Preserve 1 million calories at the Harmon house

110,913calories left to preserve!

In my efforts to count calories, I've forgotten about the low-calorie foods I preserve: herbs!
Here are some of the herbs I've grown or foraged and dried recently. (Note that some are in reused jars from previous seasons which have the same label)
Greens: mostly mints like lavender, thyme, sage, and lemon balm. This is 3 lbs. Of dried greens, which google says is 1270caloroes per pound. 3,810calories

Next are flowers. Chamomile, linden, bee balm and gumweed are my family's favorites. Only 200-300caloroes per pound. So 3 pounds would be something like 800calories.

Finally, dried roots. Here are yellow dock, dandelion and marshmallow. Although I've put most of my roots into tinctures already, (teasel and mullein and burdock) this is about 11 cups of chopped, dried roots, or about 2,365, based on about 215calories per cup.
6,975 calories this post.

5 lbs. And 5oz more jerky. Hickory seasonings this time.
2,635 calories.

Well, like most permies, my autumn larder is stuffed.

The frost has come, and the trees are bare. The gardens have been chopped and dropped and tucked in for winter sleep.

Most of the produce and animals have been processed. (Still some beans left to go!)

On a normal year, I would rest from garden labors for the year. Not even plan next year's crops til after January.

But. I still have about 100,000 calories left to go. So I'm scrounging for local calories. Im exhausted from hours on my feet in the kitchen. I'll push through another hundred grand. Then find somewhere to put it!!

Putting away jars of food today, I paused to acknowledge the bounty of my overflowing pantry. It brings more peace and security than nearly anything else. Gratitude spreads from satisfying season sunsets to plump, perfect peaches, standing tall in rows on my shelves, to crackling fires keeping my tired toes toasty.