lost arts & frugality

I was so pleased when to read this article in yesterday's Oregonian. It's about a woman who teaches classes to help people learn to eat better, and greener, on a budget. The thing I liked the best is the classes concentrate on going back to traditional ways of making food: homemade bread, homemade cream cheese, lacto-fermented foods, and using raw milk and grass-fed beef, etc. It's much the kind of things I've been learning the past few months. I think I would really dig this class!

Although it's been an interesting time to start to "go organic," I am determined to find a way to eat well and still eat on a budget. I have a few ideas I've been gathering for the past month or so, and although I haven't found a way to implement them all yet, I'm learning. There are a few places where I know I can buy fresh farm eggs around here, that's one of my plans. I'm learning to make the most of the meals I prepare. For example, a roast chicken yields several meals (the original roasted bird, then chicken enchiladas, for example), plus several quarts of chicken stock. I hope to perfect my technique in making sourdough bread, and eventually eliminate the need to buy sliced bread from the store. And I can hardly wait for the farmer's market and roadside produce stands to be up and running again.

For more on eating real food in a way that won't break the bank: "12 Tips for Squeezing the Most Nutrient-Rich Food From Your Dollar," and a post on natural food shopping from some wonderful health-conscious sites. There are ways to do this, and I am most definitely learning as I go.

I mentioned in a recent post that I am trying to give up paper towels. It's another way that I'm trying to be frugal and a bit more responsible. I can wash & reuse rags, cloth napkins, as well as cloth diapers and wipes. Gotta love that! And I am thinking (I'm not there yet, though!) of putting aside facial tissues in favor of handkerchiefs. That will take a bit of courage, though...

So there's what I'm working on right now. Learning to be more frugal, and to reduce & reuse as much as I can. I'm just starting this journey, and I am actually really excited about it. I like the thought of being wise and careful with the resources I've been given, so that we'll have more choices in the long run.

And my favorite way to use a renewable resource? Breastfeeding! Ingenious. I love that God was so creative and wise when He designed our bodies...