Eating for Creativity

Cultivating Fluency in the Language of Nature

In 1968, speaking about social change as part of his campaign for U.S. presidential nomination, Robert F. Kennedy quoted George Bernard Shaw:

“Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.”

When I was an idealistic teenager with those words pinned on my wall, I thought the point was to dream up the “why nots.” Now, I think asking “why” is just as important. Both require creativity.

We live in an age called the Anthropocene, an epoch of human dominion over all other forms of life and the elements upon which we all depend, and that has resulted in climate change. Increasingly, we are becoming aware that economic, social, and environmental justice are interlinked. It is a sign that our systems need to change and we have a whole lot of “why nots” to dream up. But if we want those “why nots” to help us create a regenerative world, one that is fair for all forms of life, we also have to look at why we humans adopted a mindset that caused all this mess in the first place. Climate-change solutions are human solutions, and to find them, we all need to exercise our creativity.

Exercising creativity makes you feel good. The Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention, put it this way:

“Creativity is the central source of meaning in our lives… most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity… when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.”

Let’s find our creative flow as a part of nature, with food.

Linking Environmental and Social Justice

Since World War II, the main food question we have asked is: How do we make more? The predominant answer to that question has been monocrop production, which requires breaking down diverse ecosystems to support the life of one species. The problem is that all life is part of a web that thrives in relation to the life and death of other life-forms. So, in our pursuit of food security, we have made our food system insecure, because we have broken down the ecosystem it relies on. The World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Index indicates that our actions are hastening the extinction of other forms of live at an increasing rate. Over the past fifty years, our collective destructive ecological footprint has increased by 190 percent. As in fashion, could less actually be more?

In the 1980s, the Indian economist Amartya Sen won a Nobel Prize for his work revealing how food security is more about distribution than production. Taking food that is produced for animal feed out the equation, each person on the earth has an allocation of about 2,800 calories per day from current production levels. Depending on your gender and activity levels, health guidelines recommend eating between 2,000 and 2,500 calories. We produce more than enough food to feed everyone in the world. True food security lies in solutions that promote environmental and social justice and that require growing food regeneratively and wasting less of what we have.

Creativity is the central source of meaning in our lives

Discovering Collective Value

If “food waste” was a nation, it would be third to the United States and China in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. How do we stop? “Waste” is those things we don’t perceive to be valuable. Increasing the value of food in our lives is the first step to changing our behavior. The more we learn about the food web, the more we realize that nothing exists in nature if it doesn’t have value. To appreciate the value of the food web, we have to look at it beyond the human perspective.

This chapter takes a creative approach to increase the value of the food web in your eating life. There are top tips on food waste and eating locally during winter, but also beginner’s mind questions and rituals that help you tell new stories about yourself as nature. Life itself is an act of creation.

Ritual

Creativity Rituals with Food: Nature Relatedness in the Lean Season

The lean season refers to those months during the growing cycle, when we are farthest from the harvest. Traditionally, the pantry would have been becoming bare and people would be eagerly awaiting the return of fresh fruit and vegetables in late spring. I live in Denmark, a country that has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. From our twenty-first-century perspective, we might think that relying on local and seasonal foods in the lean season is difficult, but it is clearly possible.

Lean-season local eating is an opportunity for creative nature relatedness. Necessity is the mother of invention. And our necessity is twofold: first, to align mind, body, and habit to nature’s harmony and, second, to change not only ourselves as individuals but our collective systems. The recipes that follow are designed to do both as you increase your lean-season creativity.

Ritual

Creativity Ritual with Nature: How to Read a Tree

There was a time when humans worshipped trees. Considering that we wouldn’t breathe or eat were it not for trees, I think this is a reasonable world view. What can you learn about the value of food and nature from trees? Pick a tree that you see on a regular basis and make a habit of paying attention to it. You will notice big things, perhaps the loss of its leaves before winter. What about the details? Do the leaves hang the same way morning, noon, and night? Does it produce fruit? Does the amount of fruit vary from year to year? Do certain animals live in the tree? If so, how is the relationship mutually beneficial? What about those elements you cannot see? Where do the tree’s roots run? How does that affect the soil?

