So I said I was going to do this every Friday or Sunday. You might notice that today is Tuesday. Friday it got put off because a friend wanted to come, but the friend ended up not able to come. It got put off on Sunday because I just did not want to do it. And that is a good thing in a way. The goal of this is to make me sort of understand what it would be like if this was my only food supply, and on Sunday I got a bit of an idea about that. I ended up having a salad from the garden that day but instead of a full garden/local/community meal I had steak and mashed potatoes. Because I wanted it and because it is so easy to go to the store and get anything I want. Had the food in my yard been the only food supply I would have been very unhappy.
There is so little to eat right now, so very little variation. On Sunday when I put it off I got this crazy idea in my head of doing it Monday and it would be better. Then on Monday I went out for tacos, about a mile away. So today I said enough stalling.
The Ingredients:
Omelette:
- Eggs (Gift from Erik)
- Salt (Gift from Lori)
- Chard (Garden)
- Oil (Exempt)
- Sauteed Onion (Garden)
Grits:
- Local Grits (Farmer’s Market, single bought item)
- Water (Tap)
- Salt (Gift from Lori)
- Butter (Exempt)
Peach Chutney (Exempt, canned by us)
- Local Peaches (picked and processed by us)
- Raisins
- Some other fruits (I don’t remember what)
- A ridiculous amount of vinegar
I did not want eggs and chard again. Temper Tantrum Did Not Want. This is very similar to what we had last week, but switched around a bit. When I look out in the garden there are unripe strawberries, little tomato plants, small peaches, tiny blackberries, and 2-inch high corn. I want those things to be ready and I want to eat them. I want foods that I like better, like squash, green beans, and black eyed peas. It is also a little annoying that I can’t just throw in some French bread or beef broth whenever I want. I have some pretty strong food insecurity issues because of a very poor childhood, and having to eat only what I have is really making me have to deal with those issues.
Knowing I was going to have to eat eggs and chard today has made me so motivated to work harder. I know I could not do anything about the dinner tonight, but I am sure going to try to have a better one this weekend or next week. The last few days I have done lots of planting, weeding, and transplanting.
I am also thinking about community more. I am actually thinking about people I want to invite to dinner; not just Erik, who did not join us tonight because he fears grits. I am thinking about joining some meetup groups and actually going to their meetings. I am thinking about how to be nice to the friends and family I do have so they will please bring me food. I am thinking about how I can help the people around me survive, and how they can help me survive. Yes I know that sounds very dramatic. I am a rather dramatic person.
Another upside to my annoyance at today’s dinner is that I know that my pleasure with each new food as it becomes ready to eat will be even greater than normal. My mouth is watering thinking about how amazing some fresh strawberries would be right now. I could deal with more eggs and chard if I could just have a bowl of berries to go with it.
Now with all of that drama out of the way, the meal was actually pretty good. The egg part of the omelette was delicious and the chard was OK at the beginning. By the end the chard tasted a bit too bitter to me, and I did not want to keep taking bites of it. The grits tasted like grits and butter, so there is nothing wrong with that. The peach chutney was better than I remember it being. The peach flavor was very bright and fresh; the pepper was just right, giving only a hint of spice, and the vinegar was not quite as overpowering as I remembered it. The chutney matched well with the omelette.
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