FOOD matters to share with you - 27APR2020

I'm watching a lot of videos these past weeks... some about food, some on farming, some about communities.  I wanted to start sharing my activities as I do them, to get my blogs going again, and see where it all goes.

This is  #My2020PatreonChallenge year... I am trying to find  ONE MILLION  people to support my creative and business and recycling quests ---  before GOD calls me home.  It's my lifetime "Bucket List" and I hope to get these projects started enough to keep them going later.  My personal quests are more in the art and crafting areas.  I hope to get some of those done, too.


Over the months since I started this quest, I have been forced to learn new things about how the internet works, how to reach people, how to figure out the amount I can do on my own until I can hire help, and more.

This past week I rented two documentaries on related topics, and watched "reruns" online of another.

URBAN FARMERS  -- I can only find a rental link... when I watched it, the cost was $1.99 for 48 hours of viewing access... I watched it at least twice.  This is about food issues in New York City... about food deserts, farmers markets, CSA's, and other efforts to make sure there are healthy food choices in NYC, especially for the poor.
https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Farmers-Rachel-Knopf-Shey/dp/B071XBMHKP/ref=sr_1_2

A SIMPLER WAY   --   this is about an experiment in Australia to build an eco-community. It is mostly young people and how they learn to live as a team, solve problems, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/Simpler-Way-Crisis-Opportunity/dp/B07DNJXGQ7/ref=sr_1_1

MODIFIED  --  this is a really good food documentary from Canada.  It also helps to see the politics are the same in their nation as ours.
https://www.modifiedthefilm.com/




Tonight I was watching Plant Pure Nation again.  I couldn't remember if I had watched it already, and it turns out I have.  It was good to be reminded.

PLANT PURE NATION
https://youtu.be/yBKnG9Y0owQ


Since I watched the "original" movie from this same group of people, FORKS OVER KNIVES, I have been trying to find a way to change my eating choices.  I am not currently able to give up ALL the foods they want you to give up, but I am trying to eat less, and trying to find the  5%  that was cited in the movie as the least amount to eat.  (The study was milk protein, but the same protein is in meat and other products. I believe that is what the movie stated.  It is my goal anyway.

In the movie tonight I noticed they said in the past we use to eat about 100 pounds of (meat?) protein products a year per person. Then they said we now eat twice that much, about 200 pounds of protein sources. There are issues with what we now eat because of the "science" that has happened since the first record... genetic alterations, pesticides, pollution, farm management, and more... so the comparisons can't really be equal.  We have to do what we can with all these records.

It made me wonder if I could use that old record as a guide for how much animal proteins to put in my budget.  That has been an issue for me since I started this goal.  I have pared down my food purchases to cream cheese, grated cheese and sandwich meats, with other choices added to that amount along the way, and efforts to keep eating other favorites occasionally. (kielbasa, herring snacks, pepperoni, eggs, other cheeses, and fast food treats)

Dividing the 100 pounds by twelve months, I found a monthly allocation of about 8.5 pounds.  It has always been a goal to shop weekly so I can control my protein choices, so I decided the first goal would be five to six pounds a month, so I have some flex in my choices.

To make it 5% of my food intake, I used 5 pound for the protein and 95 pounds for the rest of my plant foods... veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes (beans), and nuts. That came to about 3 pounds a DAY.  I have no idea yet what that would be!  BUT, it is a place to start.

The Whole Foods Plant Based diet doesn't want you to use any cooking oils, fats like butter, sugar, or salt either.  I'm having a bigger battle with this part of the changes.  I love my popcorn made with oil currently, and butter with my homemade garlic salt.  I make a homemade dressing for my salads that has oil in it.  I use sugar in my coffee and other things, like oatmeal.  I am reducing my salt, a little... as much as I can.


As I find recipes I can make a part of my daily life, I get better at the battle.  I use to buy four packages of cream cheese a month, on average.  I have been getting by with two sometimes. Other times I make a trade... cream cheese for a wedge of parmesan cheese, or sandwich slices of Swiss cheese. Now that I have a reasonable idea of how many pounds I can use for my purchasing decisions, I hope it will be easier for me.


The bigger issue is finding recipes you like, that you can afford, that don't take a lot of special equipment to make...

Using "chia eggs" instead of real eggs is a learning experience.

