Living with Less

Gatineau Park, January 2012

I think most twenty-somethings go through a "get rid of all of my belongings" phase. For me, it started some time during University, around the time I realized that until you own a home, owning things meant moving things. It was easier, I reckoned, to live without things than to have to haul them around from place to place. Of course, there are necessities, not least of all my cooking paraphernalia, but I tried not to hang on to anything I wasn't strongly attached to. Every time I move, I try to pare it down a bit more, and I think I've really got it to a minimum. There's no point in tossing out things wastefully that I will later need.

These days, I'm inclined to think of things a bit differently. It's not about being okay with not having anything because I can't have anything, it's about being okay with having nothing because, in reality, the physical things don't really matter that much. The things I do have, I appreciate. A lot. And the things I don't have? Well, I probably don't need them. I don't want to need them. If I need them, then I need a means to get them, which means I need money. And money, my friends, is probably a thing I am not going to be blessed with in my life. Not if I can help it, anyway.

Community Garden mural at Bank and Laurier, Ottawa.

See, I tried living for things, for a while. I tried really hard. And it was fun there, at times. But I wasn't happy. And over time, I began to realize that what made me happy had nothing to do with acquiring belongings. It was the way I lived that brought me pleasure, joy, and contentment-- or not, as the case was, back then. It felt wrong to drive 20 km to work every day to a job I didn't love at a company that sells people things they don't really need (nothing against that particular company, though! All companies do that. That's how the system works). I didn't feel like I was connected to anything real. Except, that is, when I pulled out those seed catalogues, and those garden planning books, and starting soaking up knowledge about how to become self-sufficient. I didn't even do it consciously. I just wanted to have a garden because I like food and cooking and growing things. But in hindsight, I see the logic behind it all. If I don't have to buy food, then I don't have to have a job I don't love, and I can do what I love all day, if I want to. I can grow food.

Cozumel, Mexico

It's true, I'm a dreamer. I've always been an idealist. And for a really long time I thought that my dreams weren't realistic. Or that, if they were, I would never be happy if I really chased them, because I wouldn't have money and I would always be struggling to survive. But then this crazy thing happened.

I took a risk, and I tried it out. I lived with nothing. I grew food, and I spent a great deal of time alone, and I wandered around in the woods, and sang to myself, and I dug in the dirt, and laid on the grass in the rain, and finally-- finally!-- I felt real.

I've been living with very little for some time now. I would love to spend the money left over from each pay cheque on exotic foods, but I don't. I get just as much pleasure from digging out a 4 month old squash that I grew myself, and turning it into dinner. And I keep the money I save, to pay off my debts. And I feel a sense of satisfaction when I take a delicious bite of a potato, onion, carrot and kale stir fry seasoned with paprika and garlic, because most of those ingredients are items I grew myself.

Vanderwater Park, December 2011

When I'm done eating dinner, and I'm thinking about my day, I don't think about things I wish I had, or what I don't like about my job or the fact that I have to live in the city as a necessity of modern life. I think about how I love my life. I walk in the door when I get home from work and take pleasure in the smell that makes me feel home. I enjoy my roommates, so I hug them. And then we eat some of the zucchini chocolate cake I made, and talk about how water is like liquid diamonds [me], or like a miniature lake in your hands [Rachael]. I enjoy the little nest I have to sleep and dream in. I like winter, because of the way the sun falls on the snow, and the exhilaration of the cold, and the rosy cheeks, and the hot chocolate and the way that life slows down just enough that you can finally take time to appreciate it. I like living, because I'm friends with the world that I live in. Nobody's out to get me, and the world is not against me-- it's on my side. And if I play my cards right, the earth will give me everything I need to sustain myself.

I don't need money. At least, not much of it. If it weren't for the system we live in, I wouldn't need any at all. The less reliant on money I get, the better I feel. So I've decided it's time for another life experiment. Recently, I had to make a [self-imposed] choice between going West to make money, and heading East to learn how to be more self-sufficient. I chose the latter.

It was a long road, but it was a good one.
[ancient Mayan ruins]

In March, I'm going to head home to make maple syrup with my Dad. And in April, I'm going to drive to a permaculture farm in Nova Scotia and set up house in a tent trailer for the next 7 months. I'm going to live on vegetables, exercise, and love-- love for the earth, love for my fellow farmers, and love for the life that I've been given. I'm going to swim in the sea, slide on the mud flats, bike for miles, and spend day after day sweating and straining to make things grow.

And I am more certain about this about anything I have ever known before: I'm going to be happy. I am happy. I've finally made that choice.

Pumpkins Aren't Just for Pie!

First, a few things you may or may not know about pumpkins.

1. They are pretty much interchangeable with winter squash. Basically any recipe that requires squash can take pumpkin, and vice versa. Just be sure that the sugar content is accounted for. Generally, squash is sweeter, but there are many varieties of pumpkin that are bred for sweetness too.

