Sustainability

 

When Covid-19 hit the United States back in March, I was dismayed to see how quickly things turned to chaos. I've been blessed in the sense that my generation has really seen no major trials that our ancestors went through. I didn't live through the depression or any world wars or really anything that affected my basic life too much. Suddenly, I was finding empty shelves in the stores, shortages of things, and sky high prices. And I was unprepared.

I still remember the day I went to the grocery store to find the entire meat case cleaned out except for a few packages of pork belly and turkey legs. I'm thankful that for years now I've made everything from scratch and we have simplified our lives so we are not overly dependent on processed foods. We got by and things settled down fairly quickly.

But I did think at the time that I need to do a better job this year of canning and getting back into having a more self-reliant and sustainable lifestyle. And then I got busy so things didn't happen the way I planned.

I didn't get to any farm stands to buy fruits and vegetables. I didn't have a garden. Even though I sat at the farmer's market each week, I never had time to get to the other vendors. So my pantry shelves are bare.

However, the past couple of weeks I'm working on stepping up my game. I found a farm stand where I was able to purchase a half bushel of tomatoes and canned diced tomatoes this week. I want to get back there today and see if I can pick up some more for tomato sauce. We picked a bushel of apples and I'll be making apple sauce and cutting up and freezing the rest. I want to pick up some more cucumbers for relish and dill pickles. 

I'm thankful we do have a room in the basement that is unheated so I could keep some things there. I haven't made soap in almost a year and want to make some batches of that as well. 

So while I missed the opportunity to really focus on it, I can still do what I can on a smaller scale. Even though I live in a city neighborhood with not a lot of yard space, there are still ways I can grow some herbs and vegetables. I can still get out into the surrounding countryside and pick some of the medicinal herbs for the soaps and salves I used to make. I can make my own cleaning products. I can sew.

I'm thankful that I had examples growing up of how to be self-sufficient, creative and make ends meet with what you have. I'm up for the challenge. There is something about living simply, within your means, and able to live a sustainable lifestyle that is very satisfying. It certainly makes for a much more peaceful life.