Day 24 - Korean Dogwood

One of my favourite Devendra Banhart songs is now one of my favourite foraged fruits. 

Known as a 'Kousa Dogwood', 'Korean Dogwood', 'Chinese Dogwood', or 'Japanese Dogwood', this tree produces edible fruit. 

Day 23 - What is this?

I found this berry near the complex where I live and I don't know what it is, but it looks like a yoshi-berry and it is delicious.

The middle is sweet and has a texture like the inside of a peach.  There are 3 little pits inside.

Day 22 - I See Plants and Animals!

Today I woke up wondering if the chestnuts lining city streets are ready for picking.  Then I went to query google, only to realize what I need to do is take a walk :-) 

Since I've been actively looking for food from trees and shrubs, I've become more aware of non-human life.  As I pass by trees, I try to identify if they might be oaks with acorns and if so, how long until the acorns turn from green to brown.  If I see a red berry, I might take a bite, study the leaves and the stalks and return home to figure out the name.  It's like seeing individual faces and shaking hands instead of passively looking through a crowd of blurry people.

I am sure there are many wonderful books out there that expound this exact point: that by relying on stores for food we have become less dependent on nature and lost our connection to plant and animal life and the rhythms of seasons.  When we don't need nature, it's easy to be cavalier with the well-being of these friends; it's easier to say, 'there's an empty lot, lets dump stuff in it', rather than 'let's plant a garden'.

Days 18 & 19 - Birthday Potluck

This weekend I celebrated the birthdays of my sister's fiance and my mom.  I made a delicious rhubarb, blackberry crumble with an apple I found while picking the blackberries.  This is the end of blackberry season, for sure.  There were bugs making blackberry hives and bees sucking nectar and giant spiders spinning webs between the brambles.  I was glad to make this last foray and excited to find a tree with little green apples on it!

Wild Birthday Crumble

I think potluck dinners are the wave of the post-apocalyptic future.  The community sharing aspect is in direct alignment with abundance.  There was more than enough food and there was a wonderful variety!

I even foraged a bit in my parent's backyard and came away with: lettuce, grapes, apples, and a zucchini!

Lettuce, Apples, Zucchini, also Lavender

Grapes from my parent's yard

I found choke cherries near my condo, that while edible, are a little tart.  I'm not sure what I will do once I collect the rest.  Looking forward to chestnuts and acorns.

Day 17 - Moon Time

I started my period and while this may seem like a total overshare, I assure you, it is not.  This is confirmation that yesterday's episode was a result of hormonal fluctuations.  Keeping in mind the blood test results, during this time I have resolved to take special care to eat meals loaded with iron and b-vitamins.  Today, for example, I had raw dandelion greens on squash and couscous with kombucha tea!

Also note that I would commit a number of illicit acts for chocolate-covered pretzels.  The concept of craving what I don't have is interesting to observe.  More so during this time, I see the tendency to think negatively and self-indulgently, to be less present.  I find the best thing to do is to relax (lie down, do gentle yoga, minimize noise).  When I don't feel as much physical tension, this want softens and I am content with tea.  Who is this negative and self-indulgent being anyways?  I don't know, but it is fiendishly thinking about melting down unsweetened Baker's chocolate squares with sugar packets from Starbucks. 

Day 16 - Taking Stock

Woke up this morning violently ill with a fever, chills, and excruciating abdominal pain, thinking I was dying from improper food preparation.  It's funny now because I feel fine and because I am actually Food Safe Certified.  When in pain, the mind likes to play out the most dramatic scenarios and prey on our deepest pits of fear.  Inhale.  Exhale.  Feel the pain and be with it.  Then wonder why you don't have any drugs in the house.  Just kidding.

Confession time: I worked at my sister's Kumon centre today and ate pizza that wasn't foraged.  However, it was in exchange for labour and I had a terrible morning; I'm going to justify this minor infraction of the rules, and suppose a really high coefficient of friction on this slippery slope.

Threw out the sprouts because it has been more than 6 days and they smell like feces.  Dehydrated some lavender for tea.  When I find a moment, I will take the flowers off the stalks and store them in a pretty jar.  I also made orange juice from 3 oranges.  It was amazing...like my home is some kind of Orange Julius stand with bendy straws and foamy orange juice!

Day 15 - September Lab Results

I am a little disappointed the B-vitamins haven't been included.  I think these results look really good, though.  I am proud of how well I have taken care of my body -- No flags!

