Where Do I Begin In The Kitchen?

Cooking

Making the switch to eating locally grown food is not difficult yet it may require a small shift in perspective.  As dinner approaches and we start to prepare the meal, the question isn’t “What do I want for dinner?”  The question becomes “What do I have for dinner?”  Preparation begins with the food which is fresh and abundant.  Often you need a good cookbook to get you started.  
 
From Asparagus to Zucchini:  A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce compiled by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition.  Third edition. Jones Books.  Madison, WI, 2004.  (228 pages).  This cookbook lists alphabetically many common and uncommon garden vegetables providing recipes, cooking tips and storage tips for each one.  It also tells a short history of the vegetable, where is originated and how it found its way to America.     
 
Farmer John’s Cookbook:  The Real Dirt on Vegetables written and compiled by John Peterson of Angelic Organics.  Gibbs Smith.  Layton, Utah, 2006.  (360 pages).  Organized by season and by vegetable, it includes two sections called Culinary Uses and Partners.  These sections help to cook creatively.

To find helpful recipes online for your garden vegetables, try these published by the Green Earth Institute: http://www.greenearthinstitute.org/recipes/index.html.

Composting

As we cook with garden produce, there will be less plastic for the waste can and more vegetable scraps for the compost.  Now you need a compost bin.  There are many compost bins to buy and instructions on how to do it.  Here is a link with instructions:  http://www.compostguide.com/. 

Yet, you can just keep it simple.  It isn't complicated.  No meat, nothing diseased, nothing cooked.  Pile it up with your yard waste in an indiscreet corner of your yard and wait.  Yes, it takes a little longer to decompose, but it still does.  Really.