I use added water when I make my oatmeal so I don't need milk in it anymore.  But I do still use sugar.  Maybe I will try to eat it without sugar in the future... as a way of reducing my intake.

I'm looking for more grains to eat... beginning to eat more quinoa, wanting to try polenta and millet and wheat berries.

I have always loved sprouts, but have to get into the process of making them again.

I am going to learn how to grow microgreens for my salads and other dishes.



We have problems in our nation because of huge agribusiness influence.  I don't know how we will compensate for them.. I know how hard it is to be poor and have no choices about what you can eat... and no place to grow your own food supplies.

I hope to share more food posts with you this year.
When I learn something, I want you to learn about it.

Let's see where this year takes us.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us


https://twitter.com/work2gather
https://facebook.com/DeborahMartin.2014
https://pinterest.com/work2gather

These are the social media spaces I am developing.
Facebook will eventually have more pages for special topics... maybe.

Continuing to Build My Pantry

I have wanted to keep you updated more about my pantry efforts, but my progress occurs in the span of months, not weeks.  That is poverty.  Growth is very slow, and hard to accomplish...and to maintain.

I can tell you that I am eating cheap foods and trying get to save as much of what I have as I can.  I have to buy my staple foods, like pastas and dry milk and coffee, but I am also trying to buy extras of the least expensive foods.

I finally made the decision to buy a small pressure cooker (4 quart instead of 6 quart) so I can start to learn how to cook dry beans and other foods with it.

Deciding how much I need as a three-month supply is becoming an interesting quest. 

I am also deciding on my primary storage options.  I like the clear plastic securely locking containers I currently use, so will try to decide how many I will need for my food items.  If I can work out the storage for one month, I can just multiply that by three.  It will be a lot easier for rotating supplies.

As I figure out my emergency pantry, I will try to update you.  I will use the starting keywords "food emergencies" so you can easily find those posts among my other food-related posts.

Until next time, I hope you are thinking ahead to your own possible emergencies, whether in food, money, or health issues.

In Christ,
Deborah Martin

I decided to take a photo of my food supply...
and my storage containers.  Not much, but where I am right now.

After Shopping

I thought I would let you know what happened with my first shopping exercise...

I ride the bus to do my traveling, and that includes shopping.  I really didn't have much food left yesterday.  As I was getting ready to go, I was weak and shaking, so I decided to eat what I could before I tried to leave.  I didn't expect that physical reaction, and consumed some almonds I had, a section of the homemade bread I had made the day before, and the last of some cinnamon applesauce I made this past weekend.  After resting a bit, I was well enough to try to leave.

Imagine what it must be like for people all over the world who are battling starvation... I have been hungry before, lived on foods that were cheap, gone to community meals, and sought out food boxes for the poor...  the effects of hunger and starvation are not something I welcome.

I finally made it to the store in the later part of the afternoon.  I could only go to one store because of my morning experience, so I decided to start at WinCo.  They have good bulk food prices, and reasonable prices for many other food items.  Starting to fill my empty shelves with new supplies took half of the food stamps I had left for this month.

I did purchase several of my planned meal supplies, but these were for my consumption.  I'm not sure how long my new food supplies will last, but the effort has begun.  Stretching food supplies has been a constant part of my poverty experiences.

As I realized how difficult this new food effort would be, I decided I might need to make a separate list of my emergency foods.  In thinking more about what I would be doing, including some kind of purchase references (when, where, etc.) and possibly the expiration date, if it applies to that food, would help keep track of what I have saved.  Special storage containers may also be an important thing to consider.

The need to separate my regular food budget from my emergency food effort became an obvious issue as I shopped.  I noticed how little $11 would buy... this was going to take a long time at this investment level.  Maybe I will need to find other resources to help me speed up the effort.  Making a food record for my emergency pantry seems like the best way to deal with creating my meal plans and keeping trwck of sources and expiration dates.

When I did my recordkeeping later, I made a new shopping list for my immediate needs.  I am still trying to build my current food pantry with staples like flour, sugar, dry milk, condiments, bulk foods that store well, and everyday food needs. 

This is an new and evolving experience for me even though I have been keeping some kind of emergency pantry for as long as I can remember. Creating a meal-based pantry is very different.

Until next post,  Deb 
work2gather.us