EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

Having just come off seven days, of ‘eating only what is grown on our farm’, my appreciation of a true pioneer family is immense. My last blog set the stage, and these are a few nuggets I learned.

A vegetable garden is essential for self-sufficiency. It’s probably the most important piece of ground on the farm or ranch.  Having a variety of vegetables growing at different times is also essential. This gives variation to the food plate and level of nutrition. I am sure most pioneer families were ‘master gardeners’, and had to be to survive. And to thrive.

The large traditional family garden is very efficient. High nutritional value. No transport cost. Little energy for processing. Little waste. Sensational taste from fresh picked fruits and veggies. All this at a lower cost.  It gives new meaning to the ‘100 mile’ diet. This is more like the ‘100 meter’ diet.

Pioneer families knew what they were eating. Surely there was no conversation as to organic, vegan, paleo, Mediterranean, etc. diets. Even if fertilizing or spraying, it was probably organic, because it came from other parts of the farm system. You knew all about the food plate and prepared or cooked the food accordingly. Maybe this is why some not-so-common ailments, infections, and allergies now have become very common.

The pioneer garden or orchard was part of the balance of the farm organism. This included farm animals also for food, such as chickens, pigs, turkeys, or cattle. Also hunting and fishing may have been in the mix. During my seven paltry days, I would have love eggs, milk, butter, and cheese as well some meat or fish. Bacon would have been glorious, and I don’t even eat bacon. Anything for more protein. I also missed the tastiness of some meals, and what might be garden-grown to help out. I am thinking of onions, garlic, etc. that add flavor to dishes.

There is a time to pick, and a time to not pick. As you remember from my last blog, I tried corn and several potatoes. Neither was ready to harvest. So I sacrificed a small ear of corn for a large one in, say, three weeks. Same with the potatoes, which are still growing. It’s a bit of an ethical issue. I was hungry so harvested and ate. But the cost might have been more hunger later in the season. The pioneer garden must have solved this by having a variety of crops planted at different times, with harvest times that complemented each other. If one veggies wasn’t ready, another was and could be substituted. This would be especially important with a complete crop failure from a disease, drought, hail, etc.

The pioneer farm still required purchases or bartering. My last blog mentioned that salt was added to my food basket. There could be many more items besides spices. I missed cooking oils or something to jazz up my salad. But only essentials, not prepackaged junk items.  For instance, if staples like wheat weren’t grown, flour could be bought. Bartering would be best, perhaps through a farm co-op arrangement.

Lastly, my week of eating local was easy — it was during the growing season! I just picked and ate, or maybe cooked a bit. But what about January or February?  I am amazed by those with the skill and means to preserve food year-round. Canning, pickling, salting, drying, etc. to provide nutrition during the other months was a task every family undertook. Root cellars, not refrigerators, preserved. And there must have been some lean months, with smaller meal portions. After all, our Thanksgiving meal is based upon celebrating the bounty of the summer harvest.  I am sure the pre-meal prayer of thanks was heart-felt.

As you can detect, I stand in awe of pioneers and the effort required to provide nutrition to their families from the farm. I suppose that this was the lifestyle. There was no alternative. Everyone contributed. Everyone benefited. The farm food system was balanced and complementary, or it was adjusted. It was hard work, and I would argue that it was worth it. This has been confirmed with ‘old timers’ who grew up in this setting, with big families and big gardens. Without exception, they look back fondly on these years of hard work, and the reward it brought. And as importantly, the lessons for success in life that it taught. Those lessons are priceless.