To feed a horse....

or how I became involved with a food co-op.

Recent changes in this household of boys becoming men, of leftovers becoming nonexistent and of all living things being wary of being eaten if sedentary for any length of time, have necessitated a change in how I cook. I'm cooking for survival of the growing which involves cooking for a healthy filling up of the growing.

But that's not all the reason for such a switch. Another one being that a good friend of mine, having done the research I was avoiding, began to feed (metaphorically and literally) me some of the fruits of her labors. Namely on the significant health benefits of high fiber and non genetically engineered food products.

"Veddy inter-rest-ing and tasty," I thought. "But I do not have time for such endeavors. I will stick with my choices and coupons and buy one, get one freebies and muddle through."

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the great abyss into which food disappeared began to grow. Taller than me. So, regrouping had to continue.

I asked said friend to go easy on me with the baby steps of change. I began with a switch to whole milk which led to coconut oil which led to hard wheat berries which led to soft wheat berries which led to making my own granola and yogurt and granola bars which led to yesterday's adventure where I found myself measuring out 18 pounds of corn grits or 12 pounds of regular organic oats or 9 pounds of wheat germ.

It was almost more math than this girl can handle. I soothed myself during the math and scale watching with the fact that the great abyss was making himself useful with the lifting and moving of 50 pound bags of various sundries.

I did not come home entirely ready to feed the horses. I am still a baby stepper. However, we have all benefited from the changes of less processed foods, and I'll keep going down this path with my corn grits and oats and wheat berries. Eventually I'll graduate to sucanat and agave nectar and the like because the abyss and his brothers behind are definitely not getting smaller. I figure such growing bodies need the best nutrition I can give them. So this is where I'm starting.