Want to have a lighter impact on the environment and still eat delicious food?
Let’s grow all of our own food, we said.
We’ll have chickens for eggs and dairy goats to make cheese!
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Fast-forward 20 years later (oh wow, has it really been that long!?!)
and that dream isfarfrom realized.
But life has gotten busy.
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
And in the summer, we are often away from homecampingat some of Vermont’s glorious state parks.
Not to mention we both work full-time jobs.
Now I tell my husband we can homestead when we retire.
Get the recipe:Caprese Salad with Basil & Tarragon Chimichurri
But, you know what?
Plus a2022 studyby Harvard T.H.
Get the recipe:Thai Green Curry-Inspired Vegetable Soup
2.
Reap the Health Benefits of Green Produce
3.
Get the recipe:Roasted Baby Bok Choy with Soy-Honey Glaze
4.
I can go out and harvest exactly what we want to eat on any given day.
But I still get the bulk of our food at the grocery store.
To help combat food waste, I have a few dishes in my back pocket that are really flexible.
)Frittatasandquicheare also good vehicles for leftovers.
In fact, I made one the morning I wrote this, with leftover egg whites and roasted asparagus.
I even dolloped some leftover pesto on top.
Even the smallest amounts of leftovers have a second life at my house.
Read More:26 Ways to Waste Less in the Kitchen
5.
Compost Food Scraps
Building a compost system is on our to-do list this year.
This is a great option if you don’t have the space or interest to do it at home.
Plus organic wastes like food scraps are a huge contributor to climate change.
Read More:3 Impressive Benefits of Composting
6.
(Find a drop-off location near you.)
Prioritize Sustainable Sources of Meat & Seafood
When I do buy meat, I prioritize buyinglocal grass-fed meat.
Yes, it’s more expensive, but that helps encourage us to eat less of it.
Get the recipe:Fish Taco Bowls with Green Cabbage Slaw
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Annie Otzen / Getty Images