Year in, year out, your tree is communicating with its environment and making decisions about how to live, depending on what changes around it. It becomes creative in order to adapt to its environment so that it can thrive. What can you learn from your tree about how food is connected to all of nature? Can you find any lessons on creative freedom, in treedom?

Parsley and Walnut Pesto

Pesto comes from a Genoese word meaning “to crush,” and eating for creativity calls for crushing rules if they don’t serve us—such as how we make pesto. Most pesto recipes call for pine nuts, but let’s emphasize variation, reduce our overreliance on one source, and promote biodiversity in nature by promoting biodiversity in our diet. Balance is the key to the good life. That is why I offer you three different vegan twists on classic pesto.

Makes

Enough for 4 servings of pasta or gnocchi

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves

20 walnuts in the shell

2 large bunches of parsley, stems and leaves, chopped

Scant 1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Pound the garlic using a mortar and pestle until it becomes a paste. Crack open the walnuts, break the nuts into small chunks with your hands, and rub them firmly with the pestle against the side of the mortar, releasing the oils. Add the parsley, handful by handful, until you have a coarse green paste. As you work, add small pinches of salt, which acts as an abrasive. If you are pressed for time, put all the ingredients into your food processor. Or, if you have 20 minutes to spare, take time connecting with the texture and aroma of your ingredients and consider your exchange with the mini ecosystem in your mortar and pestle.

2. When you have a coarse paste, begin to add the olive oil a tablespoon or so at a time—keep crushing until the pesto is the consistency you prefer.

Why might it be worthwhile to add a twist to a traditional dish?

Pesto and pine nuts go hand in hand, yet most pine nuts reach market by way of sweeping forest floors completely clear of these nuggets of nourishment that feed birds and animals, bio-organic material that feeds soil and seeds that regenerates tree population. Rethinking how we honor the ecosystem of trees in our favorite recipes is a creative way to look after your own well-being.

Variation: Cilantro and Hazelnut Pesto

Hazel trees are a drought-resistant, not water-intensive crop. They thrive in marginal soil, making hazelnuts friends of easily degradable soil. I team them with cilantro, a herb that has been found in 5,000-year-old burial sites, because I think the pairing reinforces the understanding that human resilience has always been dependent upon all forms of life.

Method

1. Follow the main recipe, but use hazelnuts instead of walnuts, cilantro instead of parsley, and half hazelnut oil and half canola oil instead of the olive oil.

Variation: Basil and Brazil Nut Pesto

Brazil nuts grow in rain forests and don’t like cultivation. They rely on the biodiversity of the forest, the flora of which attracts a specific bee to pollinate the tree. Maintaining a market for Brazil nuts helps to sustain rain forests, because they are not a food that can be transitioned into a monocrop for which native forests are felled.

Method

1. Follow the main recipe, but use Brazil nuts instead of walnuts, and basil instead of parsley.

What creative traits have you observed in other animals?

Seeing the world from the perspective of another species is a creative endeavor and a necessary skill for us humans to learn if we are to shift our worldview and build a more regenerative world. Take squirrels. Like us, squirrels are planners. Ahead of winter, squirrels need to know which nuts will store well and use the weight of each nut to test for ripeness or insect damage. How will a squirrel relocate its buried cache? It uses mnemonic prompts (such as a favorite tree) to recall a general storage area and then the squirrel’s sense of smell narrows down its search for a hidden nut. By design, squirrels don’t retrieve every nut. The ones that are never found make soil or new trees. That doesn’t mean that squirrels are solely collaborative creatures; they balance collaboration and competition to serve themselves and our shared ecosystem. How can you reach that balance? There’s a creative challenge to crush while making pesto.

Peanut Butter

Peanuts are legumes not nuts, plants with nitrogen-fixing properties. All plants take nitrogen from the soil, but when legumes decompose, they feed carbon and nitrogen into the soil. What better lean-season food with which to practice nature relatedness to fuel your creativity?

