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Change

Posted at 2:31 PM on November 10, 2008 by Sareen Dunleavy Keenan (6 Comments)

Well, Brendan and I didn't want to be left out of all of the excitement going on about the "change" that is happening all over. I am not at all trying to imply that our day-to-day routine is constant, because the babies ensure that we are changing all of the time.

The kind of change I am talking about takes courage the likes of which Brendan and I haven't been able to find for some time now. We both left our jobs on Halloween. I had been at the same place for 5 years and he for four. Yikes! It turned out that "trick or treat" was an apt saying for that day. We had one move that was positive and upward moving. Yay for me! The other was a not-so exciting layoff that has caused us to look at all areas of our life.

Fortunately, for now, we are looking at this of more of a paid paternity leave, and will be able to restructure a lot of our life so that we are not scavenging for food in the near future. But the funny thing about that is that we do scavenge. My freezer is full of food that was destined for the garbage. There are the mullberries that no one wanted. Or the grapes that a friend had too many of. We always take the organ bits that others don't want when they purchase whole animals. But more on my freezer contents in an upcoming post.

But the point is, we do pinch every penny from the food budget. I am here to tell you that being a locavore doesn't have to be a fancy schmancy thing. When commodity prices when up, we didn't flinch - it didn't really hit our food prices. We were already paying the "real cost of food." When we went down to a single family income - no worries (for now), we stocked up and are all set for the winter. We could buy only milk and eggs for weeks upon weeks and everyone would continue to be very well fed.

It is a funny thing, this locavore lifestyle. Sometimes you get so deep into the thick of what you are doing that you don't have the opportunity to sit back and look at the big picture. We have been busy like squirrels preparing for the winter coming. I have been buying and canning and freezing and now even getting items ready for a root cellar. The obvious result of this is an abundance of food. Great. We have to cut back on expenses now anyway. Perfect timing!

Now, if only I would have planned for this to happen, I could feel much more organized about the whole affair. Instead, it is just another lucky coincidence. Do you feel your cupboards are bursting at the seams in preparation for the winter?

Comments (6)

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WOW! Well, nothing like going for things with a bang, good luck and congratulations and wow!

Good job with all of that stuffing of the larder, how did you get all of that done while being pregnant, having a baby, having another child and working? I feel like such a slacker!

Best wishes, Vera

Posted by vera schabicki | November 10, 2008 10:23 PM

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Good luck with your family's new adventures, Sareen. I have had a feeling all year that now is a time of change, of transitions and shifts... Personal events in my life have led to this sensation as well as the national and global political, economic, and social climates...Change comes with challenges, and sometimes we can be reluctant to embrace it, but it is also, I believe, the only real constant in life. I hope the change that your household is undergoing leads you and your family in surprising and positive new directions.
Autumn

Posted by Autumn Long | November 11, 2008 8:31 AM

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What an interesting and though provoking post.

My freezer isn't nearly as well prepared as yours, but I've certainly made some significant changes in how I feed my family in the past few years. We belong to a CSA and try to eat locally and seasonally as much as we can. I try to prepare everything that we can't eat right now and freeze it.

I live in Minneapolis too and it would be great to find a group of like minded people to share ideas with. I've had this idea that a group could ask to use a church kitchen or something for an afternoon and process a lot of food together. It would also be nice to see some kind of community education class on this subject.

Things are changing and I'm feeling hopeful that it will be in a good way.
Karen

Posted by Karen | November 11, 2008 12:01 PM

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Ouch and Congratulations. Layoffs are happening to so many, it's wonderful that you can look at the positive side. I'm gad your freezer is full and the food pinch won't be felt too soon, congratulations on your hard work in that area. My sister and I cooperated this year - I froze the fruits and berries and my sister did the vegies. We have a lamb that will be ready in about three weeks and we will continue to buy meat at the winter farmer's market. How did you go about the root celler. JoAnn and I were bemoaning the fact that while we could can and freeze we really can't accomodate the root celler and that means a limited quanity of root vegetables for a limited period of time. Good luck and let us know if you need help.

Posted by Diane | November 12, 2008 6:38 AM

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Thanks for all of the well wishes. For now, our situation is fantastic. Brendan gets extra baby time and in the first three days you could see a deepening of their relationship. I didn't know it could be better then it was. Wow!

As far as getting the food done - I don't really know where we get the time. I would guess it is during nap times and times when others have the TV on? I don't really know what other people do for fun. We have season tickets to: The Children's theater, the Guthrie, The SPCO (small series), Inside the Classics at the Mn Orchestra, the MN Swarm (lacrosse), and 40 Twins Games so it isn't like we aren't getting out of the house! That just reminded me. All of our fun for the year has already been paid for. Thank goodness for season tickets!

Karen - you have a fantastic idea. I am going to make some calls to see what I can do about getting something like that going. Why don't we all can together? Or have the informal locavore equivalent of "Let's Dish." I am with you on that!

Sareen

Posted by Sareen | November 13, 2008 8:05 AM

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I'm also going to try and think about putting a canning group together. Friends and I have thought about our own "Let's Dish" group, but haven't put it together yet. I know a church in south Minneapolis where I may be able to use the kitchen. My kitchen isn't big enough for more than 2 people. Karen

Posted by Karen | November 18, 2008 10:00 AM