A couple has revealed that they only spend $50 a week on groceries by eating roadkill and wild plants.
Eric Joseph Lewis, 41, of Knoxville, Maryland, and his girlfriend, Jess Russell, 26, insist everyone should “treat plants like people” and encourage people to forage for food.
Eric and Jess also feast on roadkill such as opossum, groundhog, squirrel, and the occasional wild turkey or duck and often make wild berry smoothies.
By doing so, the couple will only go to the grocery store for specialty drinks and treats and spend only $50.
Eric Joseph Lewis, 41, of Knoxville, Maryland, and his girlfriend, Jess Russell, 26, revealed that they only spend $50 a week on groceries by eating roadkill and wild plants
Eric and Jess also feast on roadkill such as opossum, groundhog, squirrel and the occasional wild turkey or duck and often make wild berry smoothies
By doing so, the couple will only go to the grocery store for specialty drinks and treats and spend only $50
Speak against The mirrorthe couple explained how their unique diet keeps them from shelling out hundreds of dollars at the grocery store.
Eric said: ‘I eat game every day and raise quite a bit. We must treat plants like people. We eat roadkill.
“If you can overcome the fear and discomfort of this dead animal, you can recognize that it was a life lived in freedom and respect it.”
The 41-year-old noted that instead of letting the roadkill rot, the couple uses it for bone broth, to feed their dog Leela, and even turn it into leather.
“One venison can be 60 to 100 pounds of meat — about 60,000 calories. Nothing had to die for it,” he told the outlet.
Eric first started learning about yoga and meditation in his late twenties and living in a tent.
He worked as a painter one day a week to help build his grocery store.
It wasn’t until a close friend of his revealed that he lived on top of a blueberry patch that Eric became interested in the various plants that animals can chew on.
The 41-year-old noted that instead of letting roadkill rot, the pair use it for bone broth, to feed their dog Leela, and even turn it into leather
Eric first started learning about yoga and meditation in his late twenties and living in a tent
Now, two decades later, Eric lives in a nursery. He grows fruits, nut trees and edible plants (wild foods Eric made are shown)
Now, two decades later, Eric lives in a nursery. He grows fruit, nut trees and edible plants.
Eric said, “I eat nettles, sochan—that’s the same family as black-eyed Susan—and sunflowers.
‘Now the berries are coming in, we’ve had them in smoothies for six months now. We pick goumi berries and blackberries.’
During the colder months of Maryland, Eric travels to Florida where he forages for mushrooms and sets traps to catch wild animals such as pigs and iguanas.
He also often goes fishing and catches catfish.
The self-proclaimed “mushroom lover” revealed that he and Jess pick mushrooms like morels and bush hens.
During the colder months of Maryland, Eric travels to Florida where he forages for mushrooms and drops litter for wildlife such as pigs and iguanas.
At home, they often have a meal made with home-grown onions, sweet potatoes, chayote, and topped with a wild mushroom they picked
Eric and Jess still hit the grocery store for things like kombucha, coconut yogurt, lentils, rice, and other goodies—and spend about $50 a week (homemade pecan butter, wild blueberry preserves, and bananas shown)
He also said he even teaches his pup how to forage for mushrooms.
In addition to mushrooms, the couple often makes coconuts and avocados.
At home, they often have a meal made with home-grown onions, sweet potatoes, chayote, and topped with a wild mushroom they picked.
Eric and Jess still go to the grocery store for things like kombucha, coconut yogurt, lentils, rice, and other goodies — but they only spend about $50 a week.
He told the outlet, “We spend $50 a week between Jess and me. We get sweet drinks and treats. If we just got what we needed it would be $20.”