Makes

About 1 cup

Ingredients

5 cups unshelled peanuts (about 1 pound)

1 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Method

1. Sit down with two bowls, one for your shells, one for your peanuts, and spend 30 minutes shelling. Reserve the shells.

2. Put the peanuts, salt, and honey (if using) into a food processor. Blend for 7 minutes, pausing periodically to scrape down the sides. Transfer your butter to a clean jar and store in a cool dry cupboard for up to three months. Now reflect on how you are part of the cycle of life by harvesting the nitrogen in the shells. Crush to a mulch and add to your garden, houseplants, or local park to feed the soil.

Peanut Milk

Vegan nut milk is no twenty-first century invention. A hundred years ago, George Washington Carver, director of agriculture at the Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, promoted exercising creativity by making peanut milk. As he said: “When you can do common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.”

Makes

31/3 cups

Ingredients

3/4 cup shelled peanuts, soaked overnight

41/4 cups water

1 teaspoon honey (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the soaked peanuts, drain, and transfer to a blender. Add the water and honey for a sweeter milk. Blend for 3 minutes. Pour into a strainer lined with cheesecloth (or a nut bag) set over a bowl. Squeeze the pulp in the cloth to drain the milk. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Now, what to do with the nut pulp?

Zero-waste Peanut Pulp Crackers

One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure; “waste” is a matter of perspective. Peanut pulp is what you created by making peanut milk. Instead of being waste, pulp is a binding agent that can lay the foundations for another creation that adds value to your life. Reforming your thoughts reforms your words, which in turn reforms your actions—like piling pesto onto these peanut pulp crackers.

Makes

About 30 small crackers

Ingredients

Peanut pulp from making peanut milk (see facing page)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

1–2 tablespoons water

Zaatar (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix the peanut pulp, seeds, salt, and flour together. Stir in a tablespoon of water. If you have a spreadable consistency, you’re done; if not, add another tablespoon of water.

3. Transfer your dough to the lined baking sheet and roll into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle some seeds or spice, such as zaatar, on top. Bake for 30–35 minutes, keeping a close eye on them. Remove from the oven when brown. Cut into pieces while still warm.

What value do peanuts add to nature, beyond feeding humans?

George Washington Carver (1864–1943) was born into slavery in North America. When slavery was abolished, his drive to move the South away from intensive cotton farming led President Franklin Roosevelt to honor him for his creative vision to promote social and environmental justice. Carver saw that reliance on a cash crop contributed to divisive economics and a culture of dominance. He also saw that monocropping was stripping life from the soil on which everyone depended. His muse for justice? The peanut. Carver set out to harness the peanut’s power of creation and devised more than a hundred ways of using the peanut that would build a market for peanut farming.

◁ Veggie Stir-Fry with Peanut Butter Sauce

The lean season, when fewer foods are available fresh, is a great time to experiment, because it forces you to think about your local environment. Here is a peanut butter stir-fry made primarily with preserved local ingredients befitting the lean season. If you can’t get a squash, why not substitute carrots? Use whatever noodles you have in the cupboard: rice noodles, soba noodles, spaghetti, linguine—try them!

Serves

4

Ingredients

10 ounces noodles

1 onion, sliced

1/4 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups sliced red cabbage

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

Cilantro or basil leaves, to garnish

For the sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon apple molasses or maple syrup

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Method

1. Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

2. Boil the noodles in a saucepan of salted water according to the package directions.

3. Meanwhile, warm the oil in a large skillet or wok, add the onion, and sauté for 2–3 minutes before adding the squash. Stir-fry and let it soften for 6 minutes, then add in the cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes.

4. Drain the noodles and add them to the pan. Use tongs to combine everything. Then pour over the peanut sauce and mix so that the noodles and vegetables are completely coated. Add a few cilantro or basil leaves before serving.

What stops you from improvising in the kitchen?

I am often asked how I eat local, seasonal, and organic foods when a recipe calls for something else? My answer is: change the recipe.

◁ Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto

There is debate over when humans transitioned from collecting wild rice to growing it, but it was at least 6,000 years ago. Arborio rice is a type of short-grain rice grown since medieval times in northern Italy and used to make a signature dish: risotto. For a vegan version, simply omit the goat cheese and add another drizzle of olive oil.

