Before we retired, sometimes at the end of a busy week I declared it to be Foraging Friday. That meant Gerry and I would find something to eat on our own and no meal would be prepared for supper. It was a relaxing end to what was often a busy and stress-filled week.
This month I’ve declared Foraging February–not because we’re busy and stressed but because I can. And, because I can! Last year I had an idea that, with all of the gardening and food preservation going on around here, we would easily be able to eschew grocery shopping for a month or two.
I initially thought November and February would be good months to do it but when we switched to a whole-food plant-based way of eating in early autumn I didn’t feel prepared in November. I was busy building a repertoire of recipes, learning a new way of cooking, stocking the pantry with different items, and figuring out what we’d need to have on hand.
Then December arrived, and with it less-than-ideal eating habits. Our bodies let us know that they were not happy about our backsliding ways. How good it felt to get back on board with our new way of eating when January rolled around! I decided that I’d be able to take up the challenge in February and here we are.
The goal is to eat exclusively from what we have at home. My canning shelves, while starting to dwindle, are still relatively well-stocked; our freezer is full; and my stockpile pantry is pretty respectable; I’ve figured out what staples we use most of–beans, grains, pasta, lentils–and started buying them in bulk.
We’ll likely have to pick up soy milk now and then but I’m going to do my best to darken the door of the grocery store until sometime in March. If there’s something I absolutely must have before then, I’ll get it. The goal isn’t to go crazy. The goal is to be more mindful of what we’re eating and get a sense of what I need to do more (or less) of with respect to gardening, canning, and otherwise preserving the harvest this year. It’s also just a fun personal challenge! From time to time throughout the month I’ll post recipes for things we’re feasting on.
So how about it? Want to join me in Foraging February?
This reminded me of “Pick Your Own” night that Mom declared every once in a while. It was her way of taking a break – we had to pick our own dinner and make it and clean up after ourselves. Usually, we had cereal. But at least it was a break for Mom. I don’t grow my own, but I do belong to Bountiful Baskets co-op, so I get a lot of fresh veggies and fruits every two weeks.