Okay, my skills are not “mad,” exactly, but every time I bake a loaf of bread, boil bagels, make English muffins (kind of a pain, with the two-step cooking process, but worth it), or preserve fruit into jellies or jam, I realize that a.) survival is not rocket science, since people did it pre-Kitchen Aid, and b.) that the Cybils books reading I’m doing in post apocalyptic dystopia needs better cooks, scroungers, farmers and bakers.
I also realize I have had some good teachers and fellow adventurers in the retro-recipe realm.
When I see blackberry brambles on the side of the road, or persimmons on an abandoned tree, and feel gleeful, I also realize I am not yet totally dependent on the perks of the modern world. I can hunt and gather with the best of them. And, I kind of know what to do with the bounty. And, for this, I give thanks.