Serves

4

Ingredients

1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, well washed

3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

23/4 cups vegetable broth or 1 bouillon cube

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, thinly sliced

2/3 cup frozen peas

11/3 cups Arborio rice or other risotto rice

Scant 1 cup vermouth or dry white wine

2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese (skin removed)

2 tablespoons capers (optional)

Salt

Fresh thyme leaves, to serve

Method

1. Peel and quarter the artichokes. Put them with the garlic into a saucepan of water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving the water. Transfer the artichokes and garlic to a bowl with half the olive oil and mash with a little salt to a puree.

2. If you aren’t using homemade vegetable broth, measure 23/4 cups of the reserved water and dissolve a bouillon cube in it.

3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and celery and let soften for 2 minutes over low heat. Add the peas and then the rice. Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine. Breathe in the aroma as the rice absorbs the wine and the liquid reduces. Then spoon in the vegetable broth, one ladleful at a time, and stir until absorbed, repeating until all the broth has been used—this takes 20 minutes.

4. Stir in the artichoke, goat cheese, and capers (if using). Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 3 minutes before serving with a sprinkling of fresh thyme.

How can our relationship with rice inspire creativity?

The domestication of plants such as rice led to the foundation of civilizations. Cultivating rice meant creating irrigation and drainage systems; building bridges, canals, terraces, and storage; developing distribution and transport links; and organizing labor, trade, and keeping records. However, yields are falling due to land and water scarcity in some parts of the world and rising temperatures, sea level, and rainfall in others. It’s time to reframe our relationship with rice. Should we be less concerned with rice yields and focus on more biodiverse diets? Creative solutions have the potential to change our food systems and our societies. Something to chew on while you stir this risotto.

◁ Oatmeal Honey Bread

Once considered horse fodder, simple, wholesome, unassuming oats make delicious bread that can be turned out in less than 40 minutes. This recipe requires you to grind rolled oats into flour, a ritual intended for you to insert yourself at an earlier stage in the bread-making process than normal and give you a chance to ponder how oats, horses, and other creatures are our creative partners.

Makes

1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf

Ingredients

31/3 cups rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 eggs

2/3 cup honey

1 cup peanut milk or oat milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Handful of strawberry chips, or nuts, seeds, or other dried fruit

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. Put the rolled oats into a food processor and grind for 2 minutes until you have flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl, then add the honey, milk, and salt. Slowly add your flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing as you pour. Once combined, add the strawberry chips. Pour the batter into the line pan and bake for 30 minutes. Because this is made with oat flour, don’t expect it to rise as much as wheat flour does.

3. Remove from the oven and let the pan to cool on a wire rack before turning out the bread. Serve with strawberry jam.

How are other forms of life our creative partners?

Oats and peanuts work in partnership. Oats are annuals, undergoing the full cycle of life in one season. When legumes, such as peanuts, are harvested, they can leave an excess of nitrogen in the soil. Oats absorb the excess, use it for growth, and return it to the soil when tilled back into the ground once their grains are harvested, creating cyclical balance. For centuries, humans viewed oats only as food for beasts of burden. Even if that were true, where would we be today, were it not for oat-fueled horse power? The value of the food web extends far beyond what we choose to eat.

Savory Spinach and Mushroom Porridge

Now that we have embraced the wonders of oats, why not turn porridge on its head? Slower cooking, less processed, steel-cut oats can be prepared as a savory evening meal when you have more time. Try this one on a wintry evening.

Serves

4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 cup steel-cut oats

5 tablespoons vermouth or dry white wine

21/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

31/2 cups baby spinach leaves

Sea salt

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large 91/2-inch saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and sugar and cook for 5–7 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 8 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika and mix in the oats, stirring to coat, then pour in the vermouth or wine. Let the oats absorb the wine, but no more than 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low, add the broth, and cover the pan with a lid. Let cook for about 10 minutes, then remove the lid and stir it—all the broth should be absorbed.

