On Growing Your Own Food & Cooking For Family — Q&A with Jessa Greenfield
Jessa Greenfield is an expert on bringing wellness into the household. Influenced in part by her childhood on her family’s farm, Jessa’s teachings focus on how to live a healthy, natural life in our modern era. As the wife of Ben Greenfield and mother of their two twin boys, Jessa spends much of her time creating the perfect environment for her family to thrive, and is an invaluable resource when it comes to food preparation, body detoxification, and designing a healthy home.
Q
How did your passion for healthy living begin?
A
I grew up in a home that was largely “healthy” and I have also been a runner for much of my life, so a healthy diet always seemed to go hand-in-hand. What escalated my passion for mindful and healthy living was really my twin boys. When they were born, I wanted the absolute best for them—as most parents do—so I began reading and researching. One of the first things that I did was rip out my backyard and put in a veritable garden and ever since then, fresh, healthy food has been a major priority in our house.
s simply essential to set the fertile soil for true insight and transformation.
Q
When it comes to wellness, what is the most important element to you?
A
I truly believe that the most important thing is keeping stress down. I think many folks want to implement everything all at once and that has the potential to cause major stress, burn-out and ultimately, a sense of failure.
Q
What advice can you give people who want to start experimenting with growing their own foods?
A
When it comes to growing your own food, I always suggest starting by learning one new major skill and mastering one plant. For example—take a composting class and implement your learnings. Then, learn how to grow blue-ribbon worthy tomatoes!
Q
We love hearing about the ways you nurture your twin sons' creativity and individual personalities. If you could give one piece of advice to other parents, what would it be?
A
The one thing that I think goes the longest way with kids is making sure that they feel needed and know they are part of the tribe. It is such a great way to boost their confidence and give them a desire to contribute.
Q
What is your favorite meal to cook with or for your family?
A
Homemade sourdough pizza is a family favorite! We have come up with so many creative variations. Also, sourdough waffles are a Saturday morning tradition that my son Terran is particularly passionate about.