The only item that is a little deficient seems to be MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin).  MCH levels below 27 indicate anemia and levels above 33 indicate thyroid problems.  In my case, I am at 27.5, so still over 27 but close to being low.  I am not too worried, as anemia is usually based on a combination of the MCH, MCV, and MCHC numbers; they are all within range. 

I am a little confused about Ferritin.  I have 19 and the  Reference Range column says >14, but then underneath it says '15-49 Probable Iron Deficiency'.  I interpret this as >14 being the thresh-hold for flagging.  Anything over is no major cause for concern, but there is room for improvement if it is between 15 and 49. 

In the past, I have had low levels verging on anemia.  I would say this test is consistent with my health previous to embarking on the post-apocalyptic lifestyle. However, with all the leafy greens in my freezer, I expect that to improve on the next test!

Day 14 - Friends Who Forage

Once again, friends with hearts of gold step in and make things even better!   Every day I wake up feeling terrific and grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life.  I honestly feel in love with the world.

Nearly tossed into the dumpster of a local production outlet, a cache of produce was saved by a very kind and knowledgeable friend.  He was driving by when he saw a man throwing away perfectly good produce.  Surprised, he stopped and asked the man if he could have the food for the homeless, and now I have the produce in my kitchen...

Here is what he recovered:

Bananas, 2 Cantaloupe, Oranges

8 Eggplants, 2 Broccoli Crowns, Assorted Produce

4 Apple-Pears, 1 Yellow Pepper, 2 Tomatos, 1 Plum, 1 Kiwi, 1 Jalapeno Pepper

The following items were foraged with the help of previously mentioned friend.  Lavender for tea.  A tomatillo, some stalks of chard, dandelion greens, spearmint, chives, and lemon thyme.
 

Wild Plants

This amount of produce is more than I can consume before it spoils, so I dragged out the old dehydrator and put in slices of cantaloupe and apple pear.  As I went, I juiced the most aged fruit and parts of the fruit I couldn't dry, and created 1 Million Mile Juice.

Now my place smells like candy as this dries!

Next, I steamed the broccoli to stop the yellowing and stored it in the fridge for later.  The eggplants, yellow pepper, jalapeno, and some of the herbs went into this Fall Casserole.

I used the 3 most ripe bananas to make Banana Blackberry Muffins.

Before Baking.  See Recipe for 'After'.

You might think all of this preparation took forever.  It was actually only 2 hours for everything, including cooking/baking times.

But that is not all today had to offer!  From a very nice grocery store, a friend procured the following dry goods (and squash):

2 boxes of coucous, coffee grounds, tea, soy peanut butter, squash

Knowing how much I love coffee, she showed great ingenuity with collecting the coffee grinds.  You know how when you grind coffee at a store there is a little bit that falls into the tray below?  This is that coffee.  It is a blend put together by chance that can never be re-created.

Day 13 - From East 4th to West 4th

Sunday morning was a major highpoint in this project.  I started off for East 4th and Commercial to pick up a free Kombucha culture.  (NB: I had a family of Kombucha before and they died.  This time will be different.)

Kombucha Tea in a mere week!

Kombucha tea contains B-vitamins, which few of my rations contain.  The monthly blood tests will include a B-vitamin inventory.  After this month's base-line test, it will be interesting to see how my B-vitamin levels fluctuate.

Next, I bussed over to Kitsilano where I harvested a beautiful and bountiful garden.  I spent much of the afternoon washing vegetables and bagging the kale for freezing.

Carrot Greens and Kale Stems for Juicing

Tomatoes, Carrots, Shallots

Also, Beans and Chives!

Dehydrating Kale

This is only one head of Kale.  There are 4 more like this.

I also went out and harvested another container full of blackberries.  I might try to berry-pick once more this week, but I think the season is pretty much over.

I feel like I have such an abundance of food I want to have a dinner party when my Kombucha is ready :-)

Day 12 - Mushroom Hunting I

When fall rains start, mushrooms begin to emerge from the forest floor.  Curious to see what Forest X had in store, I packed a knife and a Ziploc and was on my way.

I found six different fungi on my walk and took them home to examine and reference against books from the library.  What I learned is that identification is really difficult.  Next time I will be better prepared to recognize trees and write down the site where I found the mushroom.

