creative feeding update 2

it's been 1 month since i've started my personal creative feeding challenge. overall, we've done pretty well, with the exception of greg going out and buying steak and pork chops. agh! (he's on a low carb diet to try to lose weight).

our winter larder holds red skinned potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and still to harvest are turnips and sunchokes which we harvest as we use.

i'm craving red meat like crazy, i've never been a big chicken fan and all these chicken meals are not that appealing, especially since the chickens are old and have to be stewed to be any good. i'm hoping greg is able to get a deer this season...it would make me very happy. :)

i'll be needing to place a bulk order soon, mostly for flour but possibly some oats and beans too. i need to check my stocks.

i'm heartened to see others are challenging themselves to not buying as well. kathie at two frog home has issued a challenge for herself to not shop for 6 months!! i think that's terrific. her exceptions are similar to ours: milk/cream, butter, coffee and eggs. while we have an endless supply of eggs, my dairy goats are drying off so that's the last we'll see of the milk until my does start freshening in late february, early march. next year, i hope to have them staggered enough that i can milk year round. we don't drink a lot of milk, but the kids love yogurt and cheese. greg's the coffee drinker and i buy it in bulk from trader joe's. i think we have about 1-2 weeks left and then i'll need to go to tj's to get some more. i'll probably break down and buy bacon there too since they are the only ones in the area that sell nitrate/nitrite free bacon and a bit of bacon can flavor so many things, including the dreaded chicken dish! greg's been trying turnip greens and i think a bit of bacon in there will make them taste even better.

trader joe's is about 40 minutes away from us and i only go there about once every 2 months. it's been 3 since i've been so i need to plan accordingly. i generally buy good things there that i can't get around here: preservative free jerky (great for taking in the truck when we have to drive to pick up the older kids from their dad's house for a snack), butter, yogurt (for culture...this i freeze and use as needed), bacon, coffee, a few bottles of $5 chilean red wine which is delish!, cashews and almonds, cream cheese, chocolate chips....my goal on my next shopping trip is to avoid buying all the 'junk' foods we enjoy as well: pirate booty type corn puffs, miss meringue cookies (my addiction), cinnamon scones...

the worst part of the no shopping rule has been not getting fruit for the kids. we got some free pears from a friend and they devoured them. i have to say, those were the best pears i've ever tasted in my life...they were from an old pear tree on her land and they were crisp and sweet, almost like an asian pear but shaped like a bosch/bartlett mix. interesting. she has no idea what kind they were but says they stay crisp until they go bad and then they immediately turn to mush. i'm hoping to get back down to her place soon to pick a bucket or two to bring home. there just may be some pear jelly in my future!

this necessary no shopping month has been great and i hope to continue it as much as possible. besides the upcoming tj trip and bulk food order, i plan to stay away from the grocer except to go and ask for the thrown out produce. i'm still working on that one!

eta: i forgot to add, although this has nothing to do with food, it has nothing to do with money: we sold a friend our extra buck and although we initially set a price and they paid it, while they were here visiting, i mentioned i was going to have to buy a new washer because mine is literally falling apart (our basement is moist and the washer has rusted through...the frame has come off from the insides and it's going to fall into a pile at any moment). they happened to have an extra washer so i suggested we trade our goat for the washer. sweet! they got their $$ back and we got a washer. we all agreed we'd rather barter than use money anyway. i'm happy that it was a win-win situation for all of us.