Stocking Up

Monday, May 19, 2008

In 1982 I was returning from Okinawa, Japan after serving in the United States Navy and on the way to Detroit decided to stop in Oakland California to visit my daughter's Great Aunt Edith. Great Aunt Edith was a true victory gardener, a southern-belle, gracious, kind, with a heart of gold. I admired her self-preservation skills and her ability to give knowledge and wisdom so effortlessly.

I received from my daughter's great-aunt one of the best gifts, I had probably ever received in my young life. It was a little red book titled Stocking Up, by the staff of Organic Gardening and Farming copyrighted 1977. The book introduced me to food preservation and why it is not only important but essential.

You see when I first went into Aunt Edith's apartment, I knew this woman was a survivalist of sorts since she was just starting the seedlings for her garden. This was someone I could learn from and someone willing to teach; and although we were only there for a brief time, she left a lasting impression.

What did I gain from my encounter with great-aunt Edith?

1. You don't have to have a back yard to garden

2. Fruit trees are essential, even if they are growing in a gigantic pot on the patio.

3. Everyone should know how to garden and can (preserve) food

4. It's good to be frugal

5. Understanding numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 will help you survive lean times.

I come from a long line of gardeners, my mother, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. These were southern women who could make a dollar out of a dime and a delicious pie out of vinegar or buttermilk. Today I cannot stress enough the need to grow your own, even if it is just green onions and lettuce. It is the wise homemaker (male or female) who can "put up" fruits, vegetables, jams and pickles for a rainy day.

This may sound simplistic, and folks cannot survive on canned fruits and vegetables alone, but ever dime saved by canning and baking from scratch can be spent towards meat, fish and fowl. Every little bit helps and that is no exaggeration.

When was the last time you were at a Farmer's Market? When was the last time you stopped by a road side stand to pick up strawberries or peaches? I can honestly tell you there is nothing better than buying fresh and preserving fresh fruits and vegetables. I am aware that everyone lives busy lives but with food cost skyrocketing, floods destroying American soil and gas prices going through the roof we must "think smart" and pay attention to how we spend our nickels and dimes since money really can disappear like snow in a furnace.

This fall I will be introducing a series of classes to the folks living in the Raleigh/Durham area. I will teach canning and how to make homemade bread. There was a time when the most inexpensive food you could purchase was a loaf of bread. Today "good" bread can cost you upwards of $3 to $5 dollars or more depending on where you live. Good whole wheat bread is a wonderful source of fiber and the perfect accompaniment to any meal.

Why learn these skills? Why not? Learning to preserve, and learning to bake is like learning to ride a bicycle, once you know how, you never forget. Canning and baking are two survival skills ever human, young or old should have. Years ago, little girls learned to canned at the hip of their mother or grandmother. Now, we rely on pre-prepared foods loaded with sodium, additives and preservatives. Ages ago, bakers made their own bread, because they did not have the five cents or twenty-five cents to purchase a loaf. Today all the loaves are pre-sliced and filled with all sorts of things I'd rather not list.

If you think you cannot bake, or you think you do not have time to can, please reconsider. These are skills you can teach your children or grandchildren. This is an activity that can become a late summer, early fall family affair.

Learn more about the Canning and Baking classes in the Raleigh/Durham area this fall by visiting www.cookingwithdenay.com