It's been about a year since I've eaten any meat. Not that I'm a vegan--I'm not, but I want to dramatically limit my consumption of animal flesh. (Boy, don't my friends hate it when I call it what it is!)
Why?
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, "Mormon"), we were given instruction by God to "use meat sparingly, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine".
Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.” Doctrine and Covenants 89: 12 and 13
In another place in the Doctrine & Covenents, we are told that we will be held accountable for every death.
Wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need.” (D&C 49:21.)’
I occasionally find myself hankering for sausage and pepper, or sausage and onions, or even sausage and sauerkraut, and I have Field Roast Sausages, a vegan alternative, in the freezer,but it lacks that extra oomph.
I love mushrooms, and this has been a particularly good mushroom year. I've harvested chicken of the woods and oyster mushrooms, been given wild maitake mushrooms, use shiitake mushrooms in my dog's diet, and today I'll probably check the oyster mushrooms that I saw growing just a few days ago. I like the texture of mushrooms as well as the taste and they are the closest thing to meat protein I've found.
I occasionally use organic TVP, but it's just not the same, so I was excited to find a podcast this morning about mycoprotein grown on potatoes. It's called Rhiza, and it looks like meat. How it tastes is another question. I'm hoping to get a sample and I'm hoping to be pleased. It's made from fungi fermented with potatoes and harvested within 24 hours, so yes, it's a processed food, but it appears to be an easily produced food. Frankly, it sounds like a much better alternative than Bill Gates' "impossible burger", which is made with genetically engineered soy. (No, thank you, Mr. Gates, I don't want to be part of your great experiment, not this one or any other.)
I'm looking forward to trying this, and I'll report back. I plan to write much more often now that winter is reaching its fingers my way.
