Imagine this...

You bring the spoon to your mouth. You taste the food, and it is delicious. It brings the nourishment that you have been craving. It feels so good going down, warm and rich, savory and strong. It carries with it so much goodness --

• the goodness of earth, rich and fertile, tilled, planted, and fed again in return;
• the goodness of plants, tended to, weeded, mulched, protected and encouraged...
• the goodness of animals, who ate good food and roamed about the farm, who were healthy and strong and full of the goodness of life under a clear sky, who slept on clean bedding and drank deeply when they were thirsty;
• the goodness of salt, precious grains mined from deep earth or clean water, that make everything they touch come to life in the mouth;
• the goodness of water, so clean and clear.

You take another mouthful, because you are hungry and it is so good.

You begin to remember the meaning of true nourishment, of real food, of health, vitality and strength...

Or imagine this...

You hold the spoon in your hand. You lower it into the simmering liquid, and you begin to stir. You scrape the spoon along the bottom of the pot to make sure no food is sticking there...

You keep the fire low to make sure it doesn't burn. The steam rises from the pot and you breathe it in, smelling the richness and goodness in the pot. You taste a bit, add a bit more salt, some fresh minced herbs, taste again. Your home is filled with the smells of this pot. You think of the mouths you will be feeding, and are grateful for the abundance of food. You wish you could feed everyone, give everyone a spoonful of the goodness that's in there -- watch everyone who is hungry, or sick, or tired, take in the strength and the nourishment of that pot. It isn't possible, but you wish it were, as you stand in the kitchen, stirring the cauldron.

You want everyone to experience this sense of right relation: with the planet and with all its beings...

If this is the sort of thing that you imagine, check out these Stirring the Cauldron resources for help & inspiration:

• Drop Where You Shop: supermarkets vs. farmers markets
• Where the Wise Foods Are: Bay Area Sources for Wise and Nourishing Traditional Foods
• Heaven's Leaven: an article by Jessica Prentice
• Seasonal Cooking Recipes
• Favorite Links

click to: book summary

Full Moon Feast Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice Full Moon Feast invites us to a table brimming with locally grown foods, radical wisdom, and communal nourishment.