Our thoughts about food
Our family loves food. In the first minutes after getting up in the morning we can ask each other: "What's for dinner tonight?" Our shared passion even resulted in our son (17) wanting to be a professional cook.
We cook with fresh ingredients from our land. Colourful salads with wild herbs and edible flowers, roots and vegetables from the garden, potatoes from our land or a local farmer, meat from our stable, home made pasta (with eggs from our chickens) and occasionally rice. Not often because it doesn't grow locally.
Why we eat local food
Our meals are healthy, colorful and varied and locally sourced. What we don't produce ourselves (yet), we like to buy at the farmers market in the village or in Karlovac, or at neighbors or with a local hunter.
When we spend our money in the local economy, we invest in our area. Buying a smoked cheese on the market means that the lady can buy a new sweater for her daughter. Buying a pig from Mile means that he has money to plant more trees on his land.
If we would buy products like coffee, chocolate, coconut oil/milk, rice or Chinese garlic, we let our food fly more than we do. The planet doesn't get any better from that.
We eat animal products
Meat we eat not every day. Locally sourced, preferably our own rabbits or a pig from the neighbors so we know that the animal had a good life. And of course: for our guests it is optional to eat meat.
But living without honey, eggs, milk, cream, cheese... that is not an option for us. Cheese and cream are for us fantastic ingredients to finish off or level-up a dish. What is a lasagna without cheese on top... How do you make Spanish tortilla without egg... Mushroom soup isn't half as nice without cream...
Why we aren't vegans
Besides the food aspect, there is also a permaculture reason why we can't do vegan. Nature thrives with variety, diversity. Nature isn't picky, doesn't import from far; everything has it's own place, it's own climate with all it's aspects. We are nature and nature is our biggest teacher.
Did you know that a tree changes its sap streams when you approach it with an axe and the intention to chop it down? So why would it be better to kill plants than animals? And if you regard plants (vegetables) as beings too, what is left to eat?
We like to think in cycles, giving & taking: our chickens eat our food scraps and turn the compost, we let them hunt bugs in the garden and they give us their eggs. And at the end of their life, we turn and old scruffy chicken into a delicious and healthy soup that we eat with gratefulness.
Rabbits eat from our 12 hectares of greens, we use their straw and manure as rich mulch in the garden and when they are mature, they feed us. We butcher them ourselves, with love, care and respect.
Micro restaurant The Table
We use our pasion for good ingredients, beautiful food and good conversations in our micro restaurant The Table.
Peter designed and built two big tables where we can eat with up to 12 people. To not only enjoy good food, but also each others company. We love to have conversations about the good life and what makes you happy.
