If any lesson has been learned from this pandemic it is that the majority of us including myself are seriously lacking in skills on how to be self-sufficient. As a nation we are incredibly dependent on grocery stores and amazon for our basic needs. I love what Dave Hollis has to say about our current quarantine, “In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.” I don’t think I want to rush back to the lifestyle I had before where I’d run out to the grocery store a couple times a week and have amazon ship everything else. That’s not sustainable when faced with a crises.
I have spent a lot of time thinking of ways that our family can be more self-sufficient during these times and for the future. It’s a skill that many of us haven’t been taught. My mom was raised on a farm but I was a typical 80’s/90’s kid that lived in the suburbs and grew up eating processed food like most of us did back then. Hello cheez whiz! Somehow I grew up to be a mom with a bent towards natural living. A lot of that had to do with some health issues my firstborn went through when he was younger and the research and lifestyle changes I did on my own.
With how crazy the world is right not and with so much that is out of my control I feel better when coming up with a plan and doing all that I can to be a good steward of my home. Planning is always better than panicking! We might be limited in some ways because we do live in a suburb so no chickens or goats for us but there is a lot that we can still do right where we are. I think a lot of us will come out of this quarantine a little more resourceful and that’s my goal for now.
At the beginning of March when the first case of the virus in our county was announced my daughter and I went to the grocery store and stocked up on a months worth of food and necessities. It lasted us a long time and there are things we are still good on but milk and produce ran out the fastest of course. This past week I ran into Whole Foods and it was such an uncomfortable experience with everyone awkwardly trying to distance themselves and so many in masks in gloves. I decided I’d like to avoid going back again for as long as I can. So my goal is to source what we can straight from the farmers and order from stores that will ship in bulk like Azure Standards. Azure will either ship directly or you can pick up at a local drop off for a reduced shipping charge. Right now I have in my cart 5 lbs of raw cheddar, 25 lbs of organic oats, 1 gallon of Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 lb of Stevia, SafeCatch tuna, multicolored popcorn and bags of potatoes, onions and lemons. You can also get plants and seeds from them to get a garden started. They are a great source for things right now!
We’ll be learning to live without some things like cereal, juice and crackers for now and focusing more on nutrient dense foods. I started exploring Nourishing Traditions before we were homebound and it’s given me many skills in the kitchen to carry us through this time. I highly recommend looking into it if you haven’t already. You can learn skills like starting a sourdough starter that doesn’t require yeast. You can also bypass buying probiotics when you use the recipes in the book for fermented food which are full of natural probiotics.
We will also be growing a good amount of our produce this summer using the Square Foot Garden book as a guide. We have three raised 4×4 garden beds we made using the plans in the books and containers for growing potatoes in. I grow the majority of my herbs on the front porch. It’s my kitchen herb garden. There really has never been a better time to start a garden at home!
Wishing you all wellness and peace during this time. I know we will come out stronger than before! I’d love to hear the comments below what you are doing to be resourceful at home.
Pin it for later:
Leave a Reply