When I talk with people about how to course correct after years of monitoring their eating to the point of discontentment, I tell them about the only detox they’ll ever need—nope, not a juice cleanse, however I am a fan of juice on occasion. It’s this:
stop objectifying your body + stop diet mentality.
Last week I had to go to the DMV. For 8 years I’ve felt bad about my photo and was hoping to get a new one. When the day came, instead of skipping Power Yoga and fussing with my hair, I got to the DMV in the nick of time, flushed and freshly showered, hair still damp, and happy to chat with a friend who happened to be in the waiting area. They called my number and the gal behind the desk rapid-fired the questions, reviewed my proof of residency, and told me to look over to the right—surprise! new photo! No hair fluffing or trying to look just right, just click, print, and Ok, sister, you’re done! The photo, is it great? No, but I no longer care about that. It was me in the moment and I was happy, it shows in my eyes.
See, be, taste, feel
Last week my client wanted to cook for her session. Together we plucked stems off cherry tomatoes still warm from the sun and cut them in half for soup. We chopped parsley and fresh garlic, staying away from the plate of prime specimens which I’ll plant sometime before November. We squeezed lumps of Italian sausage (Coop!) from the casings directly into the pot and sizzled it nice and brown before adding the onions then tomatoes, kale, beans, and broth. Once we got it simmering, we went out to the garden where I had harvested the vegetables earlier that morning. Back in the kitchen, we plated lunch and sat at the counter where we talked through what I wanted to share that day.
It seems to me that I’m always saying the same thing: When you’re hungry, what is it you really want to eat? Allow yourself to have it, make it beautiful, sit down and enjoy it, notice how it makes you feel—short term and long term—let go of rules, that’s in the past, you never have to do that again. Be present and connected to your body—how do you feel? how do you want to feel?
It takes awhile to de-program diet mentality but from day one it tastes like freedom, almost too good to be true. But it is true; it’s the best way to live, for the love of food and body. That’s really what my work is all about, a reconciliation with the body.
Be reconciled.
Sage Plum Jam
When you pick neighborhood plums (a favorite of mine and a feature in my first ever In Season article for Edible Bozeman way back when) eventually you need to get them pitted and make something. This year I was brave and used my Weck jars for water bath canning and it worked like a charm! (Only one casualty out of 10, it tipped over and took on water as I fumbled with the tongs. No worries, I’m gobbling it up on my morning yogurt.)
When using Weck jars for canning, clip the rubber seal to each top using two metal clamps, boil them in water to sterilize, and keep them in the hot water until you’re ready to top the jam-filled jars. After processing (10 minutes + 10 minutes more for us being at 5,000 feet elevation), lift jars out and let them sit undisturbed until cool at which time take off the metal clamps so that you can do a lid-lift test to ensure a good seal. It’s genius, really, and the jars stack beautifully.
For the sage plum jam recipe that’s safe for canning (vs. the refrigerator jam in the Edible Bozeman article), send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll let you know when I post the recipe; I don’t yet have it up on ripefoodandwine.com but will get to it this week. I adapted J. Kenji López-Alt’s recipe on Serious Eats (without milling, without butter, and with a swap of citric acid for lemon juice) and infused the jam with fresh sage (washed, dried, and tied with string) for the first 15 minutes of cooking.
Reading that’s like a walk in the woods
I dose this book like a box of fine chocolates. If you haven’t read it you must. My friend, Matt Skoglund of North Bridger Bison, told me once that he made the women he dated read this book before proceeding. HA! Not a bad litmus test.
Here’s a little snippet (don’t be a book-pigeon):
There will always be pigeons in books and in museums, but these are effigies and images, dead to all hardships and to all delights. Book-pigeons cannot dive out of a cloud to make the deer run for cover, or clap their wings in thunderous applause of mast-laden woods. Book-pigeons cannot breakfast on new-mown wheat in Minnesota, and dine on blueberries in Canada. They know no urge of seasons; they feel no kiss of sun, no lash of wind and weather. They live forever by not living at all.
p. 116 Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
Fix Your Food Relationship in 2025!
Do you want to learn to live—and eat— like someone who can “just enjoy it” and not think about it all the time? Like that fantasy French woman with her wine and her chocolate? I have good news for you. It’s possible.
Join me each Monday as we learn to nourish ourselves well and live more real, true, and connected lives.
Today we’re at week 38; if you’re new here or have some catching up to do, check out the About Love & Cookies archive. Jump around to what interests you, there’s nothing linear other than the first few weeks where I reviewed the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating.
Thank you so much for being here. Be kind. Eat well.
