A couple of months ago we moved from a city with a population of 3 million to a village on Cape Breton Island of 900 people. We now live in a 400 square foot cabin on the top of a mountain overlooking the Bras d'Or Lake, an inland sea. I manage cooking in a 20 square foot kitchen, equipped only with a countertop double burner and small Breville convection oven. My counter space is just big enough to fit a cutting board and a couple of bowls, which is a change from my last kitchen about 5 times that size. But I believe in downsizing.
I do have another useful tool to play around with: the woodstove. So far we've used it to make tea, soups, and other slow cooked dishes, and it couldn't be easier. In the old days, they threw whatever leftovers there were (veg or meat) into a pot, put it on the woodstove, lit a fire, and went on with their duties. Coming back they would find the house filled with aromas of the herbs, meat, and vegetables that had been slowly cooking for hours. We're trying to go back a bit toward that old(e) simple way of living. So far the experience has been a delight and we have not seen the quality of our meals decrease.
But not to worry, I'm lucky enough to have good friends and family with full stoves and lots of counter space who encourage me to play around in the kitchen whenever they invite us over. So now the conveniences are a special treat!
We wanted country living, now we have it.
