What's this Buddha Cooking Stuff?

Many years ago, this wonderful Buddha came into my life when my amazing partner and I got together.  As luck would have it, at one of our houses, there was just the right space for it. The Buddha ended up on a low shelf behind the stove - he watched us as we cooked and we watched him.  As we both grew in confidence in our cooking and food experiments, it seemed that it was under the watchful gaze of our Buddha. We  stepped up our game and we laughed and said "We are cooking to Buddha!"

I've been thinking about blogging about food and cooking for a long time. From childhood, planting, harvesting and using fresh food and the work of canning, freezing, and transforming food from scratch -and sometimes not so much - has been a journey that I have had great pleasure to be on. I was influenced by my mother, my aunts, my friends and my partner. I have supported local food makers and farmers and thought lots about food - how we get it, what we do with it and why it holds such an interesting place in our lives. All roads lead me here.

A new year begins and so do I. This blog will look back on how I grew into a foodie; reflect on our society and food; and feature thoughts on food, cooking and the wonder of making.  I'll share a recipe or two along the way.  Welcome to this corner of my life.