Did I mention before the virus that I accepted an invitation to show how I cook my famous no-packaging vegetable stews in the Bronx?

I believe cooking this way is simple and accessible to anyone. I brought the ingredients, my pressure cooker, and my knife and chopping board by subway to this community group’s potluck dinner. We met in a church, where I showed how I make the stews.

I used only ingredients that are cheap and have shelf lives requiring shopping no more than once every two weeks or month. Dried beans last years, squash at least a month, and cabbage at least two weeks. Rhonda, who invited me and whom you’ll hear on my podcast soon, wanted her neighbors to see how they could cook from scratch affordably and accessibly.

I brought everything in containers I’ve had since before I started avoiding packaged food—no need for new bags when I have that brown one on the right of the image since the 90s. The plastic bags I got from my building’s recycling area, where my neighbors aren’t supposed to put them. As far as I can tell, I don’t increase demand for more bags by using them.

So I produced no trash. The other packaged food you see come from others for the potluck.

Rhonda recorded the video. Nothing professional and it stopped a little before I finished, but I hope you see enough for you to cook this way too. I’ve found it delicious and useful during the lock-down. I’ve found it delicious and useful all the time.

I love delicious, accessible, affordable, healthy, sustainable, local food.

• ← 314: Brent Suter part 2: A Major League pitcher and his farmers markets
• 315: Diversity: Where are female deliverypeople? Or research on them? →