self-sufficiency | My Food Odyssey

Jan 29

Simple Homemade Granola | www.myfoododyssey.com

Simple Crunchy Granola [Recipe]

I like to keep things simple. The sheer volume of newness in my life right now demands it – other wise I would sink under and drown. When you ditch your regular life for one that is completely new, everyday tasks become complicated. I live in the country now so I can’t just pop to a shop when I run out of something. Ingredients that I would have used regularly in Ireland have become impossible to source. The supermarkets have 20 different sour cream options but no fresh cream whatsoever. Certain ethnic ingredients are unheard of and I can’t use Google to source them as my Lithuanian is just not good enough yet. Brands and packaging are unfamiliar and so I must spend longer deliberating over options rather than just doing a grab-and-go as I would have done back home. Grocery shopping has become a chore. Read more

Jan 22

32 Comments

Project: Pig

Fair warning: This post contains descriptions and images of animal butchery that some readers may find offensive. Reader discretion is advised.

Meat. It’s delicious. I love it. I don’t, however, love how much of the world’s meat is managed. Anyone who has seen such programmes as “Food Inc.” will understand the impact that intensive farming of animals for meat has on the lives of the animals, the quality of the meat produced and on the environment. This is not the kind of meat I want to eat. Read more

Jan 14

Easy Tomato & Lentil Soup | www.myfoododyssey.com

15 Comments

Quick & Easy Tomato Lentil Soup [Recipe]

I don’t do Januarys. Christmas lights have come down and with that a sense of greyness has descended. The coldest, dreariest and seemingly longest month of the year is not the time for the self-inflicted misery of restricted diets and sobriety. The summer months are prefect for salads and smoothies. January calls for hearty, comforting foods that wrap themselves around you like a warm blanket. Read more

Jan 8

27 Comments

Project: Warmth

Whether or not you believe in global warming or climate change, something strange is definitely happening to our weather. Wild storms are wreaking havoc across Ireland. All 50 US states have recently experienced temperatures below freezing, a rarity for the southern states in particular. The pyramids in Egypt have seen their first snow in 100 years. Read more

Jan 2

Lithuanian Cottage | www.myfoododyssey.com

18 Comments

Project: House

At this time of the year many of us are busy making New Year’s resolutions. After the indulgences of the holiday season, these often include promises to cleanse the body by eating wholesome food and consuming less alcohol, or to get fit by going to the gym every single day. (We’ll see how long that lasts!)

My own resolutions revolve around a number of projects, the most sizeable of which is “Project: House”. Read more

Dec 25

4 Comments

Merry Christmas

Thank you all for your support and company this year – it is very much appreciated. Wishing you a peaceful and happy Christmas and wonderful things for 2014.

June. Read more

Dec 21

Winter Sunrise. Lithuania | www.myfoododyssey.com

10 Comments

Christmas Plans

What are you doing for Christmas? It’s a question that most people in the western world can answer from about mid September, perhaps even earlier if you have family living overseas. By this stage, December 21st, you will have ordered the turkey, made the cake or pudding, put up the decorations, done most of your gift shopping, sent cards, scoured cookbooks for alternatives to the dreaded mushy sprouts and are wondering how you ever allowed yourself to buy such a small fridge – will the smoked salmon survive in the cold of the pantry? Read more

Dec 13

5 Comments

Updated “About Me” Page

As regular readers of this blog and the associated Facebook page will know, the content of the blog has changed slightly in recent months to reflect our decision to buy a home in Lithuania. The blog is still, ultimately, a blog about my journeys with food – now focused on growing and producing it myself. As this is something I haven’t done before I am liable to hit some bumps along the way! Read more

Oct 27

11 Comments

Life’s Wonderful Mistakes

During one of our summer barbeques one of the neighbours’ kids walked into the kitchen where I was preparing food. “Can I have some ass?” he asked. Excuse me?! I could tell by the sincere look on his face that he wasn’t saying what I thought he was.

“Sorry?” I replied. “Can I have some ass?” he repeated earnestly. Hmm. Something was clearly getting lost in translation here. Read more

Oct 18

Autumn in Lithuania | www.myfoododyssey.com

8 Comments

There and back again

A 5,000 km road-trip from Lithuania to Ireland and back in 10 days is pretty tough going. Especially when you’re living, eating and sleeping in a Ford Galaxy. But it was necessary. Having left Ireland in May with just summer clothes and the bear minimum of possessions, we needed a trip home to collect some winter woollies and other belongings. Read more

Oct 2

Quick Homemade Pickles | www.myfoododyssey.com

14 Comments

Quick Homemade Pickles [Recipe]

As part of my ongoing quest to make everything on my plate I recently started to make my own pickled cucumbers. We had been given a huge bag of organic cucumbers, maybe 2 or 3 kilos, and it was about 30 degrees outside so I needed to move quickly to preserve them or they would wither & be wasted. I had never made pickles so I did a quick search for recipe ideas, then threw together a quick brine & hoped for the best. Read more

Sep 9

41 Comments

New beginnings – a good life

Sometimes dreams really do come true. This time last year I was sitting in an office feeling exhausted and dejected, despite having just completed a major project. There was little or no thanks, no recognition of the tremendous effort required by all involved to complete the project on time. Instead, there was criticism and blame. The focus was on the 5% that was not complete rather than on the 95% that was fully complete and performing well above all expectations. Something was clear to me – I was in the wrong place. Read more