The typical American meal is a meat centerpiece with a couple of vegetable side dishes, one of them usually potatoes. The side vegetable portion is usually about three ounces. There are really only six or seven types of protein (with some subtle variations) to choose from and the standard Midwestern diet relies almost entirely on three or four. There are countless types of vegetables. We've relegated the largest portion of our foodstuffs to an afterthought on our plates

Part of finding a more connected way to cook and eat is dealing with abundance when you are blessed with it and scarcity when nature demands it. The traditional coming and going of scarcity and abundance linked us with timeless rhythms of nature and the earth and ourselves. We had to think and plan ahead. We had to treasure and conserve abundance. We had to manage and endure scarcity. We had to take what the world gave us and it taught us discipline, reverence and humility.These lessons are hard