It does take time to prepare real foods. It takes money, too. But it takes money to eat junk food, just as well. Here, I want to try and deal mostly with the areas of the budget. Remember those three pages in 'Appendix A' of Nourishing Traditions that I wrote about in my last post? There are nineteen suggestions worthy of attention on those pages. So far, I have been able to incorporate all except four of them into our dietary lifestyle.
I marked 'NY' beside each suggestion Not Yet done. One is about getting a cow or goats if you live in the country. We are currently urbanites and even the laws regarding backyard chickens are tough here. But one day, we hope to live again in the country, so where this point may seem an 'impossible', I prefer to think of it as a 'not yet'.
Another one involves eating fish roe in the spring. My taste buds have changed a bit since we started eating more healthfully, but I don't know if they've changed that much yet. Still, spring is a few months away, so I have time to 'psych' myself into it. I do know we have several local places where I could get it if I let them know ahead that I want it. The great thing about it is that you can buy a bunch of it in the spring and freeze it. It can be added to foods such as fish cakes and is nutrient dense all by itself.
I haven't yet ventured into trying to make any of the cookies in Nourishing Traditions, but my family is generally happy with fresh fruit, homemade nut butters, breads, jams and crackers. While I do want to give the N.T. snacks and desserts sections a whirl, for me, it's not an immediate necessity.
The last item suggested that is a 'not yet' for me, is to buy whole grains in bulk and store them in paint buckets purchased from paint stores. My husband and I just took a short trip to a Mennonite store in central Virginia. They had the grains in bulk, but I didn't have buckets yet, so we bought some of the more expensive types in smaller bags. Seemed to make sense since we don't even know for sure if we'll like them.
Grains vary greatly in everything from taste to size to color and availability. Consequently, some are quite expensive, but there are the general grains that if bought organically, can keep you in healthier bread foods for a long time.
Buying grains in bulk is definitely the best way to go economically and taste-wise. In fact, a lot of people who dislike wheat breads because of their taste, dislike them for a very good reason. Flour very easily and quickly goes rancid. There is no odor or appearance change when this happens, and because most of us eat bread that comes from rancid flour, we don't really know what the non-rancid taste is-especially in wheat breads. Chefs and many breadmakers know to keep their flours in the fridge...I keep my in the freezer...to help preserve freshness. But if you want the most bang for your buck-and that is what we get when we eat real foods, you'll need to invest in grains.
This is going to require some saving-up because you need capital when it comes to grains. The capital isn't needed so much for the grains themselves but for the grain mill which is a requirement. A GOOD grain mill. And it can be an expensive maze out there, folks! I love the beautiful and well-reviewed KoMo brand and they are coming out with a hand mill, which I hope will be less costly. The "Wonder Junior Deluxe" by Wondermill has some very good reviews, as well. The Kitchen Aide mill attachment has some really negative reviews, so although I was going in that direction at first, I think I'll refrain. THIS is the only hurdle I have left regarding the grain issue. I have to make the final decision and just get the grain mill!
So, we've covered the N.T. suggestions that I haven't yet followed...For the next several posts, I would like to share the ones I have used and how they're working for us.
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