I Have a Dream...

I have a dream. It's not as profound as Martin's. But it's mine, it's dear to me, and it's reoccurring.

Whenever I make a meal using things that have been grown on our land, I can not help but wish for the day when I make a meal using ONLY the things that we have raised. How freakin' cool that would be. I'm not counting the salt or maybe a couple of spices. But the herbs, eggs, milk, bread, veggies, meat, everything else. We are slowly getting there.

Currently we can raise our own veggies, herbs and some fruit. We get our milk, in season, from the goats. My oldest daughter, Katherine, makes cheese from the goat's milk. Henrietta gives us an occasional egg when the cats don't find it first. I've canned pickles and tomatoes, tomato juice and tomato sauce. We will be slaughtering (gasp) a couple of goats this winter and hopefully a deer or two as well. I butcher the carcasses myself and make our own burger, sausage and jerky along with the roasts, chops and steaks. We have a cider press and our apple trees produce awesome cider. Lisa made four gallons of Nanking Cherry wine last year. I have just under five gallons of blackberry/rhubarb wine brewing right now.

When I begin to add these things up I can't help but think, "You know, we're not that far off." If I can grow a little wheat and maybe a couple of other grains this next year and raise a few more chickens for eggs, I think that we'll be ready. I'm targetting September of 2009 as the big event. More to follow...