2. Turn off the heat and add the butter or coconut oil, sea salt, and spinach. Cover and let sit for 3 minutes before serving.

Why do you consider certain foods to be breakfast foods?

There is power in how you decide to shape your meals. If nothing else, ask yourself a few questions about rules to which you hold fast. Why do you eat the way you do? Has it always been this way? Should it be different? If it were, what would that mean about how you exercise your values? Those questions are creation in action. Perhaps changing our meal culture could help to create a more regenerative food system?

German Onion Pie

I find it hard to imagine a world without onions. My partner, who hails from North Rhine-Westphalia, introduced Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie) into my life; it is now a lean-season tradition in our home. I serve it warm with a crisp white wine.

Serves

10

Ingredients

For the dough

1/2 (1-ounce) cake fresh yeast, or 21/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Scant 1 cup warm water

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

31/4 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

For the custard

5–6 large yellow onions (about 21/4 pounds)

3 tablespoons canola oil, plus extra for greasing

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 eggs

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

Salt and pepper

Method

1. If using fresh yeast, crumble it into a bowl, add the water and sugar, and whisk until foamy. Add the olive oil and salt before gradually adding the flour, mixing as you do so. If using dry yeast, add all the dry ingredients to a bowl, mix well, then add the water and oil. Transfer to a floured surface and knead until you have a smooth dough, about 8 minutes. Put back into the bowl, cover with a dish towel, and let rise in a warm, dry place for 1 hour, until the dough has at least doubled in size.

2. Meanwhile, it’s time for a good cry. Halve your onions and slice them vertically. Wearing glasses can help and choosing a milder variety, such a Spanish onion, will limit your tears.

3. Preheat the over to 400°F and grease a 16-inch square nonstick baking pan. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onions in handfuls. Stir as you go to coat the onions and prevent them sticking to the pan. Cook for 15–20 minutes until soft and golden. Make a custard by mixing the cream, eggs, nutmeg and salt and pepper.

4. Once your dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes until it is elastic. Roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 2.5 cm/1 inch thick and place in the baking tray. Evenly distribute the onions over the dough and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Pour the custard over the top – you may need to tilt the tray to distribute it evenly. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the custard is set and the dough is golden.

What do our flavor preferences tell us about our evolution?

People have been eating onions for at least 7,000 years. Onions are full of water and offered our nomadic ancestors a source of hydration that was easily transported. Harvested late and stored in cool, dry cellars, or pickled or powdered, onions pack a sweet, flavorsome punch until a greater variety of foods make their appearance in the next growing season.

◁ Preserved Pizza

Pizza, like risotto, offers a base for creativity, depending on the sauces and toppings you have on hand. This recipe incorporates many of the preserves in this book, so mix, match, and explore, adding toppings made from leftovers in the refrigerator.

Makes

4

Ingredients

For the dough

1/2 (1-ounce) cake fresh yeast, or 21/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Scant 1 cup warm water

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

31/4 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

2 tablespoons zero-waste tomato or carrot powder for added flavor (optional)

For the marinara sauce

2 (141/2-ounce) cans of tomatoes

1 cup red wine

Salt

Pizza toppings

2 (41/2-ounce) fresh mozzarella balls, sliced

Choice of vegetables (such as olives, bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, zucchini), thinly sliced

Basil leaves or pesto of your choice (shown here)

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Prepare your dough following the method shown here, adding some zero-waste tomato or carrot powder, if you prefer.

2. While the dough is rising, unless you have preserved tomato sauce on hand, make a marinara sauce. Put the tomatoes, red wine, and a little salt into a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes, until it thickens.

3. Preheat the oven to its hottest setting. Oil a baking sheet or two, or if you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven while you prepare your toppings.

4. Chop vegetables of your choice and consider adding dollops of any pesto you have prepped.

5. Flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. Divide your dough into four equal pieces and roll each one to a thickness of about 3/8 inch. Place the first piece of dough on a peel, if using a pizza stone, or an oiled baking sheet. Add a ladle or two of pizza sauce, spreading it with the back of a spoon. Top with the cheese and vegetables and put it in the oven for 5–10 minutes. Watch vigilantly to make sure the dough browns but doesn’t burn to a crisp. Remove from the oven and repeat to make another three pizzas. Top with torn basil leaves or a few dollops of pesto before serving.

