Yay! This is the last day of the dreaded cleanse. I’ve been told that I seem almost aggressively mellow. It’s true: I feel like I’m in a cottony torpor sans caffeine. I can’t wait for my first cup of real tea. I’ve even imagined the scenario of making my morning tea a couple of times. I’m really looking forward to my day of unhindered eating tomorrow. Not like I’m going to go crazy and eat a bunch of hamburgers or anything, just the idea of eating a peanut butter sandwich seems unbearably luxurious. That’s why I love to do these silly stunts. They help me value what I have. And, it makes me feel lucky that I can feed myself with what I grow. Here’s what I ate for the last two weeks:
3 winter squash triamble (i’m working on getting the seeds sent out…)= approx 10 pound
3.5 quart jars of apple sauce
2 quarts elephant heart plums
3 pints Italian plums
6 quarts canned tomatoes
5 pounds potatoes
bunches of kale and chard
15 lettuces
6 carrots (they’re really not ready yet)
several leeks
several lemons/limes
head of cauliflower
many stems of mint/nettle
2 chantrelle mushrooms
10 quarts of milk
5 rounds of goat cheese
3 rabbits (cooked in various ways)
11 eggs (chickens are really not laying much yet)
I didn’t weigh myself so I don’t know that I lost weight, but ghod, I feel so much lighter and stronger. This might have to become an annual almost-spring ritual. Did I learn anything?
-Small plates make a small meal seem big
-Portion size is crucial: we just eat too much because we have too much
-Early to bed and up early seems like the best way to deal with hunger
-Exercise makes you forget you’re hungry
-Feeding yourself with homegrown food isn’t really that hard, you just have to have a bit of a stockpile of basics, and become creative with what you have.
-Caffeine makes me who I am.
Now that Bill’s back from Mexico, we’re going to clean out the cupboards with the catastrophe diet!
The Urban Orchardist 
Loved your comments about -Small plates make a small meal seem big Portion size is crucial: we just eat too much because we have too much Early to bed and up early seems like the best way to deal with hunger Exercise makes you forget you’re hungry Feeding yourself with homegrown food isn’t really that hard, you just have to have a bit of a stockpile of basics, and become creative with what you have.
Wanted to note that I found drinking more water not only kept my system running better but made me less hungry. Its your comment about getting sleep since I found it so much easier to lose and keep weight off when I got enough sleep. And now its helps me get more done when I am awake. Eating a diet heavy on fruits, vegetables really keeps my system cleaned out and running well.
girl, i’ve been following along closely.
Jeez, lousie! will you just go to law school and then you could break it all down into 6 minute increments! How do I know??? Ask me how I spend my last 90 minutes – the perfect vegetarian crepe – wild rice, asparagus (cechini & chechini), shallots, a little garlic, diced carrot and a wee bit of broccoli ). With admiration and appreciation. k
congrats on your success. we hope to go mostly survive with what we grow in the next five years. we’re taking baby steps to get there.
Same here- I am no where near ready, and feel grateful when I can haul some kale out of the garden. But that’s all I’m getting right now. Eventually we want to be able to get almost everything out of the garden. MotherLodeBeth reminds me that I need to go down a glass of water….congrats on surviving your stunt.
I just discovered the small plate makes a small meal seem big thing recently…it really works!
RE: Small plates make a small meal seem big
One thing I see in France is the plate acts as a frame to show off the smaller amount of food on the plate, whereas here in the states most places, peoples homes included, load so much food on the plate you cannot see the plate. Europeans see food as art, thus the plate is the frame.
I’m on the hunt for nettles- any tips?
Hi. I just finished reading your book and I was really interested in the tea plants you bought. However you never mentioned who you ordered them from. Can you please tell me where you got them? Thank You
-Pam
Hey Novella, congrats on completing the cleanse. Did you hear that John got chicks?
Christine are you looking to harvest or buy nettles? I harvest them in areas near creeks, streams etc. Some farmers markets have begun to sell them as well. I also recommend the classic book by Euell-Gibbons titled Stalking the Wild Asparagus which is all about harvesting wild foods.
Thanks, MLBeth. I’ve heard of that book. I wouldn’t mind harvesting them myself, although I don’t know if I’m confident enough in my plant id-ing skills.
hey sven; i know! so exciting!
christine: i have some in my garden, near the beehive, in the fava bean area, if you want to drop by and look at them. they sting, so wear gloves to collect ’em.