Well the week is over and has been more interesting than I thought.
I bought, swapped or otherwise acquired food from other than regular sources.
We had beans and pumpkin from Eltham, yellow peppers from Greensborough, carrots and potatoes from Wholesalers Organic market via Hurstbridge, lettuce from Strathewan, sourdough bread and mushrooms from St Andrews and pears from Humevale. There were still a few greens in our garden, including zucchini and a handful of broccoli. There was also some beef in the freezer from the Gippsland Share herd I belong to, so we had a very nice Osso bucco one night, cooked throughout the day in our Thermopot (no power). The chooks have been laying well this week so their eggs have slotted into many meals. Our Granny Smith apples are ripening now so several breakfasts included apple stewed in Hurstbridge raw honey, some stewed rhubarb (also my garden) and yoghurt! I also swapped some apples for passionfruit from Diamond Creek, and had the last of oranges from a friend in Diamond Creek. Some homemade beef stock formed the base to a yummy soup and I had homemade passata in the pantry to support some meals.
I made cheddar cheese from my Share Herd milk (ready in 3 months!), and ricotta from the whey. I also made a couple of batches of yoghurt this week. I didn’t have time to make bread but made some spelt scones which were yummy with homemade quince jelly or apricot jam. Jackie French’s apple fritter recipe made a timely arrival this week.
I began 2 hot compost piles and had intended to revive my worm farm. I have already reduced my visits to the supermarket, but didn’t go once this week!
Overall, I probably ate less and had a smaller variety of food than normal, but made sure every meal had one or more local products included. (I had been busy in the weeks before and hadn’t really prepared myself for the challenge!) The rest of the family ate what was served up, probably still didn’t realise the significance of the local products though. Guess that is my biggest challenge, after trying to grow more vegetables successfully!
Thanks for the opportunity of doing the challenge, and even though I didn’t meet anyone in my area doing it, it is an activity I would like to promote locally. Robyn