How can making pizza exercise your creativity?

Dough is alive and I love working with the life in my hands. When I think of it in that way, it becomes a nature-related practice for me, and the pizza becomes a collaborative creation between me, the yeast, the water, the flour, and the warm air that enables the dough to grow.

◁ Purple Sauerkraut

Cabbage contains more vitamin C than citrus fruit and is easy to preserve, thanks to the life force that is lactobacillus bacteria. You can make sauerkraut with green cabbage, but it’s equally good made with red. This recipe is designed to make one large jar—and to get you started playing with fermentation.

Makes

About 41/2 cups

Ingredients

1 medium head of red or green cabbage (about 21/4 pounds)

2 tablespoons kosher sea salt

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

Method

1. Your tools here are: well-washed hands, a cutting board, a knife, a mixing bowl, a 2-quart pickling jar, a stone that just fits inside the jar, a clean dish towel, and a rubber band.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash your jar and the stone, put into the oven for 10 minutes to sterilize, then remove and let cool.

3. Remove any outer layers of the cabbage that are starting to wilt and set aside. Quarter the cabbage, remove the tough core, then halve each quarter and cut those wedges into ribbonlike slices.

4. Transfer the chopped cabbage to a mixing bowl and use your hands to massage the cabbage with the salt for 10 minutes (the coarse salt crystals provide more surface area to absorb the water being drawn out of the cabbage). Consider how the color of your hands transforms as the cabbage does—a tangible exchange! Add the caraway seeds and mix. Pack the cabbage into the jar, making a fist to tamp it down. Pour any water extracted from the massage into the jar, cover with the limp outer leaves, and weigh it down with the stone. As fermentation begins, more water will be released from the cabbage. Cover the top of the jar with a clean dish towel secured with a rubber band to let air flow.

5. The following day, if the cabbage isn’t covered in water, add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to 1 cup of water and add what is needed to submerge the cabbage. While the sauerkraut ferments, keep it at room temperature (68°F) and away from direct sunlight. Keep an eye on your jar and you will notice bubbling bacteria in action. After three days, your sauerkraut will be ready to eat. It should last in the refrigerator for a couple of months.

How did preserves such as cabbage contribute to globalization?

Cabbage and creation go hand in hand. When humans discovered that lactobacillus converts the sugar in cabbage to lactic acid, preserves such as sauerkraut and kimchi were born. They enabled humans to do amazing things, including building the Great Wall of China all year round and circumnavigating the globe without developing scurvy. Fresh local cabbage is usually available in stores and markets throughout the winter. However, because I love the tang of sauerkraut, I take the time to make a small batch and to muse about how humans, cabbages, and bacteria toured the globe together and, for better or worse, they shaped our world. As you massage the leaves, focus on how the process makes visible our daily exchange with the invisible life that surrounds us.

◁ Vegetarian Smørrebrød

Danish smørrebrød (meaning “buttered bread”) is an open-style sandwich that makes a simple, irresistible meal. Keeping it midweek real, let’s assume your bread is store bought. I use the almost black, large kernel rye bread popular in Nordic kitchens topped with a dash of cheddar and tangy sauerkraut and pickles.

Serves

4

Ingredients

4 slices of Nordic-style dark rye bread

Butter

4 thick slices of vegetarian cheddar cheese

4 heaping tablespoons sauerkraut

12 thinly sliced deli-style dill pickles or pickled pumpkin

1 apple, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced

Handful of cress or microgreens

Method

1. Preheat the broiler to medium hot.

2. Spread each slice of bread thickly with butter and place a hearty slice of cheddar on top. Add a layer of sauerkraut to each slice and place under the broiler for 4 minutes.

3. Layer 3 slices of the pickles and apples on top of each sandwich and sprinkle with cress or microgreens.

How do you express your identity in the food that you eat?

