April 9: Food!

The theme for this week’s class is food. Ideally we would have liked to actually share food together, and have some sort of potluck. We obviously can’t do that, so we need to be flexible, which is what this week is all about! Amidst the craziness of this pandemic, we must be able to adjust and make changes.

Many aspects of our lives are affected by needing to stay at home. One of those areas may be cooking, or the way that we are thinking about or preparing food. During this time, we might not be able to just go to the grocery store when we’re missing one ingredient in a recipe. Or maybe there’s some stuff in the back of your pantry that has been waiting to be used up. There might be a new recipe you’ve been wanting to try, but haven’t had time...until now. This is an opportunity to develop a new skill or learn something new related to food and sustainable practices.

Our challenge to you is for sometime between now and April 9 to learn or do something new in relation to food. Maybe this means you research a diet that has a lower environmental impact, or you make an old recipe with a new twist, or try a new recipe entirely. Challenge yourself to get creative and be intentional about the food you are eating and the impact it has on your body and the environment.

We want to leave this pretty open and flexible so each of you can design your own experience. The bottom line is that we would like you to try something you’ve never done before. Come to class prepared to share and discuss what you learned/made!

Below are some ideas to get you started:

1. Make your own kombucha https://www.liveeatlearn.com/the-simple-guide-to-kickass-kombucha/
2. Start a sour-dough starter https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8392/sourdough-starter/
3. Pickle something https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/how-to-pickle
4. Make a meal with only ingredients in season https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/
5. Make a fully vegan meal https://www.vegan.com/cooking/
6. Make something over a campfire https://koa.com/blog/how-to-cook-food-over-a-campfire-pro-campfire-cooking-tips/
7. Documentaries available on Netflix: What the Health, Forks Over Knives, Cowspiracy, Salt Fat Acid Heat
8. Learn how to make your own compost
9. Make a meal with only items you have at home https://myfridgefood.com/