Homestead Nutrition

Many of you know I recently preserved 1 Million calories. For most, thats a whopper of a project, but its pretty normal for me to produce and preserve a large chunk of food each year. Big family: lots of eaters!!

There was one unsatisfying thing to me about all the processing involved in that project: the focus on the  calories. While calories will keep a body alive, its far from the only metric important to a homesteader.  While French fries and pancakes are delicious, so much more is needed to fuel all the tasks to keep farm systems running.

I love producing food that nurtures my family! I also am enamored with the idea of producing everything needed to maintain optimum health! I'm often scheming new things to grow that eliminates groceries I buy. Since I am a macro-counting health coach, I'm SUPER curious to see how much of a balanced diet I can grow or forage from my community.

I am not sure I am understanding the point you are trying to make.

I have not preserved a million calories so maybe I just don't get it.

If I were to preserve a million calories I would preserve and grow foods that I like.

Rebekah said, I prefer foods that are naturally low in sugar and fats, and higher in nutrients.

Did this make preserving a million calories harder?  Or take longer?

Great question, Anne. Sorry I got interrupted with kid drama before I could finish that opening idea.  

One example of value contention I felt when I focused on calories was: I brought home a lovely box of apples. Usually, I dry and freeze dry them. There is not added sugar or fat necessary for this. But its very low in calories. Most homestead produced things are! Instead, I would make sweetened things for the million-caloroe challenge.

While my family will happily eat jam and jelly and apple pie filling, I would rather preserve things that count for a serving of fruit instead of dessert.

Based on Dr. Michael Greggor's Daily Dozen, my normal family table faire supports vitality, mental clarity, healthy weight and blood sugar, and adequate micro and macro profiles in which no nutritionist could poke holes.

Every day, we want: 60-75g of protein (RDI for ladies is a minimum of 47g a day for a 5 foot, 5inch height. Gentlemen need a higher range, between 50 and 75 based on height and muscle mass) a strapping homestead axe-slinger could aim for 100g. Unless a person is a body builder, 60-75g of protein a day is healthy. Whatever the source.

We also want: at least 3 servings of fruits a day, preferably including a cup of berries as one of them.

Another focus is vegetables, with 5 servings a day as the target, including 1 serving of leafy green, and 1 cruciferous veggie. (From the broccoli, cabbage, radish family)

Three servings of whole grains a day supports healthy carbohydrates intake. Fiber and plenty of micronutrients also come from whole grains/potatoes/corn/squash.

Beyond these plate-filling staples, we optimize our health by including Omega-3 fats every day. Three servings of nuts/seeds is a cancer-risk-reducing target. Servings are quite small, a TBSP for seeds, 1/4c. For nuts (Or 1oz. Or about 25g)

Spices and herbs of all kinds also make food wonderful. But there aren't specific goals I am exploring with them at this time, other than growing and using some.

Calculate these numbers by 365 days, and you get a list like:
1095 servings of protein (aiming for 20-25g per each)
1095 servings of fruits (330ish being berries/cherries)
1825 servings of veggies, including 330ish greens, 330ish kale or radishes or cabbage.
1095 servings of whole grains
1095 servings of nuts/seeds.

I wanna see how many of these I can produce or forage in one year, so keep tabs on this thread to see how it goes in 2026.

I picked a whole bunch of greens for my breakfast. This is chard and beet greens and yellow dock greens. 2 cups of fresh greens is a serving of veggies.

My lettuce are ready for thinning.

One serving, thinned out, and topped with a cup of broccoli sprouts (thats another serving of vegetables.)

We have more duck eggs in the spring than any other time of year. When I get a couple dozen, I pickle some to last til later in the season when there's less eggs. (Or none)
Each duck egg is 8-9g of protein, so 3 of them gives an adequate "serving" for a meal. (Assuming you get one serving of similar size at 3 meals in the day. My target each day is 60g, so 20g at each meal.)
1 dozen duck eggs is 4 servings of protein.