is it failure or learning...

Can you sustain local in the middle of winter in Calgary without preplanning?  This was the question I asked myself in January.

I can tell you resoundedly NOPE.  Or if you can, you are a much better woman/man than me. 

I tried.  I really did.  I sourced out produce that was grown locally in greenhouses and it worked for awhile.  I ate my weight in root vegetables, which for the first month wasn't bad.  Again I am a wizz at the parsnip.  But then I wanted real, or heck even fake, food.  And then my husband was told he needed to get healthy.  So out went that.  He needed to eat his colors.  And with very little local available I had to go elsewhere.  I feel like I failed but then with each failure you learn.  You learn that you can have local, healthy fruits and vegetables but you have to plan a lot for the future. You have to can, to freeze, to dehydrate and all those preserving methods that I love.  But you have to do it on mass scale or you will be unable to sustain it.  We did it for 14 weeks in the middle of winter.  So for that I am very happy.  And next year it will be better.  I have my root cellar planned out.  I have my can plan mapped out. 

I'm still buying local meats because I can't get those images out of my brain.  I can't.  I won't.  So we are eating less meat for the time being.  Because those are expensive if you don't go "bulk" and I haven't been able to save up the money for bulk yet.  But I will. 

So for now, we will eat our colors using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible but knowing it can't all be done yet.

Zombies. and penguins

I am very fortunate to have the ability to stay home with my children and actually enjoy it (most of the time).  And by being home with the girls, I get to do fun things like go on field trips.  Today was one of those fun days.  Yes it was cold, but not unbearable.  Yes it snowed about 20cm.  But that didn't stop us.  We went to the zoo for two things.  One to see the very cool new penguin exhibit at the Calgary zoo but also to see the bear program.  I will be honest, I was excited to see the penguins! 

We get to the penguin exhibit and it is pretty darn cool.  I will take Bella there once the hype dies down a bit.  But this is where the zombies come in.  This little 5 yr old girl comes up to me and says "Mrs. M, do you know what penguins eat?"  I say well yeah, but what do you think?  "Zombies" 

Oh lord. 

Kindergarteners are a different breed..

Note to self .. March 1st edition

Just a couple note to self's this week. 

• Remember to update blog more than once a week.  You had a goal remember? 
• Dairy is NOT your friend.  It sucks, move on.  And stop consuming any dairy please.. Thanks ..your guts ;)
• Seed planting starts tomorrow.  March 2nd.  I'll have leeks, and a few tomato seedlings
• Gluten Free Goddess's bread recipe is the one to keep.  It actually holds up after 3 days.  And freezes.  So remember to always have on hand: millet, teff/buckwheat, and almond flour
• Sticking up for your child may not be the popular vote around the playground ie: you may get the stink eye, but you are doing the right thing and you know you don't over-react ever so it must have been important to go all mama bear!
• We are almost completely out of factory farmed meat.  I couldn't just throw it out - that would have been even more of a travisty.  So get on the ordering..
• Your family goes through 4 loaves of bread every 10 days as of March 1st, 2012

I think those are all the points of the week.  How did your weeks shape up?

Trials and Tribulations

So many of you know that I have pretty much given up the grocery store.  It's just too junk food intensive and I'm weak.  So I prefer to shop at the market for real foods.  I also am in the corner of now that I know how those egg laying hens, cows, pigs etc are treated I can't (or won't) buy from the grocery store.  It's a personal choice. 

Now that we are in it, we are finding somethings out that I didn't quite realize before.  One of which we go through A LOT of eggs.  Like 2 dozen a week.  These aren't normally eaten just as eggs, but in muffins, pancakes and all those other things.  We like eggs.  They are a pretty awesome super food.  But it really sucks when you are out of eggs and the market doesn't open for another day.  So now I have to readjust my eating plans for the day.  And because if I "slip" just a little I know I could possibly buy that bag of chips or that whatever so here I sit and think well tomorrow is another day, a day for the Kingsland Farmers Market  and then I can make this bread which I really kinda want.. Gluten free Spotted Dog Bread from the Gluten Free Goddess. 

So tomorrow, I'll buy 3 dozen eggs and see if that works.  I'm thinking we need to figure out a way to get rid of at least a dozen eggs but making from scratch leads to lots of eggs..