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 