Getting back to simpler times

[Rosyrain]

Over the last couple of years, I have been really digging deep to find my pioneer spirit and am learning how to do thing the old fashion way, especially with food. I am working toward growing my own vegetables, I make foods and desserts from scratch, and I am trying not to buy as many things anymore. Gardening seems to be the most practical way to dug into my deep pioneer self, how about you all?

 

[Trellum]

I'd actually like to grow some vegetables, learn to preserve and make my own bread The more independent we are from those stores the better. I'd even like to design and sew my own clothes, just for fun, not because I can't find cheaper options over here Just a nice hobby.

 

[CanadianLori]

I make pretty well everything from scratch. Haven't bought bread, cakes, cookies in years. I make my own pasta- except for elbow macaroni. Can't get the hang of that.

I use a sunoven on sunny days and am now learning to use a wood burning smoker-oven. I line dry my clothes.

I do have my limits though. Big refrigerator with ice maker, dishwasher, clothes washe , lots of small kitchen appliances.

Now I'm goofing ariund with gardening and trying to grow veggies.

I do this all without background noise. No rdio. That to me is relaxing and enjoying simple pleasures.

 

[Kansas Terri]

I have had some gardening successes and some failures. DH LOVES my fresh cucumbers, and he gave some away where he works. People raved about them, and so now I am planting extra.

The cool weather made my first planting fail, but now the second planting is coming along like gangbusters, and today I picked two. In perhaps 2 weeks I will have enough for my husband to give away again! There are worse things in life than impressing people!

 

[marlingardener]

If we went farther back to simpler times my husband and I would be wearing bear skins and living in a cave! We have large vegetable gardens (and yes, Kansas Terri, sharing homegrown produce is one of the great joys of gardening), keep chickens for eggs, and can and freeze as if we expected to live off the pantry for several years!
And Lori, I love my freezer and the ice maker in the fridge (we ARE in Texas and ice is a necessity), and don't get between me and my dish washer--I love that appliance, especially during canning season!
So we are simple, but we do have our limits!

 

[Jewell]

Grew up in rural/ small town Idaho and later lived in an old fashioned farming community in my twenties that was very self-sufficient. Very hard working people with all the gardening, canning, caring for livestock, putting away fodder and everything else involved in surviving on a piece of land. Real hard work and the reason most young people didn't stay on the farm.

Know how to do most all of it from making soap, to butchering but am very happy I can choose what little gardening and hobby crafts I do now. After all I am having trouble getting all my blueberries harvested. Spending time from sun up to sun down with canning and chores just isn't fun to me. I enjoy my leisure and feel very blessed having so much abundance both in time and availability of goods. Yes I have my veggie garden and fruit trees but I know they are just hobbies that bring me back to what is real in the crazy life I get to enjoy.

Guess what I am trying to say is those simpler times weren't really so simple, or fun. Now is FUN!

 

[IcyBC]

Simpler time would be great for the world we are living in now! It will help preserving the earth, cut down on our foot prints, and teaching us to be more self-sufficient.

Incidentally, two days ago my teenager son wanted to wash 1 pair of his short in the washer, which is wasteful and costly, so I taught him how to just wash by hands. We are relying so much on all of these machines that we forgot to do the very basic things. Not that I don't appreciate them, I just think that everyone (especially younger folks) must know how to do the basic things.

 

[Beth_B]

I spent many of my childhood years as a commune kid. No indoor plumbing, no electricity. We'd bathe once a week in a sheep dip tub, all sharing the water. Everyone had jobs - from milking goats and killing poultry and rabbits for meat to emptying the toilet buckets (THAT was a nasty job), mucking out stalls, grinding flour, going to the river to catch fish for dinner, tending the gardens, cutting peat (google that)...yes it was a wonderful way to grow up and I loved it at the time. But it was a lot of hard work, we were very poor and that became apparent when us kids had to go off to school. We were practically feral, not very clean and didn't have decent clothes so we got made fun of and learned to fight LOL.

But now? I like my electricity, internet, mobile devices and indoor plumbing. I really do. I have no interest in grinding my own flour, raising and killing my own chickens,emptying my own waste bucket into a hole in the ground, bathing once a week in lukewarm or cold water or milking goats or relying on oil-burning and hurricane lamps for light or spending back-breaking days cutting peat and chopping wood and hammering coke for heat. Been there and done that and I suppose I could do it again if I had to but I'd rather not!

Gardening is a great hobby. I like growing my own vegetables and playing in the dirt. If I had more time and money, it would be cool to have chickens again (I've had them as an adult though not in years) and goats would be great too. I do most cooking from scratch and try to be conservative with water and fuel and generally eco-friendly when possible (and to be honest, convenient) but no, I sure don't want to live like we did in the 1960s and 70s at this point in my life. I've become quite spoiled and I am OK with that.

