Those who have been readers for a while know I always wax poetic come autumn. You’ll remember, too, that I always encourage some kind of harvest-y type of activity. Stop long enough to notice this moving change of seasons and deep-rooted feelings get touched. As those feelings are exposed to a little autumn light, the reward is a unique warmth and comfort.
Pickling is a great harvest-y thing to do. You can pickle just about any darn thing. Have you ever Googled “pickle recipes”? Three of us went crazy one day in September. This is what 45!!! jars of pickles looks like.
Harvest-y activities are easy to find. Head to a pumpkin patch, make a thick butternut squash soup, can some tomatoes, freeze some peppers. And this year, apples are everywhere, often going to waste. Pick your own or a neighbors, cut out any bad spots, chop roughly and throw in the slow cooker for a totally autumn batch of applesauce. Cinnamon and raisins are good additions.
For something a little different this year, I’m linking to a lovely harvest-time post appropriately titled, “The Sweetness of the Season.” It is made all the more lovely by the fact that it was written by a bright young woman who is devoting her energy, intelligence and skill to growing amazing food for people in Pennsylvania.
Something else is special about autumn, i.e., Food Day on October 24th. This nationally recognized day has several goals: 1) to celebrate and honor the food that is at the heart of our survival (and which we can easily take for granted in a nation of such fabulous food wealth); 2) to change our own diets in ways that are healthier for us and the planet; and 3) to gain awareness about and take action to correct serious deficiencies in our food system.
You can easily take part in Food Day. Head to FoodDay.org for ideas and resources and to find out about hosting an event–which can be very simple, e.g., having friends over to share a great healthful meal, bringing healthy snacks to an office meeting, hosting a neighborhood potluck, etc. .
For 2014, Food Day is focused on food access, a glaringly sad deficiency of our food system in the land of plenty. In honor of that goal, the following posts address the problem with food waste, how it affects hunger and food access, and how we can do something about it.
- Article: Waste Not, Want Not–How Ordinary Home Cooks Can Help Prevent Hunger Begin understanding the magnitude of the food waste problem, what’s driving it and ideas for change
- Waste Not, Want Not Recipe–Ginger Cardamom Green Beans Learn to use tough vegetables paste their prime
- Waste Not, Want Not–5 Tricks for Cooking, Not Tossing Bitter Foods Includes a quick Pear and Arugula Saute
- Waste Not, Want Not–Quick Health Saver Tip and Easy Dessert Idea
This series of Waste Not, Want Not articles is part of Food Day’s first-ever Coordinated Blogging Event. Please check out the following blogs written by other authors participating in this Event:
- Celebrate Food Day! by Kath, RD posted on Kath Eats Real Food
- When it Comes to Our Kids’ Diets, Let’s Get Real by Gillean Barkyoumb, MS, RDN posted on Food & Nutrition
- Celebrating Food Day 2014 by Barbara posted on Morning Berries
- Food Day 2014 blog post by Kenan Hill posted on Kitchen 1204
- Healthy Food for School Food Day blog post by Sally posted on Real Mom Nutrition
- Food Day 2014 – join the fun in Mundelein and Chicago!!! by Lindsey Shifley posted on to the mullies…
- Happy Food Day (Week) from the Land of Chocolate and Fries by Janina Grabs posted on Food (Policy) For Thought
- Why Organic Matters blog post by Andy Bellatti, MS RD posted on Eating Rules
- The True Cost of Your Food by Nancy Chen posted on Spoon University
- Teach Kids to Cook, Eat and Lead Healthier Lives by Katherine Baker posted on Spoon University
- Millennials May Be “Foodies” But Are They Food Illiterate? by Zoe Holland posted on Spoon University
- Arugula, Walnut, and Bleu Cheese Stuffed Portobellos and Food Day by Justin Fox Burks posted on The Chubby Vegetarian
- Food Day blog post posted on Sankofa Speaks Blog
- It’s Food Day blog post posted by National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
- The Future of Heritage Breeding by Eliza MacLean posted on Barnraiser
- 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Food Company by Lisa Curtis posted on Barnraiser
- 5 Reasons to Savor Specialty Coffee This Food Day by Mark Inman posted on Barnraiser
- The Future of School Gardens by Benjamin Eichorn posted on Barnraiser
- Food Day 2014: The Future of Food, collection edited by Barnraiser
- Waste Not, Want Not: How Ordinary Home Cooks Can Help Prevent World Hunger; Autumn’s Harvest and Food Day; Waste Not, Want Not Quick Health Saver Tip; Waste Not, Want Not: Quick Dessert Idea; Waste Not, Want Not: Reflections; Waste Not, Want Not Recipe: Ginger Cardamom Green Beans; Waste Not, Want Not: 5 Tricks for Cooking Not Tossing Bitter Foods by Mary Collette Rogers posted on Everyday Good Eating
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