Our family lives in Highland County Virginia in one of the least populated counties east of the Mississippi River with a population of 2,321. We live on the Jackson River on acreage that provides us with a plethora of Primal foods that we grow, hunt and gather. We provide 90% of our own food which includes grass fed beef, pork, venison, and trout. Our garden is a great producer of all the vegetables one can imagine as well as a fruit orchard that includes 10 varieties of apples, 3 varieties of pears, concord grapes, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, walnuts, butternuts and more. We “put up” this wonderful harvest by either canning or freezing. Most recently we have purchased a greenhouse and 4 IBC containers to install an aquaponic system. We intend to raise tilapia and shrimp as well as grow fruits and vegetables. No more weeding! This project will be completed by spring.
When I read the challenge I looked up from the computer, smiled at my wife and said,” Party next week”. She knows what that means, a gathering of friends and family at the river on the property that we call Camp Heavenly. Five years ago I began to clear this area as I enjoy sleeping at the river. When my then 8 year old daughter Chloe saw this cleared spot she told me “Oh, Daddy, it’s like Heaven…I will name it Camp Heavenly!” Since that time we have added places to sleep, a campfire, swimming area, small water fall and of course my smoker and grill. This year we also added a composting toilet and gravity fed shower. For my daughters 13th birthday this past May my daughter and I remodeled and ambulance body, added a deck and kitchen area. The ambulance now makes a cozy sleeping quarter for three. We enjoy spending the summers down at Camp Heavenly which sits a couple of acres from the house at the river. No man made noise to contend with, just a blanket of stars above and the noise made by all the critters that reside with us.
We decided that for Grokfeast 2012 we would invite a group of my daughter’s best friends (I call them the Girl Gang) and a couple of our friends as well. Our feast preparation began the night before the actual gathering. My daughter spent the night at the river with me as we decided we would smoke two pork butts, one chicken, and a slab of salmon. We made our rub we call “Magic Dust” and then we coated the pork completely. Onto the smoker it goes. We awake every hour to check the fire and to spray apple vinegar on the exterior of the butts. We do this for sixteen hours on average. When needed we add apple wood to the fire from our orchard that we reserve for these occasions.
The following morning I prepared a Primal breakfast for my daughter Chloe and me that consisted of percolated coffee, farm fresh eggs, home raised sausage and tomatoes from our river tomato garden. It was a very peaceful beginning to the day just listening to the birds and the running river water. My son Giancarlo came to the river and he and his sister decided to clean the chairs and the table. My wife Victoria was at the house preparing the rest of the meal.
At 3 pm our guests arrived. Chloe and her friends are on the volleyball and basketball team at the local high school. They are Allison, Chelsea, and Emily. Allison’s parents Becky and Greg attended as well as their oldest daughter Ellen who was recuperating from a knee surgery. Our tribe includes my father-in-law Victor, my wife Victoria, my children Chloe and Giancarlo and me, Patrick. We all live together, the way it should be we feel.
The kids decided to play “kitchen volleyball” which involves hitting the ball over the kitchen table much to my consternation. After this lazy endeavor and much laughter and the occasional missed ball which banged around the kitchen, I gave my daughter “the LOOK”. She understood the primal facial expression and moved the game to the field. The kids and I shucked our shoes for the rest of the evening. The Groks shared stories and gossip and nursed the pork, chicken and the salmon to perfection. We also worked to prepare the feast table.
The menu for the main feast included the meat described above and:
Our dessert included:
What a feast it was! Everyone was pleased and cleaned their plates. During the feasting we discussed Primal living and what it has done for us.
The children moved up to the basketball court we installed this year and enjoyed a vigorous workout while the old Groks “hung out” discussing the day.
In February of 2012 I was a 51 year old very out of shape male. I weighed 263 pounds and am 6’1”. My wife has Hashimotos and low thyroid condition and was researching the internet when she discovered your site. When she announced we were going Primal I looked at my father-in-law and said “I hope you like bananas because Victoria says we are going Primate.” We joked about the primate diet for a few days until we received PB- 21 day Total Body Transformation and PB Quick and Easy Meals.
I read quite a bit so I moved these two books to the top of the schedule. They were a very easy read and I became very excited about the plan because IT MADE TOTAL SENSE! I was always a very active basketball and long distance runner until my 30’s and could relate to your story. We moved from Virginia to Florida for 15 years and I would tell Victoria I was convinced that grocery store and restaurant food was killing us. I ballooned from 190 to 263 and stopped sports as it was very hot in Central Florida. We used to always joke that I could not gain weight but that sure changed when I changed the food that I was eating. We moved back last year as my father-in-law has Parkinson’s and we ready to go home to a healthy lifestyle and food intake regimen again. And that’s just it. When we discovered your plan I realized this is not a “diet”, this is a “lifestyle”. We have shared our story with our friends with the hope that they will become Primal and spread the Primal word. I am now playing basketball with the high schoolers on open gym night twice a week and currently weigh 217 lbs.
The children returned and we started a large fire and told more stories and ultimately the kids insisted on listening to a Jeff Foxworthy CD “You might be a Redneck”. Of course, healthy laughter ensued and we washed it all down with the coffee, wine, chocolate bark and dried fruits.
As the heavy dew settled on us we decided to call it a night. Our guests left and we retired for the evening for a long satisfying sleep.
The next morning I went back to Camp Heavenly to clean up and prepare the camp for a big rain storm that was predicted for later in the afternoon. As I sat by the river I counted my blessings, my wonderful family and the discovery of a healthy wholesome lifestyle. This is a legacy that will be passed to my children and Mark, thank you for your commitment and for inviting us to participate in Grokfeast 2012.
Here is our recipe for Kim Chee:
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Cut the cabbage to the size that your family enjoys. In a large bowl add the cabbage, kosher salt and water. Cover with a clean cloth and set to the side on the counter for 24 hours. After 24 hours drain the water and rinse the cabbage and allow to drain. Prepare the other ingredients and place in large bowl. Add the cabbage. I recommend using plastic gloves for the next step. Mix with your hands well making sure you evenly coat the mixture. Place the mixture in a 2 quart sealable jar. Allow it to sit at room temperature for about one week. Release the gasses from the jar once a day and reseal. This can be enjoyed at room temp or refrigerated. We like room temp so that the fermenting process continues.
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