Bulgarian Squirrels of Poverty

In Bulgaria most of the population are not unlike squirrels. They stock pile all the food during harvest to see through the winter. Right now we have everything in storage and set for the Bulgarian short, sharp, cold winter hibernation.

It has been quite an effort to get to this stage; much preparation has been made by us all to ensure we will not go short in food and resources this winter. The garage is full of barrels bottle and jars of preserved produce that was harvested during the summer and autumn. It looks like a warehouse. This year hasn’t been the greatest harvest for us as we arrive back in Bulgaria in May, a bit too late to get the farm full of produce, however we still have more than enough to see us though comfortably.

Whatever we grew it is now preserved either as meat in the freezer, fruit in conserves or compote, leeks in buckets of soil, other vegetables in barrels or big jars of salt water and wine and rakia bottled up securely. There is something about this system that feels just right; something that is a stick in the spokes of cycle of relying on commercial based goods pre-packed and ready to poison. My soul and spirit is in fine form right now knowing that even in a town centre we can survive on our own back from he produce we have grown and harvested. Next year is something we all eagerly look forward to as we can start at the beginning of the growing season at the end of February by pruning the vines.

How fortunate we feel to be feeding ourselves with food that is basically free of cost and free of chemicals, testimony to that is the fact that I have had no illnesses here for over three years for the food we have produced. Yes a little weight has been put on but I put that down to writing too many blogs!

To Bulgarians this is something that is not special but normal, part of he routine of living here and surviving here. It is a case of having to rather than wanting to from purely a financial stance. To me, the poverty has brought something special, a system that is better than anything that I have experienced before. How ironic that the discovery of good life and living here is a direct result of their poverty and something you can’t buy. Being rich here would completely ruin the infrastructure and the way of living that is part of their long tradition and culture.