Here's what I found:

 

Mushrooms from Forest X

Five hours later, I was able to identify most of them and unfortunately they are all inedible or leading scientists are just unsure or I wasn't able to confirm identity.  Part of the lesson here is in what not to pick next time.

Fancy latin names and spore prints

If you are interested in the particulars of each mushroom or think you might be able to name some of the unknowns I challenge you to: Identifying Mushrooms

Today I also picked a bunch of blackberries, as the season is coming to a close.  I froze them for later.

Day 11 - First Dumpster Dive

So I decided to see what was available around Surrey in terms of dumpster spoils.  I went to the Fleetwood Save-On Foods and Safeway.  Both had 'receiving' areas with carts and stuff, but no food!  Seems like everything goes into a chute that leads to a garbage compactor.

My intrepid companion and I spied a set of dumpsters behind the Evergreen Plaza.  We investigated the unlocked ones and found that only one was full.  I asked my taller companion to hold the lid while I fished around.  Lots of bags with pharmaceutical bottles from the Shopper's in the complex.  Then, I slid my hand in a box and pulled out a leaf of lettuce!  Thinking this was the jackpot, we began to fish out the box, heaving it up and over the edge of the dumpster.

The bottom of the box broke and what came out was garbage sludge and corn husks and just really nasty stuff that splashed against my sweatshirt.  At this exact moment a couple of employees from the Ricky's came by with bags.  We could not stop laughing.  I quickly regained composure as they drew closer.  The guy asked us which place we worked at...and we said we didn't....we were...uhhh....here to get the boxes for ... moving? and this box fell out?  The guy was super chill about it all and hauled it into the next dumpster and said, "Cool."  Furiously applied hand sanitizer.

Kind of disappointed by the dumpster diving portion of the evening, but high on laughter, we felt emboldened enough to straight up ask for morning pastries from Starbucks.  We spent about 10 minutes outside trying to figure out what to say when asked what the donations were for.  The truth?  Which version of the truth and what amount of detail?  Turns out it was enough just to ask without all the justifications and explanations.  We asked if they had any pastries to donate and walked away with a bag of goods. 

The good news is that I should gain back all that weight by the time this bag of treats is done!

Sugar High Me: Cake Pop and Pumpkin Muffin

Day 10 - More on that Apocalypse

Initially the apocalypse was a vehicle to lend drama to this study of abundance.  Many people I discuss this project with get hooked on the nature of the apocalypse.  I can understand that what it looks like is important for thinking about what is available and how to develop rules that can mimic such a thing.

However, I have to ask: Does the apocalypse have to be as dramatic an event as the word implies? Is it possible we are already living it without the go-ahead from network media?

We live in a 'zombie' culture of over-consumption.  We commodify and then energetically devour each other.  If you have ever worked a minimum wage job, you know exactly what I mean.  If not, just observe the next clerk you encounter.  Many of us have this Pavlovian relationship with our cell phones, automatically interrupting real face-to-face conversations when we hear that diminutive electronic chime.  Some of us drink/eat/smoke/watch tv excessively to avoid feeling, avoid living.  I'm not a doctor, but I'm going to say this general lack of awareness and mindfulness is symptomatic of the walking dead. 

More practically, there was that whole economic crisis where a lot of people lost their homes and their jobs.  Dumpster diving, charitable donations, and foraging is probably a reality for many in this situation.  In fact, in On a Dollar a Day the authors posit that for many families living around the poverty line, food is the first expense to go.  Families who receive food stamps do purchase food, but as the authors cover: food stamps are meant to be supplementary, meaning that there are definitely days without meals.

I apologize for the less-than-uplifting rant.  I feel that this project has gained a new level of relevance and usefulness.  For something a little more fun: (Waffles!)

I love waffles!

Day 9 - A Garden-ian Angel

Today I met a positively radiant woman who has given me access to her overgrown garden in Kitsilano.  You cannot imagine how grateful I am for this opportunity.  Particularly, in light of the fact that according to my scale I have lost 8 pounds since I started.  I haven't noticed the difference that much.  I feel like I weigh the same, though eating popcorn late at night likely gives the illusion of satiety and weight.  Also, I see myself everyday, so it's hard to tell.  To be completely candid, the only place I have noticed a difference is in cup-size.

