About Claire: a Closer Look Part 3

Alright so if you’ve stuck with me this far, this is the last formal post. The sum of everything I think you might be interested in knowing about me. And this is where I want to share my success & advice. I’m going to share two of my most memorable moments that led me down this path plus how I incorporate my values into the kitchen. And then you know, I gotta leave you with some tips that I would give my younger self if I had to start over again.

Ready?
Let’s go.

A memorable success started from an epic “failure”

From bald to va-va-voom!

In 2012, I did a massive big chop on my hair. I went from shoulder length to just straight bald. Literally, I’m dead serious. What was left when I got out of the barbers chair was barely above “skint” level & my self-esteem was nearly destroyed. I tried finding the original photo I took that day, but could only find one taken 2 months later.

So many years of excessive heat from flat ironing & chemical damage from relaxers finally took its toll. So the big chop was necessary, but I was still a little shell-shocked.

I wasn’t satisfied with the look but was extremely sensitive to the thought of putting chemicals & heat back on my hair even with a blow dryer. When it came to the chemicals, I started looking at everything from Sally’s kinda funny. It was difficult finding products that worked for my hair. So for a year or so I tried the cleanest options I could from Sally’s or Target, Walmart too, but the budget was thin. Like spread bread dough & do a window pane test thin.

Even what I was getting had preservatives & whatnot that I wasn’t 100% comfortable with. So I invested some time into understanding what my hair texture was and what products would work for that. Watched lots of natural curlies on YouTube but then got tired of seeing everybody do all the same junk with the same semi-chemical laden products. So, I decided to try some stuff. 

I knew that oil was really good for my hair & it felt nicely coated with olive or avocado oil. So I started making my own oil blends. Then I experimented with something for the hold because I really love my curls to be popping. Gel works best for me for that.

Through some trial & error I came across a recipe for making flaxseed gel which I still make to this day actually. And now, from shampoo to conditioner, I make all my own hair care. And my family uses it too. Using what we have in the kitchen (plus a little African Black soap for the shampoo) makes this venture cost effective. And when you’re heavy-handed like me, that’s definitely a bonus hello. 

My most memorable food preservation moment

Another highly memorable success is canning my first batch of strawberry jam. I ended up on that road after doing a lot of reading, listening to podcasts & YouTube watching. I just naturally reached a point where I was ready to get my feet wet.

Everybody was all like “grow your own food, can it”. I had even been talking about wanting to get into canning food & my husband asked me which canner I wanted. At the time, I was stuck between the All-American which was too pricey for us & the Presto pressure canner. Out of his own heart (& allowance), he bought me a 23-quart Presto pressure canner. 

We were on our way. That season, we enjoyed a little local pick-your-own adventure at an orchard picking strawberries. Although they were expensive to pick, they were so delicious & beautiful – we knew that’s what we wanted to start our cantry with.

Using the recipe for simple strawberry jam from Pomona’s pectin recipe book, we managed to make four 8-oz jars of strawberry jam. And I remember that feeling of awe & accomplishment that spiraled me into the abyss. I was like “Okay, I need so many more strawberries next year when they’re in season to get us through a whole year!”

In hindsight, I think that might have been when this whole venture to store enough food for our family started. I should also add I had recently read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver which heavily influenced that thought process too. 

How I incorporate my values into my approach to food & the kitchen

Food & kitchen activities are what they are in my home because of what I value & believe.

I value strong bonds between family members & really, great amazing food. And because of that I spend a lot of time in the kitchen making those things come to life for us. Often times with my family right alongside me.

You’ll find me in the kitchen from sunup to sundown if that means I’m hanging out with my kids, my husband is keeping me company & we’re talking & laughing. And at the end of it all we get to eat something really delicious.

I believe we were meant to be stewards of the land, of the earth. And it’s our responsibility to really take care of what God gave us. So I try to respect that by not wasting food & by appreciating food for what it is.

