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Feeding a family is a challenge

Posted at 4:20 PM on January 16, 2008 by Vera Schabicki (3 Comments)

Of our five kids we have a vegetarian who will not eat any slimy foods, this would include eggplant, all summer squashes and zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, and okra. Another child refuses to eat onions or any herb, two will not touch any tomato or cooked fruit and my youngest prefers his food not to be mixed together, oh yeah, one will eat egg whites, one will not touch an egg, and my husband is really not very fond of tofu.

For a person that basically loves to cook and eat this range of limitations has taken some of the joy out of the whole process.

Cooking also takes time. It takes me an hour to make an average dinner, this would not include the ever exciting clean-up. I usually dirty every pot in the kitchen and it is hurricane like at the end of it all, I know some people are very neat and tidy but I am fast and fairly creative (I usually make a few different things so every one gets something they like). I guess I take a lot of pride in making a nice meal for the gang (or I just groan my way through it).

We all eat together, this is fun because we are on the road a lot (our social life is pretty active). Sometimes I am whipping out dinner at eight or nine o’clock, it is hard to get clean-up help that late. I have often suggested that we skip the family dinner, making things for people to heat up at different times, but this idea is roundly rejected. I find that surprising since it seems we have a lot of bickering, potty humor and really loud laughter. My husband frequently has a sort of weary defeated air and sometimes he gets kind of grouchy (maybe he was hoping for discussions about history or science).

The commitment to share the process (via blogging) of feeding these people in a sustainable way is a worthy one, yet I am a little nervous. Will it be like going on a diet, can I do it, will I cheat, will I be honest, and will the outcome be worth it?

I went to the easy way yesterday (a pretty cool vegetable and fruit store, not organic) and bought everything I wanted, tons of cabbages and pears and beans, four different kinds of citrus fruit, fennel and nifty peppers and herbs, six (reusable cotton) bags of wonderful ,delicious food ! I ignored the fact that nothing in this store is organic and it is not clear where some of it comes from (they do label country of origin and I did stick to domestic). I wanted to revel in guiltless abundance and just eat…I never do that but felt I needed a first and last hurrah before honoring my commitment!

I am off now to see what I can cook up for dinner…

Comments (3)

I admire your commitment to cooking fresh, organic, made from scratch meals for your family every day! This is quite an accomplishment in this age of convenience foods (even organic convenience foods) and tells me you are the perfect person to write a blog on how to eat local in a healthy, conscious way.

Best of luck to you in this endeavor!

Posted by Lynn | January 24, 2008 4:43 PM

I read your bio on the site. It sounded like you were frustrated with your choices. I also wondered how long you had lived in Ashland and how many people you had gotten to know. Why the personal comments? Because I am a Mississippi Delta native who has lived overseas for 16 years and so am well acquainted with being the "stranger in a strange land". Mississippi can be real tough if you are not a native and have a world view larger than your family, church, and home town. Have you thought of contacting the home extension service for Benton County? Their agent might be very useful in helping you start your own fruit/vegetable garden. There is also a program on MS Public Radio called "The Gestalt Gardener", which could be very helpful. Maybe think of putting your kids in 4-H? Good luck in finding some like minded souls. Don't give up, they are out there. Just keep yourself open and you will know them when you meet them.

Posted by Mary F. Richards | February 15, 2008 3:39 AM

Dear Mary,

Thank you for your kind words. It is true that joining a church is the way to get to know people here, and my kids have been homeschoolers for the last twelve years so that closes another door. We have been volunteering at a food closet in a little town near us for a few months and are slowly making some new friends. It is funny because we have lots of friends in memphis that are transplants like us....I think I have had to open my heart and mind to just meeting people, over and over again I have learned the lesson that peole do not fit into boxes....no matter how I sub-consciously try to categorize them...by the time I really learn this lesson (and become a great and wise mother)I will probably be really old :). I am working up the nerve to get in contact with the county extension.......

Best wishes, Vera

Posted by vera schabicki | February 26, 2008 12:34 AM