 

[Rosyrain]

I make pretty well everything from scratch. Haven't bought bread, cakes, cookies in years. I make my own pasta- except for elbow macaroni. Can't get the hang of that.

I use a sunoven on sunny days and am now learning to use a wood burning smoker-oven. I line dry my clothes.

I do have my limits though. Big refrigerator with ice maker, dishwasher, clothes washe , lots of small kitchen appliances.

Now I'm goofing ariund with gardening and trying to grow veggies.

I do this all without background noise. No rdio. That to me is relaxing and enjoying simple pleasures.

You have a great list. I do not buy cookies at the store anymore either (well except for those really shoft sugar cookies with the huge dollap of frosting you can get at the grocery store). I like to buy the ingredients and make all of my own sweet treats for the family. Next week is my daughter's birthday and I am going to make her a yummy double chocolate cake from scratch!

 

[DeborahJane]

I'd actually like to grow some vegetables, learn to preserve and make my own bread The more independent we are from those stores the better. I'd even like to design and sew my own clothes, just for fun, not because I can't find cheaper options over here Just a nice hobby.

Can I warn you Trellum that sewing isn't fun!
I actually trained as a secondary teacher in Arts & Crafts, made my wedding dress, hippie style (it as the 70's), my sisters wedding dress, not hippie style, pulled apart a trench coat (70's again) and made a parker for my son and lots more and I think I used to even swear then, maybe I had a bit more patience, I hope so. Now definitely not. Every now and then I try again. Last May I bought a pattern and fabric and one year and lots of angst later I finished it. Give me gardening any day! So rewarding, don't have to unpick or re thread.

 

[DeborahJane]

I make pretty well everything from scratch. Haven't bought bread, cakes, cookies in years. I make my own pasta- except for elbow macaroni. Can't get the hang of that.

I use a sunoven on sunny days and am now learning to use a wood burning smoker-oven. I line dry my clothes.

I do have my limits though. Big refrigerator with ice maker, dishwasher, clothes washe , lots of small kitchen appliances.

Now I'm goofing ariund with gardening and trying to grow veggies.

I do this all without background noise. No rdio. That to me is relaxing and enjoying simple pleasures.

Home made pasta, nothing like it. My son was making it for us but his pasta maker broke. I should buy him another one, shouldn't i?.....for the sake of the environment. It's hard to conceive of how much nicer it is as good store bought pasta is great but the homemade is soooooo yummy. Love pasta.. Feel a tomato, anchovies & chilli linguini coming on.

 

[DeborahJane]

Grew up in rural/ small town Idaho and later lived in an old fashioned farming community in my twenties that was very self-sufficient. Very hard working people with all the gardening, canning, caring for livestock, putting away fodder and everything else involved in surviving on a piece of land. Real hard work and the reason most young people didn't stay on the farm.

Know how to do most all of it from making soap, to butchering but am very happy I can choose what little gardening and hobby crafts I do now. After all I am having trouble getting all my blueberries harvested. Spending time from sun up to sun down with canning and chores just isn't fun to me. I enjoy my leisure and feel very blessed having so much abundance both in time and availability of goods. Yes I have my veggie garden and fruit trees but I know they are just hobbies that bring me back to what is real in the crazy life I get to enjoy.

Guess what I am trying to say is those simpler times weren't really so simple, or fun. Now is FUN!

I like your "Now is Fun", Jewell. It is important to enjoy and appreciate. Life is full of good little bits. We all have not so good bits and they tend to be bigger bits unfortunately so let's revel in the good bits

 

[marlingardener]

Deborahjane, I wouldn't exchange today for yesterday for any amount of money! I like your attitude, and hope more folks with revel in the good bits!

 

[Trellum]

Can I warn you Trellum that sewing isn't fun!
I actually trained as a secondary teacher in Arts & Crafts, made my wedding dress, hippie style (it as the 70's), my sisters wedding dress, not hippie style, pulled apart a trench coat (70's again) and made a parker for my son and lots more and I think I used to even swear then, maybe I had a bit more patience, I hope so. Now definitely not. Every now and then I try again. Last May I bought a pattern and fabric and one year and lots of angst later I finished it. Give me gardening any day! So rewarding, don't have to unpick or re thread.

That sounds so cool! You must have been so skilled :O Sewing sounds like a lot work, I have heard you need to have a lot patience and good eyes, sadly my eyes are not so well. But I am so curious to try, Deb! But only time will tell, I often make plans but sometimes don't go accordingly, we will see if I do move out next year.

 

[Pat]

I do like to make simple clothes to help save money compared to the prices in the storesalso to give me the feeling of satisfaction that I did it myself. I garden to have fresher and better tasting veggies.