From his office on main street, Scott and his 10 co-workers spend their days in the digital world. “I sit at my computer all day, every day, building online advertising campaigns,” said Scott, who lives in Colorado. “I was working on the Lehman’s account and started watching the canning video. It just drew me in and I thought I can [pun intended] do this!”
The idea of taking classes and learning how to preserve fresh food took root [again, pun intended] in Scott’s mind. “I talked to my girlfriend, Kelly, and we decided to take classes on pickling and canning. I tried pickling once – not sure what I did wrong but all I created was foul pickles. I need to learn these skills,” he decided.
Many of us find ourselves in front of a monitor the majority of our waking hours. How refreshing to step away from the screen and lean into simplicity. The knowledge of what you are eating, and the satisfaction of having preserved it yourself, is fulfilling.
Scott lives in an apartment, so a large garden is not practical. However, he is planning to do a small container garden next summer. “My family is Italian and I want to make the sauces that go back generations. But I want to can my own tomatoes as the base.” He plans to go to local farmer’s markets and purchase fresh tomatoes.
Like many of us, Scott is a label-reader at the grocery store. “It seems the more healthy it is, the more expensive it is,” he noticed. “I want to recreate my family’s heirloom recipes, and then preserve it for later. We like to enjoy good food with family and friends, so sharing is also important to me.”
After the pickling class they took last Saturday, they plan to make pickles and bring them in to the office to share with co-workers. “I am excited about this journey to simplicity and I’ve talked to my whole work team about – it’s really catching on.”
“And hey,” he commented. “If I can do this, anyone can.”
Editor’s Note: Start your own journey to simplicity! Find everything you need to preserve your harvest here.
