It seems in these last few years there has been an explosion of human powered efforts from walking and biking movements that are making gym memberships less relevant, to urban gardens that are quietly, yet ferociously helping urbanites reclaim agency over mass produced and preservative filled food options. People are choosing fad diets less, and opting more for the karmic clarity of cooking and harvesting one’s own slow food, designed to be filling and eaten in sensible quantities. So these days, ‘farm to table’ might mean from a backyard farm in the country or in the city.

At our house in Oakland, CA, we are blessed with the good fortune to have a producing cherry tree, and couldn’t help but make our own jam from it. The photos above are of my daughter learning and doing what her Louisiana grandmother taught me, using all pronounceable ingredients: cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and pectin.  And after a simmering water bath, each jar popped a tight seal, making our jam good to eat and share for one year, and to remember for a lifetime.
In what ways are you slowing down and allowing connections to nature inform how you move about your world and eat?
Join us as we do more canning and moving through summer, and please share with us photos of your human powered preserving efforts on Facebook, Instagram, or Pintrest! #outdoorafro