I have been obsessed with food documentaries lately. A big part of my desire to work towards a homesteading life was to be able to grow and preserve my own food. I walked through the grocery store tonight and the haunting words from one of the documentaries rang through my mind..."food-like products". It talked about the amount of processing that our food goes through to the point that you almost can't even call it food anymore. Hence the term "food-like products".
I have been on a diet pretty much since birth or at least that is what it feels like. I have always been at war with food. I have always had "food rules" which changed depending on the latest fad but they were consistently ever-present in my life. When I lived in France I felt moments of peace in the middle of my "battles". The French for the most part have a respect for food very different from the way our society views it. I remember spending an entire Sat morning at the farmers market smelling, touching, and tasting the locally grown food. It became a matter of quality not quantity. Growing up in a home where financial resources were limited, I didn't understand this concept. Hours were spent in the evening cooking and preparing the simple, fresh meals and hours more spent around the table with friends and neighbors. Food was savored along with conversation, laughter, and ambience.
My journey towards finding that peace again has been slow. I have been progressing toward a more plant-based diet and I have found many health benefits from this. Mostly the anxiety surrounding food has been greatly reduced. My new "rules" are simple. Plants, plants, and more plants. 90% plants or more. Minimally processed. Easy as that.
As I search out the future Sutton Homestead, the land has become the most important part for me. My realtor thinks I am a crazy person when I insist on water rights and irrigation. She has a beautiful home and cringes at my favorite option with its 80s shag carpet and baby blue bathtub. Soon enough, we will find home.
