Fresh Blood and a Challenge
November 19th, 2010 by Shannon HarknessNew kid on the block, that’s me! My name is Shannon Harkness and I have joined the force. The Farm Girl Force. I tend to wear a lot of hats. Wife, Mother, Friend, Farmer, Volunteer, Food Preserver (Instructor), Proponent of all Local Food, the list really goes on, but frankly it exhausts me to think of it. I hope you will enjoy reading about all things Kitsap Farmer, foodie, sustainable homesteader. One thing I really hope is that you will feel open to respond to our blogs and dialog with us.
So, I’m gonna jump in and tell you what I am thinking. All of
this blustery weather and lights flickering causes me to wonder
about a few things. For instance, exactly how much extra time
should I allow for chores on a daily basis when it comes to below
freezing conditions? Can I really pawn off the chores on my three
children? How well could they do it? And exactly where are my
gloves? Luckily, our farm is situated by a large transfer station
in Central Kitsap so our power loss is usually limited to a very
short period. We do, however, take necessary preacautions, making
sure we have enough fire wood handy, propane, gas for the
generators, diesel for the outdoor heater in case snow should
challenge our greenhouse or hoop house. And being a farmer and food
preserver, we always have quite the bounty bursting out of our
cupboards and freezers. Yep…that’s plural. Freezers.
So, in the month of October I did a personal challenge for our
family. I challenged us, myself really as I am the cook in the
house, to eating entirely from our farm and cupboards for as long
as we could. It was partly due to wanting to save a little cash and
partly because I wanted to see how long we could go. It was a
success…for two weeks. And then we went for a weekend getaway and I
lost steam. But, it really got me thinking about if I could do it
and how I would accomplish it if I HAD to. What I would stock up on
and what was “fluff” was clear to me. I hope to share this
challenge with you and want to know your thoughts. Are you ready?
We are still defining parameters and thinking about the opportune
time. More on that later.
For now, I leave you to switch hats. Mother duties are calling…okay screaming annoyingly.
Tags: farmer, food, food challenge, preserving, winter
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
November 21st, 2010 at 11:42 pm
What a great challenge! I’d love to hear more about it. Let’s talk about storing food