5 Ways to Occupy our own Kitchens

1. Eat less meat, and know the source of the meat you do eat.

This step gets at many issues at once. By reducing our meat consumption, we increase our own health, bring more balance to our diets, and protect ourselves from a whole lot of scary bacteria (as well as toxins) that are thriving in the messy meat system. Find a source of meat that you trust, and although it might be more expensive, eating less of it will make up for the difference. Even more, supporting a local farmer will help them to do more of the essential work that they do in the reclamation of our food system.

2. Grow something. Anything.

Start a garden if you can, even a tiny one. Grow herbs in the windowsill, tomatoes on the fire escape. These small actions of growing do so much, coming together to fight against the large scale crap that’s growing most of the food in the supermarket. Support those who are growing food around you, and show your children where vegetables come from.

3. Cook with your children, or any children in your life.

They want to cook. They want to be in the kitchen. We are a generation that has grown up cooking less than most people who came before us, but it’s easy to fix that. Bring your kids into the kitchen, and show them how to chop vegetables. Let them choose the menu. Let them feel what it is to feed people.  Let them make dinner.

4. Take a few moments in your day to appreciate the food you are eating.

Taste your food. Chew your food. It seems obvious, I know! But most of the time, there’s just too much going on around us (around me! I’ll say it!) to focus on the taste and the wonderfulness of the food on our plate. If you don’t already do it, some sort of grace or gratitude moment before you eat can bring this on with ease.

5. Make something at home that you would normally buy.

Oh, you know how I like this one. The simplicity of actually taking the food system into our own hands? It’s that easy. If you’re inspired, make your own yogurt. Skip the plastic containers, the oil it takes to transport them to you. Make your own crackers, and your family will cheer. You don’t have to make everything! But make something that you’ve never made before. See how it’s done. It will (almost) always be easier than you think it is, I promise!

an excerpt from this post in Eating from the Ground Up