I'm back! I took off most of last week and the weekend to see some of my family down south. I had such a great time, road tripped with my mom and a sister. We got back to Indiana Sunday evening. DH was a trooper and stayed home to take care of the critters and some projects on the honey do list. He got the goat buck shed rebuilt and the hay storage area cleaned out for winter- 2 big loads off my mind! But in the very back part of that thinking zone (my mind, that is) there's a niggle. I've been wondering about something and maybe you can help me out.
See, when I got home Sunday, it was just in time to fix dinner. I'd been driving all day and hadn't given it much thought. Since I hadn't planned it out ahead of time, nothing was thawed. My options were severely limited. In order to get a meal on the table, we were going to have to quick thaw or quick cook in the one appliance that was responsible for that niggle in the back part of my brain. The microwave.
Now, I know there are lots of homesteaders that don't even own a microwave. And there are lots that use one everyday. I fall in the middle of them somewhere, more or less. Sometimes I will use it to thaw out something last minute but usually the microwave sits on the counter, collecting dust, until I need to reheat something....cold coffee and/or leftovers.
I should mention here that I can recall the time when every home didn't have a microwave. In fact I can remember the time when NO home had one. And the memory of how excited I was when I first got one is funny to me now. How quickly we become dependent on conveniences!
Aside from the health effects of microwaves -a debate I have no intention of entering- there must be a reason why some homesteaders choose not to use microwaves. The only reasons I can see for needing one are convenience and energy savings. Saving some money on fuel by quick zapping is the main one for me. Our kitchen stove feasts on propane and just the thought of that little blue flame draining the tank is enough to make my head swim. BUT (you knew there was a "but" coming, didn't you?) winter will soon be upon us. We will be paying to heat the house anyway. I think it will be the perfect time to practice reheating stuff without the microwave.
The biggest challenge will be preparedness. Meal prep will have to include careful planning- in some cases days before the meal. This is an area I really need to work on and I think not having a microwave to fall back on will be a perfect prod! How about you? Do you use a microwave? Can you see yourself managing without one? Got a tip for reheating?
