During the summer, I took the Cultivating Cooks 101 class. We learned important basics to cooking such as knife skills and ways to make food taste better. One way to make food better is add spices. The blackberry crisps we made in class are one of my all-time favorites.

At home, I’ve suggested small ideas that add some flavor (or pizazz) to the food. One dish I helped work on was gnocchi and vegan sausage. I also helped my mom make roasted root vegetables. I made a huge batch of kale chips for my cousins.

As a family, we decided to go on a road trip next Summer. The deal was we needed to eat at home more to save money. My mom picked Yellowstone as the destination. The idea of saving money to do cool things really motivated me to think about what we are eating. We plan meals together and shop together. Before, we were eating out at fast-food restaurants frequently.

We are currently eating a lot of organic and (sometimes) vegan foods. Eating more healthy foods feels better because of the extra energy every day, and the clean and active feeling.

My favorite items from the 21 Acres market are the different cheeses and the local-made honey.
-Jack Unruh (age 14)

Photo caption: Jack, third from left, in his cooking class at 21 Acres.

(Note from 21 Acres: Thanks Jack, for taking the time to write this post for us and share your experience. We can’t wait to hear more about your food adventures in the coming year and, of course, news about your road trip next summer!)