The Joy of Fruit (And The Cost)

So I am declaring 2012 the year of the fruit.

Before 2012, I did not like a lot of fresh foods. I'll be honest, I'm still more of a salad person. But this year is the first time I have tried several things..

Persimmons. The hardest part was finding out how to say it! Very similar to a tomato, but different. Hm.

Cherries. I had never eaten fresh cherries before 2012. I had eaten one or two from a jar, and hated them.

Peaches. The skin always put me off. You really expect me to eat something fuzzy? Dream on! But actually, they're good. I bet I could eat six of them for breakfast.

Plums. Same texture as a grape, but on a much greater scale. They taste good, but I can't quite get past that texture. It's not like I can just pop it in my mouth, I have to actually bite into it. A little too jelly for me.

Blueberries. Still not a fan, too dry and seedy.

Kiwi. Again, they are hairy, and strange looking. I expected them to be more vegetable like. Actually they are very similar to a tomato as well. The seeds are super crunchy, which adds an interesting contrast to almost anything.

Nori. I know, it's not a fruit. But I'd never had it before my friend made sushi. Now I make sushi on a regular basis.

Oranges. Okay, I've tried oranges before 2012 but didn't really like them. Now I can't get enough of them, but the pith sets my skin on fire. So I can't peel them. Meaning, I need somebody to do it for me. But when they do (thanks, honey) - Hubby makes one hell of a super OJ.

Mango. I'm still coming around to the mango. It's soo, slimy. To quote The Lion King "Slimy, yet - satisfying."

Tomatoes. Again, I've had tomatoes in all kinds of things. But to just sit down with a fresh tomato and eat it, haha noooo way. But I've really begun to enjoy the supple red tomato. Roma is my favorite.

I plan to add to this list, as 2012 is only half over. I mean really, there is still a lot of year left! Today I'm going to branch out and try fresh currants. I love them dried in almost any dish, so fresh will be new. So new topic: Tomorrow I'm hosting a vegan potluck in our small city! I'm beyond excited. I will blog about it tomorrow night, complete with pictures if I remember to take some! One of the best parts of a potluck, is you get try a smorguss board of new dishes without have to pay to make them! And of course being around wonderful vegan people.

But seriously, have you seen the cost of food?? I haven't gotten my money on time this month, and we are way behind. We have bills stacking up. So this week, we need to catch up on about three weeks worth of groceries but only have $80 for our family of five. And our baby has started eating big boy food. Not that it costs any extra, but we want to make sure he is only eating the best organic fruits. Not a single item of food that we bought today has been sprayed. This includes a quart of strawberries, a quart of currants, a half quart of raspberries, watermelon, canteloupe, one onion, a head of cauliflower, a monsterous zuccini, six bell peppers, basket of peaches and a quart of potatoes. We got these items for $40 total. With them I plan to make soup, stir-fry and curry. We will ration out the fruit, starting with what will spoil soonest. Our baby ate three raspberries on the way home, and the older two ate  half of the strawberries. I have to put the fruit into individual sized containers, and that is what they can have that day. I do not like this. Our children should have unlimited fruit available to them, with rice and beans being an after thought. It bums me out. Our remaining $40 will go to raw nut cheese, tofu, and more fruit or vegetables. The laundry will have to wait.

But that is okay with us because food will nourish our family. Clothes are not as important. Game systems are not important. Movies are not important. Shelving is not important. There are so many people in the world who struggle much more than we do. We are lucky. We are lucky that we have eachother, that we have the knowledge to keep ourselves healthy, that we have wonderful friends that love us, an apartment to sleep in, and possessions to sell when we need to. Of course we make a lot of sacrifices. Yes, it's very stressful. But if we remain greatful for what we do have, for eachother, for love.. the rest will come. And I will remind myself of this daily.