My personal ancestry is centered on the rural mountains and valleys of the two Virginias, where both my parents and grandparents dependence on the land was heavy and direct. My grandparents lived most of their lives in river bottoms of the West Virginia mountains, where they obtained the lionshare of their food (at least in the summer) from small subsistence gardens. These gardens had a wide variety of old and new world crops such as corn, beans, peas, tomatoes, lettuce, melons, pumpkins, okra, beets, carrots, asparagus, turnips, horseradish, cucumbers and green beans. They raised their own livestock such as pigs and cows for food, and also dogs for the hunting of game such as squirrel and raccoon. Their social class dictated that they were rich enough to own land but still had to work hard to get by, so my grandfather sold large areas of timber and worked for the coal mines to make ends meet.

This heavy dependence on the land was what my father grew up into, and consequently gave him the attitudes he has about natural resources and the environment. He spent most of his youth working my grandfather's farm but then moved west where he became a guide and outfitter for big game hunters in Colorado. He still kept his own small garden plot, but neglected some of the important processing rituals of his father such as canning, making corn into whiskey, and the proper storage of root vegetables over the winter. This made him even more dependent on store bought food, especially in the winter when his garden was under snow. For many years my parents only source of meat was from the hunting of big game. This was partly a lifestyle choice, but motivated by economic reasons. Deer and elk are free, whereas beef is not.

I grew up on wild meat and things from my parent's garden, but now all of my family (including my grandparents) is almost completely dependent on store bought meat and produce. This is partly because of economic reasons and partly due to the way production works in the U.S. today. It is easier and cheaper than ever before to buy vegetables at the grocery store.

Although now I am almost a pure consumer, I still retain my enamourment with taking game from the land. My male gender and family tradition dictates that I must return to Colorado for elk hunts, even though my parents largely eat store-bought beef now. In my own environment, northern California, I spearfish and collect abalone for a supplement to my regular diet, and when I finally settle down I hope to raise a small garden. I also hope to pass on my own family's dependence on the land to my children. I know they will never use the land in the way my grandfather did by exploiting its coal, timber, and game, and providing for his family almost year-round from livestock and farming, but I hope they will share my families attitudes about the land. I foresee my children being basically consumers subsidizing their diets occasionally with wild game and homegrown produce.