I am fortunate to have friends who worry about things like bone density and vitamin depletion.  A friend mentioned that Morgan Spurlock had a medical team on stand-by when he documented eating McDonald's everyday in Supersize Me.  I considered creating a rule that I would end the project if my health was suffering.  I then dismissed the thought when I realized I had no real metric to base this on.  I mean, sure, I have felt dizzy, fatigued and yesterday I had a slight fever, but I feel convinced this was a virus of some kind. 

My plan is to see a doctor and get blood work done once a month.  These tests will indicate organ function and nutrient/mineral levels.  In addition to safety, this data will be interesting to observe as the project progresses.  This data may even support the post-apocalypse as a viable lifestyle choice.  I will post the results when I get them.

Day 8 - The One Where I Ponder Charity

Made a delicious Blackberry Crumble for breakfast.  I hypothesized that cooking the berries might burn off any of the toxins.  So far, this is true.  (Blackberry Crumble Recipe)

Blackberry Crumble

I have been eating popcorn for dinner every night and I still love it!

I have been thinking about charity.  After the apocalypse would there be some people better off than others? or would the apocalypse annihilate class distinction, placing everyone as equally starving and in need of resources?  Supposing that there are haves and have-nots, would the haves donate to the have-nots?

I have been wondering if I have created the bartering rule because I am uncomfortable accepting items without being able to reciprocate.  Or is this rule necessary to maintain the artificial post-apocalypse world I am trying to create?  These questions are not rhetorical; I honestly don't know. 

If I were to accept charity, I feel like it might be too easy in a gathering sense, but difficult for my ego to digest.  For many monks, every meal is a charitable donation.  This is a very humbling experience and one that we probably don't experience too often in North America.  Giving is an important practice because the person giving experiences a feeling of sharing and helping and lets go of what was given.  The person receiving accepts the gift graciously and feels gratitude towards the giver rather than indebted.  This is a clean model of giving and receiving. 

I might be somewhat conditioned to believe that every time you receive, you are expected to give a thing back because the giver is now at a loss.  The adage, "nothing is free" rings loud and clear in my mind.  In the model of abundance, however, accepting items does not mean there is less for that person because...(say it with me) --> THERE IS ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE!

Day 7 - Coupons!

Today's gifts:

• A coupon for a free meal from IHOP arrived in my inbox!
• A coupon for a free Mini-Brownie at Moxie's arrived in my mailbox!  AND my neighbours threw theirs out, so I have about 5 of them.

Day 6 - And I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Yesterday shone with the generosity of ten thousand suns and one very large harvest moon!  Bartered for yogurt and shared moon cake to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.  I am so grateful to be in such wonderful company.

Today, I hashed out some ideas with friends:

• Visit the Sikh Temple for free dinner (http://akalisingh-sikhsociety.ca/)
• Look up sale listings for houses that include gardens and see what was left over by the last tenants
• Offer garden help in exchange for fruits or vegetables
• Dumpster dive

Some other items to forage for include:

• cat-tail roots (apparently you saute them)
• dandelion roots/leaves/flowers
• lavender

I am super excited about all of these possibilities that I hadn't considered; this is the beauty of community.

One more rule came up during the discussion:

3.  Food that is bartered must be foraged or appropriated in a non-monetary way.

I like this rule because it involves everyone in this project.  Friends who want to help will have to think unconventionally.  They will get to discover means to survive the post-apocalyptic landscape.  This is my gift :)

Day 5 - Just Ugh

Been experiencing some serious abdominal discomfort.  I spent much of last night writing terrible poetry and wondering about the source of my discomfort (stomach flu? the berries? different diet? full moon?).  I spent a smaller part of the evening mindfully observing the pain.  This morning I feel the same discomfort and I resolve to experience it with detached curiousity.

Last night's dinner did not turn out as well as expected.  Paprika-popped popcorn sounds exciting and not just from an alliteration standpoint. I figured that covering the kernels in paprika before popping them would infuse spice into each piece.  In actuality, the paprika acted as fuel in a small kitchen fire.

The edible parts

Anicca, anicca, anicca.

Day 4 - The Rest of the Buffalo

I saved the lemon rind of the previous day and juiced it onto my salad yesterday.  I saved the bits from inside the juicer and made these marvelous mini-muffins!

Such a treat!

