Tuesday, 5 October 2010

My experiment for the winter coming

Four months without buying food from the beginning of November to the end of February.
Here is the blog for you to follow. See and read what the experiment is about, what I will be doing day by day and what i will be eating day by day. I will try to explain why I am doing this as I go.
The main reason is  "Waste ".
As incredible it mybe, we, modern,civilised society ( !sic !)we waste 65% of the food we produce. The food we waste between us and the USA in a year can feed 1 billion people. The food we waste is taking a big tall to the land we coltivate and the land coltivated in other countries for our food consumption. The food we waste is taking away huge quantities of water in countries where water is scarce. The food we waste is often still good to eat. The food we waste is creating more hunger in other places around the world.
We now buy food for pleasure and not for necessity.
We spend an average of 30% of our wages for food whereas in poor countries 80% of their wages is spent for food.  We want cheap food which is produced far away by poor paid workforce, exploiting their lands and water. This also has an environmental impact which we should be ashemed of.
Second reason is to demonstrate mainly to maiself that I can eat well and better using natural engridients, coltivated ones and game. Yes it is time consuming to prepare food of any kind, to go and find it in nature, to coltivate it, to make dishes from it etc but, I am strongly convinced that we spend far too much time doing things which are not teaching us anything about real life.
How many hours we spend in front of the tv screen and how many minutes we dedicate to food preparation and consumption?
We are becoming spectators of our lifes rather than taking part in it. Everything is done for us so we can have more time for....doing nothing really.The complexity of our modern life and the implication that this system is afecting others and the environment is not well known or  well hidden by the system itself.
Well, I will try to find out if it is possible to move away from it at least regarding the most important thing we need: food. I do know that I will not be able to achieve it 100% but, I want to get close to it.
I will need some engridients that are not in nature or that I can  not coltivate. milk, flour, butter, oil are the most important ones. I need them to make my cheese and bread and fresh pastas. I will be offering my ravioli or lasagne in exchange of some of these products. So, hope to find someone willling to help in this.
Below is a mushroom which grows in aboundance oround drumnadrochit. I have collected different speciments and kept some in jars for the winter.
Wild food.Birch boletus from queens'rock area.

1 comment:

  1. HI
    I would be really keen to get more information n this. I am a reporter with a local paper - The Highland News and this would make a really interesting feature - could you call me on 01463 732230. Many thanks
    Claire

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