Day 5 and 6 of Foodscape Challenge

Well we can go ahead and chalk this up to a failure.

Starting day 5, I had to return to my normal job of working in a hospital ER. I wasn't prepared to have meals while at work. 12 hour shifts and no kitchen were not a good mix for this type of diet. I failed and had to eat at our cafeteria.

Prior to that, on the night of day 4, I had a few beers which was a horrible choice. It made me so hungry for junk food. The next day I felt like death itself. Apparently the foodscape diet does not agree with any amount of alcohol.

I work the next 4 days straight and have decided to stop the challenge here. Maybe if I was awarding myself a cash prize I would have continued!!

So lets go over some things I've learned:

1. Most importantly, I learned that the foodscape could feed one mouth sufficiently although maybe not deliciously for at least 4 days. I had more than 4 days worth of food left over but I can confidently say 4 days.

2. The foodscape needs more variety. I assume that I have enough green leafy vegetables to feed one mouth for a continuous period. However, that diet is not sufficient.

3. Eggs are a crucial addition to the diet. Without eggs, the foodscape diet would be more difficult without another animal protein source. It makes me want to consider how to build the foodscape so that it feeds the chickens as well.

4. The foodscape needs to attempt to have a fruit year around. I need to research if it is possible to have enough plants that at least some will be bearing fruit in every season.

5. The hardest part of the diet is having other food available but not being able to eat it. In a true survival scenario, I think it would have been easier to eat these foods because.... well... you have no choice. The good news is there was food there. Even if it was always spicy.... or boring.

6. In a true survival scenario, I WOULD also be including any acquired animal meat through hunting and fishing. That would supplement and reduce the dependence on the food forest.

As I continue to improve the foodscape, I would like to eventually plan on doing a 2 week foodscape challenge. Next time work and other life events will be accounted for correctly. If you have ever done a foodscape or food forest challenge with your own yard, feel free to post about it here or on our gardening forum. I'd like to see how you did.