EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

I recently embarked on a food security exercise.  Most of you know that I live on a small (5 acre) farm, with assorted berries, fruit, and a vegetable garden. Last week, I committed to eating foods that were only grown on our farm. With my interest in food and emergency preparedness, I wanted to glimpse the challenges of a pioneer settler family in, say, the 1800s – or so my imagination was taking me.

The rule was simple. I eat only what is produced here – a radius of approx. 120 meters from my kitchen.  No trip to the store. No bartering. I eat what I grow. I would do this for 7 days. I now reflect back and have learned much, which is exactly what I wanted.

Firstly, I underestimated the amount of nutritious food available on the farm. Either not enough was planted, or not enough variety was planted. Also, I did this in mid-August, when I thought several of the crops would be edible.  They weren’t, especially a ‘staple crop’ such as potatoes or corn.  And of course, there was no meat or dairy.

I don’t want to be like a facebooker or snapchatter who famously and rediculously posts photos of every meal out, but, for context, here’s what I consumed. It’s a short list. I ate twice per day, as is usual. Breakfast:  strawberries, blackberries, plums, apples. Dinner: kale, spinach, cucumber, peas, snap beans. Drink: water, apple cider (which is pressed locally from our apples)

That was my diet. I did try one ear of corn, but it was far too early, and not ready. I did dig a few potatoes, but they were the size of golf balls. Alas, the three tomatoes were smaller than golf balls, and others did not ripen.  The lack of these three vegetables was a setback. Can you guess the only item not produced on the farm?  Small but critically important in every body and in every diet. Salt!

Observations: The breakfast was ok. I simple ate it in the field. I felt like a ‘hunter-gatherer’ aka caveman, who picked, ate, picked, ate…   By the way, tt takes a lot of berries, apples, and plums to fill for breakfast.  After 7 days, it was time for a change.  Dinner had to do more with the issue of palatability, i.e. how tasty was the food. I could have made a yummier salad with tomatoes, but instead it was only greens. Because of no dressing, it was dry…like I was eating grass. The lifesaver for me was the bush beans, and some peas. I ate them nightly. Yummy, but again, after 7 days, it got a bit old.

I definitely lost weight. In one sense, I was in a perpetual state of hunger. But it was an unusual sensation. I was eating, and what I consumed was nutritious. But my energy level was low. It reminded me of weeks in which I have sometimes fasted. Some of you know that I’m a person of faith, but even if not, I would argue that most of us in North America could use this practice. Fasting for several days is an eye-opening, powerful experience. Perhaps I will address in another blog down the road, and not digress here.

A staple food would have helped. My understanding is that almost every civilization has stables, such as rice, wheat, etc., around which the meal is built around.   For me, the lack of potatoes or corn was a disappointment.

My logic was that anyone can survive any foodstuff or eating habit for seven days.  I kept being reminded of our pioneer families that had to survive it…in some variation…for seven years, or seventeen years, or a lifetime. My total admiration goes to them. I will expound upon this in next blog.

Thanks for reading.

Monty