Last night I decided that I want to try my hand at another wild food challenge. This time, I'll be stepping it up a bit, simply because of the circumstances. The first difference is that it's still winter. Last year when I started my wild and local challenge, it was spring. There was a small amount of fruit and wild greens available. Now there isn't quite so much, and I admit that my winter foraging skills are lacking. The other difference is that I don't also have a freezer full of deer meat. I have two pieces left: a large segment of ribs, and the heart. This will be more a test of my personal skills. And I have to admit, part of the reason I want to do it like this is because it will almost be like a fast. I've been feeling the need to cleanse out, and my digestive problem has been giving me some grief. Not only that, but with oil skyrocketing, I expect food to get WAY more expensive. So it only seems reasonable to both hone my food procurement skills and get used to eating less.

What are the rules this time?

-Eat only those things that I hunt, trap, gather, or grow myself. I include the stuff I grow myself because it isn't gardening time anyway, and if I make it that long I think I should be able to.

-I'm still going to use a bit of that lard that I have to cook things in. But I'm running a bit low.

-Spices are okay.

-I'm not decided on the coffee thing. I'm pretty hooked. That might be more of a reason to give it up.


I'm open to suggestions from anyone, particularly if you have a good recipe for minnow or crayfish, since I bet I'll be eating a fair amount of those.