After a six-month respite, Stef Lowey and Chris Hall are back to being self-sufficient.
The Pender Island couple began their Lovin’ Off the Land challenge in the summer of 2020, vowing to eat and drink what they could find, catch, grow or raise on their property and documented it on their YouTube channel.
“There was a little bit of a hard start there but after we started to get all the things that we were used to it became such an enjoyable process,” says Lowey.
In August of 2021, their challenge ended with Hall and Lowey hitting grocery stores once again, but with a rise in food prices and supply shortages, they’re starting the challenge all over again.
“With rising food prices and gas prices and all that stuff that’s leading up to that change in pricing it really put things into perspective,” says Lowey.
Lowey and Hall also noticed a change in their health when they went back to eating store-bought products.
“We definitely noticed a big change, put some weight back on and just noticed a big change in our bodies and our energy levels with eating that sort of processed food again,” says Hall.
This time around there are some subtle differences, with the pair focusing on other areas to increase their sustainability after the first year was mainly dedicated to food.
“We were still purchasing some of our animal feed so we started doing things like having our own mealworm farm and producing more grains and stuff for them,” says Hall.
It’s a return to a routine that the couple hopes will become the norm.
“Our goal this time is not to do 365 days and then go binge, we’re going to get a little more level and do that,” says Hall.
“So we’re doing flour as a cheat item and a couple of cheat days for birthdays and things like that.”
To keep track of the couple’s progress, visit their YouTube channel.
Cole Sorenson
