what I hope will come across does. 💕
What a great quote!!
Something I've learned this year is not to solve my problems with money, but rather with nature. And I feel that resonate in your essay.
So true and aptly put, Maseh.
Ever since you mentioned oysters in your Q and A recently, I've been working on my husband to figure out where we can loosen up the budget for a box! I'd never thought about it, and I threw up tooooooo many smoked ones while pregnant!
Thank you for all of this food for thought, Tara. My whole family is healthier for my following along here, we've got amazing relationships with a few farmers, and have fuelled and found a trajectory for our lives and ways of working toward it. This will be our first winter of eschewing fruit and veg that are from a store/not seasonal. I've canned organic local stuff all summer, and requested a family gift of a used fridge for ferments for Xmas from in-laws that like to be extravagant.
We're figuring ourselves out slowly and putting lots of new thought into ourselves as we raise these tiny boys. Your shared thoughts ripple through them, and sing a long since forgotten song to the stories living in my bones :)
What a generous and lovely comment to read. Just made my day. Thank you so much, Liz. You guys are really up to the good stuff :)
Ground beef and simple meals for the win! I love the phrases you used for processed foods: static, interruptions, exaggerated flavors. I work with the under 6 population and the food situation is BONKERS with RDs and nutritionists fighting for kids to BE ABLE TO EAT CRAP because that's how you avoid eating disorders and have a good relationship with food...it's super scary what's happening with kids.
It must be challenging to work with young kids when they're off the rails because of these fake foods quite literally changing who they are. Kudos to you, sister. I wrote an essay awhile back about when our daughter was misdiagnosed with an eating disorder but it turned out to be PANDAS. Anyway, the thing that amazed me the most about our time spent with the eating disorder clinic was that if we didn't eat donuts and chips and muffins, we were somehow "eating disordered". Amazing. Absolute shills for big food industry and they don't even know it.
Tara...9 hours ago, the Washington Post released an expose on how RDs and nutritionists are busted for getting paid by Big Food to shill crap food. Now, that's not a news source I rely on but this is an amazing piece. They not only know it...they're getting paid to do it.
They are definitely bought out. I have a friend with Lupus. She’s been working for years to control flare ups. You should see the abhorrent “nutrition” advice that a registered dietitian handed out to her at her consultation. It was all low fat, no fat everything. Eat high fiber cereal every day. Only choose lean cuts of meat. Drink lots of calorie free drinks INCLUDING diet soda. Do not cook with fats/butter; instead use non-stick cooking spray. The list goes on and on. This document was straight from the academy of nutrition and dietetics. And people wonder why 1) they can’t stick to that depleted toxic diet. 2) why even if they do follow it, they don’t heal. The dietetics industry is an absolute racket.
Jamie, this reminds me of the quote going around IG these days- "Our society eats so much processed/junk food, that eating real whole foods is considered dieting."...and apparently an eating disorder?! Oy vey!
YES! It's crazy! So many people (at my gym no less) think I'm super restrictive cause I only eat real, whole, foods. We're living in WEIRD times!
Oh you brilliant thing you! We are still so far away from this... but I hope over the next few years, especially as my kids get older and can participate and help, that we can do this “experiment” too. You are amazing.
In the meantime I think 2024 is going to be my year of barter and trade :)
Thanks, Syrani :) Oh, I love me a good barter and trade. We outta' do a little chat on the goodies we've bartered as of late. That's a good theme for a year, too!
Ground beef is by far our favorite food these days. 😆
Something I hope more people will get to experience as our society continues to shift towards more local/traditional foods is the peaceful pleasure of simple real foods.
I used to be kind of a maniac. Around "food" and otherwise. All of that magically disappeared when I came home to what real food actually is. I see (as I'm sure everyone here does) that mania all around me and just think "man, if only you knew".
Also, oyster party Fridays sound like a tradition I could get down with. 💚🦪
I wholeheartedly agree. Good food needs little more than a light seasoning, really. But I think the palate has to be returned to such things. I think this is why recipes are fun and special, but also a bit of a crutch to keep wowing our tastebuds in explosive ways. Like you, I have more peace around food when things are simple.
And my oh my, how did I not know there's an oyster emoji!? Thanks, Jess!!
You make such a great point here Tara! I’ve been working much more towards eating seasonally and locally, thanks to your inspiration - sometimes I just need that kick in the rear 😉😂😂 we’ve been working through the 1/2 cow we have in the freezer. I’ve been trying to mix things up because I feel self-conscious that my family is going to get bored. I think I’m just worrying for no reason though.
"The answer is relationships now." Thank you for inviting us in to be in relationship with you.
Am looking forward to more commentary on local.
Since we have never raised our food, our local relationships (can i say that here lol) have always been essential to sourcing what I consider that we 'need' for our family.
Need and thrive on. Yes!
I love this! We are on a very limited budget right now and are having to go through this ourselves-wants vs. needs. It’s eye opening for sure. How did your body feel without all the extra supplements? Are there any you missed? Because of budget right now I can only afford the minimum as well, but looking forward to seeing if I still feel the same since I can get caught up in flashy new supplements quickly. Also, how do you make your margaritas? I miss those but they are often so full of sugar!
We had some shilajit when we started but we ran out and I've already ordered more. It's one that I won't be without again. Also creatine monohydrate is essential for us both. I order the Creapure brand which is the only one third party tested. Also, will be ordering Rosita cod liver oil and bee balm. And I like to have some powdered glycine around. If organic gelatin is a supplement, then that too. That's it. If I had to narrow it right down, it would be magnesium, shilajit, minerals, iodine and Rosita in the winter.
Do you have a post on the specific supplement brands you recommend? The research piece of this puzzle is slightly overwhelming to me :)
Oh! Margaritas: frozen summer strawberries, limes freshly juiced, honey, ice, a splash of mezcal. The end. Fantabulous!! Anytime I make them people say, "These are the best I've ever had." :)
Tara, I use mezcal, too, when a margarita is in order! I mix in any of my fermented "champagnes" and the etc. and it's divine! definitely will add some frozen strawberries.most folks use standard tequilas so the unfamiliar taste of mezcal will give them a special new flavor!
Thanks for the details you shared with Mae.
I found your list of foods that you did not consume very compelling and noteworthy that they are foods you could do with out, but foods you nutritionally value. I recently had some PEIsland oysters. the mouthful of oyster and brine was almost intoxicating!
Thank you for sharing your synopsis of the year living on the farm harvests.
In Mexico they now call them Mezcalitas :-) I'm super curious what brand of mezcal you think is best...
Yes! I was curious on brands here too! How do you find farmers in Mexico?!
Have learned so much through your journey and am awe inspired on keeping it simple while choosing to leave space for joy!
Thank you, Tawny.
I can’t believe it’s been a year already, wow!! When was the official date?
After seeing the hundreds of pounds of purchased fruit you recently processed, I’m wondering how you handled it last year... just did without? Foraged more, or did more with what you had? Also was the buying club able to make it without your large quantity?
We just went season to season. I wasn't counting down a certain day. That feels a little artificial to me. Still had our fruit, from both our farm and our fruit farmers, that I processed in all the ways I always do for keeping. Our buying club does over $10,000 in fruit orders for each order in the summer and there's usually four. I'm definitely not the biggest buyer. All good and we're very proud to now be in a place, for quite a few years now, where we can joyfully live off the fat of the land, with or without any extras from our local friends and farmers. It all started with garden plots over twenty years ago and here we are today - me processing apples like a maniac and Troy cutting up meat, waiting for me to get out there to help butcher the first steer of the year. Blessings from hard work. :)