The more I feed us by working in the garden and the kitchen, the more I wonder why we (humans) gave it all up to work outside of the home in the first place. Growing food is one of the most rewarding, challenging and important things I know of to do.
Last year, I reduced my hours at work so that I could be outside more, rediscover natural rhythms, and learn more about growing food and stocking a pantry. I wanted to get back to the things I knew made me feel good and I wanted to know that I could take care of our basic needs, or at least a few of them.
When I tell people that I work less (and make less money) by choice, they are often quite puzzled. When they learn that I make bread every week, they say things like "Why would you want to do that when there are so many great artisan bakeries in town?" or "Must be nice to have that kind of time." When I tell people I also make cheese on occasion, that I make stock once a week, and that I grow most of the vegetables we eat, I’m often labeled a foodie.
These sorts of reactions make me wonder when taking care of oneself in this manner became "a thing." Not too long ago, living like this wasn’t really considered a lifestyle. It was simply life. And it certainly didn’t fill the pages of newspaper style sections like it does today. Blogs like this one would have been ridiculous had blogs existed. I don’t want to be an outcast, but I don’t want to be a foodie either. There was a time when this was normal, and while I know we can never go back, how I’d welcome this to become the new normal.
Posts