I have lived in Fairport (New York), Boston, Helsinki, London, and Copenhagen, and I identify with all those places. I see that blended identity in my food culture, a big part of which is the joy of preserved foods. All the ingredients in this recipe (including the bread and butter) can be considered preserves—creative inspirations that enabled people in all the towns I have called home to thrive in climates that are far from balmy for most of the year!

◁ Wild Rice and Sauerkraut Salad

This dish pairs wild rice with that great lean-season preserve, sauerkraut, here made with green cabbage. Foraged wild rice is available, although most of what is in your supermarket will probably be cultivated, so the rice is far less wild than the name implies. However, I adore wild rice, because it reminds me that there is joy in going with the flow, letting nature take the lead and letting go of the need to control.

Serves

4

Ingredients

1 cup wild rice or a mixture of wild rice and basmati rice

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cups peeled and chopped celeriac (celery root; bite-size pieces)

1 tablespoon dried sage or marjoram

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium apple, cored and chopped

13/4 cups sauerkraut

5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

Parsley leaves

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Fill a medium saucepan three-quarters full with water. Add a teaspoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil. Add the rice. Reduce the heat and follow the timing on the package for cooking the rice. Drain any remaining water from the pan.

2. Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the celeriac and dried herbs and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Toss in the garlic, apple, and sauerkraut, add a pinch of seasoning, and warm for 2 minutes before adding the rice to the pan. Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

3. Mix the rest of the oil and the vinegar in a small bowl with another pinch of seasoning. Transfer the rice and veggie mixture to a serving bowl. Add the dressing and the pumpkin seeds and give toss it. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

How does our relationship with wild and domesticated foods differ?

Wild rice, as the name implies, was once produced not by the cultivated hand of humans, but by its own devices and relationships with the life-forms on which it depended. Humans let nature lead the way, and we foraged and harvested what we needed. Pause and consider the creative energy that was required to harvest and process wild rice.

Cabbage Chips

Who says that all chips need only be made of potatoes? They don’t. The flavorful saltiness and crispy texture that makes potato chips so pleasing can be accomplished with plenty of other vegetables, such as the star of our lean-season kitchen—the cabbage. Any outer leaves you left out of your sauerkraut can be included here.

Serves

4–6

Ingredients

1 medium head of cabbage (about 21/4 pounds), or 1/2 head of red and 1/2 head of green cabbage

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon paprika

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Tear each of the outer leaves of your cabbage coarsely into quarters, reserving the tougher leaves near the core for other recipes. Rinse the leaves, pat them completely dry, and toss them in a large mixing bowl with the oil, paprika, and a generous sprinkle of seasoning, making sure they are well coated.

3. Place a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and lay the cabbage on top. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until crisp, then transfer to a wire rack, where they will continue to crisp up as they cool.

4. Serve as soon as possible as a snack, or add them to salads or sprinkle on top of pizzas or pasta dishes for some crunch.

What value is there in reworking traditional dishes?

When I make something new, my stimulated brain feels good. The process is often more important than the outcome. If the results are pleasing, I am proud. But, if they fall short, I often just find myself giggling and encouraged to try again. After all, when I question things I never bothered to before, I usually find value and pockets of joy lurking in places I never explored and that sets me thinking: What MORE can I learn?

Potato and Cabbage Patties

Known in the UK as bubble and squeak, this dish was invented to repurpose leftovers, so don’t feel restricted by the recipe. If you don’t have potatoes and cabbage, try it with carrots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, squash, or celeriac (celery root).

Serves

As many as your leftovers allow—you want a volume ratio of 1:1

Ingredients

Leftover potatoes

Leftover cabbage

1 egg (optional)

2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

Method

1. If your leftover potatoes or root vegetables were roasted, baked, or boiled, mash them but keep on the chunky side. Or, if the vegetables can be shredded, shred into thin slices, otherwise chop thinly. Mix your vegetables and potatoes together. Mix in an egg to bind, if needed.

2. Melt the butter or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Give yourself a mindful moment to listen to the fat bubbling in the pan.