2. Pumpkin is really good for you! It's orange colour is an indicator that it is full of beta-carotene. But in addition to that, it also contains significant amounts of Protein, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, Folate, and Vitamin E. Pumpkin seeds are also an extremely healthy snack, full of those important Omega 3 fatty acids (the only kind your body can't make itself).

3. When kept cool and dry, pumpkins and squash won't rot for months, and can be used for most of the winter. This is a really great way to make use of your summer harvest all winter long. Last year, I sliced open some delicata squash from my CSA share which I had forgotten in the drawer of the fridge until some time in mid-March, and they were still good!

4. Pumpkin and squash flowers are edible-- and pretty tasty! A lot of people recommend stuffing them with cheese and other fancy stuff, but I think they are delicious all on their own too. Okay, so it's the wrong time of year to tell you this, but this summer you should try it out, especially if you are growing your own-- they can be pricey at the farmer's market. The trick is to make sure you are only harvesting the male blossoms, since the female are the ones that bear fruit. You'll be able to tell the difference because you can already see the little fruit starting to form at the bottom of the female blossoms. Make sure to leave a male blossom or two on each plant so they can pollinate the females!

But isn't pumpkin only good for pie?


Umm... short answer? No! Pumpkin is delicious, not only in all sorts of baking, but also on its own, enjoyed baked like squash and then mashed, mixed in with other veggies, or even mixed into something fancy, like a Pumpkin Souffle!

Here are a few recipes that I've tried.

Pumpkin Soup

You can go in a lot of different directions with this one-- don't be fooled into thinking that seasoning pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves is the only way to go! I have had some delicious Coconut Pumpkin Soup made with coconut milk and fresh cilantro, for example. In the fall, it's also nice to use apples and your typical pumpkin pie spices for a sweeter soup. Basically, anything that can be cooked down and blended up with the pumpkin is a good candidate. Why not try an experiment?

Pumpkin Pie

I swear to god I took this photo myself! I was making pie for a dinner party and decided to do the lattice on a whim. It's actually a LOT of fun. The key to lattice is to make the strips really big, so you don't have to do that many. Start by laying the first two perpendicular pieces, and then alternate between adding horizontal and vertical strips, pulling the previously placed strips back as you go so you can create the weave pattern.

Anyway, pumpkin pie is pretty much self-explanatory and delicious, so even though this post is about doing something different, don't deny yourself this traditional treat!


Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

While it certainly isn't what one expects when they think of cheesecake, this delicious creation really got me excited about what can be done with pumpkin. There is actually no flour in the "cheesecake" part-- just ground almonds, which make for a unique flavour and nutty texture. I also substituted any sugar for maple syrup and honey, and the graham cracker crust could easily be substituted for a gluten free crust, making it a deliciously healthy vegan dessert!

I found the foundation of the recipe in a wonderful cookbook called Ripe From Around Here by Jae Steele.

Pumpkin Muffins


These are fairly self-explanatory, like the pie. Make muffins, and add pumpkin! You can alter your favourite recipe, or look one up. There's one in my fave cookbook, Simply in Season, as well as all over the internets!


Pumpkin Souffle
(In this case, it's Pumpkin and Blue Cheese Souffle with Cayenne Pepper)

This was my latest experiment. It went reasonably well, if you consider the fact that a) I have never made  souffle before, let alone a pumpkin one! and b) in my current living situation, I do not have the use of an electric mixer-- so I had to whisk by hand.

A souffle is essentially a puffy egg and cheese dish. It's very light, and not very filling, but is pretty versatile, so you can add lots of delicious things to it to make lots of seemingly fancy dishes with one basic recipe.

To make a souffle:

- Take a bunch of eggs and separate the yolks from the whites (if you don't know how to do this, google it)
- Make a roux (melt butter and add an equal amount of flour, whisk smooth).
- Add milk, and heat til thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add cheese, the egg yolks and anything else you want.
- In a separate bowl with cold utensils, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
- Fold egg whites into white sauce mixture and bake for 30 to 45 minutes until puffy and set.

Obviously the number of eggs you want to use effects the other ingredients, so you'll need to find appropriate recipe for the number of people you are feeding!

For the pumpkin souffle, I had to find a recipe for a basic souffle to make sure I had all the basics down pat. Then, I found a recipe for a savoury squash souffle which was right up my alley, so I altered the ingredients to fit the number of eggs I wanted to use, and went for it.

During the step where you add the cheese and egg yolks, I also added cayenne, nutmeg, salt, and pumpkin. The result was delicious, if I do say so myself-- definitely a recipe I will re-try in the presence of company. But I used a bit more pumpkin than necessary. A word to the wise: a little goes a long way!