update and question about sustainability

[whatchadurian]

Hello everyone...it's been a long time since I've been on this blog and a lot has happened during that time. So just an update to put this in perspective.

A few years ago I was able to maintain 3 months all raw. It was an amazing experience and I certainly experienced significant benefits and tremendous changes in vitality, energy, stamina, weight loss, etc, etc, etc. (I know you know what I'm referring to) I hit the holidays and found I was unable to sustain this after discovering that both my parents were in dementia. I could not personally sustain the changes that raw foods required that early in the journey and returned to a SAD diet. It took two years to get my parents moved and in a proper care facility. During that time the stress has really not been good for my health. At the end of the experience I was on the verge of chronic fatigue. My thyroid and adrenals have taken a bad hit and I'm just now getting back to a place where I have regained my own health enough to have the stamina and will power to make the changes needed for myself to heal. I'm going to be returning to raw foods in the new year.....

Part of this is going to be growing my own food. Growing up as a little girl we lived on a farm where we grew all of our own food. But in order to winter over, we did have to can and freeze foods. I'm wondering how an all raw lifestyle could be maintained through the winter without relying on grocery stores, etc. Of course there is dehydrating and freezing, etc. but what would one do for greens and fruit? Any thoughts?

I appreciate hearing from all of you and always welcome your collective knowledge and support. Merry Christmas!

[Tsurugi_Oni]

I was debating the same thing in another thread, and I think that in most typical situations it can't be done.

You would have to live in a very hot climate with adequate rainfall and good soil. The property would have to be many acres, and you would have set it up so u reap a continual harvest.

Unless you live in Ecuador its pretty impractical to do the raw food diet without goin to the stores.

[Green_Woman]

Whatchadurian - Make it as easy for yourself to transition to RAW as you possibly can right now... that is my #1 recommendation. Without knowing more about your life (where you live, what your budget is, do you already have a large garden, etc., etc.) I can't say whether you "should or should not" start a large garden, but it would complicate your life right now to take on such an endeavor.

Farmer's Markets, Co-Ops, Community Gardens are all potential alternatives... at least for now, until you get your strength up.

My #2 recommendation is that you acquire a copy of Alissa's book LIVING ON LIVE FOOD as soon as possible and spend a few days just reading it and soaking up the inspiration.

#3 - learn how to make Green Smoothies and make those a daily routine... they are strengthening, nourishing, healing, filling, delicious, and easy to make.

Best wishes!

[chilove]

Hello there

Keep on reading the posts here. They are so inspirational and helpful! Eat raw food that you truly enjoy and remember that it's important to not ever feel deprived.

Move to the tropics and you'll never have to worry about food in the winter. :-) It is my dream. :-)

Blessings,

Audrey

[T-Bird]

But in order to winter over, we did have to can and freeze foods. I'm wondering how an all raw lifestyle could be maintained through the winter without relying on grocery stores, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Harvest-Handbook-Production-Greenhouses/dp/1603580816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261770370&sr=8-1

The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses (Paperback)
~ Eliot Coleman

[whatchadurian]

Thank you all for the supportive responses. T-Bird....big thank you for the link to the book! It looks quite fascinating and I'll be getting a copy. It appears to answer the question of greens, etc, but there's still the matter of fruit....any other ideas about this?

[T-Bird]

Thank you all for the supportive responses. T-Bird....big thank you for the link to the book! It looks quite fascinating and I'll be getting a copy. It appears to answer the question of greens, etc, but there's still the matter of fruit....any other ideas about this?

Maybe we're not meant to eat fruit in the dead of winter? surviving only on greens, root veggies, and sprouted grains and seeds?

in the natural world you can imagine seeds and grains sprouting in a brief thaw.

We've has some really cold weather lately, then it thawed for a bit -so I knew the ground was soft.

For last night's dinner wanted a carrot - and remembered I planted a few slow growers that when I harvested around thx - were only 2" long, lol! Not very tasty either. Went out yesterday and pulled one up - nice, about 6 inches very sweet. It was delish! I've still got beets and maybe 2 more carrots in the ground.:)

[Tsurugi_Oni]

I think that anything is possible when human creativity is supplied. But I think it would take a complete paradigm shift of society, the creation of a new culture almost. We would have to re-arrange population size, density, geographic location, permaculture (fruit trees), establish a new food guide pyramid, and much much more. This is only one method by which raw food can be sustainable, but I think that it's a topic that everyone should consider.

Plus Winter Harvest is nice, but won't provide that many calories. Most cold-weather crops that you can eat raw aren't sugar-dense.

[Green_Woman]

But I think it would take a complete paradigm shift of society, the creation of a new culture almost.

And my fiance is one of the founders of this new culture... ;) It's being done - one step at a time. There are those who never give up and are always searching for ways to reduce humanity's dependence on modern methodology. :)

[T-Bird]

I think that anything is possible when human creativity is supplied. But I think it would take a complete paradigm shift of society, the creation of a new culture almost. We would have to re-arrange population size, density, geographic location, permaculture (fruit trees), establish a new food guide pyramid, and much much more. This is only one method by which raw food can be sustainable, but I think that it's a topic that everyone should consider.

Not really - I have a large lot chicago wise - not too big for suburban/rural standards, it's 54.5x125, then of course the house and garage and a long driveway. Not that much land....

If I didn't work full time - I could feed my family of 3 off this land. Seriously.....Grape vines, cordon fruit and nut trees, strawberry and raspberry bushes. And veggies galore.

Drying would be important. Cold weather storage of cabbages, onions and sweet potatoes. etc. etc. Nuts and seeds keep very well, you'd just need to save a few for next years crop.

In last night's dinner, I used a head of cabbage from my October CSA box - I though it might have gone over, but I took the outer leaves off - looked fresh as a daisy.

Tsurugi_Oni - you are motivated for some reason to believe raw vegan is not natural, not viable, not sustainable. And you will continue to believe it, and that is totally fine with me. Just please stop acting like your opinions on this are fact and interjecting it into every thread imaginable.

There is nothing about sustainability that applies to raw vegan and NOT other forms of eating. We've been living in cities for centuries. This is life. Get over it.

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Lol you must of not even read my thread.

"We need a paradigm shift"

Like you said, you could probably feed your family with your lot, except that you have to pay taxes, bills, etc. It's never good to plant near roads (car pollution), so some sort of adjustment must be made for serious inner city agriculture.

It would take reallocation of resources from Cheerios and Pepsi to Raw Living Food Hollistic Systems. Turning unproductive lawns into productive gardens, which in turn would *Possibly* inspire communal gardening enterprises to emerge (if raw veganism became mainstream). The fact that many of our crops are commodities (very easily stored and transported), and Raw foods are highly perishable requires COMPLETELY separate systems to deal with it. Why didn't the city planners plant female fruit trees in many of the cities? Because foraging of fruit is not part of our culture. But if part of our identity was strongly attached to raw veganism, then city planners WOULD plant these trees.

Basically, you need to re-read my post.

And dude, sustainabilitiy applies just as much to raw veganism as to anything else.