I’ll leave things very simply dressed when I go off the top of my head instead of using a recipe. Taking the time to smell the flavors develop between certain spices or aromatics as they meld together when a dish comes alive.

We don’t eat unseasoned food, but I like to keep the ingredients as the star components of a meal. It’s a come as you are sort of thing. Just like how I always cherish my people as they are.

The Advice I’d Give My Younger Self

Start the thing now.
Wherever you are.

Space isn’t a limiting factor.
Time isn’t.
Money isn’t.

You’re only limited by the belief that you can’t.

I should have started canning & growing food 6 years before I actually took the plunge. Because that’s when I first came in contact with the information & thus, the possibility. If you’re living in a space where you have someone in your life doing these things, please join them. Even if you’re just keeping company at first.

If you grew up around this lifestyle but for whatever reason have stepped away or stepped back, pick it back up. There’s no better time to become proficient in the skillset than right now. And even if you didn’t, there’s still no better time than right now. Take it from me – a first-generation everything in my family. You can do this.

Start Here with Cooking

To get started, take some control back over your finances & food.

There’s tons to say about both, but if we stay in the kitchen, here’s how you can start eating really good food. Eat at home more often & then start cooking from scratch more regularly. This means swapping pre-packaged or frozen meals with homemade versions. It’s not as bad or hard as it might sound.

Find a handful of recipes your household really loves & start committing them to memory. Do that by making them at least twice a month. You’ll get familiar with the ingredients & the quantities required.

And as you make them more & more, you’ll find a rhythm to them & become more efficient making them.

Start Preserving Your Food

To start preserving food at home, read up on a few different methods because if you don’t know – there’s a strong million. And then there’s one or two more. I’ve written a few posts on this because it’s definitely my jam when it comes to kitchen activities (pun intended). Here’s some to name a few:

Freezing, Pickling, Fermenting, Canning, Smoking, Root Cellaring, Dehydrating, Freeze Drying, Water Glassing, Long-term storage & more.

But, if one jumps out at you, start there. Learn the basics of that one type first – like the science behind it, safety, best practices, the benefits, the essential tools, etc. Then go scouting for the necessary supplies to be able to complete that method. The first tip there is to ask family/friends because they MIGHT have something you can borrow, if not keep. Then go to Goodwill or your local thrift shop. The number of times I find supplies there is unreal.

Quite honestly I advise beginners to consider long-term/extended pantry prep & using Mylar bags as their ultimate first step. Besides the food itself, you don’t need anything special other than the Mylar bags & Oxygen absorbers which are very easy to find & easy on all budgets levels. My favorites just FYI are Wallaby 5-mil Mylars; they’re durable, affordable & just pretty to look at (to me).

Once filled, you can store these in your cabinets or closets, but I recommend a secondary container as extra protection. A few food grade buckets (doubles for food storage later if needed) or some storage totes. If you go that route, Mylar storage still is my first step recommendation.

Start Here with Your Kitchen

When it comes to the kitchen in general, first decide where you are then where you want to be. Maybe you just want to save a few bucks now like I did. Cool. But you need to have a long-term vision for your kitchen which I didn’t. It’s important because if you don’t grow, adapt, & level up, you will begin to deteriorate.

List is to list all the skills you can think of in a notebook. I heavily suggest using a kitchen logbook/journal on this blog. So this list can be the first exercise for that if you don’t already have one!

Once you have your list, devote 9-12 months to practicing & using that skill. If you think this method will have you learning things in the kitchen until you’re 65, good for you. That’s exactly what it should do. Focusing on one skill at a time doesn’t mean you won’t be using other skills. And 9-12 months isn’t very long, but it’s long enough to become proficient if not a master.

My long-term kitchen vision is to learn as many traditional skills (like preserving food or making things from scratch) as possible so that I can serve my family to the best of my ability. But also so we can be as self-sufficient as possible. As I learn, my family learns & this means we’re reshaping the direction of our future too.

It only takes one woman making one decision to change the trajectory of her family’s future. Be that woman.

You’ve got this, lovely.