Jennifer Mayer is an urban homesteader and massage therapist in Boulder, CO. She is involved in numerous local food projects, and recently presented at Ignite Boulder 3 (The World is Burning but I Still Have My Yogurt). She can be found at www.jenmayer.net (recent posts include: how to make yogurt, kombucha, kimchi, and the unseen effects of our food purchases).
TRE: What is your relationship with food?
JM: Well to be honest is has changed considerably through the years. As an adolescent, like many young women food was the enemy. Calories and fat were evil words to be avoided at all costs. Then somewhere along the way I picked up the idea that food can be nourishing and purposeful to our bodies. Food can be used as medicine and we are what we eat. These ideas changed my relationship with food.
Today food is such an integrated part of my life. In the summer I grow some of my own food, and process much more from local farms. I trade a lot of food with friends, like veggies for fruit or meat. I try to be conscious of where my food comes from and purchase or barter local and organic foods as much as possible. I really do not enjoy going to the grocery stores much these days.
Processing food in my home has become a large part of my life. It’s easier when food processing becomes just another action throughout the day, whether it is putting a crock pot together, making a batch of yogurt, shredding vegetables to be fermented or cooking down apples for sauce. By doing these things myself I know where my food has come from (local farms) and what is in the final product. It also provides a sense of empowerment that I am not reliant on large grocery store chains and a line of shipping trucks for my nutritional needs… for the most part.
TRE: Many of the people I interview seem to have had strong, positive food influences from their families. Is that the case with you? Was there a specific tipping point that led you to change the way you thought about food?
JM: I was raised on an alfalfa spout, vegetable and apple farm in upstate New York. My family has always had an awareness of what good food is, I was surrounded by “health food stores” growing up, but it was really my peers who awoke me to the importance of organic and sustainable food practices. I mean, my family set a good awareness, but I think moving to Boulder 4 1/2 years ago is when my world view really changed. I have found that most people eat with a purpose in Boulder.
Many people are conscious of how food helps or hinders our bodies and environment. Living with different people changed my perspective on food by sharing different preparations of food. Being exposed to documentaries on food, water, the environment, and corporations defiantly changed the way I saw myself participating in the food system. And just increasing my awareness of what our food system is, and how it is connected with many of the global problems we face today changed the way I thought about food.
TRE: What is the best part about your new food lifestyle?
JM: The best part? There are so many! Cooking farm food and sharing it with friends. Last weekend we had some friends over and we had a pork shoulder from the farm my partner interns at, with salad from the geodesic dome (yep! local greens in february), and a chard gratin with chard from the dome and milk from a local dairy my friend works at. It was great to enjoy the local abundance in February. And another is teaching people, especially young people about growing food. I was working in the CU Going Local garden, and some of the students were just blown away that we can grow our own food. Spreading that knowledge is a very good part about this lifestyle.
TRE: So, you’ve hinted at growing your own food, and canning. What other sorts of things do you do that go above and beyond shopping at the supermarket?
JM: Dumpster diving. Though it is only as sustainable as capitalism… but it works for now. I also trade food with friends who work in food processing. For an example, my friend at the dairy. We share.
TRE: Dumpster diving, interesting! I know a little bit about it, and whenever I try to explain it to someone else they get grossed out. If you do it right, it isn’t gross, right?
JM: Well… I dont want to romanticize dumpstering. but it’s really not that gross. I think people get grossed out because “trash” and “garbage” are such powerful words in our language. These are words used to insult people. A transformation happens when an object is placed in a trash can, garbage bag or dumpster. It’s no longer what it used to be, it is now seen as garbage. And also people think that things are thrown out for a reason…because they are bad.
And when it comes to food…. to me the good food in the dumpster isn’t garbage: it’s edible food. Things get tossed that are fine, and things get tossed that are not fine. You can just pick and choose. We throw our so much food in our country. I’ve heard statistics that we throw out upward to 40% of our food [note: the National Restaurant Association estimates that 20% of all food goes to waste, and I recently spoke with the manager of a small town grocery store with a heavy tourist season - half of the year they sell out of produce, the rest of the year they throw away roughly 50%!]. By reclaiming good food that is thrown out I am lessening my contribution to the wasteful process of retail. It’s my way of living my beliefs against waste, and I hope that someday I won’t be able to dumpster because nothing will be in there to take!
… and yes, I check the FDA recall page.
TRE: Good points. I definitely understand the aversion to dumpstering and the misconceptions surrounding it, but it’s funny because people will eat food laden with chemicals and antibiotics without thinking twice. But if it comes from a dumpster….
Do you have anything to say to people who claim that eating real food is too expensive and time consuming?
JM: True, people will eat food laden with chemical and antibiotics without a thought, usually.
When people claim that eating real food is too expensive and time consuming, that might be true for them. It also might not be a priority in their lives. Or they may want it to be a priority but they don’t know how to make it happen. But if you really want to make it happen, you will find a way… yes even on the smallest budget.
I find that eating real food requires either being money rich or time rich AND building a community. I have not been able to purchase real food from one place… except maybe the farmer’s market, but even the farmers market doesn’t have dairy. So by building a community of food purveyors and friends it is possible to support local businesses and eat real food.
TRE: Good points. Although there are tons of exceptions, I think most people fall into the position of either having a lot of time, or a lot of money. Few have both. Or neither. And people who want to change up their priorities in life can give up money (a good job) in exchange for time…and do things they never could before.
Are there any ways in which you’d like to improve your own life with regards to food?
JM: I think there are many people in our country who are neither time rich or money rich. And unfortunately eating real food is not simple, although I wish it were. Real food is not available in the majority of places in our society. It needs to come from your own kitchen and localized sources. But for those without time, even doing a little project can be fun, taste great and give a sense of connection to food. Perhaps someone will choose to make yogurt, or start brewing kombucha or plant a few tomatoes this year. And finaly I would encourage anyone that has the opportunity to proactively leave a good paying job in exchange for less money and more time to do so.
Are there any ways in which I’d like to improve my own life with regards to food?
I would like to find more local sources for the foods I eat.
I have endless projects I want to do. I am always teaching myself food preparation techniques out of books and off the internet. It is all an experiment for me, most of the time it works… and other times it doesn’t. But I teach myself! I encourage others to just try making something. It’s fun! Today I just tried the garlicy daikon pickles I started last week. They are so good! Other projects I want to learn are curing meats and making cheese. I would also like to produce more of my own food by getting a few chickens and eventually a farm down the road. Urban homesteading is where it is at for me now though.
TRE: What sort of (non-personal) projects are you involved with right now?
JM: Right now I am involved with two student groups at CU Boulder. One group is Slow Food CU and the other is CU Going Local. Last summer and fall I helped CU Going Local start their “Beautify the Hill” project which involves planting and tending gardens. These gardens grow food in the property right of way between the sidewalk and street. This piece of land is usually used for landscaping or left to weeds. Last summer we were able to grow A LOT of food in our garden and talk to people about growing food when they stopped to inquire what we were doing. This year we are planning to expand the project into different areas of the Hill.
TRE: I love that food is being grown out on the street where it is so visible to everyone! Thanks so much for talking with us Jen, it’s so great to hear the perspective of someone working at such a grassroots level.
Do you have any last words of wisdom or advice for our readers?
JM: I love that food is being grown where it is visible also. Thanks for having me on your blog Ryan!
Don’t forget to check out Jen’s site: www.jenmayer.net
{ 0 comments… add one now }