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Eat What You Can
- Can What You Can't
by Alathea Wind Song
printed in The Flowering Tree, Fall 1985
In the Fall, our thoughts turn to the harvest and preparation for the coming winter. The leaves turn color, the gardens Give-Away their fruit. Many people still preserve the harvest by canning, freezing, and drying. In this age of quick foods, grocery stores and "food-a-plenty," where is the wisdom in expending the time and energy to preserve and store our own food?
It is Good Medicine to eat food that naturally grows in your Medicine Wheel. Your body is naturally attuned to the area of the country in which you live, and it is healthiest for you to eat those foods which are or can be grown locally. Our bodies are a collection of cells organized into specific organs and tissues. Each cell is itself made up of tiny particles vibrating at certain rates. When these particles vibrate in harmonious patterns, we are healthy. When they are "out of tune," we will suffer from various disorders, such as glandular problems, heart disease, skin problems, "unexplained" fatigue, etc. Eating food that grows or can grow in one's own area is one way in which we can attune ourselves to the environment of which we are a part.
Those of us who have garden space, water for irrigation, and gardening know-how are fortunate. We can grow the things we like and produce enough to eat through the season and store for the winter. We have the added advantage of being able to pick our harvest at exactly the right moment, to conserve vitamins and life force.
If you do not, however, have the opportunity to grow your own food, or to make a complete garden, there are often other people in the area who are willing to trade their produce for money, things, or services of value to them. Most areas of this country specialize in certain commercially-grown crops that people are encouraged to come and pick. These growers will have various "deals" worked out, such as half to the picker, half to the grower, or paying a certain amount per bushel or quart. In our area, we can get fresh strawberries and peaches this way.
The old timers of your area may also be able to tell you of wild crops that grow in the woods or along backroads. Wild blackberries and rose hips from wild roses can be made into jams, which can be an excellent source of Vitamin C in the winter.
It is also wise to set aside a store of grains, beans, and seeds that you use often - such as whole wheat, cornmeal, rice, sunflower seeds, and pinto beans. Powdered milk is an excellent source of calcium and may be stored in quantity. Honey and molasses are easily stored. Look for sources of bulk quantities of these foods. With enough people ordering, you can take advantage of bulk rates and save on shipping and delivery costs.
Consider buying some kinds of canned food in quantities. Determine what your family might use through a year or a half a year, and stock up. Rotate your stock, using the oldest first. Keep an inventory, if you like. You'll save money, and better yet, you'll be prepared for anything, be it economic crash, inflation, or the "got to go to town again blues."
If you obtain your food from other sources, be it neighbors, farmers' fields, commercial growers, grocery stores, or "health food" stores, be aware of the purity of the food. Try to stay clear of food grown with chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and food that has been treated with unnatural and harmful preservatives. Try to find wild patches that are far from car exhaust and pesticide sprays.
There are many good ways to preserve your food. There are dehydrators on the market that have made it simple for anyone to produce lightweight, nutritious bags of such things as soup vegetables, fruits, meat jerky, and sauces. Proper canning and freezing methods will help you preserve much of the nutritious quality of fresh produce. The addition of properly preserved fruits and vegetables to our diets in the winter time increases our available supply of vitamins and minerals so badly needed during that time of lessened sunshine hours.
Consider where you will store your food. Do you have a root cellar? A stable cave on your place? A very cool area of the house? If you place a bit of dry ice in the bottom of an air-tight storage container, fill the container with food to be stored (such as flour or beans), leave the cover on loosely until the CO2 gas begins to evaporte. As it expands, it will replace the air in the container, since it is heavier than air. Tighten the lid before it escapes, and your food will be safe from bugs indefinitely.
The wise Indian of old grew and gathered enough food to eat fresh through the warmer months and store for ample supply in the winter months. He ate out of Nature's garden, and had a deep sense of where his food came from. It was Mother Earth and the Great Spirit, through the work of the hands of the People, that fed him and his children, and provided all that they had. What happened when the U.S. Government forced the native People to eat army supply food, food that was not native to their area, food that had very little, if any, nutritional value? In many cases, it killed them. It surely was an attempt to kill their Spirit.
Consider, if you have not already, introducing a food storage plan into your family's lifestyle. Whether you work with a small or large-scale plan, you will soon begin to understand the advantages and wisdom of the old saying, "Eat what you can - can what you can't." |
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