That's because you are not yet a scavenger. 

ha ha   Probably more a scavenger than a hunter to be honest but, you're right, currently neither!

That does sound like very strict supervision raw! 

I appreciate only too well the dangers that social interaction with other children could bring.  Indeed, this is a constant cause of concern with my son and subject of heated discussion with my partner and family.  Current pre-school groups he attends with myself or his mother and social get togethers with friend's children can be difficult.  He sees other children eating/drinking all kinds of junk.  But, so far, it's not presented a problem.  I think education is key.  When he's old enough, it will be explained to him precisely why he eats differently and I think the validation will be all too obvious for him to see in the children all around him.

I do think it's very important for development, however, that social interaction is not completely prohibited.  An approach of openness and the gift of knowledge & understanding should be sufficient to allow an otherwise normal life in our crazy world.

Tinker's Bubble? Btw, 50 acres is tiny, right?

Bingo!  How you managed to determine that from my description miles I am at a loss to know!  Well done!  Have you ever stayed there?  It's a magical place.  Unfortunately, this was 13 years ago that I stayed and long before my RAF days.  In fact, I was still vegetarian!  I was suffering with totally disabling hay fever during my stay which made it almost unbearable.  Of course, I haven't had the slightest sign of hay fever for years now.

Fifty acres is quite a large area and was certainly sufficient to provide the requirements of the 20 or so adults and children living there.  Fruit/veg gardens, pigs, goats and a sustainable supply of timber (cut in their own developed steam powered sawmill!  I wonder what the place is like now?  I would expect that it's moved on significantly.

Maybe that would be true, but I've got comfort, as there aren't any racoons over there; they're don't live in Poland.

Do you get badgers or similar scavenging pests?

Ah, yes.  I forgot about those pictures of your fresh mutton.  I think we could declare it a draw!    I now recall thinking at the time that your mutton picture where you're holding it on the balcony looks very similar to the lamb breasts that I buy.

So you're just storing your meat in the ground?  That's wonderfully paleo (apart from the glass jars obviously!).  I hope you're right and that the forest creatures don't get there before you! 

Yes, indeed, that's my heaven.
Look at these pics - http://maciek-tyfel.fotosik.pl/slideshow.php?id=782444&type=album&add1=maciek-tyfel

Stunning Hannibal!  Is that all your own private land/woodland?!  You appear quite young still.  If you don't mind me asking - what do you do for a living to be able to afford such a wonderful '2nd' home?!  How much would something like that cost in Poland?  Perhaps I need to relocate to Eastern Europe?!

That does seem to be a general problem with honey and most high-carb foods in my experience Hannibal.  There always seems to be the danger of a 'slippery slope'!   This latest occasion that I enjoyed a little honeycomb with cheese on my birthday was quite significant in that I was able to only consume a little of it (relatively) and didn't have subsequent cravings.

Ordinarily, I've always had issues as you described which has been a lifelong problem.  I could never eat a single biscuit - it had to be the whole packet!  Never a bowl of ice-cream - had to be the entire tub!    Phew, glad those days are years behind me.  Candida, disrupted hormone issues etc can be an awful way to eat and live!

If you believe in the theory at all - do you have a history of suffering systemic candida?

Interesting that you've noticed no significant difference with the addictive tendancies of liquid honey and honeycomb.  I suppose we could draw various conclusions from this.  Perhaps the liquid honey I source is not raw, perhaps your honeycomb is not raw, perhaps there's some other marked difference between the two that I source and your own (unfiltered liquid honey, sugar syrup fed bees etc).  Perhaps, even, there has been a recent biological improvement in my own physiology which could now mean that liquid honey, also, would not effect me as it usually has done.  I'm actually still very interested in buying a blood sugar monitor to put such theories to the test as I previously discussed with PaleoPhil.  That may help to answer some of these questions.

ha ha    Brilliant!  High-meat-fed racoon meat.  That would surely take some beating?!    But, I agree, they are probably too cute to kill.

If I did that where I am the racoons would lift the cover and open the cans and gorge on the high meat (their little hands can do everything).

I remember when I was living in an eco-community of strawbale houses, yurts etc in the middle of a 50 acre woodland in SW England.  My partner and I had been told tales of badgers going to such great lengths to get at bags of sugar as sneaking into member's abodes, removing heavy items placed on top of trunks, opening the trunk and stealing the discovered bag of sugar!  We were also told they could bite clean through a human leg bone if startled!!  Needless to say, panic set in when we heard them bustling around at the foot of our bed late one night!! 

Great thread Shannon!  I can't believe I missed this one?!  Perhaps we could start a thread (or use this one?) as a place for RAF/RPD/Primal parents to unite and share ideas, experiences etc?

You're doing a wonderful job with your children and I greatly admire you for it.

I have a 16 month old son who I'm trying to raise in a similar manner.  I've been eating RAF (now VLC RPD) for 10 years myself.  My partner of 5 years has transitioned now to a largely cooked Weston Price diet with as much RAF as I can encourage her to eat (raw butter, cream, milk, jerky, liver drinks etc) but is certainly not a raw paleo eater.

I've found that it's been important to compromise the diet of my son in line with i) the wants of his mother and, ii) the wants of my son!  My experience has shown that it's not quite as simple as one may be led to believe by theory and dogma.

