#47: One. Small. Bag.

That's all I need.

One. Small. Bag.

I stroll down the hill to the grocery store and come home with two carrots, a cup of mushrooms, one onion, a small bag of nuts from the bulk aisle, two thick strips of bacon from the butcher, and a piece of cheese, all of which is just enough for what I am cooking for myself…plus one small container of raspberries for the virtual class in the afternoon. The clerks, who I see just about everyday, know me by name, check out what I’m buying and ask me what I’ll turn it into. It all fits in one. small. bag.

Up until 2020, each year I source hundreds if not thousands of pounds of flour, sugar, butter, fruit, vegetables, chicken, cheese, and wine for in-person events. My fridge always packed to the max, plus multiple ice chests on the back deck filled with supplies for four days of Pie Camp and feeding pie-makers three meals a day. I can tell you down to the half-ounce how many berries are needed for two-dozen 9” deep-dish pie pans.

View of a pie teacher’s fridge from year’s ago.

Now the ice chests are delegated to storage and the shelves in the fridge look a bit more normal. There’s even some room in the vegetable bin.

This morning raspberries, leftover from yesterday’s class, go on top of my oats.

It’s such a different world.