Readers' Responses

Kyle Bice

Sometime around late summer I received a text from a friend in Fennville, MI, who asked if I wanted to go in on a quarter of a whole hog. I’d never purchased this much meat at once and was pretty nervous about the investment, but it seemed like the right time to do it. I threw in with two other guys who had a good amount of whole-hog butchering experience. Then we waited for our hog to finish growing up on a happy organic farm just outside of Grand Rapids, MI. I also had to buy a chest freezer and find space for it in my three-bedroom apartment. I have to say, this is one of the smartest and most delicious choices I’ve ever made. It’s been a silver lining in this rough year.

Lena Axelsson

Like many people this year, I had more time to garden and really enjoyed it. But with a short growing season, I faced the challenge of how to have fresh greens through the cold months. 

I’ve always wanted a cold frame but never tackled that project until last summer. I upcycled an old, insulated, shepherd-sized doghouse with all repurposed materials: windows from Habitat ReStore, odd pieces of lumber from the ground in the barn, leftover metal roofing materials, an old chicken house heat lamp.

I can now grow salad greens and herbs right outside my back door in the winter. So far arugula has been a big hit, but I’m experimenting with many greens. Indoors, I am doing sprouting, a quick and fun way to add crunch to salads!

Diana Lahr

I'm more intentional with my shopping list and meal planning. I have become more aware of what I buy and how items can be used best to avoid waste. I enjoy canning but don't always have the time; this year I made it a priority and took advantage of the time at home to can and freeze the basics, along with a couple of new items: green beans, apple pie filling, spaghetti sauce, salsa, jams, etc.

I have found that the main items I order weekly have changed. Currently we always have a good supply of eggs, yeast and vegetables. We are always looking for new ways to prepare eggs, so I made eggs Benedict on green fried tomatoes. 

I love working with yeast. This year I challenged myself to make a chocolate cinnamon babka, brioche and, most recently, cranberry pecan bread in a Dutch oven.   

I am also making more baked meals and experimenting a lot with "sheet pan dinners" and different kinds of soup. 

Kristyn Kauchak

Food was everything in 2020—a way to maintain health, a way to stay connected, a way to enjoy life during a year that inspired fear and promoted isolation.

I love to eat good food and I love to be in the kitchen. 2020 made being in the kitchen more of a necessity, but I came to crave being there. Every shared meal, whether outside during the summer or around the dining room table, was a blessing.

Ingredients mattered. I sourced as many as possible from local farmers and purveyors. My Granor Farm CSA never excited me more. Although the boxes were prepackaged each week and restrictions prevented me from browsing the farm stand and selecting what I wanted, I came to appreciate the relief from decision-making each week; albeit on a small scale, it was relief nonetheless. The leek, which I'd previously associated with a soup that was mostly potatoes, became my kitchen ally, giving soups, stews and one-pan roasted meals a certain mellow mystique. Would I have chosen leeks week after week any other year? 

Normally not one to jump on the bandwagon until it was rolling out of town, I joined the sourdough resurgence during the fall and rejoiced at the loaves leavened by the power of natural yeast. I experimented, with the assistance of my enthusiastic husband, with whole, local flours, and we invested in a now-treasured French ceramic Dutch oven.

Comfort food was never more welcome. Oatmeal found its way into our breakfast bowls many more mornings than other years; Michigan maple syrup drizzled into the bottom of the bowls with toasted nuts and a showering of pomegranate seeds over the top was our favorite version by far. Eggs from a neighbor’s flock of chickens were also a comfort, with screaming yellow yolks and a distinctive flavor that most store-bought eggs lack.  

I will remember how hard food producers worked in 2020 to change direction, stay safe and stay in business. I ordered chickens, bratwurst, pork chops and hams from Gunthorp Farms in LaGrange, IN. I had never before considered such a thing, but I was so grateful to have the privilege of opening an insulated box and stocking my freezer with meats and poultry I could savor in good conscience. Another highlight was the whole lamb purchased from a local farmer, butchered to my specifications. If we are going to eat meat, knowing where it comes from and how it was raised is non-negotiable. 

I will reflect on the many delicious meals of 2020 with deep gratitude for the local people who provided many of my ingredients. Although they were wearing masks, their smiles will be remembered.