Like you, I've had difficulty getting my son to eat raw meats.  I've been growing concerned that perhaps he's, on some spiritual level, a pescatarian!    For the first 12 months or so he was solely breast fed whilst paying close attention to my partner's diet.  Since then, he's been offered raw meats/organs, raw egg yolks, raw butter, raw goat yoghurt, cooked fish/seafood, scrambled eggs, homemade bone broth, organic berries, natural spring water and raw coconut water.  That's it.  Currently, he's still largely breast-fed but usually has 1 or 2 meals per day consisting of scrambled egg with lots of raw butter and cooked fish/seafood in bone broth.

Like you, I've often tried slipping small amounts of raw finely chopped meats into his fish broth or eggs but it's always been difficult and, likewise, I don't think deception is the way to go!  However, and perhaps to offer a little encouragement to you, I can declare that the last couple of days has seen him eat raw finely chopped beef/lamb as a meal alone!  This has usually been dehydrated for 1/2 hour or so and, sometimes, added to cooled broth.

Perhaps patience is key and your children will, simply, eat it when ready?

Of course, it's important not to force raw meats on them at all but it may encourage them to develop a taste for it by offering them a little to 'play with'.  For many months, I've been giving my son thin slices of raw beef or lamb which he happily holds and wanders around sucking/chewing - eventually handing me back the soggy mess when he's had enough.  Although he would never actually eat it this way, it was a worry initially that he may choke on it but such fears proved ungrounded as we never had an incident despite him often wandering around with whole big pieces shoved in his mouth!

How is is going with your children now?  Any progress?

Wow!  You're most fortunate Hannibal.  If I had a home like that it would most definitely be my FIRST home!  It must be wonderful to have such an idyllic escape for the duration of summer and a period of time each week.

Ah, that was the mutton meat!  That explains it.  I thought perhaps our interpretation of what represents 'fatty' was somewhat skewed!    I think the lamb I get is fattier but would certainly describe your high mutton as fatty too!

BTW, interesting method of producing your high meat.  Are the delightful creatures of the forest not attracted to your buried treasure?  Or is that part of a cunning plan which would see them, too, served up as the next batch?!

Don't worry Yuli - I still indulge in a little fruit myself every now and then!   Although, I'm glad to say, I would no longer consider inflicting 5 peaches and 2 apples on myself!!   I'm not surprised you suffered the described consequences!  Difficult to abstain when you have a tempting abundant supply in your garden I'm sure.

I would expect the fruit binges to slowly decrease in frequency and level if you stick with this WOE.  I tend to just eat a controlled amount of berries occasionally now with the odd indulgence on special occasions eg my recent birthday which included, shhh, organic mango, unpasteurised ewe cheese and raw honeycomb!   

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences Pimativo.  That's interesting.

How long do you usually freeze the fish?  Do you consider the figure stated by Sally Fallon / Weston Price Foundation of 14 days as accurate and suitable for killing all parasites and their eggs?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences on that TD.  Perhaps it wouldn't prove as fruitful here in the UK as I was beginning to hope in that case.  We seem to really struggle for quality foods here in the UK compared to our compatriots!

I've been pretty much barefoot for about 3 years now....

Great report Lex, thanks!  I didn't realise you were also a long-standing convert to the barefoot movement!  I suppose I should've guessed considering your wisdom in most matters.

That's interesting to read of the change to your walking pattern as well as running.  I haven't read of this before.  I think it's a good suggestion from Josh re: trying minimal shoes for occasions when footwear is necessary.  I suspect for other times that, once truly barefoot, one would have no desire to wear ANY form of shoe.  I'm still using VFFs, VivoBarefoots etc myself as I don't see much opportunity for being totally barefoot.  I am keen to try it for my walks/runs in nature, however, and your experiences spurn me on further.

Some of the leading barefooters (like Barefoot Ted, if I recall correctly) have reported that their soles didn't harden, so Lex's contradictory report is interesting. Maybe they mean their soles don't get really hard, just a little tougher or something like that?

Yes, I seem to recall Barefoot Ken Bob stating the same (Funny how they all prefix their name with 'Barefoot' like it's some religious cult eg Father Ted!)    A good friend of mine who spends his life travelling the world, working on organic farms etc tends to naturally go barefoot when hiking in the mountains, running, walking great distances etc.  I can confirm that the soles of his feet are hard and rough like leather!
 

didn't know you asked for a link,
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000035678641&v=app_2392950137#!/video/video.php?v=159668554044333
its on facebook, i tell a story

lady thought i was homeless

Thanks Sully.  It appears that I need to join Facebook to have a look, unfortunately, which I intend NEVER TO DO!!!    If there's any other way I can view it, please let me know.

I have that book on order. I had read and followed one of his other books. Mantek Chia. I found it useful....I think @57 I am in a different age bracket than most here. I recall in my misspent youth going back to my hometown to see my girlfriend (at the time) and staying @ a motel for a day and 8X was all I could manage. I recall having difficulty walking afterwards. I was in love with her.

Which books have you read on the subject Alan?  You're probably a little older than many on here (as am I at 39 today!) but there are certainly quite a few older.  Sounds like a good misspent youth!    If only you'd known about RPD back then hey?!

No not every week. Every second order of meat I get a liver, the other order I get a heart. An order of meat lasts me about 2 weeks. So i eat the liver in a week then have none for about 3 weeks.

Sounds sensible Haai and provides a good emulation of the manner in which it was probably eaten in paleo times.