Sailing the Farm
In the very early days of our dating, Noj recommended two books to me. (All part of his 'plan of seduction' – quite clever, actually.) The first was a book about permaculture, and the second was a book entitled, Sailing the Farm. I was super excited by this, as it married two of my favorite activities: Sailing, and sustainably producing my own food. Brilliant stuff. So here we are, a few years later, voyaging the Salish Sea and beyond, and sorting out how to feed ourselves.
Prior to leaving we provisioned with some basic items, such as rice, lentils, coconut butter, coffee, chocolate(!), etc. We tend to eat a lot of vegetable matter alongside some animal protein. As you might imagine, sailing in areas so remote that there are very few human inhabitants, let alone grocery stores, it is necessary to have a plan. We obtained a British Columbia fishing license for me, and an Alaska license for Noj, and brought along a variety of seeds for sprouting. When available, we have purchased cabbages, carrots, onions... vegetables that last a while in the refrigerator. We also have enjoyed salal berries, huckleberries, and wild blueberries. I recently made a small pot of salal berry jam and a batch of biscuits. Scrumptious! Ahh, I digress...
We have been sprouting alfalfa, sunflower, and radish seeds, as well as some mung dal. Growing microgreens is quite easy, and they are really tasty. Sprouts are not just for hippies, you know... Especially when served next to the gorgeous salmon that you caught that morning, or those massive crabs that came up in the pot you just pulled. We have become quite the catcher-processor. We recently made crab stuffed rockfish with a lovely salad made with fresh alfalfa and sunflower sprouts, shredded carrots and purple cabbage, with a few toasted nuts and a light vinaigrette. Oh, and then there is the salmon Oscar, and the tom ka seafood soup... Sublime! Again, I digress...
We have yet to experiment with sea vegetables and we really have not availed ourselves of ample foraging opportunities (other than the berries). Those are on the list. Also experimental is our effort to store our seafood, as there is limited room in the refrigerator. We have recently started a batch of pickled pink salmon (stand by to see how that turns out) and have smoked some silver salmon as well. The latter was delicious!
As with everything else in these early months of our voyage, we are still sorting some things. We are open to hearing about your experiences and suggestions. Leave a comment below!
