this morning i came to an understanding regarding matt's previously inexplicable obsession with canning and food storage: he is nesting. whereas my urges tend towards "clean out and clean up" matt's have expressed themselves in a desire to "stock up" on useful things; namely food, gardening, animals (hence the rabbits), and compost.
i did not grasp this until literally this morning. i was getting a little frustrated with him for not sharing my desire to de-clutter, but now i see why he has been trying to amass a stockpile of "stuff" and i totally understand. it's kind of silly that i didn't see it earlier, actually.
to elaborate on what he's been doing:
- once a week he cooks a whole chicken, we use the meat for various things, and he makes a bone stock out of it. then he cans it. (we have an entire CABINET full of chicken stock.)
- every other week or so he does the same with a bunch of beef bones. we have a cabinet full of beef stock, too.
- he made and canned a from-scratch tomato sauce with and without beef.
- he's also canned: sweet potatoes, carrots, soups, pickled garlic, roasted red peppers, and dill beans. so far.
- he made fresh blackberry/strawberry jam the other night, and canned it.
- last night he baked 3 loaves of (super tasty) bread.
and none of this addresses the massive garden full of fresh lettuce and blooming pea vines he maintains, or the rabbits who are not quite ready to breed.
all of a sudden this is very, very endearing. up until now i have tolerated his quirky cooking mania and tried not to look while he destroys the kitchen with messes... but now, i get it. i even kind of feel like maybe the kitchen roles are switching! he's really claiming the space as his own more and more, and i am totally fine with that, if rather surprised. i think he probably is a better cook than me anyway... and i don't mind terribly washing dishes.
the only trouble is if i ever expect him to cook for me i will probably have to eat meat. he's been a little bit pushy about that recently--suddenly he thinks it's not healthy for me not to eat meat. nothing major, but small comments and "encouragement" to eat it have been coming out recently. i'm trying to think it's cute rather than get annoyed at it.
i can only imagine what sorts of culinary escapades he will invent for himself THIS weekend... apple butter? salsa? seasoned mushrooms? could be anything.
i did not grasp this until literally this morning. i was getting a little frustrated with him for not sharing my desire to de-clutter, but now i see why he has been trying to amass a stockpile of "stuff" and i totally understand. it's kind of silly that i didn't see it earlier, actually.
to elaborate on what he's been doing:
- once a week he cooks a whole chicken, we use the meat for various things, and he makes a bone stock out of it. then he cans it. (we have an entire CABINET full of chicken stock.)
- every other week or so he does the same with a bunch of beef bones. we have a cabinet full of beef stock, too.
- he made and canned a from-scratch tomato sauce with and without beef.
- he's also canned: sweet potatoes, carrots, soups, pickled garlic, roasted red peppers, and dill beans. so far.
- he made fresh blackberry/strawberry jam the other night, and canned it.
- last night he baked 3 loaves of (super tasty) bread.
and none of this addresses the massive garden full of fresh lettuce and blooming pea vines he maintains, or the rabbits who are not quite ready to breed.
all of a sudden this is very, very endearing. up until now i have tolerated his quirky cooking mania and tried not to look while he destroys the kitchen with messes... but now, i get it. i even kind of feel like maybe the kitchen roles are switching! he's really claiming the space as his own more and more, and i am totally fine with that, if rather surprised. i think he probably is a better cook than me anyway... and i don't mind terribly washing dishes.
the only trouble is if i ever expect him to cook for me i will probably have to eat meat. he's been a little bit pushy about that recently--suddenly he thinks it's not healthy for me not to eat meat. nothing major, but small comments and "encouragement" to eat it have been coming out recently. i'm trying to think it's cute rather than get annoyed at it.
i can only imagine what sorts of culinary escapades he will invent for himself THIS weekend... apple butter? salsa? seasoned mushrooms? could be anything.
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