3. Add your potato-and-vegetable mixture to form one large “cake” or separate the mixture into patties. Let “bubble and squeak” in the pan for 10 minutes—you want a nice brown crust to emerge on the bottom. The time it takes depends on how much butter or milk you used to make mashed potatoes in the first place. When you have a good brown crust, flip the cake or patties and fry on the other side for about 10 minutes.

4. Transfer from the pan to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up some of the fat. Serve as it is or with a dollop of applesauce, sauerkraut, or a fried egg.

How do the sounds of cooking connect you to the elements?

Bubble and Squeak is not merely a creative meal that avoids food waste, it is a mindful one that awakens all your senses. How often do we consider the well-being that comes from the sound of food? Cooking is a process of transformation that we nurture with the help of earth, wind, water, and fire. Bubbling, sizzling, crackling, and squeaking tune us into the presence of those elements in our kitchens.

◁ Zero-waste Veggie Broth Box

In the lean-season recipes in this chapter, you have been peeling root vegetables and trimming off outer cabbage leaves and stems of broccoli and herbs, all of which can be repurposed. Find a large container and put it into your freezer. This is your broth box. Each time you find yourself with veg scraps on your cutting board, add them to the box. When it is full, make veggie broth to keep on hand for risotto, savory porridge, soup, or whatever else you can dream up. What was old is new again.

Ingredients

Vegetable peelings (including onion and garlic skins), outer leaves, and stems

Peppercorns

Bay leaves

Salt

Method

1. Make this when your freezer broth box is full to the brim, making sure that at least one-third of the contents are flavorful garlic and onion peelings.

2. Transfer your vegetables into a large stockpot and fill with water. You are aiming for a 1:1 ratio of water and vegetables by volume. Add a generous pinch of salt, some peppercorns and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Once your broth boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain the broth through a strainer and discard the vegetable parts. This time they are destined for your food waste bin, compost pile, or perhaps an animal looking for a tasty snack. You can use your broth immediately or store it in the freezer for up to three months.

Why do you label certain foods as waste? What would make you see waste differently?

As your nature-relatedness practice grows, every morsel of food will become more valuable to you, as they were for our ancestors. And as your desire to repurpose and reuse increases, you will hone your creative skills. That’s how looking at things differently and asking new questions leads to new actions.

Ritual

Stone Soup

Remember the story of Stone Soup? Once upon a time, a hungry traveler brings a stone to the door of an older woman and tells her he knows how to make the most delicious soup she has ever tasted. Intrigued, she puts the stone in a pot and adds water and meat. Word spreads and neighbors bring vegetables and beans. When everyone eats the soup together, it IS the most delicious soup they have ever tasted. The moral of the story is that we bring magical meaning to the ordinary when we work together as a community.

Serves

6

Ingredients

2–3 tablespoons olive oil

2 yellow onions, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

A stone or pebble, sterilized in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes

Stems of 3 heads of broccoli, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces, and a handful of florets, sliced

8–9 potatoes (about 21/4 pounds), cut into cubes

121/2 cups vegetable broth

Small handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Warm the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the stone and tell the tale of Stone Soup to whoever is in your kitchen. Ask them: Why do stones matter? What is the relationship between stones and water? What do stones add to soil to help us grow food? How do stones add value to our lives and our communities? How is food important for treating humans with dignity as well as nature? Keep cooking as you talk.

2. Add the broccoli stems, potatoes, broth, and seasoning. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and simmer for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately with bread and homemade butter. Bring the stone to the table as decoration and keep it in the kitchen as a reminder to ask new questions about food, nature, and how you relate to it to build your nature-relatedness practice.

How does shifting the perspective on the story of eating bring new insights about your place in nature?

From a nature-relatedness perspective, I think the stone gets a rough deal in this story. After all, the stone helped to purify the water and add minerals to the soil to grow the vegetables and graze the animals. Would there be soup, or even a community of humans in that spot, were it not for the stones? This lean-season ritual aims to help you discover how widening the scope of your food stories builds your awareness of the nonhuman neighbors in your community and adds a dollop of extraordinary to an ordinary meal.