 You can follow along at home: Day 4 - Lemon Poppy-Seed Mini-Muffins

Yesterday I took advantage of the free bread samples at Cob's and the cream station at Starbucks.  When I worked at Starbucks there was a man (Cream Guy) who would dig through the garbage to find the 'perfect cup'.  Once he found it, he would go to the condiment stand, fill the cup with cream and add like 10 packages of white sugar.  Guests used to get kind of squeamish because they had seen him dig the cup from the garbage just minutes earlier.  I have to admit I wasn't a fan either.  Today, however, I thank him for teaching me.

I haven't signed up for the mushroom foraging yet.  A lot of people have signed up and from the comments, it looks like there has been some trouble getting in touch with the company to ask questions and book tours.  I will be checking out a library book on edible fungi before I make my decision.  There are still a few days before the offer expires.

Day 3 - A Taste of Blackberries

"If opportunity rears its head, will you answer or stay home in bed?"
[The Day is Coming by My Morning Jacket]

And a good morning to you, Mr. Jim Jones!  Today I choose to answer.  (PS: Thank you for scoring my morning berry forage.)

Last night I saw a patch of blackberry bushes, but there were too many spiders and webs so I waited until this beautiful morning to harvest.  Amid the stillness and dewy air, berry-picking-yoga!  A study claims that many women who were housewives during the 1950s experienced something called contracture; they were unable to lift their arms any further than the highest cupboard in their kitchen.  More berry-picking required!

The spoils

This morning an opportunity arrived in my inbox in the form of an ethical deal to learn how to forage for mushrooms (http://ethicaldeal.com/deal/50-off-3-hour-wild-mushroom-and-herb-tour-with-high-tea-and-lunch-%28$70-value%29/city:vancouver?sub=1&utm_source=Vancouver&utm_campaign=f321efe2f3-UA-17120634-1&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=f321efe2f3&mc_eid=1318002850).
A part of me says to do it.  Another more arrogant part of me thinks I can learn it from a book. 

I found seeds for sprouts and winter vegetables from 2010 (Thank you, Karen from meditation) in a box.  I have started the sprouts.  They take about 4 to 6 days to grow.

Sideways picture of sprouts

Lastly, I made granola bars last night (kind of ad hoc, really).

Breakfast!

If you would like to make these delightful post-apocalyptic bars in your own home:  Day 3 - Granola Bar Recipe

Day 2 - Almost Every Part of the Buffalo

This morning I woke up feeling deprived and super-hungry.  I started my morning yoga practice but found myself distracted by thoughts of what I would eat next month or if I would have to dip into the flour before the end of September. 

This is not living with faith in the universe, nor is it living in the present moment.  Therefore, I am shifting the purpose of this experience to align more with the concept of abundance.  I will not deprive myself because there is enough for everyone in this post-apocalyptic world when we believe there is.  We can only accept the gifts bestowed when we open our possibility-space and exist moment-to-moment.  Otherwise, we are living in some other past or future moment, missing what is being offered.  Recipes for Post-apocalyptic Living is now a manifesto of faith and abundance :)

That said, I am not a wasteful individual; I will make the most of every gift I receive.  For breakfast, I added some water to my almond milk (because I want to have enough for the amount of cereal that remains) and made hot lemon tea.  From the lemon I squeezed yesterday, I peeled the rind and juiced it.  Almost every part of the buffalo.  I threw out the shredded pith from the juicer.  Next time I will save it for a garnish or save enough pith to make lemon poppy-seed muffins.

Thinking about blackberries and other wild berries and foraging for mushrooms in the fall.  Anyone with experience in any of the above?

Favourite cereal!

Hot Lemon Tea!

Day 1 - The Rations

Here are my rations:

Some nuts from last Christmas

Spices, Baking Powder/Soda

Tea and Emergen-C (this is key for avoiding scurvy)

Some seeds and a bag of buckwheat

Top Cupboard (brown sugar, popcorn, spaghetti noodles, soup, molasses, teas)

Bottom Cupboard (oatmeal, baker's chocolate, rotini, lasagne noodles, pine nuts, corn meal)

Bottom Cupboard (oatmeal and FLOUR)

Olive Oil, some Canola Oil, Basalmic Vinegar, Puffin Cereal, Spray Oil

Fridge Shelf 1: soy sauce, bit of mustard, jam, hemp hearts, hoisin sauce, 99% dark chocolate

Fridge Shelf 2: Not much maple syrup and Braggs, hot chili sauces, some salsa

Main Fridge (vega powder, miso soup, almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemons, lettuce, margarine)