Gone Crunchy

My name is Lori and I have gone crunchy. Or, more truthfully, I am "going" crunchy.  I first heard that term when my sister moved from our Midwest stomping grounds to the East Coast. When I asked to what it was like, she described her small town as "crunchy." Think Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging, granola-munching hippies. That's crunchy. People I considered a little bit crazy, a little bit elitist and definitely NOT me.

However, I've always considered myself a country-girl at heart, despite growing up and currently living in a typical suburban area. In the past years, I have found myself more and more drawn to the homesteading movement and wanting to learn more about self-sufficiency and gardening. I began to read all the back issues of Mother Earth News magazine in our local library and my fascination grew.

Two years ago I convinced my husband to build a 4" x 8" raised bed garden in a prime location in our backyard. Next, I created a compost pile and this year we added a second raised bed and some blueberry bushes. My garden wish list expands weekly with dreams of hoop houses, cold frames and a rain barrel. I have much to learn and hope to document my progress (successes and failures) here.

But just raising a few seasonal veggies is not truly "crunchy." No, in my mind, that would require a more drastic change. I blame Netflix. I watched a documentary on sustainable farming. And then I watched another. And another. And then I re-watched them and made my husband sit through it with me. He was convinced, like I was, that we needed to make some changes in what we eat and purchase.

So there you have it. We are going crunchy. This is not going to be a "cold-turkey" change for us, but one that will happen gradually. For one, we can't afford to buy all organic right now. We are both self-employed and this is probably the worst time in our financial history to make a change like this. But I think it will be worth it.

This blog will be my way of sharing our experiences as we change our lifestyle, step-by-step.