He Does The Cooking

Give credit where credit is due. I will be the first to admit cooking is not one of my best talents. Ryan does the majority of the cooking in our house. Trust me it is for both of our safety.

To be honest I was and have always been a little rough around the edges and a little more tomboy like. I am also in a career that is predominantly a male environment. Maybe this ties into how I grew up. If I could place any blame here… I blame my three brothers. Where ever they were I was with them. Catching tadpoles, snapping turtles or even peeing on electric fences, don’t worry I didn’t do that but was right there when it happened rolling on the dirty ground laughing hysterically with my brothers… a story for another day.

However, the super hero in my story growing up will always be my mother. She still to this day is the strongest woman I know. As a child I don’t have many memories of cooking but the memories I do have are the multiple jobs she had at one time so she could put food on the table. I remember her coming home throwing something together for all of us and then heading to her next job. That was her super power. Making it work.

I am not sure how she did it but she would always find time to make us feel special on our birthdays and make us our favorite meal. Mine always was acorn squash. I don’t know what it was about the way my mother cooked it but I couldn’t duplicate it. The recipe is very basic with just butter and brown sugar. I tried for years to make it taste the way she made it.. I finally realized it wasn’t the recipe that made it taste so amazing.. it was the way it made me feel.

I now look back and wish I would have taken more interest in learning the skill and yes it is a fantastic skill to have. I am now in my 40 something’s starting at the very basics. I feel cooking requires an unbelievable amount of discipline and patience.. Two things that challenge me to this day. If I am not great at something I find a way to self sabotage and pump myself up on how it’s not going to work out and only give it a fraction of my effort. And… guess what happens.. it of course doesn’t turn out.

I am also the individual in the family dedicated to bringing the eating utensils at any family gathering instead of a dish. Everyone knows my cooking abilities.

Stepping into this farm world and this life of homesteading I realize the importance of utilizing what you have to its fullest ability. That means learning how to cook the food we grow and having the ability to share that with others. I also think there is a balance for a person like me as well. Meaning I don’t necessarily love the kitchen because it doesn’t love me. I would much rather be outside playing in the dirt. Why can’t I have both!? And.. be great at them?

After a bit of self reflection I have discovered that I can in fact have both. I just need to put in the work up front and make time. However, time these days for anyone is so precious. I would imagine that most can relate to not having enough time to cook if you have a full household of activities or maybe over demanding jobs/careers that you give everything you got and have nothing left at the end of the day. Trust me I can relate in so many ways…

I have started to realize that if I slow down for just a few seconds I can find time to make quick meals with what we have and still have time to do the things I enjoy more. Now I am not great yet at cooking.. did you catch the word yet!? It was because I was focusing on the wrong meals that didn’t work for me and my lifestyle.

This year it is my goal to master quick meal prep using very simple recipes that I don’t have to spend too much time or resources on in the kitchen. I am also sharing some of these recipes on our website that I have or will be trying this season.

https://www.madacrefarms.com/maf-recipe

My ultimate goal is to find quick ways to eat great food grown using sustainable practices and not have to spend all my time in the kitchen. I am determined to figure out what works and share it with anyone who is interested.

Moral of the story… You are who you are.. be proud of that. It is likely that you had a super hero in your story who handed you their cape. Own it, make it better and then pass it on.

-✌🏼Jamie